Love & War - Finding The Marriage You've Dreamed Of

Love & War – Finding the Marriage You’ve Dreamed Of
Written by John and Stasi Eldredge
Published at Doubleday

About the book
What the Eldredge bestsellers Wild at Heart did for men, and Captivating did for women, LOVE & WAR will do for married couples everywhere. John and Stasi Eldredge have contributed the quintessential works on Christian spirituality through the experience of men and the experience of women and now they turn their focus to the incredible dynamic between those two forces.

With refreshing openness that will grab readers from the first page, the Eldredges candidly discuss their own marriage and the insights they’ve gained from the challenges they faced. Each talks independently to the reader about what they’ve learned, giving their guidance personal immediacy and a balance between the male and female perspectives that has been absent from all previous books on this topic. They begin LOVE & WAR with an obvious but necessary acknowledgement: Marriage is fabulously hard. They advise that the sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs, the sooner we'll find our way through.

LOVE & WAR shows couples how to fight for their love and happiness, calling men and women to step into the great adventure God has waiting for them together. Walking alongside John and Stasi Eldredge, every couple can discover how their individual journeys are growing into a story of meaning much greater than anything they could do or be on their own.

Who are John and Stasi Eldredge?
JOHN ELDREDGE is the founder and director of Ransomed Heart Ministries in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a fellowship devoted to helping people discover the heart of God. John is the author of numerous books, including Epic, Waking the Dead, Wild at Heart, and Desire, and coauthor of Captivating and The Sacred Romance.

STASI ELDREDGE, who is passionate about mentoring women in finding their true identity as the beloved of Christ, has been leading women's Bible studies for years. With a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and formerly on staff with Youth for Christ, Stasi now leads the women's ministry of Ransomed Heart. She has been married to John for nineteen years and together, they have three sons.

My Thoughts
Absolutely love it! I am not completely done with this book as I have received it earlier last week but I must tell you that it is an excellent book about marriage. I have read numerous books from the Eldredges in the past and when I got the opportunity to review this book I jumped on it knowing full well that I would appreciate their insights on marriage. We even met John when we were at the Pillars Seminar at Focus on the Family Institute in Colorado Springs back in June 2000. Back then he talked about his book The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God written with Brent Curtis

The whole book covers multiple issues in a marriage and reading through it you will learn that every one have issues even well known authors. I was surprised to see that John and Stasi had brought the possibility of divorce in their discussion but it was so refreshing and encouraging that they were able to get over this issue and work on their marriage.

John and Stasi both write about the subject of marriage from the man and woman angle. I think it is important that a couple write a book on marriage and both share their thoughts on it. It is quite interesting to hear both of them telling us what went through their mind for various events in their life together like the whole 25th anniversary celebration.

While reading this book you will get some moments where the light bulb will click and then you will understand some of the issues you are experiencing in your marriage. I realized some things from my past and my parents’ relationship. I know that marriage need some work and it’s always nice to remind yourself about this when you read such a good book... Reading this book got me thinking on the things that could improve in my marriage with my husband. And it reminded me that without God there is no way a marriage can survive.

Valentine Day is coming this week. Why not invest in your marriage and read together this wonderful book from the Eldredges. You won’t be disappointed. It will speak to you and your spouse on various levels. I know it because the book spoke to me. This is definitively a book that I would recommend to any couples – engaged or married. It’s the kind of book that you will go back often throughout your marriage.

This review was possible because I received a copy of Love & War from WaterBrook Multnomah.

Love & War are available everywhere even at amazon.ca and indigo.ca.

The Marriage Project - 21 Days to More Love and Laughter

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Kathi Lipp

and the book:

The Marriage Project

Harvest House Publishers (December 1, 2009)

***Special thanks to Kathi Lipp for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kathi is married to Roger, the Worship Arts Director at Church on the Hill in San Jose. They have four kids and live in San Jose, CA. When she’s not doing laundry, Kathi is a full-time speaker and writer whose articles have appeared in Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman and Christian Parenting Today. Her first books, The Husband Project and The Marriage Project were both released by Harvest House.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (December 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736925287
ISBN-13: 978-0736925280

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Why The Marriage Project?


With every deed you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see.

-- Ella Wheeler Wilcox


I have a shelf full of marriage books and I bet if you‘ve been married for any amount of time, you do too.


Most of the books that we own are great books. They talk about God’s desire for a healthy marriage, the theories behind a healthy marriage, and what a healthy marriage should look like if you apply these principles.


Some of those marriage books have had a great impact on my relationship with my husband.


Most of them? They ended up on our bookshelf as things I feel guilty for 1) not implementing on a daily basis and 2) not dusting.


When Roger and I got married we both brought two teenagers, two full-time jobs, and a host of volunteer activities into the relationship. There just wasn’t much time to be sitting up in bed after a long day, taking turns reading pages out of marriage enhancement books and staring longingly, with great resolve, into each other’s eyes.


On the other hand, Roger and I both determined to make this marriage work. We each had been in marriages that ended in divorce, and we were committed to being absolutely intentional to do everything we could, in God’s power, to see that we had a marriage that not only lasted, but also was honoring to Him and filled with joy.


That’s when the crazy ideas started to flow.


First, there was The Husband Project, where I challenged my friends (and myself) to bless our men for 21 days without expecting anything in return. While most women kept it a secret from their husbands, I had to tell Roger eventually (he had a right to know what book I was working on seven hours a day).


After that, Roger and I wanted a project to complete as a couple. The results of that are what you hold in your hand.


I wanted a way to bless my marriage that was very practical, fun, following God’s plan and purpose for marriage (and perhaps just a little bit flirty). I needed something that wasn’t just a theory about what to do about my marriage – I wanted some checkboxes. I wanted something that would instruct me, “This is what you do, now go and do it.”


That is what I needed, and that is what I ended up writing.


Becoming an Expert on Your Own Marriage


I’m definitely not a marriage expert. After one failed marriage and just four years into my second one, I’m probably not the first person you’d approach for marital advice. (Although the fact that Roger and I got married with four teenagers between us, and we’re still together, should earn us some kind of presidential Medal of Honor. Or at least a nifty certificate in a leatherette case.)


So I gleaned and condensed the very best advice from every marriage book on our shelves and adapted it into short, doable steps – or projects, that we could work on together.


This is how I have to manage almost every area of my life – whether it’s healthy eating, child rearing, Bible study, and most recently, marriage. It’s not enough that I know what I’m supposed to do; I need to have a plan to get up and do it.


Through these crazy little projects (most taking less than five or ten minutes) my husband and I learned new things about each other. We rediscovered what makes each other tick, confirmed some basics we already knew, and found new and exciting ways to encourage one another. While I may not be a marriage expert, I became an expert on my marriage.


I love how The Message Bible illustrates the words of James when it comes to putting feet to our thoughts:


Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? (James 2:14-17)


We can talk about marriage all day long. We can buy books and listen to podcasts about how we should have great marriages. We can listen to sermons and do Bible studies. But, unless we put some God-acts to our God-talk, no one benefits.


Hundreds of couples have done the Projects before you. These simple acts have been proven to change not only people’s behavior, but also their attitudes. I pray that God pours out His blessings on you and your marriage as you put feet to His plan for your marriage.

My Thoughts
Any book about enhancing your relationship is good I think.   And The Marriage Project is definetively the book you need to get to have fun with your spouse.  And with valentine just being around the corner, it's the perfect time to go to the bookstore to get a copy of it.

The book starts with the laying of the foundation for the project. In eleven chapters, the author explains how to prepare you and your spouse to experience The Marriage Project. She will explain why 21 days, what preparation is needed for the projects, creating an encouragement crew, the bonus projects, the major projects, and so on. The author also suggests other literature that you can dig in for get more information on specific subjects.


Then you are sent-off to work on the projects. The project section is divided in three weeks in which you will have a project per day as well as a major project and a bonus project to complete. Some projects are for either one or the other partner in the couple and other projects requires both of you to be involved. It can as simple as for the guy to go buy a card for his wife to completing a home project that you have been thinking about since a long time...

The important thing about marriage is to keep the communication lines open and this little book and the ideas in it will do just that. I’m pretty sure that every couple will discover something new about each other while going through this book.

I am looking forward to experience these projects with my husband. This year we will be celebrating our 12th anniversary and with four kids under the age of eight in the house getting new ideas on how to rekindle love and laughter is always a bonus for us. I am looking forward to go fishing with him this year. The last two years I wasn’t able to but I want to make the effort of spending time with him doing that this summer.

And if the author plans to write a book titled The Family Project or The Kids Project, I would be more than willing to be a testing family. One book I am keeping in mind for the future is The Husband Project.

The Marriage Project is available at every bookstore even at amazon.ca and indigo.ca.

Tithing

Tithing – Test me in This

Written by Douglas Leblanc
Published at Thomas Nelson

About the book
Stories of people who live a generous and happy life (and why you'll want to live that way too).

Journalist Douglas LeBlanc travels the nation to talk with believers whose lives have been enriched by the ancient spiritual discipline of tithing. He discovers people along the way who do not understand the practice as an onerous law but as God’s call to a life of generosity and compassion. The effect on their lives is dramatic.

LeBlanc talks with a variety of believers—from a pastor in the south side of Chicago to progressive Episcopalians, from an Orthodox rabbi to an Eastern Orthodox priest and his wife. By holding their gifts with open hands, they are drawn deeper into a life of joy and sharing that begins in the very heart of God.

This is volume VII in the Thomas Nelson's Ancient Practices series.

Who is Douglas Leblanc?
Douglas LeBlanc has been religion editor of The Advocate in Baton Rouge and editor for Christianity Today, Compassion International, and Anglicans United. He and his wife attend Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church in Richmond, VA.

My Thoughts
Tithing. Such a touchy subject in the Christian circles sometimes. And when I picked this book I was half expecting getting more insight on the subject. But I ended up more confused I think.

I’m a bit disappointed on this book that is part of the ancient practices series. I would have preferred to get more details on tithing. As a family, we believe that everything we have belongs to God and tithing is just a part of our Christian life. We don’t hesitate to open our doors to people in need (and I do have stories about this) or share our belongings when we can. And we do believe that God will bless us when we tithe or share what we have with others.

But part of me, was hoping to receive more guidance on the subject of tithing. And I only got stories on how people deal with it. Among these stories, some were disturbing to say the least. I respect the fact that the author tried to get various experience from interviewing different people from different backgrounds but honestly some are questionable.

As much as I had enjoyed The Sacred Meal, I am not recommending Tithing except for those of you who would like to have a variety of examples on the perspective on tithing.

This review was possible because I received a free copy of Tithing from Thomas Nelson.

Tithing is available everywhere even at amazon.ca and indigo.ca.