Sometimes a book is so powerful you can literally feel it changing you with EVERY single page you read.
THIS is one of those books.
THIS book is one that if I could, I wouldn't hesitate to put in the hands of every Christian couple about to get married, married for a few years, or married for many years. It wouldn't matter if the marriage was struggling, great, or anywhere in between.
Seriously.
(Be sure to read to the end to see how you can enter to win a copy of this book shipped directly to you!)
THIS book would make that cut.
Without a doubt.
We aren't shy to share that our marriage has gone through some very dark seasons and periods of time that we had given up. We are also very vocal in talking about how God has redeemed and restored our marriage to a level we did not dream possible. Though we DAILY walk in imperfection and have to stay very much on top of issues to keep them from taking over, we live out a healthy, God-centered marriage. It's been a growing experience and it continues to grow EVERY single day that we make a commitment to it. (Key: when we make it the priority it deserves!)
We are currently going through a very heavy stage of seeing the need of spiritual warfare and the dangers and results of not being proactive. Because of that, we are being even more purposeful DAILY in how we approach our marriage, our own personal relationships with Christ, and in our daily decisions.
When offered the opportunity to read and review this book, I was VERY thrilled. I have read others of Gary Thomas and they are very deep, theological, and grounded in Scripture. I expected this one, A LIFELONG LOVE, to be no different.
I was just not prepared.
It moved me in a way I wasn't expecting.
It got my heart. In a powerful way.
This is one of those books that can literally change your life. It can absolutely change your marriage if you allow the Holy Spirit to work through you, but first and foremost it WILL CHANGE YOU.
I needed tissues.
I needed steel-toe boots (countless times in the margins I have written OUCH!)
I wanted to jump up and shout AMEN (and *might* be guilty of doing that more than once!).
I found myself broken and convicted.
I found myself restored.
I found myself needing to find my husband and apologize and seek forgiveness.
I found myself needing to allow God to chisel away some areas of my heart that I know weren't lining up with truth presenting in the pages of the book.
I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude.
I found myself wishing I had this book in my hands with a RECEPTIVE heart YEARS ago.
And...
Much more.
This is how a typical set of pages ending up looking as so much touched my innermost being and I had to mark or make notes. (Of course, a jumbo gluten free cupcake provided by a friend for me to nibble on as I recover from oral surgery sure helped me enjoy the book even more! HA!)
If you've ever read any of his books before, you know they are deep. They aren't necessarily a quick read, but if you hang in with it, you can see your heart being reshaped.
This isn't a typical "how to" book that is a quick checklist. This is one that will change YOU from the inside out. It will change how you relate to Christ and then how you relate to your spouse. For me, I'm finding that it not only is going to reshape some areas of my marriage, but it will shape areas of my parenting and most importantly my own relationship with Christ.
It's not an easy book.
It's not for the faint of heart.
It's not for the one that just wants to keep living selfishly.
You can't get from page one to the end of the book without wanting to change how you live. You might find that you have LOTS of growing to do.
THAT is dangerous.
Dangerous in a good way.
Because that's when the world starts to change. For the better. It's dangerous because God might be calling you to act differently than the world.
For me, I may have just finished it cover to cover, but the real changes are JUST beginning. Today, I'm different. Tomorrow, if I allow the truths to continue to penetrate and apply so many countless things I've learned, it will be different. Tomorrow I will be beginning this book again and letting it change me. I've no clue what is ahead----because these ripples of changes may be felt for years and generations to come. Literally.
My heart will change.
Our home will change.
Our marriage will change.
For the good.
Two words describe what I feel most at this moment: changed and grateful!
No matter where you are in marriage, it's a MUST read. Whether you are struggling, feel like you are the only one trying to improve your marriage, are married to someone completely impossible, at the brink of divorce (even separated), or even think you are in a good place....READ it. Let it penetrate your heart.
It WILL change you.
From the publisher:
Hardcover / 316 Pages
Discover how to live out a sacred marriage. You believe your
marriage has eternal purposes. you long for it to reach beyond your home and
encourage others. But what does it look like to have a spiritually intentional
relationship in the midst of dirty dishes, work deadlines, and car pools?
In Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas showed us that God designed marriage to
make us holy more than to make us happy. Now, in A Lifelong Love, Thomas
gives us the practical tools to craft our marriages into inspiring relationships
that breathe spiritual life to others. Whatever season of marriage you are in, A
Lifelong Love gives your the practical help you need to infuse your marriage
with a spiritual passion that will not only change you but will change the world
around you.
Official website: www.alifelonglove.com
Gary Thomas’ website: www.garythomas.com
Follow Gary on Twitter: @garyLthomas
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorgarythomas
On behalf of Propeller Consulting, LLC I have one copy to give away to a reader. Simply just comment on this post or on the facebook link that you wish to be entered and LEAVE an email for me to contact you if you are the winner chosen at random. Winner will be chosen by random.org at the end of 11/12/14.
Rules/Guidelines:Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
On behalf of Propeller Consulting, LLC I have one copy to give away to a reader. Simply just comment on this post or on the facebook link that you wish to be entered and LEAVE an email for me to contact you if you are the winner chosen at random. Winner will be chosen by random.org at the end of 11/12/14.
Rules/Guidelines:Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing
address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are
not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility
verification.”
1 comment:
I'm excited to check this book out. I have enjoyed another of his books (we got one as a wedding gift!) and would love to read this one. It sounds powerful and a much needed read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!
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