Married and Still Loving It: The Joys and Challenges of the Second Half
Long marriages are a gift... but they aren't always easy
You know yourselves better. You've learned to cherish the small things. You're past keeping up with the Joneses.
And yet, anxieties over grown children, worries about money and health, and feelings of disappointment can challenge even the best marriages.
In Married and Still Loving It, renowned relationship expert Gary Chapman and Harold Myra, longtime CEO of Christianity Today International, offer wise counsel and practical insight on making your marriage thrive during the later years. Real couples share honestly about their joys and struggles, including Jerry and Dianna Jenkins and Ken and Joni Eareckson Tada, who talk movingly about their marital journeys.
Married and Still Loving It feels like a gathering of kindred spirits. It will inspire and equip you to embrace the adventures yet ahead, hand in hand with the one you love.
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" 'If I tried to summarize, I would have to say these are the two essentials: that the husband and wife love and serve each other, thus meeting the emotional need for love and intimacy. And secondly, that they deal effectively with their failures by apologizing and forgiving. Apologizing and forgiving are essential because none of us are perfect.'
It took me a long time to get through this book. Not because it's boring, but because it's geared toward a slightly difference audience than me. I have been married ten years, and this is geared toward those with even more years under the belt, or at least those older than me with grown kids and plenty of baggage. I have my baggage, but not particularly the kind discussed here. In fact it makes the troubles in marriage look like mere blips on the radar. And they are.
This book was still a good read for me, and has encouraged me to be a better wife and to refocus my efforts in marriage, not onto my husband so much as onto God. He is the one who can save any marriage. He is the one who offers the grace and forgiveness needed to maintain peace in a marriage.
To those who have spent many years married to their spouse and hope to spend many more (or even those that have given up on hope), read this book. It may restore your faith in marriage and in God. There are many stories here that may just resonate with you, your spouse, or even your children and your individual sufferings. Do not give up on the marathon of marriage. It is well worth the effort to reach the finish having run a good race."
Reviewed by Kelsie Engen on NetGalley, Jan 20, 2016
"In the marriage, your spouse should be home for you and you should be home for your spouse. One of the greatest joys of marriage in the second half. The challenge is getting there.
Married and Still Loving it is directed more for marriage after the nest has emptied and you find yourself asking "what now"? I think this gem of a book is for all marriages. The beginnings of marriage as you begin to know your spouse. The start of a family when dynamics and responsibilities change and then of course when the children leave and start families of their own. Marriage has a life of its own and this book is a testimony of that. Has your marriage lost it's life? In this day of self, marriage can die but it is in serving each other that it can be brought back to life. What about the spouse that refuses that? That is where grace comes in and we are more like Christ in those situations. That is where marriage is a reflection of the Gospel.
The book is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 - The adventure of marriage. It can be changing our attitude and saying yes to different things. Part 2 - Touches on where to live to sex. How difficulties in sex as we get older can be overcome and draw us closer. Sex is a spiritual matter that is designed for intimacy where two become one and fulfills a need to be known. Part 3 is facing crisis and death.
Each chapter touches on issues with testimonies of other couples. One of those couples that was encouraging was Joni Errickson Tada and her husband Ken. Such a great example of marriage as a couple but also individuals serving each others and others together. There are also ideals for you and your husband to jump start your marriage. How to communicate needs and to learn to enjoy each other on the great adventure of marriage!
A Special Thank You to Moody Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review."
Reviewed by Jeanie Schwagerman on NetGalley, Jan 27, 2016
