The title expresses a radical thought for today's marriages! Chapter by chapter, discover how marriage works to develop Christlike character - forgiveness, love, respect, perseverance - in each of you. This book will enrich your marriage in unexpected ways.
Starting with the discovery that the goal of marriage goes beyond personal happiness, writer and speaker Gary Thomas invites readers to see how God can use marriage as a discipline and a motivation to love him more and reflect more of the character of his Son.
Gary Thomas is changing the way Christians look at their faith and family life. The author of several books, including Sacred Marriage, Sacred Parenting, Sacred Pathways, and the Gold Medallion award winning Authentic Faith, he is an adjunct faculty member at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. His books and ministry focus on spiritual formation: how we can integrate Scripture, church history, and the time-tested wisdom of the Christian classics into our modern experience of faith. Gary’s speaking ministry has led him to speak across the United States, in six different countries, and on numerous national television and radio programs, including Focus on the Family and Family Life Today. He lives with his wife and children in Bellingham, Washington.
Your marriage is more than a sacred covenant with another person. It is a spiritual discipline designed to help you know God better, trust him more fully, and love him more deeply.
Scores of books have been written that offer guidance for building the marriage of your dreams. But what if God’s primary intent for your marriage isn’t to make you happy . . . but holy? And what if your relationship isn’t as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God?
Everything about your marriage--everything--is filled with prophetic potential, with the capacity for discovering and revealing Christ’s character. The respect you accord your partner; the forgiveness you humbly seek and graciously extend; the ecstasy, awe, and sheer fun of lovemaking; the history you and your spouse build with one another--in these and other facets of your marriage, Sacred Marriage uncovers the mystery of God’s overarching purpose.
This book may very well alter profoundly the contours of your marriage. It will most certainly change you. Because whether it is delightful or difficult, your marriage can become a doorway to a closer walk with God, and to a spiritual integrity that, like salt, seasons the world around you with the savor of Christ.
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
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5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Don (Iowa), September 26, 2009
**DON'T GET MARRIED WITHOUT READING THIS BOOK** I was already engaged to my (now)wife when I read this book. As serious as death, I told her that unless she read it, there would be no marriage. She did, and it has been a tremendous help in our marriage. We've given many copies out to friends and family and are doing the DVD study with other couples. There is no finer book on marriage other than the Bible. If you haven't read any other of Gary Thomas' books, you are robbing yourself of many blessings.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Joei (Del Rio, TN), September 10, 2009
The awesome insightful teachings in Sacred Marriage..are not necessarily new to me!! As an inductive student of the Scriptures (albeit not seminarily trained), I have often reflected upon the uniqueness of God using marriage as a sacred chisel to "conform believers into the image of Christ". My problem: I am not a writer and the precepts, gleamed from the Scriptures, are POORLY WRITTEN!!! in my journals. BUT OH! God's gift to me through Gary Thomas to have them SO MAGNIFICIENTLY WRITTEN and all in one place! I just know I will be a better believer, a better person --yes! even a better wife even after more than thirty-two years! I am so looking forward to sharing this book with my youngest unmarried (a 25 year old son) and my oldest (a married daugther of 36 years). My husband and I are just soaking our empty-nester dinners with lessons we're learning. Thank you, Gary.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Tracy Rugman (Barrie, On,), August 17, 2009
What an amazing book. Totally brought the perspective of how marriage should bring us closer to the Lord. Lots of real life examples and scriptural references, a must have if you are getting married or are already married, totally changed my life.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Patricia Regnier (Wataga, IL), July 27, 2009
I've started reading this book and am finding quite useful information. I couldn't find a highlighter so I am using crayons to mark particularly informative and applicable quips. I'm an enjoying this book. I have been happily married for 37 years. Worth the read.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Tywan Lindsey (Raleigh, NC), July 22, 2009
This is an excellent book. It helps couples look more deeply into their marriage by helping them understand God's purpose for their union.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Deatra Trinidad (Upper Marlboro, MD), July 01, 2009
I ordered four of these books to share relatives and I kept one for myself. The first chapter was somewhat difficult to read from a 'readability' perspective; however, as the book goes on, it's really hard to put down. It gets more into the "real life" situations that we tend to go through in marriages. Totally recommended for those going through AND those that want to see how God wants our marriages to really be.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Brandy Teasley (Demorest, GA), June 19, 2009
Very helpful in setting the main viewpoint of marriage where it belongs, pointing towards God.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Don L (IA), June 12, 2009
A MUST MUST read!!! Unlike any other marriage book I've read, and I have a LOT of them. Not a "how-to", but an EXCELLENT treatise on the purpose of marriage. My wife and I have given many of these books to married and engaged couples and have received positive feedback. Gary Thomas is one of the finest authors on spirituality today. I HIGHLY recommend him.
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