Since being engaged, we've been reading a few very helpful books on marriage, doing life together, and how to live, interact, and love your spouse. We've said all along that while we are planning a wedding for September, we want the planning of our marriage to be more important! I thought I'd share some of our favorite books with you here.
We aren't married so we have nothing figured out yet, but a lot of these books have been really helpful to us in preparing for what marriage might look like. Some of these we haven't read quite yet, but are hoping to soon. I'm currently reading the Meaning of Marriage and I really love it. The author explains the background of marriage, gender roles, how relationships have changed over the years, how humans are becoming more selfish and less grace-giving, and what the Bible has to say about the meaning of marriage. It's been a great read so far-- albeit, long!
We also have both read the For Men and For Women Only books. We heard the authors speak at our church once and immediately bought our own copies of the book. They suggested having the man read "For Women Only" first and having the woman read "For Men Only" first. Since For Women Only is actually for women, about men, the man can read it first and underline / highlight what sticks out and is true about him in the book (and vice versa!) Then when you swap and read the book meant for you, you'll be able to see the places your spouse underlined, be sure to note those sections as being really important to them. This has been so eye-opening for us! I'm learning things about men in general and specifically about McCann that I didn't know before reading these books.
The Five Love Languages is such a good read for anyone, whether you've been married for a week, a year or 25 years. The author helps you understand what ways you respond best to love and in turn, feel the most loved. I learned in this book that you usually love others in the way you best like to receive love, but that it's actually really important to pay attention to others' love language and love them in the way they want to receive it. This has been influential in my friendships, too!
I hope this short list of books is helpful to anyone getting married or has been married for a while, but is interested in some good reads. Here's to making our marriages more meaningful than our wedding day!
Please share any books YOU have loved and found helpful! I'm all ears.
xoxo
Love this post. My husband and I have been married almost 8 years with 3 kiddos, and are still reading christian marriage books. We actually do a devotion at night before bed as a couple. Can I suggest a few? We started off with Night Lights by James Dobson. It asked great questions and provided a lot of great discussion for us. A fantastic one on biblical sex was Intimacy Ignited by Dillow and Pintus. It's not a nightly devotional, but we read the chapters aloud together. It is really worth your time. Lastly with our couples bible study we are reading Francis Chan's You and Me in Light of Eternity. It's awesome. There is a free app. You can download the book and either read it or listen to Francis read it. It's all about how we need to be eternity focused in our marriage. There are videos out there too with his wife and him talking about the book. Love this post! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Mingling of Souls is on our list!
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, we read Wild at Heart and Captivating together before we got married. I'm having a hard time remembering the others, haha. Great idea though! Reading together is such great quality time on top of being a great learning opportunity.
The Five Love Languages is one of my favorites! My husband and I have been married for five years, and understanding his unique love language has been such a game changer, since it is so different from my own. Another great book you may enjoy is Kay Arthur's "A Marriage Without Regrets."
ReplyDeleteThis may be a little out there, but Sheet Music is highly recommended. I'm not sure I would read it together, but it definitely should be on your list!
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