Book Review: Love & War Devotional for Couples by John & Stasi Eldredge

Love & War Devotional for Couples is the 8-week devotional for couples based on John & Stasi Eldredge's book, Love & War: Finding the Marriage You've Dreamed Of. You can read my review of that book here. If you've read Love & War, you will find the content in this devotional familiar. It's the concise version with the addition of a prayer at the end of each day's reading and an exercise at the end of each week's readings. Also, each reading starts and ends with Scriptures. This devotional can be read together as a couple or read individually. The authors offer bite-sized nuggets of wisdom to help readers grow in their relationship with God and with his/her spouse. John and Stasi Eldredge tell you upfront that marriage is hard and that we live in a love story set in the midst of a war (not against our spouse but against the devil). However, don't lose heart; God is here to help you and your spouse fight for a fulfilled marriage that glorifies Him. I enjoyed reading this devotional even though I already read the book Love & War because it's good to be reminded again of all the important stuff in marriage by focusing on Scripture. I especially loved the prayers; they're from the heart and to the point.

"A tangible way to love our spouses is to encourage them to spend time in the Word. Spend time in prayer. Seek God. He alone is the source of true life and happiness." (p. 47)

"Pressed to choose our 'top three things that would most help your marriage,' we would come down to this list: 1) find life in God, 2) deal with your brokenness, and 3) learn to shut down the spiritual warfare that comes against your marriage." (p. 76)

- Click here to download chapter one of Love and War Devotional for Couples .
- You can purchase the book here or here.
- Visit the authors' website at http://www.ransomedheart.com/ .
- You can join their social networking site at http://ransomedheart.net/main/ .

~I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review: Love & War

Summary:
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.

Authors Bio:
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, Walking the Dead, Wild at Heart, and Desire, and coauthor of Captivating and The Sacred Romance.

Stasi Eldredge is the coauthor (with John) of Captivating and The Sacred Romance, and leads the women's events of Ransomed Heart Ministries. Stasi longs to see lives transformed by the love of Jesus and the beauty of the Gospel. She and John have been married for 25 years, and they have three sons.

My Review:
The theme of this book is "We live in a love story, set in the midst of war." Your spouse is not your enemy. Satan is; he wants to destroy this beautiful union between husband and wife because he knows that together they are powerful warriors making an impact for God’s kingdom. The authors invite us to fight for a marriage that not only lasts a lifetime through storms and all but also is love-driven. Love like God does…like God is. The authors share with transparency from their own struggles in their marriage and lessons they have learned. I enjoyed getting insights from both a male perspective and a female perspective. This book will help you remember that you and your spouse are in this together for a mission and adventure that God has planned for both of you. Whatever the cost is, it is definitely worth fighting for! What I don’t like in this book includes some crude humor, God’s name being used in vain (p. 93), and a book recommendation (that I wouldn’t recommend…p.106). Nevertheless, this book can be a useful tool for enriching your marriage and deepening your intimacy. Christ-centered marriages are the best marriages!

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.

You can read the introduction and the first chapter here.
Visit the authors' website at http://www.ransomedheart.com/ .
You can join their social networking site at http://ransomedheart.net/main/ .

Please rate this review. Thanks so much!

~This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.