Your Marriage God's Way: A Biblical Guide to a Christ-Centered Relationship Paperback – August 4, 2016

This book is truly amazing! My wife and I are deeply rooted in our faith. We put it at the front and center of everything we do especially our marriage. This book is great resource to help strengthen our marriage and help those roots of faith go deeper in our Marriage. Scott LaPierre is so knowledgeable on this topic and I highly recommend this book to any couple looking to strengthen their marriage.

"Marriage God's Way" is a must read for veteran married couples and newlyweds alike. Pastor Scott handles a myriad of important but touchy issues with sensitivity and love without ever compromising the truth of God's Word.From cover to cover, "Marriage God's Way" is both encouraging and convicting for husbands and wives. Pastor Scott begins by drawing a correlation between our marriages and our relationship with Christ. With this as a foundation, he proceeds to cover the essential elements of a Godly marriage: headship and leadership, submitting and helping, love and respect. Pastor Scott guides the reader through clear and concise word studies (easy to read!) of these fundamental truths, and he draws out and illustrates the lessons using examples from years of marital counseling. He highlights the practical effects when walking in disobedience/obedience to these principles. Too often, when we read marriage books we focus on what our spouse should be doing. Pastor Scott skillfully keeps us focused on what Christ has done for us and how that should affect our interactions with our spouse. The final chapters discuss obedience. It is all well and good to understand and know the commands regarding marriage, it is quite another to obey them. This book WILL challenge you in marriage, but it will also strengthen and grow your marriage, leading you to a deeper understanding of God's vision for marriage and how you can achieve it.I highly recommend this book for church libraries, marriage counselors, small group bible studies (men, women, or couples) and even young adults, as well as anyone who is in any stage of marriage or marital preparation. I suggest buying multiple copies to give out as the Lord leads. I believe this to be an invaluable resource for mature Christians, new believers, and those who are seeking to know God's plan for marriage. I consider "Marriage God's Way" by Pastor Scott LaPierre to be on par with "Love & Respect" by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs or "The Meaning of Marriage" by Tim Keller.

If you only read one book on marriage, make it this one! What sets it apart is that it is both thoroughly grounded in Scripture and at the same time down to earth practical. It is both soundly theological and pastorally helpful. If you have read many marriage books, you know that is a rare combination!What I found so refreshing is that Scott doesn't shy away from the clear teaching of Scripture on controversial (or disliked) topics like headship and submission, yet at the same time he doesn't go beyond what God has written to force every couple into predefined stereotypes. I have read other biblically-grounded books that went too far in providing overly rigid application. But Scott doesn't do that. Instead, he provides helpful suggestions and encouragement to couples to apply God’s principles in sensible ways in their own marriages. For example, he writes “Since each husband has different strengths and weaknesses, it is impossible to absolutely say how a wife should help because men will want—and need—help in different ways. Some men love to cook and enjoy taking on that responsibility. For men who struggle just making toast, they will find it helpful for their wives to do the cooking. Some men could not balance a checkbook if their lives depended on it, and for those men, it will be helpful if their wives oversee the finances... The important issue here is for wives to learn what their husbands need and then strive to help in those ways.” This is just one example of how Scott strikes the right balance between being firm on Scriptural truth and leaving room for couples to work out God's principles in their own marriages.The pattern of the whole book is this: 1.) Lay out a Biblical principle, 2.) challenge readers to accept or reject it, 3.) encourage us to apply God's Word in a way that makes sense in our own marriage. Number one makes the book theological. Number two makes it challenging- as Scott says in the beginning, the real question comes back to whether we will submit to God's Word. That's always the challenge. Number three makes it gracious and pastoral. The combination of all three makes it, as advertised, a Biblical recipe for a healthy marriage- and a must read!