Book picks similar to
The Language of Sex: Experiencing the Beauty of Sexual Intimacy by Gary Smalley
marriage
non-fiction
relationships
christian
This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence
John Piper - 2009
That is all the more true in our casual times.Though personal selfishness and cultural bondage obstruct the wonder of God's purpose, it is found in God's Word, where his design can awaken a glorious vision capable of freeing every person from small, Christ-ignoring, romance-intoxicated views. As Piper explains in reflecting on forty years of matrimony: "Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It displays the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people to the world in a way that no other event or institution does. Marriage, therefore, is not mainly about being in love. It's mainly about telling the truth with our lives. And staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant and putting the glory of Christ's covenant-keeping love on display."This Momentary Marriage unpacks the biblical vision, its unexpected contours, and its weighty implications for married, single, divorced, and remarried alike.
Devotions for Dating Couples: Building a Foundation for Spiritual Intimacy
Sam Adams - 2002
This dynamic book will help you discover how to make your most important love relationships–with God and your potential mate–strong, lasting, and radiant.Relationship experts Ben Young and Samuel Adams, authors of The Ten Commandments of Dating and The One, give user-friendly tips for nurturing your personal walk with God and enhancing your spiritual connection as a couple. As you read through the devotions each day, you will:Become a great lover by learning to love God firstDevelop the essential disciplines of a lasting relationshipFocus on the important things in lifeDiscover a sense of spiritual purpose and meaningUnderstand that grace is not just for "beginners" – it is for you, every day Whether you are dating seriously or engaged to be married, these daily personal devotions and weekly couple's devotions will help you discover the way to lifelong love.
The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You
Shannan Martin - 2018
Where do we even begin?Shannan Martin offers a surprisingly simple answer: uncover the hidden corners of our cities and neighborhoods and invest deeply in the lives of people around us. She walks us through her own discoveries about the vital importance of paying attention, as well as the hard but rewarding truth about showing up and committing for the long haul, despite the inevitable encounters with brokenness and uncertainty. With transparency, humor, heart-tugging storytelling, and more than a little personal confession, Martin shows us that no matter where we live or how much we have, as we learn what it is to be with people as Jesus was, we'll find our very lives. The details will look quiet and ordinary, and the call will both exhaust and exhilarate us. But it will be the most worth-it adventure we will ever take.
Your Heart's Desire: 14 Truths That Will Forever Change the Way You Love and Are Loved
Sheri Rose Shepherd - 2012
This book is written for the married woman who loves her man but struggles in her marriage. It's for the single woman who wants to find a godly man to love and for the divorced woman who believed in her marriage until her man walked out.Each chapter has life-challenging love stories, love coaching, powerful prayers, inspiring scriptural love letters, and a Transforming Truth.If you're ready for a refreshing perspective on love, men, and marriage, this book is for you.
The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes
James L. Ferrell - 2004
Unlike other books about the atonement, The Peacegiver is written as an extended parable. It tells the story of a man struggling, with the help of a loved one, to come unto Christ. IN reading the rich details of his often difficult journey, we find ourselves embarked on a personal journey of our own. His questions are our questions; his problems, our problems; his discoveries, our discoveries. Along the way, the truths of the gospel are unfolded with surprising clarity and power, illuminating aspects of the atonement that few of us have ever heard or considered before. These surprising implications show us the way to deep and lasting peace in our hearts and homes."My peace I give unto you," the Savior declared. The Peacegiver explores in a deeply personal way what we must do to receive the peace he stands willing to give.
Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts
Jennie Allen - 2020
The visionary behind the million-strong IF:Gathering challenges you to exercise your God-given power to shift negative thinking patterns and take back control of your thoughts and emotions.Are your thoughts holding you captive? I’ll never be good enough. Other people have better lives than I do. God couldn’t really love me. Jennie Allen knows what it’s like to swirl in a spiral of destructive thoughts, but she also knows we don’t have to stay stuck in toxic thinking patterns. As she discovered in her own life, God built a way for us to escape that downward spiral. Freedom comes when we refuse to be victims to our thoughts and realize we have already been equipped with power from God to fight and win the war for our minds. In Get Out of Your Head, Jennie inspires and equips us to transform our emotions, our outlook, and even our circumstances by taking control of our thoughts. Our enemy is determined to get in our heads to make us feel helpless, overwhelmed, and incapable of making a difference for the kingdom of God. But when we submit our minds to Christ, the promises and goodness of God flood our lives in remarkable ways. It starts in your head. And from there, the possibilities are endless.
The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes
Robert S. McGee - 1984
Discover what three million readers have already discovered: that true significance is found only in Christ.Robert McGee's bestselling book has helped millions of readers learn how to be free to enjoy Christ's love while no longer basing their self-worth on their accomplishments or the opinions of others. In fact, Billy Graham said that it was a book that "should be read by every Christian."What makes this book so uniquely powerful is understanding that the journey begins in a very private place—your thoughts. “When I fail at something, I feel lousy about myself. When others do not approve of me, I can’t seem to get over it. Sometimes it feels like I’ll never measure up.”These are the universal lies that trigger the cycle of self-doubt, robbing you of joyful living. Now, you can free yourself from these self-defeating lies.One by one, The Search for Significance confronts these lies, dismantles them, and points you to a higher truth that is the source of life’s meaning. It points you to Almighty God—the source of life itself.In this re-launch of this timeless classic, you will:Gain new skills for getting off the performance treadmillDiscover how four false beliefs have negatively impacted your lifeLearn how to overcome obstacles that prevent you from experiencing the truth that your self-worth is found only in the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of ChristWith a hands-on workbook and new, revised material, now is the perfect time to discover The Search for Significance. If you’ve already encountered its life-changing truths, there is no better time to explore them all over again, enriching your life in the process. Your own journey begins with this step.Other products in the Search for Significance family of products include a devotional journal and youth edition.
Men & Women: Enjoying the Difference
Larry Crabb - 1991
The problem is this: we are committed, first of all, to ourselves. Each of us, without blushing, holds fast to an overriding concern for our own well-being. Giving numerous examples from his counseling and speaking ministry, Crabb explores how we can turn away from ourselves and toward each other, how we can become what he calls "other-centered." Dr. Crabb maintains that men and women are different in important ways that, if understood and honored, can lead to a deep enjoyment of one another, an enjoyment that can last forever.
Faithful
Amanda Bible WilliamsSally Lloyd-Jones - 2021
Bringing together some of the most beloved Christian authors and songwriters of today, Faithful guides readers through the pages of Scripture to increase understanding of how God has always valued the integral role of females and how that shapes the lives of women today. The Faithful project is a collaboration between three major ministry partners: David C Cook, Integrity Music, and Compassion International. The accompanying album and a 2021 tour of live events celebrates the contributions of women while recognizing their empowerment through the faithfulness of God. This beautiful, creative book will invite readers to return again and again for reflection and inspiration through guided scripture reading and writing prompts.
Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know
C.J. Mahaney - 2004
The Song ofSolomon shines brightly, showing us the way to the best sex we canpossibly experience.""As practical as it is profound, Sex, Romance, and the Glory ofGod may well be the best book on marriage I've ever read. I wasmotivated to love my wife more and broadened in my understanding ofhow loving my wife brings glory to God . . . this book is truly atreasure."Gary Thomas, author of Sacred Marriage and SacredParenting"Men, if you are looking for a book that will give you a feweasy tips for spicing up your sex life, look somewhere else. Thisbook invites you instead to completely revolutionize your romanticrelationship with your wife. It calls all of us to a more profoundand deeply satisfying kind of countercultural sex than most of ushave ever experienced."Bob Lepine, co-host of FamilyLife Today, author of TheChristian Husband"There's not a husband I know that won't benefit from this book.This is more than a book for the bedroom. It will train you toromance your wife and set you on a lifelong pursuit of winning herheart. Wives, do yourselves a favor and buy this book for yourhusbands!"Joshua Harris, author of Boy Meets Girl
Side by Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love
Edward T. Welch - 2015
In this short book, a highly respected biblical counselor and successful author offers practical guidance for all Christians--pastors and laypeople alike--who want to develop their "helping skills" when it comes to walking alongside hurting people.Written out of the conviction that friends are the best helpers, this accessible introduction to biblical counseling will equip believers to share their burdens with one another through gentle words of wisdom and kind acts of love. This book is written for those eager to see God use ordinary relationships and conversations between ordinary Christians to work extraordinary miracles in the lives of his people.
Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace
Heath Lambert - 2013
But real freedom isn’t found by trying harder to change. Nor is it found in a particular method or program. Only Jesus Christ has the power to free people from the enslaving power of pornography.In Finally Free, Dr. Heath Lambert, a leader in the biblical counseling movement, lays out eight gospel-centered strategies for overcoming the deceitful lure of pornography. Each chapter clearly demonstrates how the gospel applies to this particular battle and how Jesus can move readers from a life of struggle to a life of purity.If you or someone you care about is fighting this battle, there is good news: No matter how intense or long-standing the struggle, Jesus Christ can, will, and does set people free from the power of pornography.“I’ve read just about every Christian book on the topic of pornography. Finally Free is now the number one book I will recommend to pastors, counselors, strugglers, and those who love them.- Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., Executive Director, The Biblical Counseling Coalition; Author, Sexual Abuse: Beauty for Ashes“This book is richly biblical, soundly Christian, and centered in the gospel. Christians should read it and quickly pass it to others. It will be of enormous help to pastors, youth ministers, college ministers, and the Christians of all ages struggling against the tide of our pornographic age.”- R. Albert Mohler Jr., president Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
How We Love: Discover Your Love Style, Enhance Your Marriage
Milan Yerkovich - 2006
They identify four types of injured imprints that combine in marriage to trap couples in a repetitive dance of pain. The groundbreaking principles and practical, solution-focused tools in this book will equip you to… ·identify the imprints disrupting your marriage, ·understand how your love style impacts your mate, ·break free of negative patterns that hinder your relationship, ·enhance your sexual intimacy, and ·create the deeper, richer marriage of your dreams. Discover the truths that have transformed countless relationships– including the authors’ marriage–so you can stop stepping on each other’s toes and instead be swept along by the music of a richer, more passionate relationship.Includes a study guide for individual or group discussion.
Charles Stanley's Handbook for Christian Living: Biblical Answers to Life's Tough Questions
Charles F. Stanley - 2001
Previously released as the bestselling "The Glorious Journey," this practical volume by Charles Stanley shows readers how to put God's Word to work in their daily lives with this easy-to-apply handbook.As believers, our desire is to follow the Lord more closely and to utilize His Word for maximum impact in our lives. Occasionally, however, we find ourselves not even knowing the questions to ask, or the best way to approach Scripture in search of answers."Charles F. Stanley's Handbook for Christian Living" is not a lofty theological work, nor is it an academic commentary. Instead, Dr. Stanley has prepared a friendly, easy-to-use help system for every believer. In this collection, he speaks with authority on such issues as:the real purpose of baptism how to treat others at work a proper view of those in government how grace saves us and how worry robs us what freedom reallly isHe also shares biblical insight into relationships, children, parenting, loneliness, sexual pressures, as well as strategies for personal growth. From the thorny issues of daily life to a framework for the end times (and everything in between), "Charles F. Stanley's Handbook for Christian" brings Scripture to life, makes sense of the hard questions, and enhances your understanding of the way life was meant to be lived.
It's Good to Be a Man: A Handbook for Godly Masculinity
Michael Foster - 2021
They always have and always will. Nothing can change that. Nothing will. It is not a question of whether men will be ruling, but which ones and how.” ~From It's Good to Be a ManOur modern society has called for us to “smash the patriarchy,” and the church has not done much better.Instead of telling men how they can hone and refine their aggressive traits, the church has told men that they should aspire to be meek servant-leaders, and when a man shows any signs of independence, he is shown the door. This leaves most young men lost. They don’t know what to do or how to improve, so they watch Jordan Peterson videos on YouTube to learn how to grow in their masculinity and sense of mission.In this book, Michael Foster and Bnonn Tennant remind men that their natural aggressive instincts are gifts from God that are meant to be used for the kingdom. Men are supposed to found households, join brotherhoods, and work towards a mission.It's Good to Be A Man offers men a quick guide to where they are and how they can improve.God made men to be strong and aggressive risk-takers. This is a feature, not a bug. Foster and Tennant remind us that it’s good to be a man.