Marriage Matters

Written byWinston Smith

Can Ordinary Marriages Become Extraordinary?

He snapped at her at breakfast. She brought up a past mistake. He walked out angry. She left without saying good-bye. Just one day in an ordinary marriage. But what if things could be different? What if the ordinary moments of annoyance, conflict, pain, or cold indifference could become moments to understand God’s incredible agenda for love and begin something new?

This book offers a simple, yet powerful prescription for changing marriages one ordinary moment at a time. Change begins with understanding how and why small disagreements evolve into major problems, taking practical steps to love one another more effectively, and learning how to take those same steps over and over again. Interactions that used to devolve into pointless annoyances and fights can become opportunities for God’s love to become increasingly evident and powerful. Winston takes abstract, biblical principles and applies them to the concrete details of life so that ordinary marriages can become extraordinary.

About the Author

Winston T. Smith, MDiv, is the rector at Saint Anne’s Church in Abington, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Marriage Matters as well as the minibooks Divorce Recovery: Growing and Healing God’s Way; Help for Stepfamilies: Avoiding the Pitfalls and Learning to Love; It’s All about Me: The Problem with Masturbation; Who Does the Dishes? Decision Making in Marriage; and Burned Out? Trusting God with Your “To-Do” List.

Book Details

290 pages
Publisher: New Growth Press
Publication Year: 2010

Contents

Section 1: God Is in the Ordinary Moments
Chapter 1 – Marriages Change in Ordinary Moments
Chapter 2 – Ordinary Moments Reveal our Problems with God
Chapter 3 – Worship: Extraordinary Love for God
Chapter 4 – Living in Jesus’ Extraordinary Love
Chapter 5 – God’s Dream for Your Marriage
Section 2: Extraordinary Love in the Details of Marriage
Chapter 6 – Person or Object, Honor or Manipulation?
Chapter 7 – Honesty Is Important
Chapter 8 – Being Honest about Yourself
Chapter 9 – Speaking the Truth to Your Spouse
Chapter 10 – God Is Up to Good in Conflict
Chapter 11 – Moving Forward in Conflict
Chapter 12 – Foundations of Forgiveness
Chapter 13 – Forgiveness in Marriage
Chapter 14 – Understanding Your Role
Chapter 15 – Intimacy and Sex
Section 3: Staying on the Path
Chapter 16 – Growing in Grace
Chapter 17 – Your Actions Make a Difference
Chapter 18 – Knowing Your Story