BLOG TOUR TIME!!

4:04 pm 5-28

GIVEAWAY OVER: I will momentarily be emailing my winner. I'm hoping to do more of these, so try again next time if you were not the lucky winner!!!!

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Tony Evans has written a new book called "Marriage Matters". It caught my attention when I received my regular Blog Tour Spot email. Tony Evans' website is great so check it out HERE.

Lets just get through a few of the nitty gritty details and then I'll share my thoughts on this book.

By participating in the Blog Tour Spot I am able to receive books and give my own review of them at no charge. It's a great chance to have literature (all kinds!!!) delivered to my very own mailbox! I then, read the book that I received and then blog about it. I get to sign up for the books of my choice and it is never forced upon me! It's a great way to learn/read/glean insight not only into the way God thinks and loves me but also in the way that He created us to live life.

The following link is to other blog spot tour bloggers who are also reviewing "Marriage Matters". If you'd like someone else's opinion about the book hop on over there and check them out! I'm sure they'd love the feedback as well!! :)

Ok, lets dive in!!!!!

When I got "Marriage Matters" in the mail I was honestly thrilled to see that it was a short book! Life has been hectic lately and I genuinely wondered if this book would keep my attention. Never, though, have I seen so much powerpacked into such few pages when reading about marriage! The book is only 76 pages long. It's thin, the font is nice and readable and the conversational style made it easy to get lost in. I actually read the book in it's entirety in one afternoon/evening. It was a lot to soak in. And I'm sure I'll be reading it over and over. My pencil was busy underlining thoughts that I wanted to go back and linger on.... as my heart was eager to see what he would say next!

Evans' talked about the covenant of marriage and how in modern times we often lose sight of what a covenant is. Let alone a covenant made with God in the center. God created marriage and created the hierarchy of God, man, and woman. He was able to explain and show the relationship and the chain of "command" so to speak in a way that left me desiring the act of "submission" where often in some books it can seem like the biggest chore on the planet.

"God says that mankind will mirror His image on earth.... what that means is that you can have a happy marriage or a miserable marriage depending on whether your rule is reflecting His image. He sets up the fundamentals of a covenant, and gives you the option of utilizing them. Oftentimes, the well-being of the home is determined by whether the man is reflecting God's image in his role, or the woman is reflecting Him in her role..... Virtually every time there is a marital breakdown, it is because one or both parties are functioning outside of the covenantal fundamental of transcendence...". (Marriage Matters, pg 14-15).

In the hierarchy that God established it starts with Christ... and then moves to the man.... and then down to the woman. One of my favorite quotes from the book is about the idea of men leading in the home.

"The best thing that a man can do in leading his home and cultivating his marriage is to raise the questions, 'What is the mind of Christ on this matter?' and then follow it. Once you have done that, you will have your wife's full attention, and submission. Because now she is no longer arguing with you and your opinions. Now you have brought Christ and His word into the equation. Eventually she will relax when she sees that you are underneath an authority that can be trusted.... A wife needs to feel secure. A man must align himself under the Word of God to offer an environment that causes her to feel that way. When he does that, he will be demonstrating what it means to be a truly spiritual leader over her." (Marriage Matters, pg 40-41)

Wow. Need I truly say more?!

This book is one that I have already mentioned to several friends and I'm sure it will borrowed and poured over. I found it encouraging and offering hope, where sometimes reading marriage material can leave me feeling like a failure!

So, I'm doing my first ever give away!!!! If you send me an email me at my email address (boundtohisheart@gmail.com) I will enter you into a giveaway for this very book. The way it works is that you send me your name and address. I then send your name and address (the winner's only) to Blog Spot Tours and they will have a copy of this book sent straight to you (again, free of charge!). :o)

Because I'm late in the game I'll be closing the giveaway tomorrow (5/28) by 4 pm. I'll need to get my winner's info to the BSTours before it's too late!