Love & War

Title: LOVE & WAR
Authors: John and Stasi Eldredge
Publisher: Doubleday books
December 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-52980-8
Genre: Inspirational/nonfiction/relationships

Marriage is work. It is not simply two people who love each other living in blissful existence for the happily-ever-after. Instead, it is the conflicting of wills. The differences of opinions. Two people going two different ways, living two different lives, trying to peacefully co-exist… And really, what is the point? Is it worth the effort when you never see each other, when your sex life is non-existent, when trying to communicate is like talking a brick wall? He wants to watch the game, you want to talk. And you aren’t important enough for him to interrupt the game to talk to you…

Sound familiar? Then LOVE & WAR is the book for you. John and Stasi have been there. In fact, just a couple years after they married, John and Stasi talked divorce. And in any marriage that has lasted for over two decades, we know that the thought does cross the minds of married couples—even those who want to be in it for the long haul.

Filled with real stories, LOVE & WAR explains in many different real life scenarios why marriage is work—but it’s worth it. That “loving costs everything, but is worth it.” Sometimes, it the day-to-day grime of regular life that is hard to see. But in LOVE & WAR, the authors show how God saved their marriage, and how they recently celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They show couples how to fight for their love and happiness.

So, if you are floundering—sick to death of not being the center of his life, or maybe he isn’t the man you thought you married—then read LOVE & WAR, and decide for yourself if you want to make the effort required to fight for your love. It will help you “find the marriage you’ve dreamed of.”

John and Stasi address many subjects in their book, but one of the most powerful was the chapter entitled “When Storms Descend.” We all go through stormy periods in our life, and marriage is no different. This book is worth reading for this chapter alone. LOVE & WAR is a book for any married couple, whether they’ve been married mere hours, day, weeks, or months. Maybe even for those married for only a few years. Or maybe even for those nearing their silver anniversary, to remind them that they aren’t alone, and don’t give up now… For all couples, all walks of life. A must for the church library. $22.99 hardcover. 222 pages.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385529808


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.