Title: THE BEAUTIFUL WIFE
Author: Sandy Ralya
Publisher: Kregel Publications
February 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8254-4220-9
978-0-8254-4221-6 (Mentor’s Guide)
978-0-8254-4222-3 (Prayer Journal)
Genre: Marriage/Christian Life
Marriage is under attack. Unfortunately, more than half of all marriages end in divorce. Churches need to be proactive in safeguarding couples from relationship failure. THE BEAUTIFUL WIFE is a book designed to help women whose marriages are in trouble.
Inspired by Titus 2:3-5, Ms. Ralya, founder of BEAUTIFUL WOMENHOOD offers seminars and resources to equip marriage mentors, encourage women in their role of wives, and help women build relationships with other wives.
THE BEAUTIFUL WIFE is best designed for use with a small group. It comes with a mentor’s guide for the leader, a book for each member of the group, and a prayer journal with plenty of spaces to write prayer requests, answer some questions regarding lessons, and more. There are free small-group starter kits available at www.beautifulwomanhood.com.
If you can’t be part of a group (as I wasn’t) when you read through the book, it can be used individually. After reading through each chapter, write down your thoughts/responses and take the First Steps listed. Also use the Prayer Journal while your working through this alone.
The mentor’s guide (for the small group leader) includes an introduction on what it means to be a mentor, gives instructions on creating a group, gives practical tips, a hostess guide, and a week-by-week leader’s guide that corresponds with each chapter of THE BEAUTIFUL WIFE.
I attend a church that is all about family/marriage and so I was interested in reading this book to see what Ms. Rayla has to say. I think that our church would benefit for starting a small group for women, especially young married women, who are interested in building a lasting relationship with the one they chose to wed.
I highly recommend this book, and will make sure a copy lands in the church library so it will be available when needed. I was sent two copies of these books, THE BEAUTIFUL WIFE, the Mentor’s Guide, and the Prayer Journal, so I will give one set away to a reader on this blog. $13.99. 240 pages.
Answer this question to win a set of these books: If you are married, what is the biggest struggle you had as a wife? Or, what do you wish you would have been told before you married? If you are unmarried, What do you want to know about marriage before you "tie the knot"?
About the book:
The Beautiful Wife uses these inspiring stories along with biblical principles to guide and encourage any wife looking for God's best in her marriage. The Beautiful Wife answers serious questions women have about their roles as wives. Discussing everything from romance and money to beauty, communication, and sex, Sandy challenges women to open up and share their journeys so that together they can see God's plan for their marriages. "It is my passion to help women discover God's heart for their marriage, just as the other women helped me," writes Sandy. "When women share with each other the details of their journeys with God as wives, it's a beautiful thing indeed." The Beautiful Wife has two companion resources - Prayer Journal and Mentor's Guide.
About Sandy Ralya:
Sandy Ralya is the founder and director of Beautiful Womanhood, a marriage mentoring ministry based near Grand Rapids, Mich. Her marriage testimony was the focus of a popular three-day interview on FamilyLife Today, TV's Walking by Faith, and Time Out for Women. Sandy is a sought-after speaker, presenting Beautiful Womanhood seminars to hundreds of women each year at MOPS groups, women's retreats, and church leadership conferences across the country and in Canada. Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980, and have a growing number of grandchildren. www.beautifulwomanhood.com
Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0825442206/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=sprightly-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0825442206&adid=1W3K2YQ18448XYFD3ZQ8
About the giveaway and party:
Celebrate with Sandy by entering her Kindle Touch Giveaway!
One beautiful winner will receive:
A Brand new Kindle Touch with Wi-Fi
The Beautiful Wife by Sandy Ralya
The Beautiful Wife Prayer Journal and Mentor's Guide by Sandy Ralya
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/7/12. Winner will be announced at Sandy's "Beautiful Womanhood" Facebook Party on 3/8. Sandy will be hosting an evening of chat, laughter and encouragement - bring your friends! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, prayer journals, gift certificates and a live chat with Sandy for your Bible study or small group!
So grab your copy of The Beautiful Wife and join Sandy and friends on the evening of March 8th for an evening of fun.
Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 8th!
Video Links:
1. Sandy’s Testimony. This is directed primarily at wives. Sandy speaks to the mentors for a few seconds near the end, but her testimony will be one that resonates with wives as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2F7GIhZZF0&feature=youtu.be
2. About BEAUTIFUL WOMANHOOD Ministry. This uses Sandy’s experience to speak directly to the marriage mentor to encourage and equip her role as a mentor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV3cJFyo1mI&feature=youtu.be
Blog tour schedule: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13457272/beautifulwife)
6 comments:
How exciting...! I would love to be a winner! I want to read your book, "The Beautiful Wife". Thank you so much for this opportunity.
I think the biggest thing for me in my early years of marriage was not being myself. I would have liked to know more about the balance of being "submissive" and yet being allowed to be different when it went against who I really was. Thanks for the chance to win this set of books.
Wow, this book sounds like what I've been looking for! I have friends all around me that are struggling in their marriages. I have a burden for marriages, and I could use this book to help me counsel some of my friends. Our church has been talking of ways to help marriages (besides praying), and I think this could be something we use! Thanks for letting us know about it!
As for the question:
Good question - there are so many things I wish I had been told before I got married. I guess the biggest would be to study God's definition of a good wife, and strive for that - not what people around me say is a good wife. God makes it clear there's a head in the family and the wife isn't it. There are good reasons for this, and things go smoother when we do things God's way!
thanks for the chance to read this novel :)
karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
Would love to win this and have tried to enter, but the site won't take my comment! Thanks!
Molly Fredrick
I've been in a healthy marriage for thirty-one years, and the thing I struggle with most is putting my husband's needs before mine.
I am surrounded by marriages in trouble and frequently find myself begging God to rescue my friends' marriages. Thank you, Sandy, for giving people like me a hand to help my friends.
Warmly,
Ann
Ann_Lee_Miller[at]msn[dot]com
Post a Comment