My Life for Yours: A Walk Though the Christian Home

by Douglas Wilson

How does life in each room of your home manifest the Gospel? The Christian gospel isn't just a spiritual reality. The Word became flesh and bone, and the gospel becomes our porch, dining room, bedroom, and kitchen.The driving desire of the gospel is "my life for yours." Our desire should be to have this love tranform everything we do, room by room. This book works its way through every part of the house, examining each part in light of Scripture. The claims of God are always total, and this is evident on the doorposts and in a sink full of dishes.Self-centeredness destroys in monotonously similar ways. Giving up life for another produces a harvest of kindness and mercy. Household questions should always begin with, "is this my life for yours?"

Genres: Family, Theology, Christian Living, Marriage, Christian, Parenting, Nonfiction

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

I write in order to make the little voices in my head go away. Thus far it hasn't worked.

Reviews

[John]

For some reason this book escaped my notice years ago when I read these early 2000s Doug Wilson books published by Canon. The book is modeled after the many rooms or places in a home and Wilson muses Scripturally on each in remarkably wise ways.

This book struck me as a relic of a different age. Reading this in 2021 is rather eye-opening, as so much has changed in the 17 years since it was published. Had we all been musing on the ideas contained in this book then, our world would be a much better one.

However, in the spirit of Semper Reformanda, it isn't too late even today. Reformation starts in our own homes, and this is a great place to start!

[Abigail Stacy]

I started reading and thought that this book must have been what inspired Bright Hearth’s first season podcast.
I really enjoy and am helped by Wilson’s thoughts on home and family life. The “unwanted guests” chapters were excellent and convicting.
This will hopefully be a book that I will re-read several times to be encouraged and reminded of how to think and live with the sacrificial “my life for yours” mindset.

[Benjamin]

Absolutely phenomenal! Did not expect this to be as good as it was. I commend it, very practical in so many ways.

[Joy Wettstein]

I love how biblical and practical this book is. For every exhortation that he gives for some aspect of Christian living, there is always multiple scripture references to back it up. I particularly loved the chapter on “the kitchen“ because it helped me understand how to think about food and eating biblically. I came away with lots of practical insights for how to run our household biblically.

[Katie]

Incredibly helpful!

[Mason Sherrill]

Quite possibly might have been my favorite read from Pastor Doug! It really was that good. The book is patterned after the home, each section dedicated to a different room. He addresses the purposes of that room for a Christian, the sins that often occur in that room and how a family is to be fruitful there. It was profoundly practical and as the title of the book states, the foundational thread through it all is “my life for yours”. If you’ve ever lived in a house, you should read it.

[ValeReads Kyriosity]

Once upon a time, I bought the whole family series. Then Doug started his infamous Forty Lashes Less One marriage sermon series, which I listened to from afar. And by the time he was done, I was pretty thoroughly maxed out on the subject, so I never read the rest of the series. But somebody picked this for one of my book groups, so I dutifully read it. Turns out I was the only one in the group who read it...and the only one who remembered we were meeting this evening...including the hostess! 😆 But she graciously took it in stride (exemplifying the message of the book so beautifully), and we texted the missing ladies, and a couple others showed up, and we still had a lovely chat. Even though there wasn't a whole lot in the book that I could apply, since it's mostly addressing family relationships, I'm still immensely blessed to live in a community where many have internalized this teaching on marriage and parenting. Paul told the Corinthians, "You are our epistle." Doug can tell his congregation, "You are our book review."

[Ben Taylor]

I personally find Wilson's writing refreshing in this series. Utterly straightforward and direct with every sentence. I thought the categories divided by "rooms in the house" was an interesting take, and the specific insights into ideal atmospheres and considerations for the different areas of a Christian home were thought provoking.

[Hattie Burchfield]

Great book with lots of practical advice! It shows very plainly that scripture instructs us in so many areas we either don’t know about or don’t want to acknowledge, and it was encouraging rather than condemning.

[Caleb M. Powers]

Excellent.

[Zack Freeman]

This book is a must for fathers looking to lead their household in an intentional way, with thought for each room and aspect of life.

[Kofi Opoku]

Excellent.

[Kathleen]

This book was so good!

The format is based on rooms of the house & what happens there & how Christ is represented in them.

The practical wisdom in this book was incredible.

So much godly counsel with regard to the home/household, marital relationships, rearing & disciplining children etc.

I wish I'd read this when I was first starting out but am glad to pass it on to my grown children to help them build a solid foundation in their homes.

A must read for newlyweds & young families looking for simple yet wise instruction.

[Sarah Catherine]

“The constitution of a biblical home consists of faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love. Love is not to be understood as mere sentiment, but rather self-sacrificing obedience to the Word of God”

This was a wonderful and encouraging read that really changed the way I look at some things. Lots of practical tips too.

[Samantha Wright]

Loved this book! A walk through the Christian home, examining scripture and sharing how the gospel becomes our porch, dining room, bedroom, and more. One I will always keep on my shelf and pick up periodically.

[Sam]

Lots of good general principles as well as practical advice. I waited too long to write down thoughts about it and now I don't remember any specifics.

[Rebecca Esmond]

Wonderful overview of the Christian home and life - you'd be in good shape if you internalized the title alone.

[Bill]

Great read! Practical and very convicting. I’ve read similar books in the past. This one cuts to the chase. It always good to revisit this topic and be reminded.

[Adam]

A practical walkthrough of the Christian home, I found some parts (particularly parenting) to be very similar to his newer books.

[Brooke Sharp]

This book contains many concise demonstrations of daily sacrifices necessary for the Christian home. Each chapter is centred around a room of the house: the kitchen, the bedroom, the guest room, the bathroom, etc. I found this compartmentalization very helpful and engaging.

[Sam Stotts]

Infinitely re-readable

[Jessica Lyons]

Such a great little book. Practical insight in how to apply our theology in every aspect of our homes and lives. All of Christ, for all of life

[Thomas Duell]

I read this in my 10th year of marriage and found it rich with practical, biblical wisdom for the home. I would recommend this to couples young and old alike.

[Jen Vanderwey]

Sorry, but this man is legit. My husband and I will always be thankful for his logical, in-your-face call to DIE. Die to yourself and live for your husband, live for your children, live for your church. “Authority in the home rests on the parents, but it is the authority of servanthood.” Here I take my stand: I love Doug Wilson.

[Jonathan]

Wilson speaks bluntly to Christians about their responsibility to live for the benefit of others, in accordance with Romans 12.
I would describe this book as a grab-bag of (1) exhortations from scripture, (2) practical applications for American Christians, and (3) encouragement that the Christian life is worth the sacrifice it requires.
The book contains just enough encouragement to temper the otherwise overwhelming demands it describes. For example, the following excerpt appears after a flood of advice and obligations that threaten to submerge the reader:
"The task of parenting is simply impossible. Any sane look at what is required of parents by God is completely and utterly overwhelming. This is why the task must be undertaken in grace, by grace, through grace, and because of grace"
Phew!

[Leigha Fairchild]

I really enjoyed this. The conversational style and “walk through the house” was helpful in thinking through a lot of different topics related to the Christian household. I definitely still have things to ponder in considering some of the content shared.

[Caleb Levi]

This may be my favorite book on the Christian household. Wilson covers a lot of ground in a short book. Highly recommended!

[John Rimmer]

Makes you never look at the home in the same way. Each room becomes a reminder.

[Knowlton Murphy]

Gold.

[Taylor Q-V]

A wonderfully biblical and practical look at each room of the house. A good encouragement to think through all things in a Christian way and to go to the Word for instruction and direction.