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The Deep-Rooted Marriage: Cultivating Intimacy, Healing, and Delight
What if you could experience a marriage that is not just good, but truly life-giving? Therapists Dan Allender and Steve Call show how deeper intimacy can bring more healing and delight.
Every relationship has its highs and lows, but we often don't know what to do with our "lows," or how we ended up there. What is creating friction, exacerbating our pain, and standing in the way of intimacy?
More often than not, it is the stories of our past drifting into the present. But if we are willing to look at them closely, we will be able to write a new story for the future.
With more than seventy years of therapeutic experience combined, Dan Allender and Steve Call demonstrate how God is inviting you and your partner to a wild faith journey with the hope of transformation. With personal stories, key psychological insights, and practical advice, The Deep-Rooted Marriage will help you:
Address past trauma, giving you greater courage and compassion to engage your present struggles.
Disrupt cycles of conflict based on shame, judgment, and resentment.
Create safety when feeling threatened and offer attunement, empathy, and honor toward differences.
Adopt humility, honesty, kindness, curiosity, defiance against what divides, and intention to bless.
Learn practices that cultivate emotional intimacy, generating new goodness between you and beyond you.
Marriage is not about merely getting along or resolving conflict through compromise. It reveals who you are and invites you to who you can become. Marriage offers a space for you to experience what you are made for—honor and delight. And it is the ground from which redemption is meant to grow, where, together, you can reflect God's image more and experience a taste of heaven.
Every relationship has its highs and lows, but we often don't know what to do with our "lows," or how we ended up there. What is creating friction, exacerbating our pain, and standing in the way of intimacy?
More often than not, it is the stories of our past drifting into the present. But if we are willing to look at them closely, we will be able to write a new story for the future.
With more than seventy years of therapeutic experience combined, Dan Allender and Steve Call demonstrate how God is inviting you and your partner to a wild faith journey with the hope of transformation. With personal stories, key psychological insights, and practical advice, The Deep-Rooted Marriage will help you:
Address past trauma, giving you greater courage and compassion to engage your present struggles.
Disrupt cycles of conflict based on shame, judgment, and resentment.
Create safety when feeling threatened and offer attunement, empathy, and honor toward differences.
Adopt humility, honesty, kindness, curiosity, defiance against what divides, and intention to bless.
Learn practices that cultivate emotional intimacy, generating new goodness between you and beyond you.
Marriage is not about merely getting along or resolving conflict through compromise. It reveals who you are and invites you to who you can become. Marriage offers a space for you to experience what you are made for—honor and delight. And it is the ground from which redemption is meant to grow, where, together, you can reflect God's image more and experience a taste of heaven.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2025
165 people are currently reading
5670 people want to read
About the author
Dan B. Allender
58 books398 followersDan B. Allender, Ph.D, is a fly fisherman who also serves as president and professor of counseling at Mars Hill Graduate School near Seattle, Washington. He is a therapist in private practice, and a frequent speaker and seminar leader. Dan received his M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Michigan State University. He is the author of To Be Told: Know Your Story / Shape Your Future, How Children Raise Parents, and The Healing Path, as well as The Wounded Heart, Bold Love, and Intimate Allies. He and his wife, Rebecca, are the parents of three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 19, 2025
Marriage will break you.
Our culture’s view of marriage often presents as an extended spa experience where you get laid and play house. If you don’t like it, you can leave. Quite frankly, the church doesn’t offer a much better framework when it idolizes marriage.
The truth is that marriage will unavoidably drive you to the end of yourself. It will reopen closed wounds and dig its fingers into them. It will expose your biggest flaws, generate your biggest failures, and exacerbate your biggest insecurities. It will strip you bare in front of another human and bring you face to face with the universal question: will they still love me?
Allender and Call bring us to this reality and offer a word of hope: Marriage provides a covenantal relationship where my wounds, flaws, failures, and insecurities are brought out into the open and I can still experience love. A place where I can be deeply seen, known, and still loved… and therefore changed.
The question isn’t if the darkness within me or my spouse will be brought into the light, the question is how we respond to it. I think every married couple should read this.
The bad news: marriage is a war.
The good news: you’re fighting beside your spouse, not against them.
This book is an excellent weapon for this fight.
Disclaimer: I’m bias but I think my wife and I have an incredible marriage. Not in spite of everything written above, but because of it. One of the primary ways I receive the love of Christ, live in the love of Christ, and give the love of Christ is through my marriage.
Our culture’s view of marriage often presents as an extended spa experience where you get laid and play house. If you don’t like it, you can leave. Quite frankly, the church doesn’t offer a much better framework when it idolizes marriage.
The truth is that marriage will unavoidably drive you to the end of yourself. It will reopen closed wounds and dig its fingers into them. It will expose your biggest flaws, generate your biggest failures, and exacerbate your biggest insecurities. It will strip you bare in front of another human and bring you face to face with the universal question: will they still love me?
Allender and Call bring us to this reality and offer a word of hope: Marriage provides a covenantal relationship where my wounds, flaws, failures, and insecurities are brought out into the open and I can still experience love. A place where I can be deeply seen, known, and still loved… and therefore changed.
The question isn’t if the darkness within me or my spouse will be brought into the light, the question is how we respond to it. I think every married couple should read this.
The bad news: marriage is a war.
The good news: you’re fighting beside your spouse, not against them.
This book is an excellent weapon for this fight.
Disclaimer: I’m bias but I think my wife and I have an incredible marriage. Not in spite of everything written above, but because of it. One of the primary ways I receive the love of Christ, live in the love of Christ, and give the love of Christ is through my marriage.
September 15, 2025
4.5⭐️
This is my 2nd Allender book. Really enjoy his content!
This is my 2nd Allender book. Really enjoy his content!
August 15, 2025
Great book! Lots of therapeutic language and real life scenarios of the joys and pains of marriage.
January 16, 2026
4.5 rounded to 5! Gooooood stuff in here. Put it down for a while but picked it up this past week and the timing was providential. A book I’d recommend to any married couple!
May 26, 2025
So good - one of my favorite books on marriage, and expect to come back to it for the beautiful blend of imago dei theology, attachment, and psychology.
November 4, 2025
“The goal of marriage is to convince us at the deepest recess of our bodies and hearts that we can’t remain who we are and create the world of love we desire”
Meaning of Marriage helped me to prepare for getting married. This book reminded me not to grow weary of doing the good work for finding healing from my past.
Meaning of Marriage helped me to prepare for getting married. This book reminded me not to grow weary of doing the good work for finding healing from my past.
October 5, 2025
This is a marriage book like any other. I thoroughly enjoyed this different take on what marriage is and what it can do for you and through you! It seems the possibilities are endless if you’re willing to take a deep look within yourself, your spouse and invite God into every step along the way.
November 12, 2025
Read this with our small group & it was such a great opportunity to go deeper with our friends and not feel alone in certain struggles. It was also good to look at our pasts and see how it has shaped our marriages. I think at times the wording in this book could be hard to understand, but other than that it was great!
April 10, 2025
10/10 would recommend. Parts of it made me dread the idea of marriage. Other parts really highlighted how sanctifying it could be. Lots to think about and definitely see myself reading it again
July 24, 2025
i was wanting a little bit more but I appreciated the relentless focus on the heart with its complexities and spiritual battle. it is authentic, vulnerable, and deep - deeper than many marriage books tend to go. That being said, it felt like most of the book was relevant for any significant relationships even though examples were from marriage. But I think anyone could benefit from this book in learning about how their stories and trauma impacts their significant relationships.
May 7, 2025
A great book on marriage by the Allender’s and Call’s. Drawing on insights from their therapy practices and marriages, the book reads as a guide to the red flags every marriage can encounter and how to navigate those when they come. The book definitely shows the influence of Gottman, IFS, and attachment theory. The authors also beautifully draw on their theology to show how our spouses can show us the face of God.
August 5, 2025
Excellent read on marriage, giving hope for healing and words of encouragement. The wives insight is interesting and the personal relatable examples helpful. Great book to process through with a group.
September 14, 2025
This is excellent. While ultimately a “marriage book,” Allendar and Call’s exploration and discussion of our lived stories, past hurts and trauma, resulting patterns, sin, redemption and the overpowering work of the gospel within the context of creating a “deep rooted marriage” offered so much more. I gained an abundance of insight and knowledge in the realms of parenting, how I counsel, friendships and simply understanding my own story better. For that reason, it’s hard not to recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
July 20, 2025
A Good book for reflection and then to start a conversation. I was hoping for some more specific things I could do our ideas on how to achieve a better relationship.
February 9, 2025
I am always looking for books that will improve me, my family, and my life, LOL! So when I saw that The Deep-Rooted Marriage was up for review, I requested a copy. I am very happily married but I feel that there is always room for improvement.
"Many good marriage books offer advice about how to spice up your marriage. This is not one of them.
...start from a different premise: we are heading to a banquet of delight, as promised in Psalm 23, and along the way, we will walk through some dark valleys."
The authors are clear from the beginning how they are going to go about framing their book, and what the book is and is not. It is not a memoir but it is a self-help book, especially for those who have experienced trauma. I think we can all agree we bring stuff to a marriage.
"Every marriage is a story of two people formed by different worlds joining together to create a universe that has never existed before. Your marriage is unique in all its goodness and in all that needs redemption."
However, I struggled when the authors started talking about trauma. They state: "Perhaps you feel the word trauma doesn't apply to your story, that it relates only to damages more severe than yours. The truth is, however, that you have known harm, whatever the severity. And what is trauma, exactly?
Trauma is any violation of human dignity that comes through emotional, physical, sexual, or spiritual harm."
I don't agree with their definition, nor do they state where they got their definition of trauma from. According to the online dictionary (I know, not the best, but still), trauma is defined as "deeply distressing or disturbing, an emotional shock following a stressful event that is difficult to cope with or out of our control...and trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, or emotional abuse, neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, death of a loved one, war, and more."
While some of these things labeled as trauma could fall under the perimeters the authors have set forth, I feel that their definition is more hurt than trauma, not to say trauma could not have come from those things, but hopefully, you get what I am trying to say. I don't believe that everyone brings trauma to a marriage, but like I previously stated, we do all bring junk to the marriage. Our ideas of what marriage is or isn't based upon our parent's marriage or other marriages we've witnessed, TV shows we've watched, etc.
Regardless, if you or your spouse, or you and your spouse have experienced trauma, this book will be helpful to you. The book describes many couples and the experiences they had and how the authors have helped them. They discuss topics of shame, contempt, emotional neglect, and more.
Thank you to Front Gate Media for the opportunity to read and review this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
"Many good marriage books offer advice about how to spice up your marriage. This is not one of them.
...start from a different premise: we are heading to a banquet of delight, as promised in Psalm 23, and along the way, we will walk through some dark valleys."
The authors are clear from the beginning how they are going to go about framing their book, and what the book is and is not. It is not a memoir but it is a self-help book, especially for those who have experienced trauma. I think we can all agree we bring stuff to a marriage.
"Every marriage is a story of two people formed by different worlds joining together to create a universe that has never existed before. Your marriage is unique in all its goodness and in all that needs redemption."
However, I struggled when the authors started talking about trauma. They state: "Perhaps you feel the word trauma doesn't apply to your story, that it relates only to damages more severe than yours. The truth is, however, that you have known harm, whatever the severity. And what is trauma, exactly?
Trauma is any violation of human dignity that comes through emotional, physical, sexual, or spiritual harm."
I don't agree with their definition, nor do they state where they got their definition of trauma from. According to the online dictionary (I know, not the best, but still), trauma is defined as "deeply distressing or disturbing, an emotional shock following a stressful event that is difficult to cope with or out of our control...and trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, or emotional abuse, neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, death of a loved one, war, and more."
While some of these things labeled as trauma could fall under the perimeters the authors have set forth, I feel that their definition is more hurt than trauma, not to say trauma could not have come from those things, but hopefully, you get what I am trying to say. I don't believe that everyone brings trauma to a marriage, but like I previously stated, we do all bring junk to the marriage. Our ideas of what marriage is or isn't based upon our parent's marriage or other marriages we've witnessed, TV shows we've watched, etc.
Regardless, if you or your spouse, or you and your spouse have experienced trauma, this book will be helpful to you. The book describes many couples and the experiences they had and how the authors have helped them. They discuss topics of shame, contempt, emotional neglect, and more.
Thank you to Front Gate Media for the opportunity to read and review this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 20, 2025
"You are the face of God to your spouse."
I've read a fair number of books that try to answer questions about marriage theologically. They have helped me immensely in my walk with the Lord and in my marriage as I've wrestled with questions like: what is marriage? why get married? what are the roles of men and women in the home? how do men lead their households? etc.
This book comes at marriage from a different, more experiential, counseling-focused perspective while still staying firmly rooted in a Christian worldview. I don't think this book is for every couple. At times, I found myself getting annoyed at the author's vagueness (just give me three easy steps that will make me not have conflict with my spouse, already!). However, I quickly realized that this is part of the beauty of the book--the authors don't try to give a one-sized-fits-all solution. Rather, in a deeply anecdotal, personal, raw and even poetic way, they describe what it is like to try and work through trauma with your spouse, to see your spouse through the lens of love, and to invite yourself and your spouse into the greatest story ever, the story of the gospel. This is a book about marriage, but it's also a book about how to think and feel, how to love yourself, and how to know and be known. At least for me, there are parts of this book I will be meditating on for a long time.
Yes, there are a few quibbles I have with the book. The authors put a huge amount of stock into the idea that virtually all of our sin patterns/faulty views can be traced back to childhood trauma/family of origin. As someone who has barely scratched the surface on understanding counseling, I am still a bit wary about the totalizing, explanatory power that "trauma" purportedly has. As another aside, one of the authors draws what felt like an extremely oversimplistic comparison between dog psychology and human psychology at one point (yes, I know about Pavlov and Skinner, but...shouldn't we be careful about hasty generalizing from animal to human?).
These things aside, the book has already led to fruitful discussion with my wife about how we can love each other better. Highly recommend!
I've read a fair number of books that try to answer questions about marriage theologically. They have helped me immensely in my walk with the Lord and in my marriage as I've wrestled with questions like: what is marriage? why get married? what are the roles of men and women in the home? how do men lead their households? etc.
This book comes at marriage from a different, more experiential, counseling-focused perspective while still staying firmly rooted in a Christian worldview. I don't think this book is for every couple. At times, I found myself getting annoyed at the author's vagueness (just give me three easy steps that will make me not have conflict with my spouse, already!). However, I quickly realized that this is part of the beauty of the book--the authors don't try to give a one-sized-fits-all solution. Rather, in a deeply anecdotal, personal, raw and even poetic way, they describe what it is like to try and work through trauma with your spouse, to see your spouse through the lens of love, and to invite yourself and your spouse into the greatest story ever, the story of the gospel. This is a book about marriage, but it's also a book about how to think and feel, how to love yourself, and how to know and be known. At least for me, there are parts of this book I will be meditating on for a long time.
Yes, there are a few quibbles I have with the book. The authors put a huge amount of stock into the idea that virtually all of our sin patterns/faulty views can be traced back to childhood trauma/family of origin. As someone who has barely scratched the surface on understanding counseling, I am still a bit wary about the totalizing, explanatory power that "trauma" purportedly has. As another aside, one of the authors draws what felt like an extremely oversimplistic comparison between dog psychology and human psychology at one point (yes, I know about Pavlov and Skinner, but...shouldn't we be careful about hasty generalizing from animal to human?).
These things aside, the book has already led to fruitful discussion with my wife about how we can love each other better. Highly recommend!
May 22, 2025
Oh my! This is rich with vulnerability, theology, humor, counseling insight, and long years of experience. This is not for the faint of heart. It is deeply challenging. Here is one highlight:
“Marriage is in a sense, a microcosm fighting a good fight of faith. Of Defiantly saying, “hell, no!” to what leads us away from God’s heart and life, and “heaven, yes!” to the beauty and transformation invite us to.
Marriage is to be a transformative gift to family, friends, neighbors, and all who encounter true honesty and hope.”
And it was at times hilarious, after sharing the story in which his neighbors watch one of the authors and his wife fight over weeding in the garden they were interrupted by applause from the neighbors who had enjoyed watching them fight!
Then they were invited to join them on the porch. This is where it gets so terribly accessible, after recounting and rich conversation one author summarizes the experience this way: “It was a Holy Sunday afternoon, drinking beer, eating Cheetos, and talking about the mystery of marriage.”
If you were looking for a little bit of self-help and a few pro tips on how to improve your marriage, this is not the book for you. However, if you want to think deeply, be challenged even more deeply, and perhaps experience a bit of the transformation up long for in marriage, this book may suit you.
BTW - I bought the hard copy, and also listened on audible. It was a delight to listen to each of the authors and their wives, who also contributed proportions, each read the their own portion of the book!
“Marriage is in a sense, a microcosm fighting a good fight of faith. Of Defiantly saying, “hell, no!” to what leads us away from God’s heart and life, and “heaven, yes!” to the beauty and transformation invite us to.
Marriage is to be a transformative gift to family, friends, neighbors, and all who encounter true honesty and hope.”
And it was at times hilarious, after sharing the story in which his neighbors watch one of the authors and his wife fight over weeding in the garden they were interrupted by applause from the neighbors who had enjoyed watching them fight!
Then they were invited to join them on the porch. This is where it gets so terribly accessible, after recounting and rich conversation one author summarizes the experience this way: “It was a Holy Sunday afternoon, drinking beer, eating Cheetos, and talking about the mystery of marriage.”
If you were looking for a little bit of self-help and a few pro tips on how to improve your marriage, this is not the book for you. However, if you want to think deeply, be challenged even more deeply, and perhaps experience a bit of the transformation up long for in marriage, this book may suit you.
BTW - I bought the hard copy, and also listened on audible. It was a delight to listen to each of the authors and their wives, who also contributed proportions, each read the their own portion of the book!
February 2, 2025
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩-𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 is a Christian self-help book designed to deepen and enrich marriages. Christians who desire a deeper, richer, more meaningful marriage will undoubtedly discover tools and insights to do so in this book and its accompanying companion guide. The guide asks questions and provides exercises to help strengthen connections between spouses.
It's important to not only understand your spouse, but to understand yourself and the both of you connect (or don’t.) These books help readers recognize patterns that might be detrimental and replace them with better routes that deepen connection and intimacy.
I appreciate the cover art featuring a thriving tree that symbolizes a strong marriage. The well-established tree roots nourish and support just as the presence of God in our marriages cultivates, nurtures, and strengthens us.
First Line: Every marriage is a tapestry.
Genre: Christian Self-help, Non-fiction
Author: Dan B. Allender, Steve Call
Page Count: 256
#CoverLoverBookReview received an advanced reader copy of this book. Opinions are 100% my own.
It's important to not only understand your spouse, but to understand yourself and the both of you connect (or don’t.) These books help readers recognize patterns that might be detrimental and replace them with better routes that deepen connection and intimacy.
I appreciate the cover art featuring a thriving tree that symbolizes a strong marriage. The well-established tree roots nourish and support just as the presence of God in our marriages cultivates, nurtures, and strengthens us.
First Line: Every marriage is a tapestry.
Genre: Christian Self-help, Non-fiction
Author: Dan B. Allender, Steve Call
Page Count: 256
#CoverLoverBookReview received an advanced reader copy of this book. Opinions are 100% my own.
May 30, 2025
I hesitated to read this book because the description sounded the content was the same as other books on marriage I've read. But I kept seeing others recommend it highly as a book worth reading, so I gave it a try.
I'm so glad I did.
Turns out, both things were true. This isn't brand new content. Core idea: the pains of our early lives create response patterns that create the shape of our marriage. So, we should examine, redefine, discuss and relearn. But those are not the authors' words. They don't teach a 4-step framework, or even use the word "should." They tell stories, theirs and patients (with the details changed for privacy). And they do it so well that I was drawn in and emotionally touched the whole book long.
Oh, and along the way, I had some minor insights--which is a major deal because I've been doing this heart work for 25+ years so having any new insights is rare anymore.
Highly recommended--even if you've read a lot of marriage books before.
I'm so glad I did.
Turns out, both things were true. This isn't brand new content. Core idea: the pains of our early lives create response patterns that create the shape of our marriage. So, we should examine, redefine, discuss and relearn. But those are not the authors' words. They don't teach a 4-step framework, or even use the word "should." They tell stories, theirs and patients (with the details changed for privacy). And they do it so well that I was drawn in and emotionally touched the whole book long.
Oh, and along the way, I had some minor insights--which is a major deal because I've been doing this heart work for 25+ years so having any new insights is rare anymore.
Highly recommended--even if you've read a lot of marriage books before.
July 30, 2025
The Deep-Rooted Marriage is exactly what I thought it would be. Deep, thought provoking, well researched and yet down to earth to understand. Dr. Dan Allender and Dr. Steve Call walk you through real life experiences of their marriage as well as other individuals to bring across their points of importance. Trauma comes in many forms, and I found the chapter that dove into this, especially when they really broke down the difference between emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse, extremely helpful. I found this book extremely helpful and one that I will definitely recommend to others. Highly worth it!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
December 24, 2025
I bought the audio version of this book by Dan Allender and Steve Call when I found the hardback copy in an Amazon box I opened before looking at the shipping label. My wife had bought it for a woman in her ministry, but all I saw was my wife receiving a marriage book. I’m grateful for that accident. Allender and Call demonstrate the vulnerability they challenge readers to try. Their incredibly candid accounts from their own marriages give their assertions and advice more credence. The Jesus part of the manuscript isn’t leveraged for image management or dogma but as a winsome invitation into a richer life experience. Even if you don’t approach this book for advice, it’s worth its cost for the inspiration from the various poignant stories of the redemption of pain.
August 3, 2025
As expected, Allender and Call’s book on marriage is painfully honest, and honestly painful, about the reality of life between two broken people. This isn’t a “___ steps to a better marriage” kind of book, but rather a beautiful and at times brutal meditation on marital love. It’s a call to allow marriage to chisel away at our hardened places not to turn us into different people, but for us to become more fully ourselves. It’s a book to be savored—one that reaches deep into the soul. And it’s profoundly comforting to hear both men—and their wives—share so candidly about their joys and struggles.
May 24, 2025
First of all few engagement books to read! And whew, what a scary book! But also, what a good book. I think I will be returning to many of these themes and ideas as I keep navigating married life.
I am thankful for the honesty of this book but reading more than 3 chapters at a time felt like drinking from a fire hose, which is rare for me! I can usually just read and keep on reading.
I particularly loved the chapter on play and ritual and on blessing and cursing. But seeing your own trauma and contempt is scary, but a necessary thing to look at and talk about.
I am thankful for the honesty of this book but reading more than 3 chapters at a time felt like drinking from a fire hose, which is rare for me! I can usually just read and keep on reading.
I particularly loved the chapter on play and ritual and on blessing and cursing. But seeing your own trauma and contempt is scary, but a necessary thing to look at and talk about.
July 22, 2025
I found myself skipping entire sections of this book until I got to chapter ten. I appreciate Allender's work and apparently anticipated that the entire book would reveal something new and groundbreaking. Alas, it didn't. It's well written and informative but if, like me, you've been married a long time or read a lot of marriage books, there's little that's new or surprising here. The final third was compelling. If however, you're new to marriage or have not read many marriage books, this would be a terrific place to start.
February 13, 2025
The Deep-Rooted Marriage: Cultivating Intimacy; Healing, and Delight was such an on time book. It showed me ways I can improve my communication skills and also not take my trauma out on my spouse. I also loved that the authors used having some type of play time with your spouse to bring back the fun in the relationship. I also loved how they included their wives in the book, so we could get both perspectives. Overall this was a really good read.
May 15, 2025
Read as a single. Know what to avoid, what to look for, but have a compelling case for the beauty of what marriage can be beyond roles and responsibilities, not that those should be pitched. This book is like looking at the night sky - much to explore and much beauty to behold. Too bad many marriages I know are just roommates trying to tolerate each other. There’s something better, hard fought, but rewarding and not necessarily impossibly taxing.
September 2, 2025
Great book
This book is a great read. My pastor recommended this book. Im going through a separation right now with my wife, but im praying for restoration. I saw some things of myself in this book and it was really convicting. I really enjoyed and the personal stories that was shared in it. I hope to apply some of the lessons I've learned from this book when I'm hopefully restored to my wife. Prayers are much appreciated right now.
This book is a great read. My pastor recommended this book. Im going through a separation right now with my wife, but im praying for restoration. I saw some things of myself in this book and it was really convicting. I really enjoyed and the personal stories that was shared in it. I hope to apply some of the lessons I've learned from this book when I'm hopefully restored to my wife. Prayers are much appreciated right now.
September 2, 2025
This is easily the best book I’ve read about marriage. This is not a book that has strategies or suggestions or practical marriage-help-y things. It is something way deeper and more long lasting: looking back into your childhood and seeing how that affects your marriage. It all starts that we are made in the image of God and we have the power to be the face of God to our spouses. This book has the potential to change our marriages! I would highly recommend.
March 10, 2025
Could not put this down. I laughed, cried, prayed, and nodded along during this book. There is so much more for me in marriage than I have been willing to admit. This book forced me to peek behind the curtain of “more”. It starts with me and my willingness to be broken, humble and open to blessing, change and transformation.
June 30, 2025
Loved getting to read this book by my favorite two professors from grad school. Felt like I was back in lectures-- reminding me of why I went into this work! I have gotten married since most of my coursework with Dan & Steve so it was helpful to revisit much of the content now that I have minimal (3 years) of lived experience.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews