| The Sacred Marriage book and video series by Gary | | | | He also makes the point that we all have been |
| Thomas remind us that marriage is not a "what's in it | | | | wounded and those wounds will play a part in our |
| for me?" proposition. Instead, he suggests that the | | | | marriages. So he suggests that if we are going to |
| purpose of marriage is to become more like God and | | | | make a different choice, it is perfectly okay to decide |
| to deepen our relationship with God. | | | | that we do not want to deal with this particular set of |
| He doesn't suggest that marriage is or should be | | | | wounds. The caveat is that we need to make that |
| endless romance, and is frank about the struggle | | | | decision before the wedding. |
| involved, warning the reader, frankly, that being happy | | | | Once the ceremony is over, our challenge is to accept |
| is not only not guaranteed but probably not the end | | | | that the marriage will be our teacher and to begin the |
| goal. | | | | learning process. It will shape our characters and teach |
| Central Theme | | | | us how to love, he says. |
| In this series, Thomas makes the point that we are | | | | And he states that the "difficult marriage" we all have |
| married to imperfect spouses!... | | | | at one time or another is not just there to help us love |
| "If you were to divorce your spouse, interview two | | | | each other but to make us more loving, in general, and |
| hundred 'replacement' candidates, put them through a | | | | to strengthen our faith. |
| battery of psychological tests, have follow-up | | | | Christian Perspective |
| interviews conducted by your closest friends, spent | | | | Though he comes from a Christian perspective, I did |
| three years dating the most compatible ones, and then | | | | not in any way feel as if I were being hit over the |
| spent another forty days praying and fasting about | | | | head with it, or expected to choose any specific |
| which one to choose, you'd still end up with a spoause | | | | religion. I noticed that he referenced books written by |
| who disappoints you, hurts you, frustrates you, and | | | | rabbis and others whose faith is not likely to be as |
| stumbles in many ways."-Gary Thomas | | | | conservative as his. |
| I believe that this is the most powerful theme in the | | | | My own faith is liberal by any measuring stick but I |
| series but it also may be the most challenging one | | | | was very drawn to his writing because I know how |
| because it is so tempting to believe that the grass just | | | | important it is for his message to sink in that marriage |
| might be greener on the other side of the fence. | | | | is not a walk in the park, but neither is it meant to be. |
| Love the One You're With | | | | |