Your marriage is more than a sacred covenant with another person. It is a spiritual discipline designed to help you know God better, trust him more fully, and love him more deeply. Scores of books have been written that offer guidance for building the marriage of your dreams. But what if God's primary intent for your marriage isn't to make you happy ...but holy? And what if your relationship isn't as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God? Everything about your marriage--everything--is filled with prophetic potential, with the capacity for discovering and revealing Christ's character. The respect you accord your partner; the forgiveness you humbly seek and graciously extend; the ecstasy, awe, and sheer fun of lovemaking; the history you and your spouse build with one another--in these and other facets of your marriage, Sacred Marriage uncovers the mystery of God's overarching purpose. This book may very well alter profoundly the contours of your marriage. It will most certainly change you.
Because whether it is delightful or difficult, your marriage can become a doorway to a closer walk with God, and to a spiritual integrity that, like salt, seasons the world around you with the savor of Christ.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS 1. The Greatest Challenge in the World...11 A Call to Holiness More Than Happiness 2. Finding God in Marriage...27 Marital Analogies Teach Us Truths About God 3. Learning to Love...39 How Marriage Teaches Us to Love 4. Holy Honor...53 Marriage Teaches Us to Respect Others 5. The Soul's Embrace...73 Good Marriage Can Foster Good Prayer 6. The Cleansing of Marriage...89 How Marriage Exposes Our Sin 7. Sacred History...103 Building the Spiritual Discipline of Perseverance 8. Sacred Struggle...127 Embracing Difficulty in Order to Build Character 9. Falling Forward...153 Marriage Teaches Us to Forgive 10. Make Me a Servant...179 Marriage Can Build in Us a Servant's Heart 11. Sexual Saints...199 Marital Sexuality Can Provide Spiritual Insights and Character Development 12. Sacred Presence...227 How Marriage Can Make Us More Aware of God's Presence 13. Sacred Mission...247 Marriage Can Develop Our Spiritual Calling, Mission, and Purpose Epilogue: The Holy Couple...265 Notes...269
Author Biography
Gary Thomas is changing the way Christians look at marriage and parenting. The author of several books, including Sacred Marriage, Sacred Parenting, Sacred Pathways, and Authentic Faith, he teaches at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. His books and ministry focus on spiritual formation: how we can integrate Scripture, church history, and the time-tested wisdom of the Christian classics to transform our modern experience. Gary's speaking ministry has led him to speak across the United States, in four different countries, and on numerous national television and radio programs, including Focus on the Family and Family Life Today. He lives with his wife and children in Bellingham, Washington. Gary L. Thomas (www.garythoms.com) es autor de Sacred Pathways, Sacred Marriage, Seeking the Face of God y The Glorious Pursuit. Es un escritor y orador de tiempo completo que ha aparecido en mas de cien programas de radio y television, y pertenece a la facultad adjunta de Western Seminary en Portland, Oregon, donde ensena sobre formacion espiritual.
