Card catalogue data
The 7 Rings of Marriage: Your Model for a Lasting and Fulfilling Marriage by Jackie Bledsoe (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2016)
Category: Marriage
Format: Paperback
Pages: 194 (207 with end matter)
About the author: Jackie Bledsoe is a professional blogger (jackiebledsoe.com), author, and speaker who is a young rising star in Baptist circles. He and his wife Stephana have been through the good and bad of marriage and want to pass along all the lessons they have learned.
Bottom line: Excellent marriage book that outlines seven stages of marriage in “rings”: Engagement RING, Wedding RING, DiscoveRING, PerseveRING, RestoRING, ProspeRING, and MentoRING. No matter where you are in your marriage, you will get something out of this. His emphasis, from a Christian perspective, includes prayer, communication, commitment, and many other concepts. Highly recommend.
Why I read this book
I had started this book before I left my former church position as I was considering Bledsoe as a speaker for a marriage retreat. I finished it after I left because it was so good. The author speaks form experience—not just a rose-colored glasses look at another fake perfect Christian marriage. They have been through many struggles and learned how to grow through them. He fully admits that a good marriage takes hard work, just like anything else worth having in life, but it’s totally worth it and the benefits far outweigh the costs.
What I’ve learned
One of the many things I have learned, or been reminded of, is the importance of praying together as a couple. I have let this slip in our marriage and want to restore this. Also the importance of communication in general, which takes time. I’m learning in this time of unemployment how important our communication is.
Favorite quote
“Marriage isn’t for you.” (Meaning when we live our marriage trying to please and honor each other, rather than always focusing on what pleases ourselves, we’ll have a great marriage.)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Recommend for every couple no matter what stage you are in; also recommend to young singles looking to see what marriage should be as they plan for their futures.
Other related books:
Bledsoe also has a Bible study format of the book called The 7 Rings of Marriage: Practical Biblical Wisdom for Every Season of Your Marriage.