Marriage Matters

September 04, 2010

Marriage Matters: Extraordinary Change Through Ordinary Moments, by Winston Smith

Publisher's Description: Can Ordinary Marriages Become Extraordinary?

He snapped at her at breakfast. She brought up a past mistake. He walked out angry. She left without saying good-bye. Just one day in an ordinary marriage. But what if things could be different? What if the ordinary moments of annoyance, conflict, pain, or cold indifference could become moments to understand God’s incredible agenda for love and begin something new?

This book offers a simple, yet powerful prescription for changing marriages one ordinary moment at a time. Change begins with understanding how and why small disagreements evolve into major problems, taking practical steps to love one another more effectively, and learning how to take those same steps over and over again. Interactions that used to devolve into pointless annoyances and fights can become opportunities for God’s love to become increasingly evident and powerful. Winston T. Smith takes abstract, biblical principles and applies them to the concrete details of life so that ordinary marriages can become extraordinary.

Winston T. Smith (MDiv, 1994) is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF (the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation), is a lecturer in Practical Theology at WTS, has extensive experience as a marriage and family counselor, and teaches seminary students how to counsel couples.

Endorsements:

"Winston Smith reminds us that there are no ordinary moments in a marriage. With a wonderful understanding of the grace the Lord exhibits in small things, Smith gives us the resources to understand our heart’s response to ordinary moments with our spouse in order to create an extraordinary marriage."
- Bryan Chapell, Ph.D., President and Professor Practical Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary, St Louis, Missouri; author of Each for the Other: Marriage as It's Meant to Be

"Marriage Matters will help you. If my own experience is a measure, it will help you. Too much advice, I get lost. Give me spiritual inspiration alone, I get motivated until . . . until I don’t get what I want. Winston draws both inspiration and practical advice together. Even more, he will keep them in front of you until you have a rich vision that leads to specific action. He is nice about it, but he definitely wants to see us grow and change."
- Edward T. Welch, Ph.D., Faculty and counselor at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation; author of Depression: A Stubborn Darkness and Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest

"It is impossible to capture the genius of this outstanding book in a few short sentences. Winston demonstrates how we can turn our ordinary marital disappointments into opportunities for growth in love, faith, and intimacy. Rich in exegetical insight, exquisite theology (don't miss the chapters on conflict and division: superb!), and warm pastoral insights all presented in a simple and flowing style, this book can help to make your marriage sing. My only regret is that I did not surrender the marriage course to this wise man much, much sooner."
- John Bettler, Former Executive Direction of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation