Daily Wisdom for a Happy, Healthy Marriage by Pamela L. McQuade, Toni Sortor

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Barbour Books (July 1, 2016)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1634092112
  • ISBN-13: 978-1634092111

ABOUT THE downloadBOOK:

This much-needed daily devotional provides relevant, practical readings designed to encourage important discussions and keep your relationship strong. Featuring a reading for every day of the year–plus unique weekend activity ideas–Daily Wisdom for a Happy, Healthy Marriage will challenge and inspire you–whether you’re a newlywed or have celebrated several anniversaries with your significant other. “God instituted marriage and offers it as a blessing, but our relationships are what we make of them,” the introduction reads. “When we put good things into them, they improve.” In each of these brief, easy-to-read entries, Daily Wisdom for a Happy, Healthy Marriage will encourage you and reveal the ingredients and the instructions for a happy, healthy marriage for life!

MY REVIEW:

This daily devotional book for married couples starts off with a devotional geared toward New Years. The introduction instructs the reader to find the week of year that aligns with when they begin reading it. For example if you receive it as a wedding gift in June start with week 23. This way the seasons will be on track in which you are reading the devotionals. So if you receive this in the middle of the year, please keep this in mind. The weeks are simply numbered weeks 1-52 with no monthly format to them so you will have to do some work to be in sync.

The daily devotionals are short and easy to read. I do like how McQuade and Sortor includes a challenge day where couples can put into practice some of what they are learning and reading which seems to occur most often on Sundays. Throughout the book there is specific season focuses that seem appropriate for that season. The book is full of biblical truth, wisdom and insight which is needed to truly build a happy healthy marriage; which can only be done by centering it on Jesus. I also like how most of the devotionals end with a short easy to repeat prayer. So overall, the devotional combines a daily verse(s), thought about marriage/God related to it, and a short prayer, with a weekly challenge.

There is however a few things that I did not prefer about this particular marriage daily devotional that would make me less likely to recommend it to others above a couple other marriage devotionals on the market. For one the majority of the readings are in the King James Version which makes the language less accessible for most readers. I also would have liked to see the weekly challenge introduced at the beginning of the week and then reinforced throughout the week along with some suggestive questions to probe further thoughts. Also most of the readings seem to me to be more scattered in thought and less intentional than they could be structured.

OVERALL My Rating- 3 Stars.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pamela L. McQuade is a freelance writer and editor with dozens of projects to her credit. She began her Barbour writing career with coauthor and good friend Toni Sortor then moved on to write solo. She has also coauthored The Top 100 Men of the Bible with her husband, Drew, under the name Drew Josephs. Over the years, seven basset hounds and three cats have made the McQuade turf their home. Pam and Drew volunteer with a local basset rescue and live within sight of Manhattan’s Empire State Building.

 

NOTE: I received an advance e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.