The Intimate Mystery: Creating Strength and Beauty in Your Marriage

By Tremper Longman III and Dan B. Allender

Book Overview

What do you want out of your marriage?Do you simply want to get along and be happy? Or do you desire real intimacy--the kind of relationship that will challenge you to grow as an individual and satisfy you in a much deeper way than you have imagined?Contrary to what television and bridal magazines tell us, marriage is about much more than personal happiness. Marriage is about spiritual growth. God wants to use your marriage to shape your character and to carry out his purposes in the world through you as a couple.The book of Genesis provides a matrix for understanding the intimate mystery of marriage in light of three commands--leave (your family of origin), weave (a life together) and cleave (through sexual intimacy). In this book, Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III explore and unpack the rich implications of this pattern.While this paper edition can be read on its own, a couple, Bible study group or Sunday school class can enhance their understanding by making their way through the bonus six Bible study sessions included in this expanded edition. Video segments introducing each of the Bible study sessions are also available online for free video download, making this book a complete small group curriculum. The Intimate Mystery is part of the Intimate Marriage Curriculum Kit which includes everything needed to mentor individual married couples or to lead a group discussion and makes an especially helpful resource for newlyweds or young married couples.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830837248
• ISBN13: 9780830837243
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: IVP Bible Studies
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.6" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

GREAT BOOK!!!

this book is a wonderful book to go through during marriage-when things are rough, or when they are good and you would like to grow more. it would be an awesome pre-marriage book for those looking to grow in knowledge of marriage before saying "i do!" our marriage counselor is going through it with my husband and i and it has been a wonderful approach when just going in to counseling to "talk" is too hard. it is nice having this book as a standing ground to start conversations vs. just jumping into the deep end when talking about life is extremely hard. i would recommend this book to anyone wanting to enrich their marriage, grow in knowledge before marriage or learn about marriage to assist others taking that walk! hope this review is helpful to anyone out there looking to find a solid book on marriage--you have come to the right book! and it is a very quick and easy read. go for it!

Excellent book!

Allender presents a down-to-earth view of the way God intended the intimate relationship between man and wife. He is candid about his own struggles in marriage and he does not candy coat the hard times. But he does offer tremendous hope in having a marriage that God designed through love, mercy, grace, taking responsibility for one's own issues and forgiveness. This is an encouraging read!

Heavy, but great

This book is really heady and dense, just in the way Allender writes. It is so full of great content though. I found it really helpful as I read it with my fiance. It gave us a lot to talk about and a lot of good advice for our marriage.

best marriage book

After 32 years of marriage, my husband and I find this to be the most helpful marriage book we've found.