Married to Jesus by Matthew J. White

The Bottom Line

If you want to experience a better Christian marriage and build a foundation based on the relationship between Christ and his church, then read Matthew J. White's Married to Jesus. A practical handbook for how to have a joyful Christ-filled marriage, the book ends each chapter with scriptures to ponder. A "Questions" section challenges readers to do something constructive during the week to improve their marriages.

The book clearly shows how couples can grow closer together as they grow closer to Jesus, addressing subjects such as forgiveness, honesty, and other important ingredients that go into a successful, godly marriage.

Pros

• Easy, enjoyable reading, told with personal stories.
• Each chapter ends with a summary, scriptures, and "homework" to do on your marriage.
• Concludes with an invitation for salvation for those who don't yet know Christ.
• Creative cover.

Cons

• The author is young and has had only one major struggle in his marriage (where he shared about his molestation as a child and struggle with pornography).

Description

• Genre: Practical Inspirational Nonfiction
• Release Date: 2007
• Author: Matthew J. White
• Publisher: Self-published
• ISBN: 9781427612885
• Format: Hardcover, 139 Pages

Although young and not married long, Matthew J. White portrays a strong understanding of what it takes to make a successful Christian marriage.

He begins in his Preface, sharing how he used to have the goal of making the Olympics. Although he met his other two goals of qualifying for the national competition in gymnastics and earning a college scholarship, he never made it to the Olympics. He ends the Preface by noting that even though he didn't make the Olympics, it's possible to live out the ideal Christian marriage by depending on the power of the Holy Spirit within you, explaining how his third goal just changed during the process.

Subsequent chapters highlight the qualities Jesus taught such as honesty, humility and servanthood. When I first started reading the book, I enjoyed it, but was looking for something human. I found it chapter 5, "Honesty is the Best Policy." Here the author becomes very transparent, sharing a painful experience as a child when he was molested, resulting in an addiction to pornography. Although he overcame his addiction, he relates the difficulty of sharing this experience with his wife. Although hurt at first, she forgave him and their marriage grew even stronger.

Personally, having been married more than 35 years and newly retired, this book ministered to me, reminding me of the importance of dying to self, rather than waiting for my husband to serve me.

Married to Jesus would be ideal for a small group study or wedding gift.

A graduate of Kent State University, Matthew J. White lives in Ohio. He has been married to his wife, Anne, for 12 years and they have three children. Married to Jesus is White's first book.

"Even at a time when forgiveness would be the last thing on any of our minds, Jesus said, as he hung on the cross, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'"

Venice Kichura is a freelance writer and guest contributor for About.com. Besides writing articles, short stories, and poems, she's a pencil artist who also dabbles in watercolors and acrylics, as well as enjoys needlework, crochet, and knitting. Her main passion is ministering to both Christians and nonbelievers through the printed word. For more information visit Venice's Bio Page.