Reading as a couple

Hopson and I have been reading books together throughout our history as a couple. We went to college at Bob Jones University, and you can't do much else there besides read or play board games...and you can only play Guess Who so many times, so we started reading.

The book that helped us the most in our dating relationship was probably The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. It opened our eyes to the fact that we both receive and show love in different ways. You can't speak your spouse's primary "language" until you know what it is.

When we got engaged, and then married, we continued reading books together. The book that has had the greatest impact on our marriage has been What did you Expect by Paul David Tripp. This book can benefit any relationship, not just a marriage. The book points out that the main problem with your marriage/relationship is you, not the other person (this sounds harsh, but it is very true).

Two years ago, our reading interests expanded, when we found out we were having a baby. We have read several books about parenting. Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp and Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel are very practical and in-depth books for new or experienced parents. I am thankful we read these books while our son is still so little, they have helped us tremendously to parent him biblically. 


Tonight, we received a book that we have been excited about--Real Marriage by Mark and Grace Driscoll. Hopson and I both have been excited about this book, because we enjoy Mark Driscoll's preaching. He is very passionate and real with his audience. We are doing an advance read on this book for a review that I will be putting on this blog.


The book that has definitely helped us the most is the Bible, and the reason these other books have benefited us, is because they are based on Scripture. I encourage all of you to read books together with your spouse, but start with God's Word.


Hopson and I are always looking for good books, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!