This Momentary Marriage
This Momentary Marriage
By John Piper
178 pages
Read by Brenda
As you can guess by this book’s title, it is an overview of marriage. I learned a lot from it. It’s one of the first Piper books that I think my brain actually could understand, and remember! :-) He starts off the book with shocking accounts of martyrs, and then goes on to articulate why. “…..Marriage is a good gift of God, but the world is fallen, and sin abounds, and obedience is costly, and suffering is to be expected…. Marriage passes through breathtaking heights and through swamps with choking vapors. It makes many things sweeter, and with it come bitter providences.” (pg. 16, 17)
“The ultimate thing to see in the Bible about marriage is that it exists for God’s glory. Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. Most ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It is designed by God to display his glory in a way that no other event or institution does.” (pg. 24)
I really appreciated the forward of the book where Noel, John Piper’s wife, transparently tells that not everything is always perfect. She even opens up about their 25th wedding anniversary by way of a poem she wrote, that shows how she didn’t think it was the most wonderful marriage in the universe. :-) I don’t know about you, but when it comes to this topic, an author’s honesty enhances the message….big time!
He talks about the busy years of child bearing, and child rearing, of the beauty of singleness; he explains (very clearly) his high view of marriage, and why he is against divorce, and remarriage, along with a lot of other crucial topics.
I would recommend the book to anyone. For me, it wasn’t another ‘101 ways for me to be a better wife’, it was bigger than that. It took a giant step backwards to see the over-arching view of marriage from God’s perspective…..and ultimately greater awareness of the awesome task at hand. :-) You could take that last statement the wrong way. :-) I love Daniel with all of my heart, and want to be a better wife to him, but it’s gotta start with me being a more obedient daughter to my heavenly father.
Labels: Brenda's reading
posted by Daniel | 4:31 PM
8 Comments:
Excellent post, Brenda! I hadn't even heard of this book, but Tim said he had just been wondering about it after seeing it lying out on the coffee table of one of our hosts'. I, too, like it when authors are "real".
Thanks for introducing the book to us.
Very interesting, Brenda and it sounds like a "must read"--certainly a subject that we are all interested in! Thanks for the very good post and welcome to the club! Now, you have to make a wish list or at least send me a list of books that you are interested in. I don't want to double up on ones you have.
Mom
Great review, Brenda. And I have to say that whoever came up with his title was quite creative--very captivating.
Enjoyed your review, Brenda.
Thanks Brenda. I have wanted to read this one since I heard it came out awhile ago. I had heard from a friend that it was excellent and now you--I think I must read it! ~johanna
AWWW, ya'll are just so encouraging. :-)
Donna, the title sounds 'Piperish' doesn't it!? He highlights how fleeting our lives really are, and how we can 'endure' in even a not so perfect marriage.....oh I forgot to mention the picture of marriage being of Christ and his church, and how when we get to heaven, we see face to face.....we won't need the picture to remind us anymore. (true confessions---I've never been too thrilled with NOT being married in heaven; but this book helped! :-) I think I'll be a happy camper in my mansion!)
Thank you for the excellent review. I'm way up here in the north at the end of the world and going home tomorrow. I enjoyed the 2nd review almost as much as the first. Piper can really pipe. We must get the book, and read it together - Mom and I. Dad
I need to get that book. There's so much junk on marriage available. Nice to hear something that is immensely more practical because it is so much more theological.
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