Book Review: Love & War

After reading their book "Captivating" and really getting a lot out of it, I was excited to dive into the "Love and War Devotional" by John & Stasi Eldridge with my husband. I knew that they would be able to impart a lot of wisdom and encouragement through their writing, and I was not disappointed.

The devotional begins with an introduction explaining the purpose of the book and detailing out the plan. The "plan" is a reading plan of 5 days of devotionals that close out with an "exercise" for you as a couple to participate in and lasts for 8 weeks. The devotionals were short, engaging, and spoke honestly about where room for God is in our marriages. Each devotional began and closed with a brief, applicable passage from scripture and also included a prayer asking God to speak into your marriage in a way that is in line with the devotional of the day.

The closing exercise is usually discussion-based, but can sometimes take the form of an action that you can perform for your spouse. These are meant to help you work on deepening your relationship and expressing your love for each other in tangible ways. The exercises were well explained and easy to do, which is good - especially since we were reading through our devotional at the end of the day and would need to remember it the next day or be able to engage in deep conversation at bedtime.

Overall we enjoyed going through this devotional together and now that we've finished I feel like a part of our nightly routine is missing. For us it was the first devotional we went through as a couple and I think that because John & Stasi write so honestly (a few times they reference their own struggles in marriage) it makes these devotionals easy to read and relate to. We often found that the devotional of the day was immediately applicable to what was going on in our marriage at that time. I enjoyed this enough that I would read through it again after a period of time (say, same time next year or something) so that it becomes fresh again; it will always be applicable.

I definitely recommend this to any couple who is looking for a basic devotional to read through together. It was easy to read, immediately applicable, and just about any couple that has a desire for continuous improvement and growth in their marriage would be able to relate to this devotional.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterbrook Multnomah Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”*