I recently read the book “Living in Love” by James and Betty Robison who are Co-Hosts on TV’s “Life Today”.  Having a healthy marriage is important to me so I thought this book would give new insights or provide great reminders on ways to strengthen our marriage relationship. I enjoy having a chance to read a chapter or two of a book each day and was excited to check this one out.

James and Betty Robison grew up in very different family environments, James was the son of a single Mom and Betty grew up in a church going family.  In the book they discussed their backgrounds and how they met.  The book has a unique layout and more conversational.  It shows Betty’s insights and James’ viewpoints by putting a headline at the top of each section.

Although I have never watched their show I appreciated that they encouraged couples to work on their own hearts first and stop trying to “fix” their spouses.  Both James and Betty recommended praying for your spouse, marriage and family.  Each family member brings a variety of dynamics to the relationship.  They discuss topics that we don’t hear a lot about in our culture when it comes to marriage – selfishness, commitment, trust, communication, and confrontation.  When married couples have solid God centered foundations in place we have more opportunities to grow and work together as a cohesive team.  James and Betty do not claim to know everything but are thankful for God’s hand working in their lives as individuals and as a couple.

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

“An unhealthy self-focus can show up in marriage in many ways, but the one I observed most frequently is people trying to shape their spouses according to their own expectations.  This is always a mistake.  Instead of trying to change your mate it is best to allow God to shape you.”

“Trust is built on the foundation of commitment – first and ultimately, to God and then to each other.”

At the end of each chapter they added a few questions for each couple to answer separately or together.  Overall the book is a great resource to read for those going into marriage or for couples wanting a gentle reminder of ways to build a healthy foundation in their marriage.  If you cannot purchase the book I would recommend checking it out at your local church or community library.  It is a pretty quick read and it never hurts to be reminded of ways to keep the communication open between you and your spouse.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah.  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.”