Love to Stay

Let’s grow old together. Pray together. Go to church together. And live happily ever after?

Well maybe not quite, but in his new book Love to Stay: Sex, Grace, and Commitment, pastor and author Adam Hamilton shares some hard facts for his reader to see what makes a marriage stick and examines the role of faith in marriage.

In Love to Stay, Hamilton draws upon the wisdom of Scripture, the knowledge of experts in marriage, a survey of 5,184 people who are affiliated with his church and personal stories of his own life experience and the experience of those that have spoken to him about their marriage. At the end of each chapter, there are questions for couples to answer alone and together and even question for the single person to consider for their future relationship with a spouse.

Hamilton asserts that marriage is sacred– a God-given gift to us and a way to bless us so that we have a partner to share and go through life with. He considers the different needs of men and women and how knowing the needs of your partner will help you bless them and love them to become the man or woman God ordained them to be.

He also helps readers by going through commonly known Christian resources such as Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages and How Full is Your Love Tank.

Click on the image to enlarge

Finally he looks at the seasons in marriage –the early phase of courting and newly married, children and middle years and the latter years of marriage and what impact each season of marriage has on the couple.

The Bottom Line

Hamiliton writes a book on marriage that really works. He does not claim to have all the answers in Love to Stay, instead he weaves together the best of the best in Scripture, Christian and secular resources in an easy to read and thought provoking format. I really liked that he included a sizeable survey of Christian men and women. I think it will elicit more discussion in relationships and ultimately do what I believe Hamilton intended and what God wants in our marriage– to bless our spouse or future spouse so that they may become the person God intends them to be.

Hamilton shares that couples who participated in an active faith of church attendance and prayer were more likely to report greater satisfaction in their marriage and sexual intimacy. I have included some of these statistics in the post for you to see yourself.

I strongly recommend the book. It is great for a couple, group of couples or even individuals who want to improve their marriage or get ready for marriage.

Book Description

In this book, Adam Hamilton explores how, with God’s help, we can make love last. Drawing upon a survey of thousands of couples and singles, interviews with relationship and marriage therapists, the latest research in the field, and wisdom from the Bible, Hamilton looks at what it takes to create and sustain healthy, meaningful romantic relationships across the course of a lifetime.

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press (August 6, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426759517
ISBN-13: 978-1426759512
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
Retail: $18.99

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Author

Adam Hamilton is senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. The Church Report named Hamilton’s congregation the most influential mainline church in America, and he preached at the National Prayer Service as part of the presidential inauguration festivities in 2013. Hamilton is the best-selling and award-winning author of Why? Making Sense of God’s Will, 24 Hours that Changed the World, The Journey, The Way, Enough, When Christians Get It Wrong and Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, all published by Abingdon Press. Learn more about Hamilton at AdamHamilton.org.

Note: Abingdon Press has provided me with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for a n honest review.