Sunday, May 3, 2020

About the Book

Book: Marriage Matters

Author: Cheri Swalwell

Genre: Non-fiction/Christian Biblical Marriage

Release Date: November 22, 2019

Marriage joins two imperfect people who pledge to love, honor, and commit to each other for life. Eleven couples graciously chose to share their stories within the pages of this book because they believe in the sanctity of marriage. None of the couples are perfect, but they come alongside you and your spouse with experience and encouragement as you pray about how to live out your own marriage. Some of the couples work in full-time ministry, others have chosen the military as their career. Some couples have faced the issue of infertility while others have had to deal with sickness or death. Some couples have been remarried, others married later in life, and others have dealt with seemingly more than any one couple should have to face in a lifetime. All of the couples have one thing in common – their love for God and their commitment to marriage God’s way.Grab your favorite beverage in a comfy chair and get ready to be encouraged. Buy your own copy today, and one for a friend, because Marriage Matters!

Click here for your copy!

MY REVIEW

There are many resources available about marriage which at times can be confusing. This book is one that I would recommend to any married couple who wants to strengthen their marriage. It would be a great tool to use in marital counseling and a perfect gift for newlyweds.

The author uses personal stories from couples to show what God’s plan for marriage is. It isn’t about who is right or in charge but learning to prefer one another. I enjoyed reading each story and how transparent the couples were. There is no such thing as a perfect marriage, but with God there is a marriage that honors the covenant made by two people with God as the center. I loved when the boom shared that if you doubt if you picked the right one, you did when you said I do. See when we say those words we have made a covenant. It is not to be broken and with God in your marriage all things can work out. We need to trust Him in the good and bad times. “Healthy relationships aren’t when we look for it in the other, but when we focus on becoming the right one.”

The book is filled with stories that are encouraging and I don’t think I could pick just one as my favorite. They each touch on different subjects dealing with marriage while giving Godly examples that lead couples toward a marriage that is ordained by God. Praying together as a couple is important as you can share your thoughts and concerns. I liked how one of the couple’s talk about sharing all passwords with each other. The enemy would love for a spouse to hide a secret Facebook account . Being open is important in keeping the enemy out of your marriage. Communication is another important key in a marriage. Share your feelings with each other. Allow your spouse to know where you are struggling so that the enemy cannot divide you.

I love how the book is designed and how the author includes scriptures that speak about marriage, trust, forgiveness and other emotions that make marriages healthy. The most important points I took away from this book was to keep God in your marriage, communicate with each other and pray together.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Cheri Swalwell is a Christ follower who thoroughly enjoys her calling to be a wife, mother, and writer, in that order. Cheri loves to encourage people through her Spoken from the Heart devotionals, Bible study Caring for the Caregiver and other compilation books dealing with the subjects of miscarriage and cancer. For a full list of books and where they are sold visit www.cheriswalwell.com. If you want to sign up to her newsletter to stay updated on all the latest news, you will also receive a full-length devotional free, as her way of saying thanks for joining!

More from Cheri

Back in 2007, long before writing was even on my radar, I had a conversation with God about writing a book that would offer hope to those who had lost a child. We had lost our baby the December prior, and I needed to know I wouldsmile again someday. Little did I know that conversation 12 years ago would result in a series of compilation books encouraging others about various topics. The first one, Hope During Heartache was published in 2014, and it’s 13 different men and women’s stories about how they found hope after dealing with the death of a child.

In early 2015, I had another conversation with God and asked Him … “What’s next? Do You have any other compilation books you’d like me to share with others to bring encouragement?” In 2018, Peace During the Pain was published (a book about how to find peace after the diagnosis of cancer) which is 12 different men and women’s stories either about their own personal journey or the journey of a family member.

The goal for 2020 is to publish Joy During the Journey, a compilation of people who have found joy despite living with chronic illness.

During my 2015 conversation, I asked God if He would allow me to write a compilation book about a “happier” topic than death, cancer, and chronic illness. And in His goodness, He said yes! That is when He told me I could write about the topic of marriage, a topic I truly love because being married and having children has always been my heart’s desire. Not only do I get to share encouragement, support, and wisdom from 11 different couples with you in this book, an added bonus is that one of the couples is my parents, another is my youth pastor and his wife, whom I’ve admired for over 25+ years, and yet another is my present pastor and his wife. All three of these couples have significantly modeled biblical marriage for me throughout the years. But that’s not all. There are also military couples, couples who have suffered circumstances no couple should ever have to face, and new friends I’ve met through the writing of this book. I believe you will enjoy as much as I have the encouragement and wisdom from each and every couple who took the time to share a little about their life with you. I’m excited to share the stories between these pages … so sit back, grab your favorite beverage and be prepared to get encouraged!