Eric and I are very excited to spend time with YOU in the coming months reading and studying the book, Uncommon Marriage, by Tony and Lauren Dungy. In Uncommon Marriage, the Dungys share their hard-won insights on: discovering what true commitment is all about; getting past the inevitable tensions in a relationship; arguing smart and winning as a team; handling in-law issues and embracing each other’s families; working through obstacles to end up in a place of wonderful blessings; and understanding God’s plan for you as a couple.
The week this book was released, I stumbled across a book interview with Tony Dungy (click here to listen to this podcast interview), where he talked about his new book and shared what he felt like was one of the most beneficial things early on in his marriage:
I think the biggest thing that happened to help us was seeing other married couples in church. We got involved in a wonderful church and we saw married couples at different stages. Young married, older married, people with kids and people that had gone through it. We got to see that some of the things that we were experiencing were normal, they were part of the process. There was nothing wrong with having these discussions about what are we going to do, what is our marriage going to look like?
I could not agree more – it is so important to surround ourselves with other married couples! We hope that you will carefully consider joining us for what we believe will be a fun, upbeat and inspirational way to keep your marriage front and center in the midst of this crazy, busy life we all lead. We look forward to making new friends and building upon existing friendships.
If you know of anyone that you would like to invite to join this small group, please feel free to do so! The more the merrier! But, with that being said, we also see so much value in an intimate group setting too, where every person feels included and has the opportunity to share. Our intent is to study, pray and prepare to help guide each session, but we do not plan to dominate the conversation. We just hope to be instrumental in arranging the opportunity for you to meet some new friends and make God a priority in your marriage. We look forward to listening and learning from you!
Our inspiration …
Early on in our marriage, Eric and I participated in a marriage class at our church, Heartland Church of Christ, centered around the book His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage by William F. Jr. Harley. For me, this book was life changing. It taught me the importance of safeguarding our relationship against anything that threatens to impinge on our marriage, engaging in recreational activities that he enjoys, picking my battles and arguing nice, consistently showing respect and appreciation for him, committing to stay together – no matter what, putting God at the center of our marriage, and so much more. Perhaps one of the most important reasons why this class transformed my life was because of the powerful testimonies of those around me. There is power in story. It helped me to realize that even the most put-together women in our church had experienced similar struggles, arguments and challenges in their marriage.
I hope that I’m not painting a bleak picture of marriage! I always knew that it would take a very special person to love Andrew and me just the same and I believe that God saw something special in Eric, which is why He brought him into my life at the exact moment that He did. Eric and I enjoy a very special and close marriage and I don’t feel like it’s because we’re “lucky,” but because we work very hard to protect and nurture it. This is not to say that we have it all figured out! We do not feel like experts by any means but do understand the importance of creating opportunities to bring couples together for support, encouragement and friendship.
For several months, I have felt compelled to do a small group for couples on the book His Needs, Her Needs, but at Eric’s suggestion, we decided to read Uncommon Marriage first to decide which of the two might be the most appealing. I am hopeful that husbands, in particular, might be intrigued by this book because of its association with one of the best football coaches of our time – both on and off the field. We have thoroughly enjoyed learning about their reliance on God to get them through life’s obstacles and we are sure you will too!
Building an Uncommon Marriage 