You have been called to love. Will you accept the call?

As I sat down with my fresh, autographed, advanced copy of “Called to Love” I have to admit I was pretty thrilled with this opportunity to be part of the blog tour for the April 4^th release of the latest book by best-selling author, Alisa DiLorenzo.  

Highlighter in hand, I had barely begun the Foreword when I was stopped by the reality that I wasn't going to be coasting through this one! On page 11 in the Foreword I read these words by PS. Leanne

Matthesius, Lead Pastor 3C San Diego.

 "Each of us grows up with dreams of a lifelong relationship that transcends the heights of even the greatest Hollywood love story. Yet many marriages get stuck in a “clash of wills” as you fight for your right to have your needs met and you're wants declared supreme. No one sets out to destroy their marriage, but sadly many relationships are fractured due to a lack of wisdom, effort and selflessness to make things the best they can be. The most fulfilling relationships are the ones where both you and your spouse are living with the express purpose of being a blessing to the one that God has gifted you with."

I let out a deep breath, and resigned myself to the fact that this was not going to be some cushy reading that I would breeze through and write happy little posts about to encourage people to buy the book. This book was going to be a major player in the work the Lord is doing in my life, my heart and my marriage.

When Alisa felt the Lord impress on her heart to go back through the Gospels reading the words of Christ and viewing them through the lens of marriage, the Lord gave her some wonderful insights. In the introduction she says,

"Reading the Gospels with the understanding that I was supposed to dream again about the mission that God had called me to changed everything. In every story, and every account and interaction that Jesus had I saw that these weren't just life lessons, these words where the manual that each of us needs to do marriage and be married the way that God intended...while you may not have a specific manual for your spouse, you do have the only manual that you will ever need."

Amazon best-selling author,

 Alisa DiLorenzo

I love the way Alisa has not only provided us with a great book, challenging us to look selflessly at our marriage through the words of Christ, but she has also organized it as a daily devotional - a very wise plan considering each day is packed with so much that you really do need a break to pause and digest what Christ is speaking to your heart.

The book is divided into six powerful sessions and each session is broken down into daily topics with scripture, insights, prayer and a place to journal.

Please sign up for my email list (top right), so you can follow along with me as I journey through this great book and share some of my thoughts and reflections. In my next post I'll be getting real and talking about how utterly shocked I was upon returning from our honeymoon 11 years ago to face the reality that, despite thinking I had done all my homework, I was totally unprepared! I really wasn't very good at being married! Anybody been there?

 I’ll also be sharing how Tim and I saved our marriage before we even got engaged. You’ll see why we never really had a honeymoon phase and discover how that, through a lot of hard work and willingness to really hash it out, by the time we hit the 7 year mark, any itch one of us may have had, the other was more than willing to scratch!!

 I do hope you will consider getting your own copy of “Called to Love,” and not just because they gave me a free book! I say this because I know the Bible is alive and active! (Hebrews4:12) I know that these words of Christ, when applied to your marriage, will have lasting and significant impact. And I know that Alisa’s straightforward, to-the-point style will grip your heart and challenge you to come up higher in your most important earthly relationship!

What a great gift for any couple, regardless of where they are in their marriage. What a great gift to give yourself and your spouse - to take this 40 day challenge to truly focus on your marriage, viewing it through the words of Christ, and in essence declaring, “Yes! I accept the call to love!”

See all my posts in the “Called to Love” book review series…