From Josh: Today’s book review is from a guest writer, Emilia Schobeiri. Emilia blogs at Emilia Jane Photography. I first got to know Emilia through one of my good friends, and I’ve come to know her better since the two of them were recently married. Emilia is extraordinarily gifted, and she was the fabulous photographer for our wedding. You can find her on Facebook and on Twitter.

She is reviewing Real Marriage by Mark and Grace Driscoll.

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Title: Real Marriage
Authors: Mark and Grace Driscoll
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (2012)
Emilia’s Rating: 5/5

This book is not for the shy. But neither is marriage. God created marriage to sanctify us and bring us closer to him. That process isn’t easy and frankly it can be really overwhelming in every sense.

Mark and Grace Driscoll do a seamless job of sharing their personal experiences and struggles honestly alongside scripture. This book challenged me and it will challenge both you and your spouse individually and corporately. It helped me put words to some things I didn’t know how to say on my own. I am so grateful that it opens with the importance of real friendship as a foundation for successful marriage. However simple this is, it is just as easy to overlook. I can not begin to explain how much I underlined as I read. Real friendship is the “best protection against feeling adversarial towards each other.” The importance of fighting as friends and not as foes. Do not forget to enjoy shared activities (wives!) and learn to have deeper and more intimate conversations (husbands!). There are not enough reminders in the world for this.
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From Josh: Kim blogs at The Upward Call. Her bio includes 25 years of marriage, 22 years as a stay at home mother, a love for writing, and the privilege of teaching the Bible to other women. Kim has a beautiful writing style, and her posts are a great encouragement. Kim can also be found on Twitter.

She is reviewing Friends and Lovers: Cultivating Companionship and Intimacy in Marriage by Joel Beeke. (Keep reading to the bottom, where you can enter to win a free copy.)

Title: Friends and Lovers: Cultivating Companionship and Intimacy in Marriage
Author: Joel Beeke
Publisher: Cruciform Press (2012)

Joel Beeke’s book Friends and Lovers: Cultivating Companionship and Intimacy in Marriage, is only 96 pages long, but it is 96 pages with a great deal of encouragement and instruction. The size of the volume should not dissuade anyone from reading. There is a lot packed into 96 pages.

As the subtitle suggests, Beeke discusses two vital aspects of marriage: friendship and physical intimacy, an intimacy which flows from the friendship built between husband and wife. Beeke points out that in a society where people look at love as something we fall into and out of with ease, the principle of cultivating friendship with our spouse is overlooked. It is this friendship which provides the basis for meaningful physical intimacy with our spouse.
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