Classic Marriage: Staying in Love as your Odometer Climbs is not just another book about marriage. Classic Marriage takes a look at words like romance, soul mates, forgiveness, covenant, and your spouse’s eulogy. What? A eulogy? Yes, and so much more. Are you one who dislikes reading? Hang on for the ride, ‘cause Phil and Michelle Rayburn invite you to look at the Jeep engine with the tranny pulled out (that’s the transmission). Phil’s dry sense of humor adds commentary and Michelle provides illustrations of car upkeep, home remodel, boat anchors and piano tuning.

Michelle and Phil Rayburn have been married 30 years and wrote the book to cheerlead others on the journey. Michelle says, “I want our story to help someone else hang on for dear life when they consider letting go. You can do it with God’s help.”

Classic Marriage takes a look at the cost of improvements needed for maintenance. Not in terms of dollar signs but heart changes of humility and selflessness. When pride is set aside, the result is priceless. Instead of surviving marriage, the Rayburns want you to thrive, and provide realistic conversations about the daily choices to love your spouse instead of focusing on piles of dishes, laundry, and junk in the back yard.

Michelle describes the marriage-covenant relationship as a bond, much like super glue. When broken, both surfaces are torn apart in the process. Instead, she offers the alternative to see marriage as ministry to each other, to offer forgiveness in the trenches of life, and grace to walk together.

Michelle says, “Over the course of thirty years, I have had plenty of moments where I wanted to do the nice thing. I wanted to apologize. I wanted to make the first move. But I didn’t want it bad enough to set aside my pride to follow through with action. Every time, it was an opportunity lost.

“Pride is a liar. It looks like a shell that would protect a vulnerable heart from getting hurt, but instead it extends the hurt and blocks healing.”

Don’t let pride keep you from cherishing your spouse today. If we wait to make a list of all the things we appreciate in a eulogy, it will be too late to affirm your spouse. Now is the time!

I am giving away a copy of Classic Marriage: Staying in Love as your Odometer Climbs to one reader in the continental United States. Leave a comment on my blog (at the top of this post, under the title) and answer this question, “What trait of your spouse do you admire?” You will be entered into the drawing to be held on Thursday evening, August 13. I can’t wait to hear your answers!

Sally

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of Classic Marriage from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.