Happy Love Day! & Book Recommendation
The Book I Recommend Most
Do you have a book that you go back to time and time again? A book you have highlighted, turned down pages and sticky-noted pages everywhere?
I do. It surprises me that this book has become the one that I keep going back to time after time. It has also become the book I most recommend and buy for others. The book is “The Love Dare” by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. The Kendricks are the brothers in Albany, Georgia who have become slightly famous for their faith-based films. Their last one, “The War Room” was the most popular film in the nation for a few days when it was released in theatres. Pretty amazing for a Christian film by some guys based out of Albany!
The Kendricks have done a number of films and they keep getting better every time they do one. I’d recommend them all. The acting may not always be Oscar-worthy, but the stories are always worth your time.
At some point, the brothers started releasing books to go along with the movies. The Love Dare goes with their film, Fireproof. It is supposed to be read as a 40-day challenge for spouses. You read it on your own and the book gives you challenges to accomplish each day. Each chapter and each challenge focuses on some aspect of love towards your spouse.
Why has the book become such an important part of my life? I think it is because of its simplicity. Faith can be a very complicated and confusing thing. The Bible is a really big book and a lot of it can be hard to understand. If a concept is too complicated, I cannot implement it. Therefore, I am always trying to simplify complicated concepts so I can implement them in my life.
Focusing on love is a way for me to simplify my faith. Why focus on love? In my humble opinion, love is the most important concept in the Bible. When they asked Jesus what the most important commandment was, his response was as follows “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
If the Christian faith can be this simple, why do we all goof it up so often? I think it is because we don’t truly grasp what love is.
That is where this book comes in! In 40 short, easy to read chapters it takes you step by step through what love means and how you can apply those lessons to your relationship with your spouse. Regardless of how many times I read the book, the first two chapters floor me every time because I am just this bad at loving well. The title of chapter 1 is “love is kind.” Chapter 2 is “love is patient.” I am so not patient and not kind way too often! This is how simplicity helps me know when I’m missing it.
The divorce rate in America is about 50%. That rate holds true whether you go to church or not. Divorce stinks for all involved. If a quick 10-minute daily read can improve your chances for a long-lasting, great marriage, isn’t it worth it?
And the book is not just applicable to marriage, or just Christians. If we love well, all our relationships will be richer. Things will go better for us in all areas of our life, including our work relationships. Being patient and kind is applicable everywhere.
So, check out the book when you can. It is short, immediately applicable and humbling! You can grab a copy at Amazon.
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