When we were engaged, a dear friend counseled us and told us
that it was vital that we D.W.M.A. in our marriage. We needed to...
Divert
Daily. (for at least a few uninterrupted minutes a day)
Withdraw
Weekly. (a couple hours)
Maintain
Monthly. (a few more hours, a day, or ideally a weekend)
Abandon
Annually. (one week of the year)
As sad as it may sound, we are lucky if we are able to even
be consistent in the "divert daily" portion. It's not that we don't
try... it's just that many times one of us falls asleep a few sentences into
the late night conversation when we finally have some time to ourselves. Such
is the life with an orthopedic resident.
Thus, it was with reluctant excitement that I chose to read Couples of the Bible by Robert and
Bobbie Wolgemuth. Although this 52-week study is meant to be read together
during the course of a year, I went through it in a week (for the purpose of
the review- I will go over it again slower!) and by myself. Each week is
divided into 5 days of studying a biblical couple (some couples, such as Adam
and Eve have more than one week devoted to them). Monday is the story of the
couple, based off the Bible, but with elaboration. Tuesday highlights the
culture and customs of that time period. Wednesday gives a more empathetic
account of what the couple may have experienced during that time of their
lives. It ends with a Bible verse. Additional Scripture and questions for
thought and discussions can be answered on Thursday, followed by prayer topics
on Friday. The couples are pulled from the Bible in chronological order,
beginning with a 3-week focus on Adam and Eve and ending with Christ and His
bride, the church. Not all are well-known couples, nor are they all examples of
godly individuals who loved the Lord, but as is true in life, there are lessons
that can be learned from the past that are still applicable today.
As I often felt that they strained to write something for
the first three days (usually light on Scripture and heavy on an embellished
story of the couple) , I felt this could have been combined into one day;
additionally, I think that each weekly study could be performed in a day if the
individual/couple had a good hour of time to devote to the chapter. I did
appreciate the synopsis at the beginning of each chapter that highlights the
meaning of their names (which were meaningful/significant in those days), as well
as their characteristics and challenges they faced. In conclusion, I found this
devotional to be a useful investment as the Wolgemuths' broke down and
highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of different couples, where I may have
glossed over the take-home point had I been reading their story straight out of
my Bible.
Disclosure of
Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the
BookSneeze® book review program. I was not required to write a positive
review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in
accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
