The 4 Seasons of Marriage: Secrets to a Lasting Marriage by Gary Chapman (PDF)

Description

Spring, summer, winter, fall. Marriages are perpetually in a state of transition, continually moving from one season to another—perhaps not annually, as in nature, but just as certainly and consistently. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter—discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times, we experience springtime with its openness, hope, and anticipation. On other occasions, we bask in the warmth of summer—comfortable, relaxed, enjoying life. And then comes fall with its uncertainty, negligence, and apprehension. The cycle repeats itself many times throughout the life of a marriage, just as the seasons repeat themselves in nature.The seasons of marriage come and go. Each one holds the potential for emotional health and happiness, and each one has its challenges. The purpose of this book is to describe these recurring seasons of marriage, help you and your spouse identify which season your marriage is in, and show you how to enhance your marriage in all four seasons.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Good book for those would like to be in a healthy and loving relationship. Also great for those who are having difficulty in the marriage. Simple and practical steps in build or rebuilding your relationship …

⭐Good and bad. The first part of the book contains definitions of the 4 seasons with a dizzying array of stories of marriages that were in those seasons. That content could have been done in half the number of pages dedicated to it. The remainder of the book is worth the read. It contains some key points that will snag every marriage somewhere along the line. Reading the issue and how it manifests is easy, the hard part is to make changes to self to be a better spouse. This book does not regurgitate the same info from his Love Languages book it is different recommendations on how to view different aspects and improve communications within your marriage.

⭐If you’re looking for a book packed full of ideas for strengthening your marriage, I recommend Gary Chapman’s “The 4 Seasons of Marriage” to you. In this book, Chapman uses the seasons of nature as an analogy for the possible states of a marriage. If a marriage is strong and thriving, it is a summer marriage. If a couple is on the brink of divorce, their marriage is deep in the cold of winter. Chapman’s purpose in writing the book is to help couples move toward or maintain the blessings of spring and summer.Chapman starts by defining each season of marriage and identifying the emotions and actions that go with each. Then he provides a questionnaire couples can fill out to discover, if they haven’t already figured it out, what season their marriage is in. He follows that with seven strategies for improving one’s marriage. He closes with a question and answer section and a group or couple’s discussion guide.The seven strategies were the heart of the book. No matter what season your marriage is in, implementing these ideas will be a benefit. One of them, of course, is learning your spouse’s love language. That chapter gives a brief synopsis of Chapman’s brilliant book about this.Throughout the book, Chapman is very conscious of all possible reader circumstances. He often writes to the spouse who is struggling to save a marriage though the other spouse has given up. He provides concrete examples of how such a spouse can adopt his ideas and, hopefully, reach the other’s wounded heart. And, though marriage is a team sport, Chapman puts the burden for positive action on the individual. We don’t manipulate our spouses into changing for our good; we initiate positive change within ourselves for our marriage’s good.I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to you!

⭐Initially what drew me to this book was the overall comparison of the seasons to different stages in marriage. The comparison worked really well for me, and Chapman provides a lot of examples of real-life couples that he has come across in each of the different “seasons.” I think the biggest comfort was knowing that it is okay to not always be in spring or summer seasons – the dark winters will come but there is a way to get out of them. Along with examples, he providing clear guidelines for how to get out of the winter or fall seasons, and also how to stay in spring or summer, which, for me, was the best part – how important it is to be aware when your marriage may be slipping slowly into fall or winter, and how to be proactive in keeping it in summer or spring.Overall, I found this very insightful, and although I read it individually, I can see how it would be very helpful read together as a couple too.

⭐I really like this book. It was the first book I read by this author and I’ve since read two others and I found all of them to be just really full of great advice. Yes the book is written by a Christian pastor so it of course has biblical references and that sort of lean and even though I’m not particularly religious I still found many of the suggestions to be quite helpful and the entire book I found to be just overall very good read and beneficial to my marriage. One of his other books — the five love languages of teenagers is fantastic and I think every parent of a teen or preteen should read it!

⭐Perfect book to read as a couple

⭐Since I liked The Five Love Languages I figured I would read another book by Gary Chapman. In many ways this book was similar and he referred to the 5 love languages many times.But in many ways this book was different. In my opinion the 5 love languages book was more informative and basic and this book delved deeper into marriage and specifically touched on how to repair problems in marriages.Chapman describes marriage in relation to the four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall but also is careful to mention how quickly Fall can change to Winter and how easily Spring can move into Summer. His book is very detailed about what the characteristics, feelings/emotions, and actions are for each season. For example Winter marriages are usually cold, harsh, and bitter.After describing each season he gives you a quiz to help you decide which season your own marriage is in.Next he outlines ways to enhance your marriage through seven different strategies. A few of these strategies are: dealing with past failures, learning to speak your spouse’s love language, helping your spouse succeed, and having a positive influence.He then goes onto share exactly how to put everything he has written about into practice and even has a Q and A with some really great examples. Then last but not least there is a whole study guide!This book is filled with example after example from real life people that Chapman has worked with an interviewed. My favorite examples are when he shares both the husband and wife’s viewpoints because those examples show so clearly how men and women see things differently!This was a great book. I would especially recommend it to anyone who feels like they are in the hopeless stage of marriage or to anyone who wants to avoid that feeling in the future.I read this book on my Kindle thanks to the great posts about free and inexpensive Christian Fiction books on ereadergirl.com.

⭐This is excellent stuff. As Brits it took us a little time to get used to the American drawl, but the topic and the analogy of the seasons we found to be very helpful. We thoroughly recommend this cd verion of the book.My wife and I listened to it while we were on a journey; pauseing and discussing it as we travelled. There was so much in it the first time, we can’t wait to listen to it again. Lots of wisdom about the marriage relationship, backed up with plenty of illustrations.Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been married, you’ll find this CD version of the book very useful. We’ve been married for over 30 years and we found the insights very useful.

⭐A very interesting book…only partway through it but it’s very helpful. We already have the 5 Love Languages by the same author & actually give one to newly marrieds as a valuable aid because it helps you to recognise your partner’s needs & aim to supply. Time changes our attitudes & it’s great to return to for fresh ideas.

⭐I love Dr. Gary Chapman’s books and after reading The Five Love languages, l was excited when l received this book. I had no idea it was a devotional when l got it because it does not say so on the cover. The devotions are short and concise less than 5 minute read which is excellent for those who want small tips during the day. Although short and concise the devotionals are filled with so much wisdom and provide thoughts that one can meditate upon.Married couples would definitely find this the perfect devotional to read early in the morning, during lunch or even before bed, each devotion is followed by three bible verses. This book would be a perfect gift for any married couple.

⭐This is the best book about marriage I have ever read. Through real life examples, as well as humor, Gary Chapman takes the reader through the difficulties and barriers of married life and how to overcome. It is well worth the price and it is not just some book, but it is an guidance book.

⭐Excellent resource for marriage growth!

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