Andrew Smith's Blog: Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage Just Isn’t Good Enough By Justin and Trisha Davis Book Review

Beyond Ordinary is a memoir from Justin and Trisha Davis about striving for an extraordinary marriage. Most of us struggle and settle for an ordinary marriage. We tend to think we’re doing just okay in our marriages it’s not really that bad. But meanwhile we’re longing for a better marriage. Justin and Trisha Davis got engaged shortly after dating for about six months. They both were in love and had high anticipations of how their marriage was going to be different from most. Over time their love for each other was beyond tested in ways they never saw coming. Justin was very determined to pursue ministry full time and he was very driven to reach out to the community and bring people to Christ. They eventually started arguing more and the resentment and bitterness slowly crept into their marriage. They both struggled to let offences go in their marriage. A big part of marriage is being intimate and sharing your concerns instead of hiding and stuffing our emotions and shortcomings. Justin made a decision and chose to have an affair with Trisha’s best friend, who also was active in the church. Justin came clean to Trisha and this book shared in details how they had to seek God for their healing and forgiveness. Trisha had a choice to make either to forgive him or to get a divorce.

I would recommend this magnificent book to anyone who is single and hoping to eventually get married and to anyone who is already married. Singles and married couples would greatly benefit from learning how Justin and Trisha Davis overcame a lot of their brokenness and how they began to forgive and heal from the wounds inflicted in their marriage. The book is more geared towards marriage couples. Let me just say that, I’m not yet in the target audience and I’m single. But I reviewed this book because I’m trying to gather and learn as much as I can before I find someone to marry. And I read it to acquire how to become a better husband and father. This book has helped me to see where some of the problem areas occur in marriage and how the little things over time erode and try to destroy the marriage and prevents intimacy from happening. I believe this book has assisted me into becoming a better husband and father for whenever that time might be. I am also planning to re-read this one together with my future wife.

I loved how transparent Justin and Trisha were in this memoir. Justin revealed many times in the book the bad choices he made and how he had to let God change him. Justin had to face the fact that he gave into temptation and had an affair. He also learned at his core that he got his value from his work in ministry and he feared failing. He also cared a great deal of what people thought of him. I personally connected with Justin because I also have fears of failing and I care what people think.

I immensely loved the suggestion of praying for your spouse and most importantly praying with your spouse daily. Justin and Trisha stated that only a small percentage of Christians pray with their spouse, which I personally think would help marriages feel closer to God and their spouse. This is something I plan to begin in my marriage and I want to teach my children that it’s extremely important to pray to our Heavenly Father. Justin and Trisha also included a chapter on sex and how they had to have “the talk” to their boys. They wanted to pass down the important of sexual purity and the need to only be one with your spouse. This chapter infinitely instilled in me the significance of discussing sex to my future children and why it’s imperative to wait until marriage.

This book covered multiple topics that will benefit your marriage if you apply the knowledge and work towards an extraordinary marriage. You don’t have to settle for just an okay marriage, go for the marriage that God created! Even when you’re broken and hurt keep striving for oneness with the person you committed yourself to. If you’re looking for a book to help you improve your marriage, then read this one that contained real stories from Justin and Trisha to support you in your journey!

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

If you would like to purchase a copy of Beyond Ordinary check it out on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Ordinary-When-Marriage-Enough/dp/1414372272

Justin and Trisha Davis also have a program called MentorUs to assist couples in getting closer and improving intimacy in their marriage. The program is a subscription based package that is only $10 dollars per month and the lessons are a total of twelve months. You can choose to pay $79 dollars one time for the membership and you get 35% off. Each month contains a RefineUs Principle and you will be emailed an assignment that will benefit and transform your marriage. You will also have access to video and audio downloads and be emailed a video message once per month.

For more information about MentorUs check out it on the link below:

http://refineus.org/mentorus/

Meet the Authors: Justin and Trisha Davis