See below for details on how to win a Kindle Fire!
"The Beautiful Wife is for the gloriously messy woman who has a serious and not so serious questions about her role as a wife." Thus begins this 12 part study geared towards married women and then beautifully segues in a focus on how God is the only one who can really provide the answers for all of us.
I really enjoyed this study and will be using it for mentoring newly married women in the years to come. For older married women, some of the information was "of course" type stuff--or at least it seemed that way to me--but perhaps that is simply because I am an avid reader and professional counselor. ? I will take that into consideration as I write that critique. . .
Sandy Rayla writes with personableness and chattiness, as if she was sitting down over a cup of coffee with her reader and sharing her heart. Part of her heartbeat is mentoring and that comes through as the author. She writes as a mentor who loves those she montors. That struck a chord with me as a fellow mentor.
I found the companion mentor's guide to be a great reminder of what mentoring should be and can be. For those who are just staring on a mentoring journey, it is an invaluable companion resource to this Bible study and can help instill confidence if asking, "How do I do this!?" Sandy covers it all--even how to host people in your home while mentoring.
The second accompanying volume, the prayer journal, to me, is absolutely necessary for this Bible study. As a strong believer in the power of prayer, I found some of the workbook type questions in this section, as well as the prayer prompts, exceptionally beneficial and rounded out this study quite fully. The study could be done without the prayer journal but it would be lacking a large portion to be done that way.
1. Equipping for the journey. This is a 3 core plan found in Titus--dependence upon God, understanding the role of a wife, and urging vulnerability in a community of women.
2. Inviting romance using the acronym TRACE: Trust instead of control, respect instead of demean, appreciate instead of criticize, confer confidence instead of doubt, and expose vulnerability instead of defensiveness.
3. Cultivate mystique which is an inner confidence that comes out in an air of mystery and reverence.
4. Managing Money. One of the most argued things in marriage and how wives need and can, get a handle on it.
5. Practicing self-care. While we may not have to wear pearls and dresses like June Cleaver, we still have to take the time, daily, to make ourselves look attractive and care for our bodies.
6. Create a culture of beauty. This needs to be done in the home, in our attitude and speech, as well as in our focus, our marriage, our children, and even at the daily, mundane task of meals.
7. Communication. Be direct, be kind, and choose the right place and time. Also, learn to actively listen and understand with a God given understanding.
8. Speak the truth in love.
9. Live as the genuine article. Remove your mask, whatever it is.
10. Sex. What marriage study is complete without a chapter on this? Sandy addresses it candidly and well in this book.
11. *insert an excited note of THIS WAS MY FAVORITE SECTION!* Professionalizing the roles of wife and mother. I wrote about this in 2011 and loved that Sandy included this in her study! Just because we don't leave the house each day and go to a job, doesn't mean we don't have a job.
12. Choosing God's best. The world tells us we can have it all. The reality is, we can't. So we need to ask God what His best is for our lives and go with that.
For review I received a publisher's proof, not the final copy. I will be looking for this in bookstores and purchasing a few copies to have on hand for my mentoring relationships. This is a basic study in some ways, yet deep in other ways and as I stated before, perfect for younger married women--or even older married women who have are struggling with what it means to be a Biblical wife.
I give this study--and it's companion guides--a 5 out of 5 rating.
Buy the book
About Sandy Ralya:
Sandy Ralya is the founder and director of Beautiful Womanhood, a marriage mentoring ministry based near Grand Rapids, Mich. Her marriage testimony was the focus of a popular three-day interview on FamilyLife Today, TV's Walking by Faith, and Time Out for Women. Sandy is a sought-after speaker, presenting Beautiful Womanhood seminars to hundreds of women each year at MOPS groups, women's retreats, and church leadership conferences across the country and in Canada. Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980, and have a growing number of grandchildren. www.beautifulwomanhood.com
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this study for review purposes
Celebrate with Sandy by entering her Kindle Touch Giveaway and coming to her "Beautiful Womanhood" Facebook Party {3/8}!
One beautiful winner will receive:
- A Brand new Kindle Touch with Wi-Fi
- The Beautiful Wife By Sandy Ralya
- The Beautiful Wife Prayer Journal and Mentor's Guide
So grab your copy of The Beautiful Wife and join Sandy and friends on the evening of March 8th for an evening of fun.
