The Mingling of Souls

We need to be fighting for our marriage. Fighting the dissatisfaction, fighting the expectation, fighting the selfishness and instead have a high value of marriage and fight for the gospel. The Mingling of Souls starts with our attraction to the opposite sex, courting, wedding and the commitment of marriage. It is would be great for a high school small group study. A study for a couple that wants to get married and for the couples that are. It is also good for parents to have a resource for their kids as well. There is so much potential with this valuable resource.

Commitment is everything in a marriage. Love is saying I am not going anywhere. At your worst..I am not going anywhere. When you have nothing good to say to me…I am not going anywhere. Instead of reacting, I want to respond with the gospel of not giving up. I want to respond with the gospel, that you are worth death to myself and I will give the life of the gospel to you…I am not going anywhere. It does not mean to stay in an abusive relationship but what does mean that marriage is a covenant not a contract relationship. It means that in a marriage there is redemption, even in a marriage that fails due infidelity or abuse.

In our sins and mistakes in marriages, we have much to offer our children and the young people of the church. When others learn from our mistakes, our mistakes are not wasted. Do not waste the mistakes of others. There is redemption in learning and taking heed. The sins of marriage show how much we have to guard our marriages. Guarding our marriages is guarding our heart.

Love is hope and the mingling of our souls is hope lived out. The Song of Solomon begins with hope and ends with hope – a love fulfilled. In God’s good design is where God’s glory is revealed and our joy is found.

I high recommend this book. Taught with humility and humor, reveals the heart of the gospel. Glory.

My huge thanks to the publisher David C Cook and NetGalley for a ebook to read and review.

With a plethora of books on marriage and dating on the market one must have something important to say to stand out. I can honestly say that I wish that this book, The Mingling of Souls, had been published when I was in college, and would commend it to anyone needing a biblical view on dating, courtship and marriage. Chandler takes us through the concepts and themes found in Song of Songs with a view towards God honoring, Christ exalting, gospel centered relationships. One finds a synthesis of biblical exposition, cultural engagement, and autobiography that gives weight to what Chandler has to say while at the same time making it a refreshing read. Chandler writes with a pastor's heart bringing counsel on this important topic.

If you're already married I highly recommend chapter 6. In our culture we have an incorrect view on conflict in marriage and Chandler cuts to the heart of the issue and demonstrates how to handle conflict in marriage.

I would like to thank David C. Cook and NetGalley for the eBook they provided.

As a huge fan of Matt Chandler, I figured I would like this book. As usual, he didn't disappoint!! He's always digging into the cultural meanings and language barriers to bring a strong message for those that really want to grow.

In The Mingling of Souls, Matt takes us verse by verse through the Song of Solomon. Yup, he tackles that one. It's an awesome book for singles, couples and marrieds (?is that a word?). He shows the strengths and weaknesses of Solomon and how that is relevant in our culture today. God is static. It's our culture that changes. He never does. So, same rules apply. You just have to dig deep enough to understand what God is saying.

I definitely recommend this book to all individuals, whether they are considering a relationship or are currently in one. We can always grow our character and make things better (even if I do have the perfect husband *sigh*).

Thanks so much, netgalley, for this awesome book!! As always, this is my honest opinion. Here's to many more!!!

What a wonderful book! This book gave some much needed wisdom spoken into today's world that seems so overly obsessed with all thing relational between a man and a woman. What a refreshing view. This is a must read for all believers, especially those who are engaged to be married.

I grabbed this book because my daughter’s youth pastor recommended it for non-married couples and they (the youth) were going to be working through the book with the kids at a level that was appropriate for them. I have read a lot of marriage books and walk away disappointed most of the time.

But this book made sense to me, even though I am already married. I do highly recommend this book for any couple who is dating or any single person is wants to date and have a God honoring reletionship. This is an excellent guide and resource for building a marriage as God intended.

Yet, even as a married person I gleaned a lot of good information from this book. Particularly the chapter on Fighting Fair. I wish I had read this BEFORE I was married because we have established a way of communicating that probably isn’t really effective. Of course we make changes now but it’s always hard to end one habit and start another.

This is a book I would highly encourage my children to read as they get older and anyone who is single. But like I said, I believe even us old married people can learn a lot from this book.

Grab your copy at your local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook.com, Books-A-Million or your favorite retailer.

An e-copy of this book was given to my by the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.