Joy Breaks for Couples : Devotions to Celebrate Marriage

by Dr. Larry and Rachael Crabb, Paul and Nicole Johnson, Dr. Kevin Leman, Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, Gary Smalley…

• ISBN13: 9780310231226
• ISBN10: 0310231221
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-05-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

Could your marriage use a joy break? Take one today! What Joy Breaks has done for women of faith, Joy Breaks for Couples does for you and your mate. These crisp devotions are brief enough to read in a few minutes, but they pack wisdom that can strengthen and energize your marriage. They'll help you see yourself, your spouse, and married life through the lens of the Bible, brightening the shady places with humor. Joy Breaks for Couples invites the two of you to savor your relationship: the things you love about it and even the things you're not so crazy about. Get ready to see the upside of the down! Here are truths you can apply today as you celebrate your friendship, your imperfections, family and home, your oneness, even in tough times, your future together, each other's gifts, and romance and passion. The writers--well-known marriage and family counselors, authors, and speaker--share candidly the insights they've gleaned from their own marriages. Whether you marriage is new or seasoned, you can benefit from these nuggets of practical, biblical wisdom. So slow down . . . way down . . . relax -- and take a short break that'll bring both of you closer. Joy Breaks for Couples will help you freshen your outlook as you count your blessings and discover new possibilities for your life together.

Table of Contents

Part One: Celebrating Our Friendship
You've Got to Be Joking!	11	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
Absence Grows Fondness	14	(3)
Paul Johnson
When Jack Fell Down	17	(4)
Neil Clark Warren
Wine into Water	21	(3)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
Honey, Would You ...	24	(3)
Dr. Kevin Leman
Cheers	27	(2)
Rachael Crabb
I'm Just Feeling So ... So ...	29	(6)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
Part Two: Celebrating Our Imperfections
The Fine Art of Stubbornness	35	(4)
Neil Clark Warren
All Washed Up	39	(3)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
The Milkshake, the Briefcase, and the Carpet	42	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
The Bagel Shop	45	(4)
Nicole Johnson
Home Improvement	49	(3)
Gary Smalley
When ``I Don't Care'' Means Something Else	52	(4)
Dr. Kevin Leman
I Said, ``Rest---or Else!''	56	(3)
Neil Clark Warren
The Ten Lepers	59	(3)
Nicole Johnson
The Ultimate Love Lesson	62	(5)
Les
Leslie Parrott
Part Three: Celebrating Family and Home
Graveyard Roots	67	(3)
Dr. Kevin Leman
The Hardest Work in the World	70	(4)
Neil Clark Warren
Holiday Blues	74	(3)
Dr. Kevin Leman
What Makes a House a Home?	77	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
Remember the Time ...?	80	(5)
Paul Johnson
Part Four: Celebrating Our Oneness
The Blue Chip Marriage Investment	85	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
A New Name	88	(3)
Rachael Crabb
Three-Minute Connection	91	(3)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
Team Huddle	94	(3)
Neil Clark Warren
Money Matters in Marriage	97	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
True Love	100	(3)
Gary Smalley
A Good Return	103	(3)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
Speaking from the Heart	106	(5)
Gary Smalley
Part Five: Celebrating---Even in Tough Times
What the Mamas and the Papas Never Saw	111	(3)
Nicole Johnson
When God Holds Back	114	(3)
Larry Crabb
I'm Going Bonkers!	117	(4)
Dr. Kevin Leman
The Careful Management of a Blazing Anger	121	(4)
Neil Clark Warren
The Union of Two Forgivers	125	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
Ex-cu-u-se Me!	128	(4)
Neil Clark Warren
If You Say That One More Time ...	132	(3)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
Smile, Gracie	135	(4)
Nicole Johnson
That's Nonsense	139	(3)
Larry Crabb
When the Honeymoon Is Over	142	(5)
Gary Smalley
Part Six: Celebrating Our Future Together
Hand in Hand	147	(3)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
Never, Never, Never	150	(3)
Larry Crabb
The Carousel	153	(3)
Nicole Johnson
This Is Dedicated to the One I Love	156	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
What Part of 5:30 A.M. Don't You Like?	159	(3)
Gary Smalley
Dream a Little Dream of Us	162	(5)
Neil Clark Warren
Part Seven: Celebrating Each Other's Gifts
The Leman Checkbook Checks Out	167	(3)
Dr. Kevin Leman
Winning Isn't Everything	170	(4)
Neil Clark Warren
Stronger Together	174	(3)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
When North and South Converage	177	(3)
Dr. Kevin Leman
A Good Match	180	(2)
Gary Smalley
In an Understanding Way	182	(3)
Paul Johnson
Up, Up, and Away	185	(3)
Becky
Roger Tirabassi
Destination Joy	188	(7)
Nicole Johnson
Part Eight: Celebrating Romance and Passion
The Naked Lady Who Needed a Lift	195	(3)
Dr. Kevin Leman
Mystery Solved	198	(3)
Gary Smalley
Love, Sex, and the Church Lady?	201	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
Praying Together	204	(3)
Gary Smalley
Wildcat and Zucchini Smorgasbord	207	(2)
Dr. Kevin Leman
He Shoots, He Misses ... But Can He Recover?	209	(3)
Les
Leslie Parrott
Sign and Stuff	212
Paul Johnson

Excerpts

You’ve Got to Be Joking!Les and Leslie ParrottA cheerful heart is good medicine.Proverbs 17:22Do you two need a tissue?” a voice gently whispered from behind Les and me (Leslie). We were sitting in a theater watching a somber play when — at the saddest moment — something struck the two of us as funny. Hysterically funny.You see, just at that moment Les found a withered old banana in his coat pocket. Who knows how long it had lived there, and he set this surprising discovery on my knee. Caught off guard by the incongruity of the banana and the play, I developed one of the worst cases of the giggles I’ve ever had. Les quickly caught the same disease. We tried desperately to stifle our laughter, but as we bowed our heads to hide our faces, we couldn’t keep our shoulders from shuddering. An older woman behind us, thinking we were moved by what was happening on stage, offered us a tissue for our tears, which made us laugh all the more. When Les accepted her kind offer, I really lost it and had to leave the theater.Just another day in the marriage of Les and Leslie? Not quite, but we do laugh a lot together. The tiniest things can sometimes set us off — an inflection or a knowing glance, a funny line from a movie, or a faux pas in front of others. We have the same funny bone and can’t keep from using it. No wonder we enjoy our marriage.Laughter does that. Any good friend will tell you that laughter is the shortest distance between two people — especially in marriage.But from time to time, our humor is out of sync. Les has a small band of friends who don’t think twice about busting him in the chops every now and then in the name of good-natured ridicule. And it always makes him laugh. Sitting around a table at a late-night dive after a basketball game, one of them might crack, “Hey, Les, we were all impressed by the spineless prayer you call a jump shot.” Which brings the inevitable retort, “Yeah, it’s about as good as the serious medical disorder you call a golf swing.”Well, it didn’t take Les more than once to figure out this kind of humor doesn’t work in our marriage. I say it’s a guy thing. All Les knows is that nothing bonds buddies together like a little needless needling — as long as the buddies are guys, that is.Humor can backfire if we aren’t careful. But one thing we know for sure, laughter is good medicine for every marriage. Literally. Research has shown that people with a sense of humor have fewer symptoms of physical illness than those who are less humorous. Perhaps that’s what Proverbs 17:22 is getting at.But the benefits of humor extend beyond our physiology. The Bible reminds us many times and in many ways to bring the “sounds of joy and gladness” (Jeremiah 7:34) to our homes. Proverbs says, “The cheerful heart has a continual feast” (Proverbs 15:15). The psalmist sings, “Our mouths were filled with laughter” (Psalms 126:2). Isaiah exults, “Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth” (Isaiah 49:13). Jesus told his disciples that after he left them, “your grief will turn to joy . . . and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:20, 22). The apostle Peter confirms that the Christians to whom he is writing “are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).So let laughter fill your home. And celebrate your friendship in marriage by lightening up and enjoying a good laugh together. Watch a silly movie with each other, share the Sunday funnies, tickle each other’s ribs, play practical jokes. Or go to a play and yuk it up while everyone else is crying.

---

Excerpted from Joy Breaks for Couples: Devotions to Celebrate Marriage by Larry Crabb, Rachael Crabb, Paul Johnson, Nicole Johnson, Kevin Leman, Les Parrott, Leslie Parrott, Gary Smalley, Becky Tirabassi, Roger Tirabassi, Neil Clark Warren
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.