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MARRIAGE

Fred Lowery. Covenant Marriage: Staying Together for Life. West Monroe, La.: Howard, 2002. ISBN 1-58229-232-9; 252 pages; $19.99; infor@howardpublshing.com.

This book responds to the widespread “collateral damage” of divorce in American life by beginning with the culture which surrounds marriage.

The book ends with sample covenant marriage ceremonies ready for use or adaptation by readers.

Lowery writes, “Many critics have called for a new paradigm for marriage in this country. But marriage has not failed as an institution; we have failed marriage by giving in to the culture and promoting selfishness over sacrifice. ... Understanding marriage in convenant terms is by far the greatest potential deterrent to divorce.”

Lowery has performed 300 covenant marriages. He is a Baptist minister in Louisiana, one of the first states in the nation to pass covenant marriage legislation.

Leslie Strobel.Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage. West Monroe, La.: Howard, 2002. ISBN 1-58229-232-9; 252 pages; $19.99; infor@howardpublshing.com.

Managing a marriage in which only one spouse is a believer or in which spouses are “out of sync” on matters of faith always has been a challenge. Too often it has been invisible. This book by a husband and wife team changes that.

“Ironically, it was faith in Jesus Christ — which most couples credit for contributing to the strength of their marriage — that very nearly destroyed our relationship and split us apart forever. All because of a spiritual mismatch,” they write.

The book describes such mismatches, illustrates the potential of mismatched marriages, and provides resources.

Leslie and Lee Strobel are in ministry at a community church and live in Orange County, Calif.

GROUP STUDY

Latayne C. Scott. The Red Cord of Hope: When History Stopped for One Woman of Faith. Webb City, Mo.: Covenant, 2002. ISBN 1-892435-16-0; 177 pages; $12.99; (877) 673-1015.

Scott’s twelve chapters on Rahab are followed by 12 activity and discussion sections which will make this the perfect small group study of Rahab and the Christian virtue of hope.

“As we begin to understand the meaning of the kind of faith that spans across into the unseen, we too can learn how to trust as Rahab did,” writes Scott.

Scott is author of “The Mormon Mirage” and received the 1990 Pepperdine University award for distinguished Christian service.

Devlin Donaldson and Steve Wamberg. Pinocchio Nation: Embracing Truth in a Culture of Lies. Colorado Springs: Piñon, 2002. ISBN ; 174 pages; $12; (800) 366-7788.

Donaldson and Wamberg provide a workbook for thinking through their thesis: “We realized that telling and hearing the truth were no longer ‘givens’ in our culture. We wondered what we’d look like as a ‘Pinocchio Nation.’ How long would our noses be if they grew every time we dodged the truth?”

The book starts from the assumption that it is difficult to “tell the truth in a culture of lies” — where “spin” is acceptable and many other practices erode the value and practice of truthfulness.

Small groups will enjoy discussing these challenges of being more truthful in the workplace, at home and at church.

Donaldson and Wamberg are public relations professionals.

This list has been compiled from information provided by publishers. For more information, please contact Scott LaMascus at (405)-425-5071 or on the internet at scott.lamascus@oc.edu.