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Monday, March 28, 2011

Winning Him Without Words Review and Giveaway!

"...they maybe won over without words by the behavior of their wives." 
1 Peter 3:1

I was eager to be an influenced for this book simply because unequally yoked marriages is something all counselors encounter in session. We are trained to bring up the "hot button" issues like children, finances, and faith during premarital counseling because differences in key areas like these can lead to marital disharmony. In essence, therapists operate on the assumption that it's better to know ahead of time if you and your partner don't see eye-to-eye, so you can get a head start on resolving the issues instead of being blindsided by them later.

But what if faith wasn't an issue when you first married? What if you came to a saving knowledge later in life and your spouse didn't? Or what if you shunned your faith values for a period, got married, and then came back to your faith?

Authors Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller wrote their book Winning Him Without Words in an attempt to answer questions just like these, because they found themselves in the scenarios mentioned above.

Here's a blurb about the book from the Winning Him Without Words website:

Week after week, you sit in church…alone. You are one of many women across the country who are spiritually mismatched; committed to a spouse who does not share your faith.

You may feel abandoned by your spouse or forgotten by your church. You may feel like you have to live out your faith in survival mode, guarding the spiritual flame yet never feeling free to share it.

But don’t lose hope! God wants you to thrive—not just survive. Winning Him Without Words presents 10 Christ-centered keys to thriving in your spiritually unequal relationship. In the pages of this book, you’ll learn from real life stories how to:
  • commit to Christian community
  • release your spouse to God’s capable hands
  • find peace in your relationships with Christ and with your spouse
  • continue your pursuit of a growing faith
  • and to love your spouse with fresh enthusiasm
God wants every marriage to exude peace and love, and Winning Him Without Words will help you to create that environment in your homes and thrive as God works.


Both authors are so candid throughout the book that I never felt like this was just another Christian self-help book. These are real women, struggling with real issues, who don't claim to have all the answers. They do, however, claim to know the One who does. Despite years or praying for their husband's salvation, both Lynn and Dineen found certain principles to help their marriage thrive instead of wither and die.

As a counselor, I wanted to take note of the 10 keys that helped them, and I'm so glad I did, because now I have a book to whole-heartedly recommend to clients facing similar life circumstances. Women everywhere will be able to relate to the yearning both women disclose they have for their husbands to accept Christ, because if we haven't prayed for our husband's salvation, then we've prayed for a change in our husband's attitudes or actions. All married women feel alone in their marriage at some point, and these principles Lynn and Dineen offer are solid ways to bring about real connection.

In fact, one of the keys presented was to Stay Connected. In order to do this, Lynn joined a fantasy football league with her husband, even though she knew nothing about football. Dineen started playing disc golf. Yes, it required sacrifice of time and maybe even some of their own desires, but both marriages enriched from it. This is a great takeaway for women everywhere.

I'm giving away one copy of this book to a commenter from the lower 48 states below. If you are not in a spiritually mismatched marriage, still make a comment. This book would be a lifeline for a friend you might know who is. Give it to them as a gift. They'll be so glad to read a book and find community with other women in similar situations.

To enter the giveaway, I'm asking that you please follow my blog first and then leave a comment. You won't be penalized for not following, you just will only get one entry instead of two.


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11 comments:

Cecilia Marie Pulliam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cecilia Marie Pulliam said...

This scripture has special meaning for me. It was brought to my attention through an amazing set of circumstances just before I married my husband. Everything about our relationship was so right, except I was worried abbout our faith differences. As we both lost spouses, two each, to untimely deaths friends introduced us believing we had a lot in common, except faith. It was love at first sight. Although I attend church and pray alone, this last Valentines Day my husband wrote "You are my gift from God." It was the first time he has ever mentioned God in anything. It is a step forward. Thank you for posting this review. The book will be a tremendous help to so many of us.

Unknown said...

Sounds like a wonderful - and much-needed - book. I can't believe how little information is available on this subject, but it's such an important one. Thanks for sharing, Jeannie!

Raquel Byrnes said...

Lynn is in my critique group and she is so passionate about helping others who struggle through this.
Edge of Your Seat Romance

Dineen A. Miller said...

Jeannie, thank you so much for sharing our book with others. I'm humbled and honored that you consider it a resource. We are so happy to be able walk along side others who are mismatched and share how amazing God is and what He can do in our marriages. Thank you for helping us! Hugs!

Sarah Allen said...

This is beautiful! Thanks for sharing :)

Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)

McKenzie McCann said...

You know, marriage is an interesting idea. It's a complete fabrication humans created. Once you think of it that way, marriage just doesn't seem as stressful. It's all in our heads.

Ashley said...

Following your blog, looking forward to reading your blog...

Dee said...

I look forward to reading your book. My husband is agnostic and we have agreed to disagree on the issue of God. He, however, supports my involvement in church and bible study. Our three daughters are such an awesome example for him to see. I know we are winning him in very itty bitty tiny steps. I felt so guilty for my husbands resistance to God and then realized that this is an issue between God and him and I am not responsible for his salvation. I pray fervently and know that God has a plan.

Thank you for your encouragement!!

Jeannie Campbell, LMFT said...

thanks for entering everyone! cecilia won the book! i'd suggest those who didn't win to definitely pick this one up....especially you, deanne. it will be such an encouragement.

jeannie :)

Cecilia Marie Pulliam said...

Well, this will surely work! My e-mail address is MariePul80@gmail.com Thanks, Jeannie! I appreciate all of your patience.

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