Generation NeXt Marriage

Generation NeXt Marriage is written by Tricia Goyer. And can I just tell ya'll that as soon as I was asked to review this book, I jumped at the chance. See, the X in Generation NeXt refers to us Gen X'ers and how we tend to relate to marriage. Especially since a LOT of us come from divorced families and those who are lucky enough to still have married parents still have been affected by divorce in their lifetimes. My hubs and I are both from divorced families and I was excited to see what Tricia had to say that would help my marriage grow stronger.


This book did not fail to deliver! No. Indeed, this book is 19 chapters FULL of great advice, statistics and even fun facts about Gen X'ers. There are even some comparisons to previous generations which are greatly helpful!







First, let me share with you a little about the author. Here is Tricia's bio!
"Tricia Goyer is the author of twelve books including From Dust and Ashes, My Life UnScripted, and the children's book, 10 Minutes to Showtime. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like Today's Christian Woman and Focus on the Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana."


So, I was asked to choose the chapter in this book that I liked the best and blog about how it has (or will) help my marriage. I can honestly say that there wasn't a chapter in this book that didn't have some very important things to say to me. And therefore, there is nary a page without green highlighter on it. One of the chapters I really liked though was called "Sweet Child O'Mine" and it isn't just because I was a big Guns and Roses fan in the late 80's early 90's -- any one else?


This chapter was all about how our children redefine our Marriage Partnership. Tricia makes the point that we need to have a plan with our spouses about raising our children. She also brought out something that as a pastor's wife I see far too often -- even in the church.

As Gen X'ers, we tend to be very focused on our children - sometimes to the point of sacrificing our marriages. I sat and contemplated this for a while. I'd like to say that as a pastor's wife, that I am very attentive to my husband and his needs. That I always have my priorities in the right order: God, Husband, children.

I'd like to say that, but I would be lying.

As a mother of 3 girls, ages 6, 4, and 3 and a baby on the way, it is very easy for me to get so caught up in them that I forget about hubs. After all, he is grown and can take care of himself. I mean, he did everything for himself for 33 years before we got married, for crying out loud.

But that isn't the order that God wants me to place my priorities at all. Hubs should come directly after God and then my children. This chapter was a great reminder for me to remember that.

Also in this chapter, Tricia also gives her "Top 12 list of the best things married couples can do together for their kids". I am not going to list them all here for you - you will just have to get the book to read them, but trust me. It is worth it. This list actually came from another book that Tricia wrote called Generation NeXt Parenting. I loved Generation NeXt Marriage so much, that I plan to get her book for us Gen X'ers on parenting, too.


Now, for the details:

How can you get these books? Go here! Right now!

If you want to read an excerpt from this book, go here. If you want to read what other's are saying about this book, go here.


OH, and to enter a FABULOUS contest - go here! You can win dinner for your and your hubs at your favorite restuarant just by sharing your story!


AND - a giveaway of my own (MY very first - I am so excited!). I have a set of Tricia's Gen X books to give away. Yes, I have both books - Generation NeXt Marriage and Generation NeXt Parenting as a set to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and let me know what you think! I will draw a name from a hat this Sunday, April 13!

I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did!