When Two Become One: Enhancing Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by Christopher and Rachel McCluskey

When Two Become One: Enhancing Sexual Intimacy in MarriageTakeaway: Sex is too important to ignore and too important to just read about.  We need more mentors for couples.

Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition

My wife and I have been leading a small group for newly married couples for the past seven months.  We are just finishing up 8 weeks of discussion on sex in marriage.

I have read through several books on sex and marriage recently and this is one of the better ones I have read.  That is not to say it is perfect.  I still have yet to find a book that I can strongly recommend on the topic of sex in marriage.

There are several things I like about this book.  One, it has a clinical background.  So there are lots of stories of people seeking help.  And I think that saying that it is OK to seek out help is very important.  Second, there are many Christian books that do not really get into the actual activity of sex.  This book does in an appropriate way.  There are five chapters on the stages of sex (atmosphere, arousal, apex and afterglow).  These five chapters were the meat of the book and what we focused on in our small group.

I do appreciate the attempt at a big picture of what Christian sexuality is all about at the beginning of the book, but I think the book missed it.  Partially the problem is addressing a diverse audience.  You are going to offend or turn off someone no matter what you say, so I think it is hard to address sexuality in modern Evangelical world.  Honestly, I thought Washed and Waiting (an perspective on celibate homosexuality within the church) did a better job talking about the big picture of sexuality.

Read more

Twice a Spy by Keith Thomson

Takeaway: Spy Thrillers are about the chase. Purchase Links: Hardback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook Twice a Spy is a sequel to Once a Spy, one of my favorite books last year.  The basic premise is that Drummond Clark, a retired appliance salesman, with middle stages of early onset Alzheimer’s, is actually a super spy.  Charlie, his … Read more

Citadel: Troy Rising Book 2 by John Ringo

Takeaway: Not really a fan of travel for work, but I am glad for fairly mindless audiobooks to keep me entertained. Purchase Links: Hardcover, Audible.com Audiobook I can tell I am traveling because I am burning through audiobooks.  When I travel it mostly to do program observations of after school programs and then right up … Read more

God Is My Broker: A Monk-Tycoon Reveals the 7 1/2 Laws of Spiritual and Financial Growth by Christopher Buckley and John Tierney

Takeaway: If you don’t know what good satire is all about, you have not read anything by Christopher Buckley. Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Audible.com Audiobook I hate abridged audiobooks.  You never know what you really are missing, you just know something is missing.  Is it a good part, a lousy part.  Is it five minutes … Read more

Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar

Takeaway: There is a reason that the concept of paradigm shifts was originated in science history. Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook Science is a weak area for me.  I only had one science class in college and it was one of the weakest teachers I had in college.  And my high school science was … Read more