Review
As in their other volumes, Sean and Spencer root the realities of romance in the relevance of Scripture for daily life. Seasoned by their early years of marriage, these two men are desperate for you to taste of the richness of God’s Word, which has proven itself a sturdy and strong foundation for marriage. With pastoral clarity, they help young couples consider the importance of the patterns and rhythms established in the early years as a worthy investment to make the later years all the more sweet. Speaking as someone who has been married for twenty years, now with six children: their advice is wise beyond their years and provides a practical guide toward true romance that flourishes and sweetens with every passing year. -- T. Dale Johnson, Executive Director, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors; Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
There are many books on marriage and premarital issues, but not specifically for newlywed couples. Harmon and Perron take the reader on a contemplative stroll up and down the aisle of relevant topics they may face. They have been both specific and applicable in what is addressed and encouraged. Walking the reader through God’s relevant and sufficient Word on issues, they have also developed an effective tool for counseling the newlywed. This will be a valuable tool in the counselor’s toolbox. -- Stuart W. Scott, Professor of Biblical Counseling, Graduate Program of The Master’s University
In the early years of marriage, the cement of convictions and culture dries quickly. That’s why this book is urgently needed. Sean and Spencer have done a masterful job serving newlyweds―heck, any married couple―by tracing a straight line between the romance we desire and the beliefs we should treasure. The result is a tool to help build solid foundations for durable. marriages -- Dave Harvey, President, Great Commission Collective; Author, When Sinners Say "I Do" and I Still Do
Sean and Spencer have hit another home run with their third and final in a series of important books meant to equip couples from dating to marriage. While many books focus on marriage in general, Sean and Spencer have provided an eminently readable, thoroughly biblically, and altogether practical book for couples in their first year of marriage. Brimming with wisdom and insight from their pastoral and counseling experience, this resource will be one you will surely pass along to young married couples for years to come. -- Jonathan D. Holmes, Founder and Executive Director, Fieldstone Counseling; Pastor of Counseling, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls, Ohio; Author, Counsel for Couples: A Biblical and Practical Guide for Marriage Counseling
This book combines biblical instruction and practical observations made by men who are discovering how to build a marriage for the long haul. I believe nearlyweds and newlyweds will find this book especially helpful. My favorite aspect of this book is the enthusiasm, passion, and positivity about marriage and family that permeates every page. -- Jimmy Scroggins, Lead Pastor, Family Church, West Palm Beach
This book is rich wisdom about the complex situations surrounding the first year of marriage. The words in it come from faithful men who have walked this road with grace, and are eager to pass on what they learned to you. This resource is an investment in your marriage that will pay dividends for decades. -- Heath Lambert, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida
The patterns of the first few months of married life soon―for better or worse―harden into habits. These habits set trajectories that can take a couple far from where they want to be in so many areas of their relationship. This book can help break bad habits in the marriage, and then reshape them into routines that are more glorifying to God and satisfying to the couple. -- Donald S. Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Dean for the School of Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Letters to a Romantic on the First Years of Marriage is a remarkable resource. It manages to be both extremely practical and persistently gospel focused.The plain, unembarrased and open discussions about sex alone are a must-read. But Harmon and Perron go beyond the obvious essentials of sex, money, and in-laws, zooming in on matters like hospitality, godly approaches to rest and entertainment, and how to love a spouse who is doubting their faith. Whether you consider yourself a "romantic" or not, this book will strengthen every young marriage...and I can personally report that their wisdom is strengthening at least one older marriage too! -- Alasdair Groves, Executive Director, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation
This book wisely addresses the most significant challenges faced by many young Christian married couples in a way which is both practical and biblical. We are eager to give this resource to the young husbands and wives whom we have been counseling. It is fun to read and would make a great couples devotional. -- Jim Newheiser, Director of the Christian Counseling Program and Associate Professor of Christian Counseling and Pastoral Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary
This book is biblically rich and also very practical. It will step on your toes in a good way. Again and again Sean and Spencer take us to the heart of the matter in marriage: the heart. For those who desire to live out together a faithful and Christ-centered marriage I gladly commend this work to you. -- Danny Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
The early years of marriage can be some of the sweetest and some of the hardest. This book is a goldmine for every young couple! Built on a foundation of the gospel, this book offers practical and honest advice on issues like finances, sexual intimacy, communication, conflict, and more. You don’t have to navigate these challenging areas alone. Do your marriage a huge favor and grab a copy of this helpful book. -- Kristen Clark and Bethany Beal, Founders, GirlDefined.com; Coauthors, Girl Defined and Love Defined
Pastor Sean Pesrron's book for newly weds is needed ands tremendously helpful. It contains timely challenges and encouragements and relevant instructions for married people at every stage of their marriage, but the material in it is especially relevant for newly weds. Having been in ministry and having had the privilege of doing the premarital counseling as well as the weddings of numerous people over the past 62 years that I wish that this book had been available to give to couples as they began their marriages. For many years it has been my practice to give every couple for whom I have counselled and performed the wedding ceremony a copy of a book that my wife and I wrote called Sweethearts for a Lifetime `s a wedding gift. Now that this newly wed book has been written I plan to not only give couples a copy of the Sweethearts book, but also a copy of Sean’s book. And as I give couples copies of these two books I will ask them to commit themselves to faithfully reading and applying the practical biblical truths found in both of these books. At the last premarital counseling session before their wedding I will arrange a time to have a post wedding marriage session six weeks after the wedding. I will instruct them to begin their marriage by regularly reading, as a couple, Sean's newly wed book and then when they have finished that book to continue by regularly reading our Sweethearts book. I will encourage them by informing them that if they will regularly read and apply the biblically based truths in both lof these books they will experience a personally satisfying and God glorifying marriage. And at this last pre wedding counseling session I will also tell them that at the six week post wedding marriage session that we have already arranged I will be asking them to share the most important lessons they have learned about marriage from their reading thus far in their marriage. I will also let them know that I will be asking them to tell me about the specific ways they are applying the truths they have been reading. And I will also inform them that at the first post wedding session I will give them the opportunity to ask me any questions they may that have arisen from their reading and experience since the wedding. At the last prewedding session I also inform the couple that we will continue to set up post wedding counseling sessions on a monthly basis until we have worked our way through the material in these two books in the same way that we have just described about our first post wedding marriage counseling session. It is my conviction that if we would use this twin bladed (two book) approach the couple and the church would experience two results. First we would have more couples in our churches who are personally experiencing more fully satisfying and God glorifying marriages. And second, we as pastors and biblical counselors would have far fewer serious marriage counseling situations that would demand large amounts of our ministry time. In the long run I am convinced that this twin bladed (two book) approach would produce big God honouring dividends in the lives of the marriages of people and in the church as people experience the joy of the kind of marriage that God wants Hisa people to have. Marriages that begin right are much more likely to continue right. And in reference to beginning right I highly recommend Pastor Perron’s newly wed book as a vital part of that good beginning. -- Wayne Mack, Academic Head, Strengthening Ministries Training Institute; Director, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors―Africa
About the Author
Spencer Harmon serves as the campus pastor at First Baptist Church’s Nocatee Campus in Jacksonville, Florida. He and his wife, Taylor, live in Saint Johns, Florida, and have two daughters and one son.
Sean Perron (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a certified biblical counselor who has a specialization in marriage counseling, and he was previously the director of operations at the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). He and his wife, Jennifer, have one son.
