Love as a Way of Life by Gary Chapman GIVE AWAY!!!

MY REVIEW:
This book is awesome! I’m saying this first and up front, because it’s the simple truth! If you are like me, and this is your first encounter with Gary Chapman, you are in for a huge blessing! Love as a Way of Life is filled with fantastic, sound, practical advice about putting love – in all of its many facets – into practice in our daily lives. Chapman writes the body of the book more as a counselor than as a pastor, but at the end of the book he includes a “Going Deeper” section that makes scriptural application to all of the material covered in the book itself. What a phenomenal study guide!

Love as a Way of Life takes the characteristics of love – kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity and honesty – and breaks each one down into practical explanations and applications. Each chapter is filled with a myriad of examples covering a wide variety of situations. Within these examples, Chapman clearly shows the difference each characteristic can make in our lives when purposefully understood and put into practice. Each chapter also includes a series of thought-provoking questions and life application suggestions that encourage the reader to actively pursue these life changing principles. I know I was taking notes furiously throughout the book, and I am hungry to experience all of the wonderful things God has for me as I seek to live out His love in all areas of my life.

After carefully examining each aspect of love, Chapman goes a step further and makes practical application of each principle in all major life areas – marriage, parenting and the workplace. The final chapter wraps all of this information into a straightforward, easily understood admonition to the reader to live a life of authentic love. The in-depth study guide that follows this can be used as you progress through the book initially, or you can use it to go back through the book a second time and prayerfully ask God to show you how to make love a way of life for you!

Love as a Way of Life can be used as a small-group study or as a personal devotional and study guide. It would even be ideal for a married couple to go through together and take a close, prayerful look at the way they live life and love together. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to experience this book and its powerful message! I have TWO copies to share, so please leave a comment for your chance to own a copy of this fabulous book! Or purchase your own copy here today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: (from his website)

Gary Chapman has traveled extensively around the world challenging couples to pursue healthy, growing marriages. His first book, Toward a Growing Marriage (Moody, 1979, 1996), began as an informal resource he gave to couples with whom he was counseling. Once officially published, this book became a blessing to thousands of people and helped launch Gary’s popular “Toward a Growing Marriage” seminar.

Since 1979, Gary has written more than 20 books. His book, The Five Love Languages (Northfield Publishing, 1992, 1993), has sold 4 million copies in English alone and has been translated into 36 languages including Arabic and Hindi. He has also appeared on several television and radio programs and has his own daily radio program called “A Love Language Minute ” that can be heard on more than 100 radio stations across the United States.

In addition to his busy writing and seminar schedule, Gary Chapman is a senior associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he has served for 36 years. Gary and his wife, Karolyn, have been married for 45 years, have two adult children, and two grandchildren.

Gary Chapman is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in anthropology from Wheaton College and Wake Forest University, respectively. He received M.R.E. and Ph.D. degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has completed postgraduate work at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Duke University.