Customer Reviews

Night Light: A Devotional for Couples

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I came across this devotional in the bookstore a few weeks ago and was initially attracted to the book because the salesperson said that she was getting great feedback about the book and that they were selling very well.

After spending more time with the book, I can see why. This devotional strikes a nice balance of being thoughtful and thought provoking without getting too intense. To be honest, through the course of our marriage we have tried several devotionals with mixed success: we found some dry and boring, others trite and kind of goofy, and many overly ambitious so that devotional time just felt too much like work! Dobson's collection is balanced-the selections are managable in length, yet meaningful in content. When it does include a few discussion questions, they are good ones that open up interesting and important conversations. Also the format of the devotionals vary. Some may tell a story illustrating a point, others are more general and comment on a particular area in marriage, so that the overall feel of the book is not too formulaic.

If you are looking for a new devotional to build your marriage, a book that will open up areas for discussion, I think that you will be quite pleased with this one.

My husband and I love this book, we have read it together several times, and always give it as a wedding gift to every wedding we attend.

It may not be as in depth as some marriage devotionals, but it is an encouragement, and makes you appreciate your spouse a little more each time you read it.

My husband and I have a wonderful relationship, and sometimes it is very hard to read devotionals that are always talking about sadness, dispare, and dread. This is a pick me up compared to so many others.

It is also a great devotional for couples with out children. We do not have any children, and some devotionals every other page discusses how children effect your relationship. This one does not focus there quite as much. It is more directed toward you and your spouse.

This book is just what the couple on the go needs. I never would have believed that my husband would actually enjoy reading with me, but this book includes something for the husband and the wife. It takes less than 10 minutes each night and it makes a lasting impression on each of you. It is based on the bible, but puts the ideas into ways that they may be implemented in daily life. We are in the early stages in the book and we can both tell a difference in our attitudes toward our marriage and our family. I can't wait to get further into the book!

Sometimes I wonder if I read the same books that others rate as five stars. I personally think that five stars are too frequently given, particularly when we consider that the vast majority of books are simply average.

I was hopeful that "Night Light" would be above run-of-the-mill, but it really isn't. It's a fair book, but nothing else. (And please note that I am not a "Focus on the Family" basher. I think that ministry has helped bring many important topics to the fore. As a born-again Christian, I take seriously all the issues raised by that ministry and this book.)

Billed as being a unique daily devotional for Christian couples, it covers six months with each day comprised of a Bible verse, the Dobsons' thoughts about the verse as it relates to married couples' lives, a few questions to share together, and a closing prayer. Pretty standard fare for a devotional.

We've found the book to be written for couples that have extremely traditional marriage roles, but a growing number of couples (who are, by all means, traditional evangelical Christians) do not fit that mold. Generalizations about what the sexes are like in this book, unfortunately, are sadly stereotypical, too. Here, the Dobsons come across as stuck in another era. Now I am all for conserving the things that are great about America, Christianity, and family, but the authors seem to be writing more for their contemporaries, couples that have paralleled their own marriage experience. In short, if you don't match the Dobsons point for point in your marriage situation, the differences become glaring, becoming a focal point for incomplete application of their ideas.

Frankly, we've had quibbles with some of the theology, too. The book starts with an exposition of the old "I'm Third" idea - God first, others second, self third. We're not convinced this is biblical. Certainly God first is true, but doesn't Jesus say to "Love our neighbor as ourself" rather than to "Love our neighbor more than ourself"? It's obvious that deference to another's needs is key to any marriage, but it is all too frequent to find the balance tipping in one direction more than another. This can easily leave one spouse coming up short under the Dobsons' ideology. A godly husband needs to love his wife AND love himself in equal measure, and likewise the wife needs the same perspective from her point of view.

The questions asked during the devotional are many times pointless or do not provide any ideas for followup. In the section on prayer, for example, it is asked "Do you sometimes feel that the Lord is not listening when you pray?" Suppose that one or both answers that affirmatively. Then what? The Dobsons provide no help here except to get you to move on to the next question (which, in this case, has nothing to do with that previous question.) As a Christian Educator myself, I find that particularly galling. Examples like this abound in the book. And there are also plenty of leading questions that if answered in a fashion not in keeping with the authors' leading guide the users into a dead-end. The questions need to be better thought out. Adding helps for couples who disagree on some points is something I would also consider essential, but is sorely missing.

While any spiritual help in today's world is helpful, "Night Light" seems geared a bit low. If you've been Christians for any length of time, you probably have seen large swatches of everything here before. Because of this, after a while you start approaching the day's devotional dutifully rather than with any expectation. Too many books for couples suffer from this (so "Night Life" isn't that extraordinary in this regard.) They seem as if they were written for couples that have never talked about anything important during their entire marriage. Are couples this bad off? At times after reading some blatantly obvious point the authors expressed as some new revelation, my wife and I just kind of gave each other a look as if to say, "Are they serious?" That usually spells doom for books of this kind.

In short, the book breaks no new ground, boasts a very limited viewpoint that doesn't work well for all couples, and is average all the way around.

But this is not to say "Night Light" has no value. It would probably work very well for newlyweds, couples that are new in their Christian walk, or for couples that have never read any marital improvement books. Otherwise, skip the devotional and simply spend more time in prayer together.

My husband and I received this book as a gift and began reading it together every night shortly after we were married. Each week there is a different topic and each day illustrates part of the larger topic with anecdotes, bible passages, questions for discussion and a short prayer. We finished the book just last week and are now hunting for another one that has the same format. Short, thought-provoking, and a real springboard to open communication. I would recommend this to anyone whether you're just recently married or have been married for years.

I've grown up in church and have been reading devotionals my whole life. This one HAS to be the best. I have found three criteria that devotionals must meet in order to be effective. They must first provide stories to keep the readers attention. Secondly, they should provide good points and insight (the "meat") within each devotional. The final property devotionals should have is a way to get the reader thinking a little bit deeper. Usually by giving the reader some concrete examples of how to apply the lesson learned or by asking questions to deepen the readers understanding. This is the first devotional I have ever found that provides all three. My husband and I will be married for one year this weekend, and this devotional has opened up a whole new world of what marriage can be. I must point out, however, this devotional is not intended for singles. It is intended for couples, and even then it's main audience should be married. The devotional is also intended to be done together, not by yourself. If your spouse is determined not to read it together every once in awhile, it may not be worth it for you, but who knows, you may get something out of it all on your own. All in all, it is the best couple's devotional on the market and it makes a WONDERFUL wedding gift

My husband and I recently bought this book as our first couples devotional. We have enjoyed the topics, which can be covered in literally minutes. Coincidentally that is my one complaint. With the lessons being so short, it does not leave much room for conversation. You basically read one verse from the Bible and answer 3 questions about each other and/or your relationship. My spouse and I have been together for many years so most of the questions are areas that we have already covered. I gave the book a mid grade of 3 stars because although we have enjoyed the scripture verses nightly, it still is not very thought provoking. However, I think this would be a great book for couples who are just starting out together.

This book is a great way to air out little frustrations (or big ones) that bug you or your spouse. It brings up situations and tells stories that are about every day marriage. It's discussion points allow you to talk to eachother about serious subjects without being hurtful or abrasive. My husband and I love this and it has honestly brought us closer. We now talk about things that I have never thought we would be talking about. The prayers at the end of each day are great as well...I appreciate my spouse more and more every day because this book is showing us how!

This is a great book for newlyweds, troubled marriages. I bought this book for my friend who is about to get married. This is just right for people who are about to enter higher level of maturity. Such people have a lot of questions, and this book is great with answers to many, many, many topics.
Such as,
* Husbands Role
* Wife's role
* True love and sex
* Money
* Solution to divorce and forgiveness
* How trust happens and talking.

This is a devotional, short, with straight to the point answers. Helping couples to start discussion in important matters. When you have a problem, its good to have a book that covers that many topics and quickly allows you to find an answer.

This book has helped me and my spouse in our Christian walk. If you're looking for a tool that will only take a few minutes each day but will definitely bring you together-this is it.