Building a “Real Marriage” {a review}

Have you ever attended a marriage conference and found yourself thinking any of the following?

  1. I paid how much for this?!
  2. What exactly are they eluding to?
  3. When are they going to get to the stuff I can relate to?

I have, too. Then I attended Mark Driscoll’s Real Marriage Tour. This is not your Mama’s marriage conference! This is REAL…real issues, real conversations, real struggles, real solutions.

IMG_0203

If you aren’t familiar with Mark Driscoll, he is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington and has written many books on Christianity, doctrine, and theology.

If you are familiar with Driscoll, then you’re also aware of his signature style of humor and sarcasm and his in-your-face, brutal honesty. The Real Marriage Tour is no different.

RMarriage
My best friend, Hubby, and me…excited to have a sitter      and be out on our own!

We laughed…gut-splitting, belly-jiggling laughter…from the moment Mark took the stage and described his late-night trip to Waffle House when he arrived. (Welcome to Missouri, West Coast Boy!) We were instantly entertained and engaged. Driscoll isn’t all about the laughs, however. And he isn’t afraid to tackle some really tough issues.

(Hint: Unless you want your 3-year-old asking about “Naked Wednesdays,” you might want to watch this clip when little ears are not around.)

You can see why Driscoll’s straight-forward, no-holds-barred approach typically draws fire from critics on both sides. But I believe it works for him and his message this time around. He deals with topics like friendship and pride in marriage as well as tackling difficult issues like sexual sin, pornography, and sexual abuse. He does so with a clear message of hope and grace that’s almost a lost art in churches today.

The Real Marriage Tour is a result of the book Driscoll recently authored with his wife, Grace, Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together. Listen as they share their hearts and message behind the book…

Whether you’re a newlywed or working on your third decade of marriage, whether you are on the brink of divorce or living in wedded bliss, Real Marriage has something for you. It is full of sound teaching and practical application.

So, how do you find one of these conferences and get your hands on the resources? The Real Marriage Tour only has a few dates left in some select cities this year. You can view the full list here. (I’ve heard they are continuing the tour in other years, but haven’t seen anything official about that.)

You can check out the book Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together which covers the topics of the conference in more detail. I haven’t read the book yet, but here is a detailed and well-written review.

You can view the videos of Mark’s sermon series, Real Marriage, which also follows the books and covers the same topics.

*********************************
Like what you’ve read? Would you like to get new posts delivered directly to your inbox? Enter your e-mail address in the box to the right, and you’ll get new posts e-mailed to you as soon as they’re published. Easy-peasy.

8 thoughts on “Building a “Real Marriage” {a review}

  1. Love Mark Driscoll!! I think Vince may have gotten this book recently, but I haven’t read it yet. I’m sure it’s great though. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this tour~thanks for the heads up!

  2. My first intro to Mark Driscoll was through the book, “Real Marriage”. I then downloaded some free podcasts to my phone and listened to him while driving… Yup. I’d agree – he is definitely sarcastic, and in-your-face! 🙂 (a guy’s guy)

    My favorite chapter was the one on Friendship. I think he and Grace hit the nail on the head with their observations, and I really liked the story about Martin Luther and his wife.

    Thanks for sharing your observations about the conference! I liked your first three questions – they made me chuckle!

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Lori! I first heard about Mark when he was doing the Song of Solomon conferences…wow, what an introduction. I love listening to him speak b/c I like his in-your-face style. I know not everyone does. Yes, the section on Friendship (at the conference) was my favorite…so encouraging, and challenging!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *