We decided to briefly interrupt the courtship stories with some recommended reading.  If you’ve read this blog for any period of time, you know that one of the things we love to do most is encourage you to read good books.  Why?  John Piper captures our enthusiasm:

“God has appointed for us to be helped in our understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by human teachers—living and dead….Some of these write down their teachings. This is why we have books.…None of us is so free from sin or bias or blindness that we can see the infallible Scriptures infallibly. We need help. We need correction. We need guidance and encouragement. Oh, the wonders that others have seen in the Bible that we have not seen! What a folly and what a blow to joy if we neglect these books!”

John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), 128.

It’s not only a “blow to joy” to neglect good books. We are also missing out on valuable wisdom that godly men and women have gleaned from Scripture. And there are few areas where we find ourselves more desperately in need of guidance and counsel than when it comes to choosing a spouse.

In God’s kindness, there are several books available today that offer biblical principles and wise counsel for anyone considering marriage. Here are several of the books my daughters found most helpful.

No doubt most of you are familiar with them, but the list must start with Joshua Harris’ two books: 

 

 

I Kissed Dating Goodbye

and

 
    
 
Boy Meets Girl

   

Originally taken from an article in the Journal of Biblical Counseling, the booklet entitled Pre-Engagement: 5 Questions to Ask Yourselves by David Powlison and John Yenchko is available from CCEF. Priceless counsel packed into a very short space for under $2.
 
   

 
Discovering God’s Will by Sinclair Ferguson will serve you if you are facing any major life decision. But the chapter on considering marriage is worth the price of the book if you are in a courtship.