Dude’s Guide to Marriage
#1 IN MY SERIES OF POSTINGS DEDICATED TO SUMMARIZING A WONDERFUL BOOK ENTITLED “THE DUDE’S GUIDE TO MARRIAGE: TEN SKILLS EVERY HUSBAND MUST DEVELOP TO LOVE HIS WIFE WELL” BY DARRIN & AMY PATRICK
In my next several blog postings I will be summarizing a wonderful book that I read a few years ago. The title is “The Dude’s Guide to Marriage: Ten Skills Every Husband Must Develop To Love His Wife Well.” It is written by Darrin Patrick and his wife Amie. Darrin is pastor of a thriving church in St. Louis, Missouri, and also the team chaplain for my favorite professional baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Through all of his years in ministry, he came to realize that men are not well-equipped in knowing how to love their wives well. Darrin wrote this book for guys who want to grow. For guys who want to stop using their strengths to excuse their weaknesses. For guys who are not content with abstract ideas but are looking for concrete steps to become better men and, as a result, better husbands.
Darrin’s Introduction To His Book
In a society that has lost its rites and rituals, getting married might be the clearest indicator that we are now indeed men. Think about it. We have somehow managed to convince a girl — and typically her father — that lifelong security and comfort can be found in our arms. This idea is exhilarating at first. But then it’s frightening when you realize people actually expect you to deliver.
I know I was scared to death to get married. I had not seen a good before I saiid “I do.” I didn’t know whether I was man enough to be a husband. Was I ready? Would we make it? We were happy at the time. Could we stay taht way? These were just a few of my questions.
I had been dating Amie (my wife) on and off again for several years when I finally had a conversation with my dad about his marriage. I asked him for tips on giving a woman what she wants. Dad was on his third wife at the time, and he said, “Darrin, all I know how to do is work! I’m not too good at all the romantic stuff. I just try to provide and protect. That is all I know about marriage.”
What Dad Said Was True
My dad was telling the truth. He was a classic provider. To this day, I have not met a man who worked harder than my dad. he worked all day long doing excavation and then came home and worked on one of the many houses he built by hand. He understood work. He valued work.
All of us know something about how marriage works. We get some things right, as my dad did. But marriage is so scary because there is a lot we don’t understand. The philosophy and principles found in this book are the things I wish I had understood before my wedding day. These are the words of wisdom I wish my dad had shared when I was twenty-two. These are the words I often forget but am still trying to live out in my marriage.
If you are reading this right now, it may be that. your wife handed it to you (or she would have if she knew the book existed). This is her way of helping you understand her better.
In my next posting we’ll take a look at Chapter 1, LISTEN. Please stick with us as we work through this entire book. Whether your a guy who needs clear direction on how to do better, or if you’re a wife who prays feverishly that her husband will one day “get it,” I believe these next ten postings could be the pearl you’ve been hoping to discover.
——–
Soul health and spiritual maturity cannot be separated. Our counselors are ordained Christian ministers as well as certified and licensed Christian counselors. We are able to help you experience freedom from shame, anxiety, depression, or marriage / relationship conflict with methods that are purely Christ-centered. Please click on this link to learn much more about how our MARRIAGE COUNSELING can help you become a more authentic follower of Christ, and help you find freedom from identity dependence.https://lifetrainingcounseling.org/
Life Training offers convenient sessions at https://lifetrainingcounseling.org/depression-counseling/our office in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as online counseling via Zoom or FaceTime. Our non-profit counseling practice has had an outstanding track record from over a decade helping men and women, individuals and couples who are ready to move beyond anxiety, depression, and conflicts in marriage or other relationships find hope and healing in their lives. Contact us today at 502-717-5433, or by email at drdave@lifetrainingcounseling.org