Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The Imperfect Marriage (BOOK REVIEW)



For cover photo, visit:

The Imperfect Marriage
Help for Those Who Think It’s Over
by Darryl and Tracy Strawberry  
Howard Books  
Hardcover, $24.99                                                                     
252 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4767-3874-1

Book Review by Kam Williams
           
“Marriage is a battlefield. Trust us, we know. Our marriage has suffered through—and survived—adultery, addiction, financial ruin, and the consequences of our own inner struggles…
However, we finally wised up and let God in… Through our surrender (and a lot of hard work), God orchestrated a miracle. Today, we are blessed to have each other and enjoy a strong, healthy, fulfilling, and meaningful relationship…
In this book, we share our story, the struggles and the triumphs, so you can see how, through the power of God and the process of change, He can transform a marriage from the inside out.”   
Excerpted from the Introduction (pages xvii-xix)

Darryl Strawberry won four World Series as a member of the New York Mets and Yankees over the course of his storybook career. Unfortunately, superstardom took a toll on the retired baseball great’s personal life in a way which often ended up splashed across the tabloids.
Several years after the fanfare ended, Darryl found himself turning to “cocaine, women, and alcohol” to numb the pain of bankruptcy, divorce, lawsuits, arrests and incarceration. He was lucky to meet his future wife Tracy at Narcotics Anonymous, though the serendipitous encounter was more like “lost at first sight” than “love at first sight.”
They would impulsively become involved, despite the fact that neither was really ready to forge a sacred union. For, Tracy had her own issues, too, even after being clean and sober for 12 months. Nevertheless, the two rushed into a toxic relationship where they would relapse rather than enrich each other before bottoming out.
Fortunately, both found the way back to love with the help of the Lord, and subsequently built a very strong marriage on the solid ground of the faith they share. The Strawberrys recount their perilous path to salvation in The Imperfect Marriage: Help for Those Who Think It’s Over, a warts-and-all memoir that is part cautionary tale, part self-help handbook.
Liberally sprinkled with quotes from scripture, it’s obvious that the pair puts a great amount of stock in the Bible, taking to heart the advice of Psalm 55:22 to ”Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you.” A divine-ordained blueprint for marital fulfillment designed for couples committed to follow the principles and teachings of Jesus Christ.   

To order a copy of The Imperfect Marriage, visit:

No comments: