Book review: Beyond Ordinary, by Justin and Trisha Davis

Beyond Ordinary : When a good marriage just isn’t good enough.

By Justin and Trisha Davis

Back of the book

 How safe is your marriage? The answer may surprise you. The biggest threat to any marriage isn’t infidelity or miscommunication. The greatest enemy is ordinary. Ordinary marriages lose hope. Ordinary marriages lack vision. Ordinary marriages give in to compromise. Ordinary is the belief that this is as good as it will ever get. And when we begin to settle for ordinary, it’s easy to move from “I do” to “I’m done.”

Justin and Trisha Davis know just how dangerous ordinary can be. In this beautifully written book, Justin and Trisha take us inside the slow fade that occurred in their own marriage—each telling the story from their own perspective. Together, they reveal the mistakes they made, the work they avoided, the thoughts and feelings that led to an affair and near divorce, and finally, the heart-change that had to occur in both of them before they could experience the hope, healing, and restoration of a truly extraordinary marriage.

My reflections:

Beyond ordinary is a “he said, she said” memoir designed to take your marriage beyond ordinary to extraordinary. I must say I was a little bit skeptical when I received this book.  I have been married for over 18 years, ordinary moments just happen in that time frame.
Although I feel I already have an extraordinary marriage, my eyes were opened to realities I didn’t consider, that could cause conflict in the future, and I was so glad to have read this book!

The book takes you into the very personal lives of the Davis marriage. You see the good the bad and the ugly, and along the way learn the tidbits of truths about the spiritual battle we all face in our relationships. This book definitely was not at all what I expected; it is fresh, real and painfully honest and transparent.

I enjoyed the format of the book you get both perspectives of Trisha and Justin and at the end of each chapter there are questions you and your spouse can use to dig a little deeper. It was easy to read and the layout was orderly and easy to follow. I enjoyed the bible verses that pertained to the chapter readings it was seamless and done beautifully.

This book is truly not an ordinary do this and it will fix everything kind of book. It is a dynamic though provoking, personal narrative, that will change your relationship with God and your spouse.
 It is even a wonderful resource for single or dating individuals, as it prepares your heart for the spouse God has designed just for you.
 I think this is a book that should grace every  book shelf.  

I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Tyndale!

~You can learn more about Dave's Ministry RefineUs here - http://refineus.org

~You can watch the trailer here-  http://www.tyndale.com/x_products/videos.php?flv=BeyondOrdinary_1.flv

~You can get to Tyndale's website here- www.tyndale.com


About the authors 

Justin Davis

Justin and Trisha met at Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, Illinois. Justin received his BA in Christian education, and Trisha later earned her BA degree from Indiana University. The Davises' return to ministry is the result of a victorious battle for their marriage and family. After successfully planting their first church, their marriage was devastated by an affair. What followed was a four-year journey of pain, grief, and ultimately, by the grace of God, the restoration of their relationship.
In 2009 they founded RefineUs Ministries, Inc., to ignite a movement in the church and among pastors and church planters to build healthy marriages and families. They consider the resurrection of their marriage to be a great gift and feel it a privilege to use RefineUs to help others find that same healing. Today Justin and Trisha are bloggers, authors, and teachers in Nashville, Tennessee, where they reside with their three boys. Justin is currently campus and teaching pastor of Cross Point Community Church, Bellevue Campus.