When I see a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, I always check the Table of Contents to see if there are any writers whose names I recognize. Many of my fellow Inscribers have been published in these anthologies. I was very excited to get a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Wives: 101 Daily Devotions to Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire You, because it features stories by two women I know.
I received a copy of this book for review; all opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Lynn Dove
Lynn Dove is the award-winning author of the Wounded trilogy, which tackles the topic of bullying. I can’t remember if I’ve actually met her or just read her books and chatted with her via social media and Inscribe’s email listserv. Lynn calls herself “a Christ-follower, a wife, a mom, a grandmother, a teacher and a writer (in that order).” In Devotional Stories for Wives, she shares an anecdote about her husband’s socks that made me smile and nod.
“My husband has this strange habit. I used to call it annoying, but I have put up with it for nearly thirty-five years, so now it is almost endearing. Yeah, I said it… what was once annoying is now endearing. How did that happen? Explanation: being married for close to thirty-five years!” ~ Lynn
Dayna Mazzuca
Dayna Mazzuca is a homeschooling mom who moved from Alberta to the Island just before we did. She has written for Island Parent, Calgary’s Child and FellowScript, as well as many other periodicals. We’ve both shown up at Fall Conferences with babies in tow and last fall I had the chance to drive up-island with Dayna for a little writing retreat/planning session for this year’s Write! Vancouver. She looks back on her ten years of marriage in Devotional Stories for Wives, sharing a little bit about the “seasons of marriage” she and her husband have experienced.
“I believe God honours a commitment to the long haul. There have been seasons of pulling together, and seasons of pulling apart. Without the long view, we’d be in sad shape. Yes, He has made us stronger and better for having each other.” ~ Dayna
Devotional Stories for Wives
Each of the stories in Devotional Stories for Wives is short (two pages at most), making it easy to pick up this book and get a quick dose of encouragement or inspiration. Each story is accompanied by a Scripture verse and a prayer. The stories are divided into ten sections, so if there’s a particular area of your marriage that you need some encouragement in, you can flip right to that section. And there are a few cute comics by Stephanie Piro if you need some humour to lighten your day!
You can find Devotional Stories for Wives at your favourite bookstore, Amazon or on the Chicken Soup website—where you can also connect with Chicken Soup on social media or sign up for a daily story email.
If you enjoy Devotional Stories for Wives, you may also like these devotionals:
- Whispers of Hope by Beth Moore
- As Silver Refined by Kay Arthur
- Life Promises for Couples by Gary Chapman
Or read about what I learned about my faith from a visit to the dentist and not recognizing a famous actor.
2 Comments
Thanks for visiting Amanda’s Books and More and leaving a sweet comment! It looks like your book review goes well with my marriage post. I’m sure the stories you’ve been reading have encouraged you a lot. My husband and I try to be like Christ and parent well, but we still fall short. Our kids hear “I’m sorry” often from us and they learn to say it and mean it too. I figure that’s a big key to making it through the ups and downs in life, even in our own marriage. God bless!
Hi Bonnie. This sounds like a great little devotional book. I had to chuckle at the quote from Lyn Dove as it rang true for me after 38 years of marriage! Maybe time (and God’s grace) help make us mellow. Somehow it gets easier when you’ve been through a lot together to not sweat about the little things that used to annoy and irritate. Or maybe we just get used to one another and find it endearing?
It’s nice to visit your blog for the first time from ‘Essential Fridays’. Blessings on your walk with the Lord, life, marriage and motherhood. Xx 🙂