Beyond Ordinary

Beyond Ordinary

by Justin & Trisha Davis

About the book (from the publisher): 

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 take:

I am single, but I decided to read this book anyway because I am all for learning as much about marriage and relationships before I get there. Before I discuss the book any further, I want to say how amazing it was to read about a marriage that almost ended, but survived victoriously due to God's powerful grace in this couples' lives. I am always so happy to read about marriages that came back from the brink of disaster, because so many times the opposite ends up happening.

Concerning the overall message of the book, I really liked what the Davises had to say about making your marriage extraordinary. I also appreciated their gut-wrenching honesty in relating the causes of the breakdown of their marriage. It was really interesting to hear the story from both of their perspectives. What I struggled with a little bit was the lack of details leading up to the affair, and Justin's revelations that seemed to come out of "nowhere." On the other hand, the lack of details could be to protect the other party involved, since no names were mentioned, and it seemed as if restoration had not happened between the other party yet. This was not an easy book to read, considering the subject matter, but I did find myself compelled with the Davises' story.

I rate this book a "4" and would recommend it to anyone who wants to strengthen their marriage - whether they are already married or waiting to get married.


Watch the book trailer here:

watch on tyndale.com

Read the first chapter here.


About the authors:

Justin and Trisha Davis 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.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers  through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising