Mystery of Marriage

This is a gem, a true diamond in the rough among marriage books. With every chapter I finished, I would slowly lift my eyes, take a deep breath, and just stare off into space absorbing it all. It turns out that the mystery of marriage is in looking at it from God's perspective. (As David T. Moore would say, "perspective is priceless.") Once seen from God's perspective, marriage makes so much more sense and has so much more meaning. This is a book to be read, contemplated, prayed over, read aloud to one's spouse, and given as a gift to couples young and old.

There are thousands of books available on how to prepare for marriage, how to improve upon a marriage, or how to affair-proof a marriage. Mason here departs from the crowd and exults in the institution of marriage itself. His perspective is one of reverent awe rather than analytical examination.Mason ponders the mystery of marriage from several different angles: otherness, love, intimacy, vows, sex, submission and death. His words are readable, yet profound. His book considers the greatest delights of marriage as well as the greatest demands.I recommend this volume to anyone wanting to get a better understanding of how God has created marriage, and how He manifests His glory and His grand design through it. I have read many other books on marriage, but none with this unique, awe-inspiring approach. This work is a true classic!

Well, I guess it's about time to write a review for Mystery of Marriage after reading it over and over many times since my husband and I were first dating (8 years ago) and after giving it as a wedding gift to every single bride and groom we know. This book is a masterpiece. It stands alone as the most richly woven piece of literature about the state of being married that I have ever read. Mike Mason puts eloquent, authentic words to the feelings every husband and wife experience in a manner that makes you SO glad that you're married (or about to be) EVEN IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING REAL STRUGGLE. You cannot help but be moved by his riveting description of the marriage union...both the utter agony and the sheer bliss. The book builds as the true MYSTERY of marriage unfolds before you...the very thing we all long to understand and to grasp. Once you're into this book for very long, what will really send deep shivers through your soul is the realization that this unbelievabley 'impossible' union we are trying to have with our mate is only hinting at the extraordinary marriage between our God and us. Yes, this beautiful analogy has been written of numerous times before, but trust me...not like this. I would recommend ordering at least TWO copies of this book... one to give away and one to read simultaneously with your partner.(I suggest alone, because these words are powerful and seering, and to be most effective, perhaps need to be contemplated deeply in solitude.) You will not be sorry to have invested in this book...and don't let the 'gift book' appearance turn you off...I believe it was packaged this way to encourage giving it to couples. Give it to YOURSELF first. And to God be the Glory!

As a marriage and family therapist, I have personally recommended this book to scores of people whether already married or considering it -- even if into an intimate partnership.... the principles apply. Why is this going on? What is happening? Is this normal? This superior book answers a multitude of questions that most people do not even know enough to ask. They just know they are feeling pain, or confusion, or questions. A beautifully written, easy to read, right to the heart of it book for everyone who may even consider falling in love one day.Buy it. Read it. You will be so glad you did.Then pass it on to a friend. Ask that friend to pass it on. Everyone who has ever considered love or marriage will be transformed -- their minds renewed -- through the reading of The Mystery of Marriage by Mason.You will never view intimacy nor marriage with the same eyes again.

Mike Mason's "The Mystery of Marriage" is an inspired and inspiring work, a breathtaking work of prose which reveals the transcendency of marriage, from the physical to the spiritual. Without preaching, Mason tells the story of his stepping away at the last moment from life in a monastery to embrace a life-consuming love in marriage. In a work which is profoundly honest and intimate, we glimpse the spiritual nature of marriage so easily lost in our chaotic world. Mason's openness, honesty and vulnerability, give us a work of incredible love which is beyond human ability to share. I am moved to tears by the love of Christ poured out on these pages. This is a life-changing book, and I gladly give copies to friends considering marriage.