Love Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird

Embracing God's Vision for Lasting Love and Satisfying Relationships

I'm not really sure why I got this book. It is for single girls trying to navigate male-female relationships. I think I thought it might be an interesting read and it might give me a good book to pass along to someone who might need it.

It is a good book. I feel like the book is quite Biblically based and true. In the culture I was raised in, we really don't do casual dating. Dating relationships are generally seriously entered into with the final goal being marriage, so there were parts of this book that didn't necessarily apply to the culture I'm a part of.

But, I do think Kristen and Bethany had a lot of really good things to say. In many ways, the qualifications they listed for a husband, the steps they took and the questions they asked were way more in depth than anything I asked or even thought about when I was dating. Questions like, how does he spend his free time? What are his passions? Does he seek out personal accountability?  Thought-provoking deep questions that can offer a lot of insight into what another person is like.

They also listed red flags to watch out for and how to address those issues. They definitely stressed the importance of having other people involved in your relationship and seeking their advice.  They had a lot of good things to say about being intentional in the dating relationship and maintaining high standards and asking deep questions. I think any girl who is looking to get married, whether they do casual dating or are very intentional from the beginning, could benefit from the advice offered here.

There is also a study guide at the end of each chapter that highlights some of the main points of the chapter and that can encourage you to think more deeply about things.

I received this book from Baker Books and was not required to write a positive review.