Single, Dating, Engaged, Married: Navigating Life and Love in the Modern Age

There are some good things with this book and some things that are less than stellar (in my opinion), but it still gets 5 stars. Allow me to explain. A Bible study group I was a part of in college played a sermon of Ben Stuart's one night for our gathering. It was on the seven principles about who to date. Being young and about that age where everything seems to be about dating (and thinking a lot about it myself), I remember thinking that he gave some stellar advice. I have to say that his that that one sermon changed the way I thought about dating substantially and saved me from headache and heartache in the following years and up to today. I've watched friends date many people and not have any of them go anywhere, and I've watched other friends be in a dating relationship for years without it resulting in marriage (yet). But thanks to Ben Stuart's sermon and the wisdom it gave, I truly feel like I was spared a lot of pain and had confidence carrying myself because of the wisdom and principles I had been equipped with. What does any of that have to do with this book? The seven principles he laid out in that sermon are the same ones he lays out in the "who to date" section of this book. In fact, you might be able to find all of the material in this book online for free in the form of sermons from him. But that's besides the point. What I'm trying to say here is that the wisdom that helped me back then is still helping me today, and this book has it all. The chapters address singleness, who to date, how to date, how to break up, sex, engagement, and marriage. Some of the subjects (like sex) he can't do a deep theological dive on because of space and the purpose of the book, but there are other great books that address that. I would have no problems recommending this book to a brother or sister who had questions about the subject matter it addresses. I believe that if you want to date and find a marriage partner in a way that honors God, then this book will help you do that. Now for some of the negatives. I didn't deduct any stars from my review because the following points are really personal preference issues, not things that are objectively wrong with the book. First, it's clear that Ben was a minister to college age people. His writing style is funny and entertaining, but heartfelt and compassionate. His tone is "authentic" (which college people seem to love). Personally I'm more academically minded and usually enjoy more seriously written works (or dryer senses of humor). But again, this is not a problem with the book, just a preference issue. Second, and associated with the first, is that the writing can seem repetitive. He repeats some words and expressions many times, which can sometimes get annoying. To be fair, however, the expressions he repeats are rock solid advice and no harm is done in repeating them, especially since we are forgetful people (at least most of us). Now for a criticism some people have that I think are misplaced. Some have been disappointed with the chapters on singleness because it feels like Ben assumes that the reader wants to be married and will one day most likely be married. To which I say, "Well, yeah." The title of the book, coupled with the fact that Ben used to be a minister to college students and other youth, should be all a reader needs to understand what the book is about and how it's likely to be presented. Points shouldn't be deducted because he doesn't address singleness in a way that a long-term or even lifelong single person would resonate with. There are other books and sermons that can help with that. That's not the purpose of this book. By the way, I say all of this a single person myself. All in all, I would recommend this book for yourself or anyone you know who has questions.

An amazing book that shows how to put God first in each stage of life. It's a must read!

Best book for all ages. Good sound biblical advice. Gave it to both my kids and friends kids. Good for 16 and up.

At 36 female single, feeling like online dating is disappointing... a friend who is A&M alumni recommended this book. I expected the typical Christian dating spiel & was pleasantly surprised for the most part that this author kept it real. No more idealistic advice that is unrealistic in today's culture - he keeps it Biblical and there was only 1-2x when I rolled my eyes. It is a tiny bit noticeable that a guy wrote this book but it wasn't bad. I underlined, highlighted and will definitely revisit my notes. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to do romance God's way. Good solid content.

Excellent resource

Great References Love the Scriptures Great statistics Great love story Good laughs throughout the book Thank you, thank you, thank you

First page was folded but other than that it is a good book.

Great book and a reminder of how to focus our efforts