The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful walks with engaged and married couples through the realities of married life, celebrating the journey on which God wants to take their love, and normalizing the various trials and difficulties that every couple experiences.
In their first co-authored book from Ascension, The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful, national marriage speakers Edward and Beth Sri use their experiences from more than twenty years of marriage to reset expectations about marriage and help couples encounter Jesus precisely in the midst of—and not in spite of—the ordinary hardships that most spouses face.
“Those little annoyances, trials, and hurts that come up in every marriage—those are not just problems to be solved. Those are ‘encounter’ moments,” Edward and Beth Sri explain. “For those called to this vocation, Jesus meets us not just in the tabernacle or in prayer. He also meets us in the many difficulties that come up in married life. Right there, Jesus is inviting us to be more patient, generous, forgiving, sacrificial. Right there, he is inviting us to love more like he loves.”
Through humorous stories, personal advice, and theological insights from Scripture and the saints, Edward and Beth seek to show all Catholics that the day-to-day of marriage, though often not as glamorous as a couple’s wedding day, offers deeper meaning and beauty.
“Like he did at Cana, Jesus wants to step into our poverty, our lack, and bring our love to a whole deeper level. He wants to transform our initial love into the ‘good wine’ that will go the distance,” proclaim Edward and Beth.
The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful seeks to show couples that they are not alone; rather, challenges are to be expected in marriage and are in fact necessary on every couple’s journey of being sanctified by this vocation.
“In our years of working with young people, we have heard many devout Catholic couples express how surprised they were when stresses, tensions, and hurts came up in their relationship,” write Edward and Beth. “They were not expecting this level of difficulty, and they think they’re the only ones struggling.”
This new book is accompanied by a series of Ascension Presents YouTube videos on the topics of marriage and family life. The videos offer a Catholic guide to sex and intimacy, insights on the vocation of marriage from St. John Paul II, and advice for staying in love with your spouse after the “honeymoon” phase.
Praise for The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful
The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful has received support from married couples, diocesan directors of marriage and family life, and authors from across the Catholic world.
Dr. Scott and Kimberly Hahn, married authors of Rome, Sweet Home, write:
This book should be in every home. In fact, you might want to buy two—one for you and one for your spouse. The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful is written from a rich experience of marriage, with all its joys and with all the challenges that are especially characteristic of our times. In Edward’s and Beth’s struggles, and through their counsel, so many couples will find healing, encouragement, and light; We sure did.
Jake Samour, the director of marriage and family life in the Diocese of Wichita, offers his own endorsement:
Beth and Edward Sri have given a great gift to married couples in all stages of married life. This book is filled with stories about their own lived experiences and the difficulties and hardships of marriage. They give witness that by allowing God to meet us in the daily joys, challenges, and messiness of real married life—He can use those to transform our hearts and sanctify us through them.
The founders of the marriage ministry Joyful Ever After, Damon and Melany Owens, share how it has become one of their most recommended marriage resources:
Dr. Ed and Beth Sri have written a deep, personal invitation for you to see and grow your married life head to heart, body, and soul. We have long trusted and admired their ability to publicly share their inner married life with a humble examen in light of the beautiful ideals of our faith, particularly the theology of the body…This book will be one of our most recommended resources for years to come!
The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful is now available at www.AscensionPress.com/GMB.
About the Authors
Married couple Dr. Edward and Beth Sri have been involved in ministry and evangelization for decades. Edward hosts a weekly Ascension podcast called All Things Catholic, and has published both books and small group studies with Ascension. Beth was one of the first FOCUS missionaries in the country and has contributed to both books and videos on the topics of healing, marriage, and motherhood.
Edward and Beth live with their eight children in Colorado.
About Ascension
Ascension is a multimedia network and the leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. Over the past twenty-four years, Ascension has helped nurture the faith of over 10 million Catholics through award-winning books, the chart-topping Bible in a Year podcast, more than fifty unique faith formation programs, and Ascension Presents, which hosts the largest Catholic YouTube channel in English.
Media Contact
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