Howard Books' The Wholehearted Marriage: Fully Engaging Your Most Important Relationship, by Greg Smalley and Shawn Stoever, identifies the traits of marriages that go beyond "good" and become "great." The authors coined the term "wholehearted" to describe a marriage in which "both spouses have two fully open and engaged hearts."

"We are moving at an ever-increasing speed toward who knows what and at a cost of who knows what," Smalley said. "At warp speed, we miss out on chances to wholeheartedly engage our spouse, open our hearts for intimate sharing and have fun without interruptions. We just don't have enough time for each other."

Smalley said that "wholehearted" couples "rejoice and celebrate each other," sharing moments of joy, laughter and adventure as well as grief and sorrow. "Simply put, hearts are fully engaged and connected," he said. "With two hearts fully open and engaged, spouses are free to love without reservations. They are interested in fully pursuing each other, which communicates desire and makes the other feel wanted."

Releasing this month, the book is divided into three sections--Understanding the Heart, Unclogging the Heart and Unleashing the Heart. Chapters include "The Wounded Heart," "The Fearful Heart," "Fighting for Your Mate's Heart" and "Celebrating With Your Mate's Heart."

Read more in the June 8 issue of Christian Retailing.

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