The Seven Laws of Love, by Dave Willis

Pastor and relationship expert Dave Willis and his wife are committed to helping couples have stronger marriages, as founders of the aptly named StrongerMarriages.org.  In his book The Seven Laws of Love: Essential Principles for Building Stronger Relationships, Willis expands his scope beyond marriage to help the reader strengthen relationships with family, friends, and others.

Willis is a lover of lists.  In Part 1 he discusses the Laws of Love:

Love requires commitment.
Love selflessly sacrifices.
Love speaks truth.
Love conquers fear.
Love offers grace.
Love brings healing.
Love lives forever.

He develops each law with examples, scripture, and more lists.  Lest you think someone who specializes in strong marriages would only write about marriage, he expands these principles in Part 2, applying them to loving your: spouse, family, neighbor, friends, enemies, yourself, and your creator (again with lots of lists).  I don't want to sound like I'm completely dismissing his lists.  He's a preacher, after all.  Lists help people remember and apply a sermon.

The lists and stories are great and show Willis's insight into relationships.  He shows his insight into readers by wrapping the book up in the Afterword with a specific assignment.  Knowing how quickly a book's content may leave our minds as soon as we put down the book, he insists, before you put down the book, think of someone specific and apply the seven laws.  Then he gives a refresher on each.  I thought this was a great way to end.

Willis has a pastor's heart for his readers to have strong relationships, and a preacher's gift for communicating with warmth, humor, and practical application.  In a way, The Seven Laws of Love is an easy read, with quick chapters, neatly listed points, and discussion questions at the end of each chapter.  But in a way it's hard.  If the reader takes Willis's admonition to heart and thinks about specific people and ways to apply these principles in specific ways, it will have a tremendous impact on his or her relationships.


Thanks to Mr. Willis and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

2016 Reading Challenge: A book about relationships or friendship
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