Be Devoted
Restoring Friendship, Passion, and Communion in Your Marriage
by Bob Schuchts
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Pub Date 21 Feb 2020 | Archive Date 4 May 2020
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Description
Drawing from his popular healing conferences, forty years of marriage, and decades of clinical work as a couple’s therapist, bestselling author Bob Schuchts presents his first resource for married and engaged couples and those who desire true love in their relationships: Be Devoted. This highly anticipated guide delivers sound Catholic teaching, rich storytelling, and practical tools for healing, along with psychological insights and expertise to help couples create a relationship that is rich in trust, passion, and unity.
The key to a healthy and passionate marriage is as simple as fostering genuine love and affection, or devotion, according to retired couple’s therapist and healing expert Bob Schuchts of the John Paul II Healing Center. True devotion only develops, however, when both spouses take responsibility for their actions and emotional wounds—something each of us brings to all of our relationships. These wounds, which are often rooted in childhood and past relationships, exist in all of us to some degree, making it difficult for couples to cultivate friendship, resolve conflicts, and build trust.
Drawing on the riches of St. John Paul II’s theology of the body, Be Devoted is an essential guide to healing from these wounds within your marriage, while providing practical tools for cultivating unity. The first part of the book focuses on building intimacy, unity, and communion, and the second part offers wisdom and guidance for restoring trust when it is damaged. You’ll find practical tools for cultivating intimacy, resolving conflicts, and restoring sexual passion.
To help you engage deeply and prayerfully, Be Devoted includes:
• Take A Moment reflection questions
• prayer guides for couples
• scripts for apologizing and tackling difficult discussions
• practical ways for understanding and working through conflicts
• spiritual exercises for healing past wounds
• prompts for journaling
• appendices with extended prayer exercises and resources
A Note From the Publisher
After receiving his doctorate in family relations from Florida State University in 1981, Schuchts became a teacher and counselor. While in private practice, Schuchts also taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Florida State and Tallahassee Community College. Schuchts later served on faculty at the Theology of the Body Institute and at the Center for Biblical Studies, where he taught courses on healing, sexuality, and marriage. Schuchts also was a guest instructor for the Augustine Institute. He volunteered in parish ministry for more than thirty years.
He retired as a marriage and family therapist in December 2014.
Schuchts has two daughters and eight grandchildren. His wife, Margie, died in 2017.
Advance Praise
“This book will be a tremendous gift to all married and engaged couples and those who minister to them.”
From the foreword by Christopher and Wendy West Theology of the Body Institute
“Be Devoted is essential reading for any engaged or married couple wanting to live a Christ-centered life together.”
Curtis and Michaelann Martin
Founders of FOCUS
“Everyone should read this book. It is not only a practical guide but also a road map for successfully navigating the Sacrament of Marriage. We have offered hope and healing for married couples for the past nineteen years in our apostolate, and this will be our go-to resource from now on.”
Greg and Julie Alexander
Founders of The Alexander House
“If you are looking to build trust, intimacy, joy, and passion in your marriage, you need this book!”
Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T.
Author of Loved as I Am
“Bob Schuchts provides a beautiful and compelling vision for marriage and sexuality. His honest sharing about his own childhood and marriage, as well as practical tools for reflection and discussion, will equip couples to make real strides toward deeper marital unity.”
Peter and Debbie Herbeck
Renewal Ministries
“Be Devoted is not just another book about marriage. Bob Schuchts draws upon his own deep experience and the treasure of Catholic theology to offer a tremendous resource to married couples and to the Church. This book, both practical and profound, stands to unlock the full potential of married love to the power of God’s healing grace.”
Fr. John Burns
Author of Lift Up Your Heart
“For years, in our own marriage and in our marriage ministry, we have searched for a marriage book that is both authentically Catholic and powerfully transformational. We have finally found that treasure in Be Devoted. Bob Schuchts’s knowledge, wisdom, and vulnerability make this an impactful and relatable read. If you are married, preparing for marriage, or simply want to better understand the Sacrament of Marriage, this is the book for you!”
Paul and Gretchen George
Art of Living Ministry
“In Be Devoted, Bob Schuchts challenged the two of us with his beautiful and tender reflection about marriage. We loved it and highly recommend it for anyone who is serious about the essential role of the Sacrament of Matrimony in the New Evangelization.”
Ryan and Mary-Rose Verret
Founders of Witness to Love
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781594718977 |
| PRICE | US$16.95 (USD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Simone S, Reviewer
A Catholic based devotional book to help engaged couples, the newly married or even long time married couples. I was intrigued by the introduction and how married life had began for Bob and his wife. The devotionals has been created by firstly reading the set passage and then reading Bobs reflection that demonstrates how God has helped them through their marriage bringing themselves closer together and to God. Lastly it’s answering questions which helps you to reflect back on the reading and how it can help improve your relationship and friendship to each other. “I voluntarily read and reviewed a free copy of this book from Ava Maria Press via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Sarah P, Reviewer
When I read the synopsis of the book, I knew that I would need to read it. Be Devoted is a well written book, I caught myself highlighting a lot of information in the book. The chapters continued to draw me in. I was able to keep notes and reflect on my marriage. Bob explains the content, relates it to his wife Margie and himself, and asks the reader a series of short questions. Scripture references were also presented. Reflecting on their relationship, the reader begins to realize their relationship with God and their spouse are intertwined. I would recommend this book to the engaged, newlyweds and the married. This book allowed for conversations at home with my husband and felt we are on a more stable foundation after reading.
