READING TIME

Part of the sabbatical involves reading in the area of marriage and family, led by Dr. Martha Robbins of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. 

I ordered a number of books after returning from California and as I await their arrival I’ve been concentrating on articles provided by Dr. Robbins. Here are some of the titles, just to give you an idea of what I’m studying:

How Religious Couples Perceive the Influence of God in Their Marriage by Goodman and Dollahite

The Dedication to the Sacred (DS) Scale: Adapting a Marriage Measure to Study Relational Spirituality by Davis, et al

Marital Spirituality: A Quantitative Study by Giblin

Religion and Family Relational Health: An Overview and Conceptual Model by Marks

The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Marriage and Family Therapy by Nedumaruthumchalil

Reviews of Various Books:

Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life by Kathleen Norris

Where Two or Three are Gathered: Christian Families as Domestic Churches by Florence Caffrey Bourg

Seasons of a Family’s Life: Cultivating the Contemplative Spirit at Home by Wendy Wright

A Daring Promise: A Spirituality of Christian Marriage by Richard Gaillardetz

The fun in this is threefold – Spending long periods of time doing something I can only do in snatches in real life, being directed by a trusted teacher rather than being my own guide, and studying something important in depth instead of gathering bits and pieces.