• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Bookshelf
    • Audio
    • Complete List of Chautona’s Books
    • The Rockland Chronicles
      • The Vintage Wren
      • The Aggie Series
      • The Hartfield Mysteries
      • Sight Unseen Series
        • Sight Unseen Series Archives
      • The Agency Files
      • Christmas Fiction
    • Legacy of the Vines
    • Meddlin’ Madeline
      • Madeline Blog Archive
    • Ballads from the Hearth
      • Ballads from the Hearth Blog Archive
    • Legends of the Vengeance
    • Journey of Dreams
    • Wynnewood
    • Webster’s Bakery
    • The Not-So-Fairy Tales
    • Heart of Warwickshire
  • Start HERE
    • Characters
    • Suggested Reading Order
    • Free Books
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Podcast
    • Advertising
    • Podcast Guest Information
    • Podcast Interview FAQ
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • Bonus
  • Speaking
  • New & Coming
Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

3 Important Ways Crown Made an Impact on My Marriage

by Chautona Havig · 7 Comments

So, do I still love Crown as much as I did when I first read it? Has it made a difference in me or in my marriage? Well, read on and find out! via @chautonahavig

The tour announcement came up—a marriage book. Crown: 30 Wife-Changing Lessons.  My instant response was to sign up, but one problem prevented me.

I’d already reviewed it.

Yup! After attending the launch party for Nancy Kaser’s fabulous book, Crown, I wrote a review and pretty much bullied half my friends and family into buying a copy.  I even bought a bunch to have on hand to make it easy for them.

It’s that good.

Still, the tour announcement taunted me.  I wanted to participate. When you’re passionate about someone’s books, you get a bit obsessive. There have been lots of books that I’ve bought by the case over the years, so this wasn’t anything new.

Still, why annoy readers with a double review?  That just didn’t seem kind.

That’s when I got an idea.  I’d apply what I learned in the book over the next three months and make my “review” more of an update on what the Lord taught me through study of the book and the Scriptures associated with it.

That was before September 12th—before the day I got the call that changed our lives and took me away from home for over two months.

Before everything turned upside down, inside out, and left me a sick, worn-out rag on the floor of God’s laundry room.

Okay, that’s a disgusting metaphor, but you get the gist.

On the surface, those weeks and months of me being in Noel and then at Loma Linda are epic failures as a suitable helper for my husband.  I wasn’t much help to him at all, actually.  Instead, I was absent, uncommunicative, tired, distracted, and that’s just the beginning.

My poor husband worked hard all day, came home, had to try to get a shed set up for my son to move into, had to keep the household going, had to make decisions. Let’s just say it was probably his worst nightmare.

And I wasn’t there to be the buffer.

So I sat here to write down how the Lord used Nancy’s book to minister to me over the past few months, and I didn’t know what to write.

I couldn’t say, “Nothing,” and yet… wasn’t that exactly what happened?  Nothing?  How could I write down… nothing?

A prayer of desperation changed everything.  I began to think of things—things that I might not have ever noticed before that time away from family.  I thought I’d share them with you because I believe those things were prompted by the insights I collected from the book.

marriage book crown

Note: links are likely affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

3 Important Ways Crown Made an Impact on My Marriage

Servanthood:

After weeks of serving my mother, I realized something.  I don’t serve my husband the way he serves me—the way he should be served. My service is mostly behind the scenes things that no one but me knows about.  I’m comfortable with that.  But here’s the problem. If I keep my service to him hidden even from him, does he feel honored and respected?

Look, we’ve hardly been home.  I got home the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (at 6:00 at night) and a week later found out I was headed for Minneapolis for my mother-in-law’s funeral. Another week. Gone.  This time, with just my husband.  Both of us sick.  Both of us grieving.

Still, my goal even then was to remember to make him feel served.  Did I succeed?  I have no clue. But I’m aware of needing this to be a thing in a way I wasn’t before reading Crown.

Respect:

They say familiarity breeds contempt.  I say this is even true of marriage.  No, no.  I’ve never felt actual contempt for my husband.  Never.

However, the more familiar you become with someone’s flaws, the easier it is to fixate on those instead of the fine qualities you’ve always admired (or once admired). Seeing my husband step up and take over things I know he hates doing, handle stresses that aren’t his strong points, and all of it without a single word of reproach or hint of guilt for me not being there when I should be…

R-e-s-p-e-c-t.  Period.

I credit  Crown and the Scriptures it pointed me to with my current fixation in ensuring I show respect and look for things to respect.

Joy:

I don’t even remember if she addresses this in the book, but this has been a season of learning to choose joy.  Joy, like love, is often a choice rather than a feeling. I recall sitting in my mother’s house, in the wee hours of the morning, missing my family like nothing and remembering the verse I’d memorized in the little school one street over from where I sat.  Right then.  “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations…”  A modern translation says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds.” (Berean Study Bible).

Pure joy.

Today, when some odd little thing threatens to annoy, I recall that I’m home.  With my husband.  He has the entire month of December off as he always does.  I get to spend it with him.  Yes, we’re sick.  We most definitely have a total disaster of a house.  Our family is in upheaval, and we’re dealing with multiple kinds of grief.

But I’m home.  I have my family.  Not only that, but I can bless my husband by choosing joy—being joyful.

Did I learn other things from Crown?

Oh, yeah.  But right now, these three are what stuck with me, even when I didn’t have the mental fortitude to think about the book, my marriage, or anything of significance.  These are where the Lord worked in my heart.

That seed was planted by Nancy Kaser and watered by time and Scripture.  The Lord alone will bring any fruit He desires.  I’m just grateful for the lessons I’ve learned in the process.

Crown 

Crown: 30 Wife-changing lessons marriage bookAbout the Book

Book:  Crown

Author: Nancy Kaser

Genre: Christian Non-Fiction, Biblical Marriage

Release Date: August 20, 2019

Whether you’re in the honeymoon stage or celebrating your fiftieth anniversary, you have never before been in this season of your marriage. Your family dynamics, finances, health, emotional state, location, ministry, employment status—all the factors of your life—are in a perpetual state of transition. As a married woman, you are continually wife-changing.

The Scriptures never change, but they can always be freshly applied to every season of marriage.

Crown is a resource that combines solid Bible teaching, humorous and humbling tales from the author’s own marriage journey, and dozens of compelling stories from real women just like you. Based on Proverbs 12:4, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,” Crown includes concrete Scriptural truths and real-life examples that will equip you to be the excellent wife God created you to be.

Complex issues such as biblical roles within marriage, physical intimacy, communication, forgiveness, and home management are all addressed with candid honesty, encouragement, and biblical substance. In thirty wife-changing lessons, you will be instructed, challenged, and motivated to walk in obedience to God’s beautiful design for marriage.

 

Share341
Pin
Tweet
Email
341Shares
Share
Pin
Tweet
Email
341Shares

Related

Filed Under: Book Reviews

Previous Post: « What Deep Secrets Are You Hiding Behind?
Next Post: So, Is There More to Mistletoe Than Smooches? »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Or, you can subscribe without commenting.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Comments

  1. Melissa Wenger says

    December 18, 2019 at 5:34 am

    It’s so interesting to hear your perspective on this with your unique and difficult circumstances the last few months!

    Reply
  2. James Robert says

    December 18, 2019 at 12:52 am

    Thank you for sharing your book with us and for the giveaway as well. I appreciate them both.

    Reply
  3. Debbie P says

    December 17, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    This sounds like a great read.

    Reply
  4. Amelia says

    December 17, 2019 at 2:20 pm

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Brenda Hayes says

    December 17, 2019 at 1:57 pm

    I would love to read this book. I have been married for 42 years, we both love and try to serve the Lord. But, I fall so short. Thank you for your review. So glad you have December with your family.

    Reply
  6. Emma says

    December 17, 2019 at 10:59 am

    I signed up for this tour because of your glowing review, and I’m so glad I did. I told my husband last week that this is one of the best books for wives that I’ve ever read.

    Reply
  7. Linda Palmer says

    December 17, 2019 at 6:25 am

    Crown sounds life changing. I agree that marriage is something that has to be continually evaluated and worked on.
    I’d love to read the book.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
byChautona Havig

Hey, we’re back after a couple of weeks of vacation, and boy did I need it. And, have I got a fabulous interview for you. Nancy Naigle and I talked about her books, her most recent release, What Remains True as well as her Christmas books and the one I’m most anxious to read, The Shell Collector. Listen in and learn about what Nancy says about this bet she has going on in What Remains True. Great stuff!

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Need a Great Romantic Read to Wind Up Your Summer Reads?

As I said in the podcast, a while back, someone told me I’d LOVE The Shell Collector–one of those people who recommends books you HAVE to read if they say you do.  So I bought it and it’s been sitting on my shelf ever since. Well, now it’s on my GoodReads shelf, and I’m about to start it (and I optimistically thought I’d be done with it by the time this episode released. Oh, me of too much faith in myself and my time management!)

Author of over thirty books, not to mention a bestselling author who also has movies made of her novels (And The Shell Collector has been optioned! EEEP!), Nancy loves to write Christmas books and small-town stories. Seriously, as we talked, I felt like she was talking about me half the time. We’re so very alike in so many ways. It was fun.

Nancy also pointed out that her first books (if you go WAY back) are not Christian fiction and are a bit spicier than she prefers to write and definitely more than she writes today. So be warned there, but she did assure us that they are all closed-door books.

What Remains True by Nancy Naigle

One woman wants to win a bet. One man wants to become a rodeo champion. One little girl may give them both something even better—from USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle.

“A commitment-phobic rodeo star and a divorcée with secrets find love in this wholesome romance. . . . As uplifting as it is sweet.”—Publishers Weekly

Working at a little shop on Main Street in a small town is exactly the break that executive Merry Anna Foster needs following her divorce. She’s made a bet with her ex-husband that she can live on the amount of money she’s giving him in alimony. If she can do it, then Kevin will have to stop complaining and leave her alone. But after three months of this new life, will she even want to leave Antler Creek?

Adam Locklear, bull rider and owner of the local feedstore, is having the best year of his rodeo career. He’s also a bit distracted by the pretty new neighbor living in his old bunkhouse. But Adam has no time for matters of the heart. He’s got his future all mapped out, and that future doesn’t involve a woman just yet. It doesn’t involve parenting a little girl either. However, Carly Fowler still suddenly leaves five-year-old Zan—the daughter Adam didn’t know he had—in his care.

Is it possible that the future holds a life even better than what Merry Anna and Adam had each dreamed of? One that includes both tenderness and even love—not just for each other but for Zan too?

You can learn more about Nancy’s books and movies on her WEBSITE.

Oh, and PSST… I’m loving the audiobook of this one!

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

  • Apple 
  • Castbox 
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn 
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • Amazon
  • and more!
Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
August 9, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
July 26, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 160: A Chat with Liz Johnson about The Last Way Home
July 22, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 159: A Chat with Biblical Fiction Author, Mesu Andrews
July 19, 2022
Chautona Havig
A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Stephanie Landsem
July 12, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 157: A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Lynn Austin
July 8, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 156: The Fragrance of Violets by Susan K. Beatty
July 5, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 155: Chatting with Heather Day Gilbert & Jen Cudmore
July 1, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 154: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Sami A. Abrams
June 28, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 153: A Chat with Historical Author, Tracie Peterson
June 21, 2022
Chautona Havig
Search Results placeholder

Join a Reading Challenge

2022 Write Reading Challenge

Love Audio Books?

audio book ad

Check out the Sparrow Island novels. A tiny island with a lot of heart

independence islands series

Featured Books

Finding a Memory

Finding a Memory
Buy This Book Online
Purchase with Paypal
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Finding a Memory
Buy now!

Penelope’s Pursuit

Penelope’s Pursuit
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Purchase with Paypal
Penelope’s Pursuit
Buy now!

The Last Gasp

The Last Gasp
Buy This Book Online
Purchase with Paypal
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
The Last Gasp
Buy now!

Upcoming Posts

Sorry - nothing planned yet!

Or just subscribe to the newsletter

Recent Blog Posts

  • Need a Great Romantic Read to Wind Up Your Summer Reads?
  • Take a Guess: Did We Skip Our Wedding to Avoid Complete Disaster?
  • What’s Better Than a Great Women’s Fiction Novel on a Summer’s Day?

I buy my stickers here! (affiliate)

Custom Stickers, Die Cut Stickers, Bumper Stickers - Sticker Mule

Footer

What Am I Working On?

Book, Chapter & Vows
Book, Chapter, & Vows
Phase:Week 3
100%
Get Book Updates

Featured

Finding a Memory

Finding a Memory
Buy This Book Online
Purchase with Paypal
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Finding a Memory
Buy now!

Dial W for Wrangler

Dial W for Wrangler

Disclosure:

Disclosure: Links on this website may or may not be affiliate links and as such, I may receive compensation from the retailer indicated for linking to their product. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Note: I DO NOT link to products that I do not recommend.

Privacy & Cookies. This website uses cookies (not the delicious kinds that make life grand) to do stuff it needs to do. By staying on the site, you agree to this evil substitution of yummy cookies for internet calorie-free substitutes. For more info, click here and read the boring stuff. Cookie Policy
Reposted from @lisaphillipsbks Win 40+ books or a Reposted from @lisaphillipsbks Win 40+ books or a $500 Amazon card to buy a ton of books yourself in Celebrate Lit's Summer Book Lovers Giveaway.

Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/1f449/summer-book-lover-s-multi-author

The event and giveaway is going on now through August 13.

#celebratelit #summerreads #christianromanticsuspense #christianfiction #sweetromance #sweetromancereads  #lisaphillipsbook
Mom got me a storm door for my birthday. It's goi Mom got me a storm door for my birthday.  It's going up today.  Eeep!!!
#TheShediffice
Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @maciestjame Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @maciestjames
•
It's a new month, which means there's a new Bingo card in the @sweetandswoonyromance promo? Just read eight books and comment on the below post to be eligible to win a $25 gift card. All eight books are FREE!!! Go check them out.

https://www.facebook.com/sweetandswoonyromance/posts/pfbid0uoZyfQCL5qzyMDsaJWnA8zLzfE8eJ2A8uEuLee6yqMmG1g48x1RZzUBEiBVU2yK3l

#newbooks #newbook #bookstagram #22Cowboys #22Cowboysfor1 #booklove #Christmasbooks #CowboyChristmas #CowboyforChristmas #ChristmasCollection #ChristmasCowboys #CowboyKisses #CowboyLove #ChristmasLoveStory #ChristmasRelease #Christmasromance #ChristmasWishes #ChristmasWishesCowboyKisses #holidayromance #MistletoeCowboy #MustLoveCowboys #Mustread #romancereader
Reposted from @tabithabouldin Reposted from @stacy Reposted from @tabithabouldin Reposted from @stacy.t.simmons Looking to "chill out" during our hot summer?

Here's a solution reading friends!

Keeping Christmas Volumes 1 & 2, captivating Christmas Christian fiction romance novellas set in dream worthy castles.

To pre order an e-book is 99 cents. 
Prefer a paperback? It's only 19.99 with 30% off and free shipping for pre-order.

Vol 1 page: http://www.celebratelitpublishing.com/.../keeping.../

Vol 2 Page: (My novella- Christmas in the Cotswolds is in this volume). http://www.celebratelitpublishing.com/.../keeping.../

I am excited and honored to be amongst these wonderful authors, thank you, Celebrate Lit!

#StacyTSimmons #TabithaBouldin #MelissaWardwell #ChautonaHavig #JenniferSienes #CatheSwanson #SusanKBeatty #DeniseLBarela #NaomiCraig #KathleenJRobison #MargueriteMartinGray #OliviaTalbott #KeepingChristmasVolume1 #KeepingChristmasVolume2 #CelebrateLit #Booksbooksbooks #itsbeginningtolookalotlikechristmas #Christianfiction #Bookclubs #christmasiscoming #Castles #travel #Readingcommunity
Reposted from @celebratelit Celebrate Lit is now o Reposted from @celebratelit Celebrate Lit is now offering paperback preorders! Preorder any books on our preorder page to get 30% off plus free shipping! ⁠
⁠
http://www.celebratelitpublishing.com/save-up-to-30/
Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @carolynmill Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @carolynmillerauthor
•
It’s the last days to enter this #giveaway ! If you enjoy #bookish heroines and #strong #heroes then check out Rebuilding Hearts ♥️ #giveawaytime #giveawayalert https://promosimple.com/ps/1f7fa/rebuilding-hearts-celebration-tour-giveaway
When your husband gets a tooth pulled so you eat When your husband gets a tooth pulled  so you eat ice cream with him in an act of commiseration. 
@baskinrobbins 
#icecream
  • Home
  • Bookshelf
  • New & Coming
  • Blog
  • News!
  • Disclosure & Policies
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Chautona Havig · All Rights Reserved · Coding by Gretchen Louise

Don't go before you grab your FREE short story collection!