Accidental Marriage Book Club: Chapters 1-2

Welcome to the Accidental Marriage Book Club! We're reading Accidental Marriage, by Roger Thomas.

This is certainly an interesting introduction to two characters I couldn't help but like right away. They felt immediately likeable to me, though also very strange.

In these first two chapters, we get a sense of friendship that transcends lifestyle. To me, it spoke of the need that we all have for friends who are unconditional. But it also seemed to demonstrate how men and women think and value things differently.

There were three main points in these two chapters that really struck me. The first was Megan's comment about every woman wanting a baby, and Scott's subsequent mental reaction to it.

It made me think about the fact that, before I actually held my first baby, I wouldn't have ever said I actually wanted a baby. However, having just had my fourth, I relate to Megan's comment: I did want this baby, in part because I had experienced that uniqueness and wonder of my own baby.

Does every woman want a baby? No, I don't think so. But I think there is something in all women that nurtures. God has made us to mother, whether it's to babies or to those around us. Maybe the "baby" isn't a small bundle of diapers and feedings and waking, but rather a troubled teen or a friend in need or a stranger.

I was also intrigued by Megan's and Scott's friendship. There was a truth to it, a resonance of male-and-female that seemed to being laying groundwork. Maybe it's that I married my best friend and that I still think that's some of the best advice ever: be friends before you're married. Marry your best friend, indeed.

Maybe it's that I have always had brothers and male friends, even now. I appreciate men for the otherness they bring to the table, for the different point of view, for the way God made them complementary to women.

Or maybe I just like how Scott and Megan are friends. It feels true to me.

And finally, Megan makes a comment that I couldn't help but highlight: "It [sex] always means something."

That statement is so profoundly true and so deceptively simple. Sex is more than an act, and Megan acknowledges it. Scott doesn't seem to really get that, but we see a seed planted here, an idea that will play out throughout the rest of the book.

To Ponder, Reflect, and Discuss:

1. Maybe not every woman wants a baby, but there is something about babies that seems to resonate with women, even if they're not baby people. How do you feel about Megan's comment about every woman wanting a baby?
2. How does friendship play an important role in your life? How do your friends support you and help you?
3. What about Scott and Megan's friendship most struck you? How do you relate -- or not -- to the way they interact?
4. How do you live the reality of "sex always means something"? What does that look like in your life?

Feel free to comment on your own thoughts from this week's reading, your impressions and reflections, and/or your answers to these questions.

Next week, we'll cover Chapters 3-6. For the complete reading schedule and information about our Book Club, visit the Accidental Marriage Book Club page.

Copyright 2014 Sarah Reinhard