A Father, a Son, a Daughter, a Love Affair

Clarion Rating: 2 out of 5

Charles Watson’s slim volume is a testimonial to his belief that God has a marriage plan for everyone, and if true happiness is to be found, people need to follow God’s plan, not their own.

The book is also an unabashed love story as Watson shares his love-at-first-sight moment, and how long it took for both him and her to realize that God’s plan meant that they should marry.

He first noticed the woman (whose name is not mentioned) in 1989 when she was driving a bus, and he was struck by her beauty. Fortuitously, he landed a job, at some point, in the same company, and was led to approach her saying an unnamed word God had given him about her mother. This led to a connection and he saw the Spirit of the Lord on her and they shared spiritual discussions. Watson says the timing was not right for them according to God’s plan.

He learned a few months later, to his dismay, that she was dating someone else. So, “I acted out of my emotions and wedded another … The choice I made, led me into the wilderness. This caused me to suffer many things in my body,” which involved a number of “horrific” health conditions. Even though he described his first wife as nice, Watson says she wasn’t the one God planned for him. It took years for Watson and his soul mate to finally come together.

Watson uses his experience to present scripture that relates to marriage, and he offers his own views and interpretations. Primarily a biblical literalist, Watson seems to struggle with statements in the Old and New Testaments about divorce. He writes, “if the divorce is not for sexual immortality: any remarriage is adultery. God does not acknowledge this order of divorce… . Reconcile with your mate, or remain unmarried.”

He doesn’t explain, however, how he circumvents this dictum with his own marriage dissolution. Perhaps the reader is expected to assume that the scriptures don’t apply because Watson believes that his first marriage, unlike the second, was not in God’s plan. He later adds that when God orchestrates marriage, “there will not be a divorce or remarriage in the relationship.”

The book would be improved by careful proofreading to eliminate errors, such as “what the word of God saids,” or “chastening those He love,” or “in the depts of my mind.” Also, it might have been enhanced by more personal details and a more coherent time frame. There is also much repetition.

Watson’s overwhelming joy with his marriage to the love of his life is abundantly clear. He says repeatedly that God planned this second marriage. The book may give hope to those readers who have not found a similar loving relationship.

Reviewed by Linda Salisbury

Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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