Testimonials

Joy and her father are actually funny. That’s rare, and it makes what they say genuinely entertaining. I loudly applaud their insightful, personal, and humorous approach to the subject of singleness, dating and marriage for the next generation. There simply isn’t another study that artfully combines research, scripture, personal stories, and music -- not to mention a few wacky videos that could ruin Dr. Eggerichs’ credibility. Having a teenage daughter of my own, I am hugely grateful Joy created this project and believe it will help the next generation talk about marriage and it’s purpose right now, instead of with a divorce lawyer 20 years from now.

"Can’t wait for the next one! Love it so far! This goes side by side with everything I’m learning about being a strong Christian women. This is all very new, but I love it, and it’s working"

When it comes to dating and friendship, my Christian peers and I need all the wisdom we can get. Joy’s heart is to lead and encourage our generation, and I trust The Illumination Project will do just that.

We have two boys, and our oldest is almost eleven. I know that he feels a lot of pressure on him to be a good example to his three younger siblings. I tell him I love him all the time, but I had never considered telling him I respect him. This last Tuesday, I was cleaning his room, and I found a note he had written. It said, “Failure=Benjamin.” He is very hard on himself. . . . I was devastated. I knew something had to change, and that something was us, his parents. We need to show him that we respect him. Before he got home from school, I made twelve notes and taped them around his room and hid them in places such as drawers and under his pillow: I love you. I respect you. I respect your ideas. I am so proud of you. You are the most creative person I know. You are a great big brother. As soon as he got home and saw the obvious ones I had posted, he ran to me and gave me a hug! His eyes were sparkling, and he was so excited. He immediately took the notes and made a board that said “compliment board” and taped them all to it. I have written him letters in the past to tell him I love him and how much he means to me (he is very sentimental and has kept every note and letter). But telling him I respect him went over the top. I have made a vow to respect my son and treat him like I want his future spouse to treat him.

"Praise The Lord! In my conversations today with my wife, I listened first to what she was saying and how, then responded with a calm tone. We we're dealing with a [...] issue, God showed up [and] we ended up paying [...] She was upset [...]. It could have been easy to have a different tone especially when I was on the job and busy with a client."

I loved this book and recommended it for a book club of moms. It was helpful for each of us...Particularly appreciated the shoulder to shoulder time explanation, and the explanation of using the word respect in conversations with my sons. The book was helpful because it allowed me to see how my communication needed to be different with my sons than it is with my daughters. It made me more intentional in conversations with my guys.

I have read Love and Respect years ago so I was familiar with the Respect message. However, I had not realized how much I didn’t know… What I didn’t know was my son, now adult, was starving for my respect as much as my husband did in the past. I always expected my son to show respect to me while thinking love was all he needed from me. Now, Emerson has opened my eyes again to the reality. I am getting ready to construct a letter to my adult son telling him how much I Respect him. I love the fact that there are practical words and phrases to use with my son that I would have never thought to say., Words that he longs to hear from me. Mother and Son is worth your read. Emerson will help you understand your son better.

...When I look back, it seems to me that the individual lessons were so created that the tension increases with each lesson. It was like a good criminal novel. I found myself in every lesson. Although I had already heard certain content, I experienced them in a completely different way. Maybe more mature. Then came the fifth lesson: My Response is My Responsibility. BAM! The content hit me like "a-ton-of-bricks”, as if it was written for me personally. This lesson exposed my biggest challenge, which has crippled me for many years. Of course, this does not mean my problem with wrong responses will be solved overnight. If I rely on God's Word and ask for the help from the Holy Spirit then it will be easier.

"I am finding your emails exceptionally on point for our relationship that was struggling.  We split for about 4.5 months and we have now found our way back to each other by the grace of God. After reading this 3rd email it is as if you were living in our house.  These are the EXACT ways we were both feeling and could not figure out why we could not see each other's perspective.  I - as the female - was doing all the things you describe and he - as the male - was doing all the things you described, and...that is exactly how we both were feeling. Not only have we both signed up for these emails but we have purchased the book and the workbook and have committed to studying together once per week so as to work on our relationship and getting back the the loving couple we once used to be.  So far we have completed chapters 1&2.  We are both excited for this journey.  We have made decisions that our differences can no longer become bigger than US."

Why Hasn't Anyone told me this before?

"My marriage is changed forever! I want to let men who are struggling know that they can change their marriage.  If you apply these principles, they will make a difference, my marriage is living proof."

"My husband and I ... were definitely on the crazy cycle.  We didn't know it until recognizing it after your explanation.  It was like a light bulb went off showing us what we were doing over and over again."