<p>Beyond the tough love of covenant-keeping is a warmth and tenderness that can't be denied. So while John Piper's <em>This Momentary Marriage</em> focuses on the theological meaning of marriage, its companion volume, <em>Velvet Steel</em>, reveals the rich, emotional dimension.</p> <p>Within these pages Piper shares a series of poems written for his wife, No&euml;l, during the first forty-two years of their relationship, starting from the day of their engagement. In it he provides readers with a taste of one man's tender affections for his wife-poems that he hopes will fan into flame readers' affections for their own spouses and ultimately for the Maker of marriage.</p>