It seems appropriate, on Valentine’s Day, to post a review on an amazing couple who are “learning about lasting love and overcoming life’s obstacles together.” Sure, as a pastor, I’ve read my fair share of books on “love and marriage,” but this one caught my attention because half of the couple is former Indianapolis Colts coach and current NBC football commentator, Tony Dungy. Teaming with his writing partner, Nathan Whitaker, and his wife, Lauren, Dungy again delivers another noble entry in the Uncommon series.

While some of the stories are ones that longtime fans (and readers of Quiet Strength, Uncommon, or The One Year Uncommon Challenge) will recognize, the beauty of this particular book is that every situation has at least one segment provided by Tony and another provided by Lauren. Lauren’s energy and Tony’s quiet passion aren’t opposites but good balances, and they shine through the words sculpted by Whitaker. And wow, have they accomplished/worked through/survived a lot, or what??

The Dungys, parents to nine children, have adopted and promoted adoption with a passion, especially Lauren’s. They have worked through five NFL franchises, in hiring and firing, success and failure, heartbreak and exuberance. They have struggled through a child’s near-terminal sickness, and lost another child to suicide. And they somehow end up coming across like average, God-fearing people who have done the best they can with what they have, no special dispensation asked for or granted.

That’s always been what I liked about Tony Dungy, even while I rooted like mad against him as a New England Patriots fan: he never presents himself as better than anyone else. Here, as a husband and father, he doesn’t paint himself as perfect but owns his mistakes, and his wife presents her own side of things, even when they’ve disagreed. It’s a beautiful dance, a wonderful give and take, and they’ve wonderfully welcomed us in through Uncommon Marriage.