Showing titles in Marriage & Relationships

In this book, Rebecca VanDoodewaard weaves together Scripture, theological truths, and stories of Christian couples from around the world. She illustrates the joy that comes from modeling marriage according to God’s design–joy that even the darkest trials cannot steal away.

For most religious people, the words God and sex never go together. God is conceived of as holy, pure, sexless, and as morally above the raw desires that so powerfully beset us. Sex, on the other hand, is conceived of as earthy and unholy, something we must snatch, and not without guilt, from the gods. Christianity has struggled mightily with sex; so too have most other religions. And yet when we look at sexual desire and ask where it comes from, there can be only one answer.

Newly married couples face a tremendous challenge that is seldom talked about. In our social media-driven world, it’s easy to think that everyone else has it together in their marriages and wonder if maybe you made a mistake. The truth is, most couples don’t enter marriage with the communication or attachment skills needed to deal with the integration of two lives. Newly married couples will help a couple learn how the different “merge points” in their marriage can actually strengthen their relationship so that they can enjoy a thriving marriage.

In recent decades, the application of biblical principles that generate marital joy and happiness has diminished. Younger generations at large have aligned their marriages more with the precepts of the world than of Christ, leaving couples unfulfilled and unhappy. Steadily, the holistic nature of the art of married love has been lost as to being the fabric of Christian marriages. In The Pursuit of Marriage Oneness: the Key to Marital Success, Dr. Wilson unveils the key to marriage fulfillment: understanding and walking in marital Oneness.

In this incredibly practical and easy-to-understand book, counselor and psychologist Christa Hardin combines her expertise in psychological assessment and marriage and family counseling to explore all forty-five possible Enneagram pairings in relationships. She calls it the Enneagram Glow—the unique, mutual influence of two types in intimate relationship across the seasons and shifts that every couple experiences.

Are you tired of trying to be someone you’re not? Many of us spend a lot of energy—especially at church—trying to hide the fact that we’re struggling. We can’t share our marriage problems. Our addiction. Our sense of distance from God. In Being Real > Being Perfect, Justin Davis reminds us that God doesn’t heal what we don’t admit is broken. Being Real > Being Perfect is an inspiring rallying cry for Christians to let go of pretending and enjoy a freeing, authentic relationship with Jesus and others.

Many Christians see conflict as a dirty word—something to be avoided at all costs. After all, aren't Christians to be peacemakers who strive to maintain unity? But, as Lou Priolo reminds us, many other things that the Bible exhorts us to do—such as convicting, rebuking, and admonishing other Christians—make conflict a necessary part of the Christian life. Lou takes us through the biblical principles of conflict resolution, beginning before conflict even starts. 

Does your soul mate feel more like a roommate? This year-long devotional will help you and your spouse go deep in your faith, nurture your marriage, and make laughter a part of your everyday life. Each weekly devotion in Greater Joy TWOgether includes a short reading, a Scripture verse, thoughtful conversation prompts, ideas for putting the week’s theme into action, and prayer starters to draw you closer to God and each other.

How we communicate with one another matters—especially in a marriage. The Bible reminds us to use words that build up our spouses, not tear them down. Whether your marriage is a verbal war zone or just needs a little help in the communication arena, both you and your spouse will benefit from the encouragement in this book. This devotional is not a program to do better; it unveils how God helps you to be better.

Breakups are typically synonymous with rocky road ice cream, rom-com reruns, and rough crying sessions. But not this one! This is an invitation to liberation, a chance to release who you've been and discover who you truly are. Often, our former mistakes and regrets hold us back from where we're called to be. How can one heal and move on? To find your breakthrough, you must break up with what broke you.

Preparing for Marriage God's Way is a marriage counseling resource that uses thoughtful self-examination to reveal the personalities, background, and expectations that you and your partner are bringing to your union. Through rigorous Bible study, you will learn about God's expectations for marriage and be equipped with his solutions for dealing with typical marriage conflicts. Three follow-up lessons after your marriage help you to reflect on all that's happened after you said, "I do."

What do you do when life hasn't turned out the way you expected? When it feels like everyone else has it together but you're still figuring it out? And if God is meant to be your guide, why do you feel so lost? Tola Doll Fisher has asked these questions countless times and still doesn't have the answers. But as she explains in this series of 100 'life lessons' maybe that's okay.

Une fois passée l’euphorie du grand amour, combien de maris se réveillent un jour, surpris par des réactions et des attitudes apparemment imprévisibles, en se demandant qui est donc cette étrangère qu’ils ont mariée ? En s’appuyant sur sa longue expérience personnelle en tant que mari et conseiller conjugal, ainsi que sur les témoignages d’un bon nombre d’épouses et de mères de famille, Gary Smalley explique aux maris les besoins profonds et les aspirations de la femme.

What does the Bible say about sexuality? How have traditions of biblical interpretation influenced our understanding of sex and gender? What the Bible Says About Sex answers that and many other questions. Not shy, it analyzes why the Church claimed dominion over marriage, while the female body remained a source of potential evil. It wrestles with how sexuality is used to reinforce notions of honor, and how it can be used to manipulate others. It looks brazenly at the pornographic and the erotic passages of the Bible, and how traditions of interpretation veiled them.

Unlike Jesus makes a convincing and convicting case that we who love Jesus must also love the lost—and must stop cocooning ourselves within our churches. Christians need to get out more. But this doesn’t mean we become friends of the world (a decision some disciples make contrary to God’s Word and detrimental to their spiritual health).

For better or for worse? Whichever term describes your marriage, there are ways to make it (even) better. That's because God has designed marriage to be a relationship of deep unity and strength. Despite the challenges that couples face today, marital harmony need not be considered an impossible ideal.

A unique story of two seasoned travelers who find each other and marry later in life is told from two viewpoints with openness and candor. This engaging and often humorous narrative written by a high-powered Christian woman publisher and a ready-for-retirement widowed pastor deals with change and criticism, blended families, issues of compatibility, and meshing as a couple. More than just a love story, this growing-in-faith story touches on what we all long for—belonging, being loved for who we are, and finding a place of service to God and purpose in our everyday lives.

Unsere moderne Kultur will uns glauben machen, dass es bei der Ehe vor allem darum geht, dass man verliebt ist und dass man "den Passenden" gefunden hat. Und aus "bis dass der Tod uns scheidet" ist geworden: "Solange meine Bedürfnisse befriedigt werden." Solange wir nicht fähig sind, die Ehe durch die Brille der Bibel zu betrachten und nicht durch die engen Sehschlitze unserer Kultur, werden wir nicht in der Lage sein, fundierte Entscheidungen über unsere eigene eheliche Zukunft zu treffen.

Friendship is one of the deepest pleasures of life. But in our busy, fast-paced, mobile world, we've lost this rich view of friendship and instead settled for shallow acquaintances based on little more than similar tastes or shared interests. Helping us recapture a vision of true friendship, pastor Drew Hunter explores God's design for friendship and what it really looks like in practice—giving us practical advice to cultivate the kinds of true friendships that lead to true and life-giving joy.

Hannah Schermerhorn was months away from getting married when her wedding was called off. She absolutely loathed being single again, but in the following years, God taught her many hard lessons that transformed her from bitterness to authentic joy. Now she shares what she's learned from other singles (who wish they weren't). Drawing from the diverse experiences of single people in the Bible, Hannah debunks common myths and misunderstandings about singleness, including the pervasive feeling that a person can't really begin their life until they're married.