Wedding and Marriage Books
Marriage is much more than a wedding day of celebration. It's a lifelong commitment. In preparation for your life as a married person, we recommend the following resources on the topic. Take some time to prepare yourself for what God has in store for you after the wedding!
The Complete Book of Christian Wedding Vows
H. Norman Wright
"The vows you speak on your wedding day are some of the most important words you will ever say. And this book will help you say them straight from the heart. Norm Wright has compiled a treasure trove of fresh and creative ways for honoring Christ in your vows. This book is desperately needed and long overdue. Countless couples are sure to benefit from its step-by-step advice." Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott - Seattle Pacific University, Authors of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts.
A Marriage After God's Own Heart
David Clarke
Isn't sexual - or emotional - intimacy enough? "No," says Christian psychologist Dr. David Clarke. "Spiritual bonding is the process by which a couple cultivates the presence of God in their relationship," he says, "and it's the only 'glue' that sustains relationships long-term." Working with hundreds of couples, Clarke observes that when we take specific steps to keep God at the center of our relationship, every area of intimacy is energized. This book teaches men and women in a committed relationship how to pray together, create "spiritual conversations," read and study Scripture together, hold private worship sessions and allow the Holy Spirit to guide. It's extremely practical counsel all couples need today.
Boundaries in Marriage
Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend
They're at the forefront of today's Christian counseling movement, and now Drs. Cloud and Townsend help guide couples. Recommending boundaries even in marriage, they show how respecting a spouse's personal "territory" actually strengthens a relationship, how to safeguard marriage from intruders such as idols, affairs, and well-meaning parents.
Christ Centered Marriage
Niel Anderson
The Christ-Centered Marriage goes to the heart of your relationship with your spouse and with God, allowing you to draw upon God's promises to break free from old habits and patterns. This is a step-by-step process to break the enemy's grip and establish Christ at the center of your marriage.
Different by Design: God's Master Plan for Harmony Between Men and Women in Marriage
H. Dale Burke
The fact is: men and women are different-by the Creator's ingenious design. These differences involve the way we think, feel, and process information. They involve the way we love and are loved. And they have a direct impact on our closest relationships-our marriages. Burke's counsel, unlike that found on talk shows or radio call-in programs, is based on the owner's manual the Master Designer prepared for us-the Bible. With new discussion questions included in the back, this edition is ideal for couples or study groups who want to delve deeper into the truths inside its pages. Whether you're engaged, newlywed, married with children or passing advice along to your grandkids, this book will help you build healthier, stronger relationships by making the most of the things the sexes hold least in common and applauding those points of greatest difference.
Each for the Other
Bryan Chapell
Each for the Other offers hope and invaluable instruction for married and engaged couples and for counselors and pastors who desire to promote healthy, grace-filled families. Bryan Chapell illustrates clearly how offering Christ's unconditional love to a mate can transform an individual and build a spiritual foundations that binds partners together as one.
Five Love Languages
Gary Chapman
New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman guides couples in identifying, understanding, and speaking their spouse's primary love language: quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch. Chapters are categorized by love language for easy reference, and each one ends with simple steps to express a specific language to your spouse. You can build a lasting, loving marriage together.
Good News About Sex and Marriage
Christopher West
The author, a diocesan director of marriage and family life, answers the questions about human sexuality and marriage that he always encounters in the numerous adult audiences he addresses. He provides thoughtful responses that present Catholic Church teaching in a fresh, thoroughly appealing and convincing manner.
Intimate Allies
Dan Allender and Tremper Longman
Hailed by J.I. Packer as "something of a landmark," this well crafted book removes the blinders to honestly and senstively probe the state of marriage today. Through case studies and examination of God's Word, the authors seek answers to your questions concerning roles within marriage, intimacy of body and soul, working together and more.
Inviting God to Your Wedding
Martha Williamson
Inviting God to Your Wedding is not just about planning for an event. It's about preparing for a miracle. Written with honesty, wisdom, and humor by Touched By An Angel Executive Producer Martha Williamson, with a special chapter for men by her husband and Co-Executive Producer Jon Andersen, this inspiring book is a "wedding handbook" for your spirit and your soul. Funny, thought-provoking, and thoroughly useful, it is filled with ideas, suggestions, and commonsense advice that focus on the most important aspect of every wedding: the coming together of a man and a woman "in the sight of God." From wedding showers to the wedding night, this personal workbook will help create a three-way partnership with God from the start, one that will sustain couples in times of crisis as well as triumph and joy.
Men and Women: Enjoying the Difference
Larry Crabb
Marriage isn't difficult because you don't know who you are, says Crabb. It's difficult because you don't know who your partner is---and you don't care. ''Entirely reasonable'' selfcenteredness by both partners must be replaced by repentance that leads to other-centeredness. Underscoring the biblical meanings of masculinity and femininity, Crabb points out crucial differences between male other-centeredness and female other-centeredness. And he emerges with a provocative new understanding of how men and women, married and single, can build satisfying relationships. Softcover from Zondervan.
The Contraception Guidebook: Options, Risks, and Answers for Christian Couples
William Cutrer, M.D. & Sandra Glahn, Th.M.
This thorough, engagingly written guidebook equips Christian couples to make fully informed decisions about the deeply personal questions of contraception. Written in a conversational, first-person style, the book provides couples solid medical information on every option, old and new, with success rates and risk factors. The authors explore the multiple sides of spiritual and ethical considerations surrounding contraception. Using key biblical passages, they reveal how the Bible can guide us by giving solid underlying principles. Written by a male ob-gyn physician/theologian and a female journalist/theologian, The Contraception Guidebook is packed with scenarios and dilemmas of real-life couples, with questions for discussion at the end of each chapter to help Christian couples sort through their options.
The Marriage Builder
Larry Crabb
Find out what over 200,000 couples are already know: you can build a better marriage. And now one of the best books on marriage is better than ever. Crabb's classic manual now includes an all new 2-page discussion guide for Bible study groups, Sunday school classes, or couples to use with or without a counselor. Every couple can benefit from Crabb's expert guidance even if one spouse is uncooperative.
The Marriage You've Always Wanted
Gary Chapman
Marriage is God's answer for our deepest human need - companionship. And that, according to counselor and relationship expert Dr. Gary Chapman, is to have deep and lasting union with another, and to truly become one. But how can you build that oneness from the beginning? Formerly titled Toward a Growing Marriage, Dr. Chapman covers topics like meaningful communication, expectations, and money management. Questions at the end of each chapter encourage interaction between husbands and wives. Includes an updated resource list at the end of the book.
Traits of A Lasting Marriage
Jim Conway, Sally Conway
Respected counselors Jim and Sally Conway identify 10 key traits of marriages that survive and thrive. Based on the Conway's more than 35 years of marriage counseling and a survey of 186 couples. The ten traits inclued: lifelong commitment, mutally satisfying communication, spiritual vitality, effective conflict resolution, energy from friends, sexual intimacy, time to laugh and play, realistic expectations, serving each other and continued growth.