Books and Resources

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Books and Resources

ISSUES	TOPICAL IDEAS	BOOKS
Relationship Instruction for Singles	Providing unmarried people with blueprints for healthy relationships and a vision for marriage.	Finding the Love of Your Life – Neil Clark Warren How To Avoid Marrying A Jerk – John Van Epp Falling in Love for All the Right Reasons – Neil Clark Warren Conscious Dating – David Steele The Truth About Love – Pat Love Love the Life You Live – Les Parrot and Neil Clark Warren The Hard Questions – Susan Piver Faith-based Boundaries in Dating – Henry Cloud and John Townsend The One – Ben Young and Samuel Adams Relationships – Les and Leslie Parrott Relationships That Work and Those That Don’t – H. Norman Wright Avoiding Mr. Wrong – Stephen Arterburn
Cohabitation	The problem with cohabitation as a preparation for marriage	Marriage-Lite – The Rise of Cohabitation and It’s Consequences – Patricia Morgan Tie That Binds:Perspectives on Marriage and Cohabitation – Thornton and Waite Faith-based The Power of Commitment – Scott Stanley Buyers, Renters and Freeloaders:Turning Revolving Door Romance Into Lasting Love – Willard Harley
Pre-Marital Preparation	Preparing engaged couples for the transition to married life by providing insight, helpful activities, and practical instruction.	Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts – Les and Leslie Parrott Should We Stay Together? – Jeffrey H. Larson 10 Great Dates – David and Claudia Arp Faith-based Before You Say I Do – H. Norman Wright Before “ I Do” – K. Jason Krafsky How Can I Be Sure? – Bob Phillips 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged –H. Norman Wright Getting Ready for Marriage Workbook – Jerry Hardin and Diane Sloan
General Marriage Enrichment	Information that will help couples keep their marriages alive and well.	12 Hours to A Great Marriage – Howard Markman and Scott Stanley The Power of Commitment – Markman and Stanley Take Back Your Marriage – William Doherty The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work – John Gottman 10 Great Dates to Revitalize Your Marriage – David and Claudia Arp 10 Lessons to Transform Your Marriage – John Gottman Faith-based Sacred Marriage – Gary Thomas The DNA of Relationships – Gary Smalley The DNA of Relationships for Couples – Greg Smalley, Robert Paul Divorce Proof Your Marriage – Gary and Barbara Rosberg The Marriage Builder – Larry Crabb The Mystery of Marriage – Mike Mason
Marriage Communication and Conflict Resolution	Communication styles, helpful tools, techniques to handle conflict, identifying destructives conflict patterns.	Fighting For Your Marriage – Markman, Stanley and Blumberg The Divorce Remedy – Michelle Weiner Davis Getting the Love You Want – Harville Hendrix Love Talk – Les and Leslie Parrott How to Improve Your Marriage without Talking About It – Pat Love and Steven Stosny Faith-based A Lasting Promise – Scott Stanley The Seven Conflicts – Tim and Joy Downs
Marriage and Differences	Understanding how to deal with the inevitable differences that exist in every relationship.	The Five Love Languages – Gary Chapman Getting Through to the Man You Love – Michele Weiner Davis You Just Don’t Understand – Deborah Tannen Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus – John Gray Faith-based Love and Respect – Emerson Eggerich His Needs Her Needs – Willard Harley For Women Only – Shauti Feldhahn For Men Only – Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn Personality Plus for Couples – Florence Littauer Men and Women – Larry Crabb Incompatibility –Grounds for a Great Marriage – Chuck & Barb Snyder
Marriage and Finances	Budgeting, spending habits, approach to money, goals for the future	You Paid How Much for That? – Jenkins, Stanley, Bailey, Markman Financial Peace – Dave Ramsey Faith-based Money In Marriage – Larry Burkett Money Talks and So Can We – Ron Blue The Complete Financial Guide for Young Couples – Larry Burkett
Marriage and Children	Keeping focus on marriage in transition to parenting and partnering in parenting	Becoming Parents – Jordan, Stanley, Markman Lovelife for Parents – David and Claudia Arp When Parents Become Partners – Carolyn and Philip Cowan Faith-based When Husband and Wife Become Mom and Dad – Elisa Morgan Is There Really Sex After Kids? – Jill Savage
Challenge Issues in Marriage	Dealing with various problems in a healthy way	When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages – Les and Leslie Parrott Why Marriages Succeed or Fail – John Gottman Divorce Busting – Michele Weiner-Davis You Don’t Have to Take It Any More – Steven Stosny Faith-based Love Must Be Tough – James Dobson Staying Close – Dennis Rainey When Love Dies – Judy Bodmer Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage – Lee and Leslie Strobel Boundaries in Marriage – Henry Cloud and John Townsend Rescue Your LoveLife – Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Marriage and Sex	Developing a healthy sex life in marriage	Hot Monogamy – Pat Love Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships – David Schnarch Faith-based Real Questions, Real Answers About Sex – McBurney The Gift of Sex – Penner A Celebration of Sex – Doug Rosenau Sex Begins in the Kitchen – Kevin Leman
Marriage and Sexual Challenges	Dealing with problems that are sexual in nature	The Sex Starved Marriage – Michele Weiner-Davis Not Just Friends – Shirley Glass Faithful and True: Sexual Integrity in a Fallen World – Mark Lasser Rekindling Desire: A Step by Step Program to Help Low-Sex and No-Sex Marriages – Barry and Emily McCarthy Faith-based Torn Asunder – Dave Carder Every Man’s Battle – Steve Arterburn Surviving an Affair – Willard Harley
Re-marriage	Input on the challenges and issues couples face in remarriage and tips to succeed	New Faces in the Frame – Dunn Getting It Right This Time – Barry and Emily McCarthy Step Family Living – Elizabeth Einstein Faith-based The Smart Step Family – Ron Deal The Step Family Survival Guide – Natalie Nichols Gillespie Blended Families – Maxine Marsolini Surprised By Remarriage – Ginger Kolbaba
Marriage and the Empty Nest	Marriage issues unique to the empty nest period	The Empty Nest:Reinventing Your Marriage When the Kids Leave Home – David and Claudia Arp A Celebration of Sex After Fifty – Rosenau and Childerston 10 Great Dates for Empty Nesters – David and Claudia Arp
	INFORMATIVE WEB SITES
General Resources on Marriage	Families Northwest – www.familiesnorthwest.org Couple and Family Education – www.SmartMarriages.com National Healthy Marriage Resource Center – www.healthymarriageinfo.org Real Relationships – www.RealRelationships.com Institute for American Values – www.AmericanValues.org First Things First – www.firstthings.org Marriage Uncensored – www.marriageuncensored.com Better Marriages-Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment- www.bettermarriages.org Healthy Families Inland Northwest – www.hfin.org
Relationship Inventories	PREPARE/ENRICH by Life Innovations – www.lifeinnovations.com FOCCUS/REFOCCUS by FOCCUS Inc. – www.omahaflo.creighton.edu RELATE by Brigham Young University – www.relate.byu.edu
Research on Relationships	Rutgers University – www.marriagerutgers.edu Institute for American Values – www.americanvalues.org Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program PREP – www.prepinc.com The Gottman Institute – www.gottman.com The Relate Institute – www.relate-institute.org Faith-based Family Life – www.FamilyLife.com Marriage CoMission – www.MarriageComission.com Focus on the Family – www.family.org Growthtrac – www.growthtrac.com Association of Marriage and Family Ministries – www.AMFMonline.com Marriage Alive – www.MarriageAlive.com Smalley Relationship Center – www.dnaofrelationships.com
Step Families	Step Family Foundation – www.stepfamily.org Stepfamily information – www.stepfamilyinfo.org Stepfamily Network – www.stepfamily.net Faith-based Successful Stepfamilies – www.successfulstepfamilies.com Restored & Remarried – http://www.restoredandremarried.com/
Singles Issues	Teen Aid – www.teen-aid.org Life Changes – www.nojerks.com Marriage Prep 101 – www.marriageprep101.com Faith-based Before “I Do” – www.FullMarriageExperience.com

This tool is intended to assist churches, community groups, and other organizations develop comprehensive relationship-enhancing pre-marital education and marriage enrichment courses. Singles and couples will find many of these resources helpful to establish and foster healthy relationships and marriages. This is by no means an exhaustive listing of resources. The inclusion of resources listed above is not to be viewed as an endorsement by Marriage Friendly Communities, Healthy Families Inland Northwest, Families Northwest or Teen-Aid. Contact Marriage Friendly Communities for further assistance (509-482-0938)