FIND HAPPINESS AND FULFILLMENT THROUGH — RATHER THAN DESPITE — YOUR DIFFERENCES Dr. James Creighton has worked with couples for decades, facilitating communication and conflict resolution and teaching them the tools to build healthy, happy relationships. He has found that many couples start out believing they like the same things, see people the same way, and share a united take on the world. But inevitably differences crop up, and it can be profoundly discouraging to find that one's partner sees a person, situation, or decision completely differently. Although many relationships flounder at this point, Creighton shows that this can actually be an opportunity to forge stronger ties. In Loving through Your Differences, he draws on the latest research in cognitive science and developmental psychology to show how we invent our realities with our perceptual minds. He then provides clear, concrete tools for shifting our perceptions and reframing our responses. The result moves couples out of the fear and alienation of "your way or my way" and into a deep understanding of the other that allows for an "our way." As Creighton shows, this way of being together, based on the reality of individuality rather than the illusion of sameness, sets the stage for long-term excitement, discovery, and fulfillment.

Exploring the mutuality commands of the New Testament (greet one another, forgive one another, comfort one another, admonish one another), Gerald L. Sittser shows why these instructions for community life have never been harder to follow--and never more important--than during these days of increasing cultural diversity. ÝThis book ̈ will develop spiritual maturity in its readers and deepen the life of love in the church--Eugene H. Peterson. 240 pages, paper

Nathan was different and Sally knew it. From his early childhood, Nathan was bursting with creativity and uncontainable energy, struggling not only with learning issues but also with anxiety and OCD. He saw the world through his own unique lens—one that often caused him to be labeled as “bad,” “troubled,” or someone in need of “fixing.” Bravely choosing to listen to her motherly intuition rather than the loud voices of the world, Sally dared to believe that Nathan’s differences could be part of an intentional design from a loving Creator with a plan for his life. She trusted that the things that made him different were the very things that could make him great. Join Sally and Nathan as they share their stories from a personal perspective as mother and son. If you are in need of help and hope in your own journey with an outside-the-box child, or if you’re an adult trying to make sense of your differences, you’ll find deep insight, resonance, and encouragement in the pages of this book. Dare to love and nurture the “different” one in your life.

Learn to live at peace with others even when you disagree by studying biblical stories of rivalries in Common Ground by Amberly Neese. Whether it is in politics, the professional world, a party, or a pew, we face conflict every day. As discussions get more heated and social media is deluged with opinion-spewing, hurt feelings, and broken relationships, we need hope and practical tools to navigate the tumultuous waters and live at peace with everyone. Fortunately, the Scriptures hold the key to living at peace despite our differences. In Common Ground, a four-week Bible study, Amberly Neese combines stories of sibling rivalries from the Bible with personal experience, humor, hope, and her love of God’s Word. Stories examined from the Old and New Testaments include: - Joseph and His Brothers: How to Combat Jealousy - Moses, Miriam, and Aaron: How to Work Together Despite Differences - Mary, Martha, and Lazarus: How to Appreciate the Contributions of Others - Rachel and Leah: Having Compassion for the Plight of Others These stories point us to peace and reconciliation in all our relationships, reassuring us that it is possible to find common ground with everyone—despite our differences. Women will find biblical and practical help for: - Facing conflict - Navigating broken relationships - Handling heated discussions (in person and on social media) - Living at peace despite differences Components for this four-week Bible study, each available separately, include a Study Guide with Leader Helps, and video sessions with four 20 to 25-minute segments (with closed captioning).

If you are determined to intermarry...Who will conduct the service? Where will it be? How will you pick the food and music?Once you've done it...Whose food will you eat? Whose jokes will you laugh at? Whose neighborhood will you live in?As you increase and multiply...What do you think is ok to do in bed? Will you baptize or circumcise your children? What kind of school will they go to? What if they pick the other religion -- or none?At the end of the line...How will you mourn, and with whom? What will your spiritual resources be?And, above all...Where is God in your lives?Celebrating our Differences won't give you easy answers to these questions, but it will give you specific questions to discuss, practical pointers to use, and thirty years' experience of living two faiths in one marriage to draw on.

Every couple has arguments, but what happens when recurring battles begin to feel like full-scale war? Do you retreat in hurt and angry silence, hoping that a spouse who "just doesn't get it" will eventually see things your way? Spend the time between skirmishes gathering evidence that you're right? Demand some immediate changes--or else? Whether due to innate personality traits or emotional vulnerabilities, there are some aspects of our behavior that are difficult to alter. But these differences do not have to get in the way of healthy, happy, and long-lasting romance. This practical guide offers new solutions for couples frustrated by continual attempts to make each other change. Aided by thought-provoking exercises and lots of real-life examples, readers will learn why they keep having the same fights again and again; how to keep small incompatibilities from causing big problems; and how true acceptance can restore health to their relationships.