As a young bride, Jennifer Smith couldn’t wait to build her life with the man she adored. She dreamed of closeness, of being fully known and loved by her husband. But the first years of marriage were nothing like she’d imagined. Instead, they were marked by disappointment and pain. Trapped by fear and insecurity, and feeling totally alone, Jennifer cried out to God: What am I doing wrong? Why is this happening to us? It was as if a veil had descended between her and her husband, and between her and God—one that kept her from experiencing the fullness of love. How did Jennifer and her husband survive the painful times? What did they do when they were tempted to call it quits? How did God miraculously step in during the darkest hour to rescue and redeem them, tearing down the veil once and for all? The Unveiled Wife is a real-life love story; one couple’s refreshingly raw, transparent journey touching the deep places in a marriage that only God can reach. If you are feeling disappointment or even despair about your marriage, the heart-cry of this book is: You are not alone. Discover through Jennifer’s story how God can bring you through it all to a place of transformation.

A little white lie…. I'm terribly sorry, Hannah could hear herself saying, I don't know what came over me. I simply couldn't let that coldhearted ambitious lady take you for another ride. When you lost the last six weeks from your memory—including your whirlwind romance—I thought that might be the end of Felicia. But then a nurse at the hospital said that a fiancée had been mentioned and would I please call her. I pictured Felicia winning you all over again with her looks and her lies, so before I knew it I'd opened my stupid mouth and said I was your fiancéeé. Affairs to Remember—stories of love you'll treasure forever.

For anyone who is married, preparing for marriage, or desperate to save a relationship teetering on the brink of divorce, marriage coaches Dave and Ann Wilson offer hope and strategies gleaned from personal experience and Scripture that really work. Vertical Marriage will give you the insight, applications, and inspiration to transform your marriage into everything you hoped it would be. Honest to the core and laugh-out-loud funny, Dave and Ann Wilson share the one secret that brought them from the brink of divorce to a healthy and vibrant relationship. If you had asked Dave how their marriage was doing on the night of their tenth wedding anniversary, Dave would have rated it a 9.8 out of 10, and he would have even guaranteed that Ann would say the same. But instead of giving him a celebratory kiss, Ann whispered, "I've lost my feelings for you." Divorce seemed inevitable for the Wilsons, but starting that night, God began to reveal to Dave and Ann the most overlooked secret of getting the marriage we are looking for: a horizontal marriage relationship just doesn't work until your vertical relationship with Christ is first. As founders of a multi-campus church and marriage coaches with 30 years of experience, Dave and Ann share the hard-earned but easy-to-apply biblical principles that ensure a strong marriage. Written in a highly relatable dialogue between both husband and wife, Vertical Marriage will guide you toward building a vibrant relationship at every level, giving you the tools you need to embrace: Effective communication Fair conflict True romance A deeper connection Through their unique perspectives, Dave and Ann share an intimate, sometimes hilarious, and at times deeply poignant narrative of one couple's journey to reconnecting with God and discovering the joy and power of a vertical marriage.

New York Times bestselling author Joan Anderson gives women practical advice and inspiration for building creative, independent, and fulfilling lives through discovering who they truly are and who they can be. Like Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, Joan Anderson’s bestselling A Year by the Sea revealed a far larger than expected constituency, in the form of thousands of women struggling to realize their full potential. After years of focusing on the needs of others as a wife and mother, Anderson devoted a year to rediscovering herself and reinvigorating her dreams. The questions she asked herself and the insights she gained became the core of the popular weekend workshops Anderson developed to help women figure out how—after being all things to all people—they can finally become what they need to be for themselves. A Weekend to Change Your Life brings Anderson’s techniques to women everywhere, providing a step-by-step path readers can follow at their own pace. Drawing on her own life and on the experiences of the women she meets at her workshops, Anderson shows women how to move beyond the roles they play in relationship to others and reclaim their individuality. Through illustrations and gentle instruction, she illuminates the rewards of nurturing long-neglected talents, revitalizing plans sacrificed to the demands of family life, and redefining oneself by embracing new possibilities. Wake Up, Sister. It’s Your Turn A full life requires cultivation. The minute we take our hands off the plow, fail to reseed, forget to fertilize, we’ve lost our crop. And yet, most women I know, while in the service of some greater good have let their very lives wilt on the vine. Having been taught the fine art of accommodation, most of us have developed a knack for selfless behavior. We’ve dulled our personal lives while propping up everyone else’s, and we’re no longer able even to imagine having any sort of adventure, romance, meaning, or purpose for ourselves. In short, we’ve gotten way off track and taken the wrong road to self-satisfaction, foolishly thinking that after all of the doing, giving, trying, and overworking someone will offer us a reward. But Prince Charming was a bad joke and all the fairy godmothers are dead. Instead of happy ever after, most of us end up with the ache. We wake up each day with an inner gnawing, a hunger for more, a craving for an overhaul, but we are too listless, tired, or depressed to do anything about it. We have spent the greater part of our lives pouring ourselves out like a pitcher. No wonder we feel so empty. But we lack the necessary energy, a helpful roadmap, and any type of guidance and support. Well, it’s time to change all of that. —From A Weekend to Change Your Life

Each member has their own unique place in a family. Ron Deal explores the myth of the "blended" family offering practical, realistic solutions for stepfamilies.

Whether it’s been twenty years or twenty minutes, your marriage needs encouragement. This daily devotional for married couples was designed with busy spouses in mind. Each reading is short enough to enjoy together over your first cup of coffee or right before bed. Devotions include: - inspiring Scripture, - practical tips for fostering meaningful connection, - thought-provoking questions, - simple action steps, and - encouraging prayers. Stay happily married for life with Celebrate Your Marriage—the perfect gift for newlyweds and seasoned couples alike.

Countless married couples end up living alone – in the same house. Over twenty-eight years of conducting "Weekend to Remember" conferences have convinced Dennis and Barbara Rainey that isolation is the number-one problem in marriages today. But they believe it's possible to overcome "marital drift" and experience the miracle of oneness. This book provides a positive, workable strategy for keeping your marriage vital and intimate. Included are proven principles and hands-on exercises to help you: understand the personal and cultural forces that isolate you from your spouse manage your schedules, workloads, roles, and responsibilities without losing sight of each other allos for (and enjoy) individual differences while maintaining unity build an atmosphere of cooperation by meeting each other more than halfwey "affair-proof" your relationship (or heal it after the fact) grow closer duing hard times instead of letting your troubles pull you apart create a "safe" atmosphere for transparent communication discover the secrets of a mutually rewarding sex life leave a legacy of love and unity to your family and friends Previous Edition: 0-8499-3343-9