RELIGION & BELIEFS. It's Time for a Relationship Checkup! Getting routine physicals and dental checkups is essential to your health. And your car needs a regular oil change. But what about your relationship? Dating and married couples rarely, if ever, do a checkup on their relationship. But the sooner you identify problems and find ways to resolve them, the easier it will be to create a strong future. And the sooner you discover your relationship strengths and build on them, the deeper and more intimate your relationship will be. Each chapter of The Remarriage Checkup explores one of the key qualities of happy remarriage relationships. Like a GPS device for your relationship, this book has a CPS (Couple Positioning System) and built-in discussion questions that can help you and your partner discover where you are, where you'd like to be, and how to get there.

While resources abound for stepmothers, stepfathers are often left to travel a difficult road without clear directions. Ron Deal offers advice for men navigating the stepfamily minefield, including how to connect with stepchildren, being a godly role model, how to discipline, dealing with the biological dad, and keeping the bond strong with one's new spouse. He gives perspective on what the kids are going through and why things don't work the same as in a biological family. The Smart Stepdad provides essential guidelines to help stepfathers not only survive but succeed as both dad and husband.

Trustworthy Stepfamily Expert Offers Single Parents a Guide to Dating Single parents who are dating or want to begin a dating relationship wonder, How will dating affect my children and my parenting? They probably have figured out that "dating in a crowd" is complicated. Now they're looking for help. Ron Deal, who has counseled single parents and remarried couples for many years, helps single parents--as well as those who date them--navigate the potential pitfalls involved. He gives perspective on when a relationship may be harmful to the children as well as how it can be a blessing to all. Always at the forefront is the goal of strengthening families. Includes questions for individual or group study.

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.

The Marriage Checkup Questionnaire uses a Q and A format to help couples "take the temperature" of their marriage, discover its pluses and confront areas that may need more work. An excellent resource for pastors and counselors to streamline the counseling process or use in marriage enrichment seminars. This is the first marriage inventory available over the counter, no prescription necessary. It also helps make counseling easier and faster and includes a couple's history questionnaire for communication and marital satisfaction assessments, and much more.

Make This Marriage Last a Lifetime Leading blended family authority Ron Deal and marriage and family expert David Olson show you how to build on your relationship strengths and improve your weaknesses. Whether you're dating, engaged, a young stepfamily, or an empty-nest couple, The Smart Stepfamily Marriage gives you the tools you need at any stage to create a remarriage that will last. Each chapter of this book explores one of the key qualities of happy remarriages as identified by research. Like a GPS for your relationship, this book has built-in discussion questions that can help you and your partner discover where you are, where you'd like to be, and how to get there. The online survey gives you a report with personalized results for your relationship. "The Smart Stepfamily Marriage is the road map to a healthy marriage."--Gary D. Chapman, PhD, author, The Five Love Languages and When Sorry Isn't Enough "Remarried or marrying again? This book is loaded with specific, useful ideas for helping your marriage reach its full potential."--Scott Stanley, PhD, author, A Lasting Promise; research professor, University of Denver "This book is a must-read for any remarried couple. It includes the tools needed to create and maintain a wonderful remarriage."--from the foreword by Evelyn Husband Thompson, widow of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband, now remarried to Bill Thompson "The Smart Stepfamily Marriage is the most up-to-date, relevant, complete guide for remarried couples--I know of no other resource like it."--Francesca Adler-Baeder, PhD, professor and director, Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Auburn University; director, National Stepfamily Resource Center "This book will help you thrive in your marriage and beat the odds of divorce. The preventative information is the best I have ever seen, and the practical application covers it all. I have put The Smart Stepfamily Marriage at the top of my resource library for couples who find themselves in this beautiful and yet challenging world of remarriage."--Jim Burns, PhD, president, HomeWord, author of Creating an Intimate Marriage, Confident Parenting, and The Purity Code "Remarriages have unique challenges and different relational needs than first marriages. Based on a national study of 50,000 couples, this book is a wonderful resource for remarriage couples. Take the online Couple Checkup and get a report about your relationship, read the book, and build a relationship that lasts!"--Dr. Gary Smalley, author of The DNA of Relationships "You want a marriage that lasts forever, right? Blended family couples can beat the odds--this book will tell you how."--Dr. Dennis Rainey, president of FamilyLife, author of Stepping Up

"How to Counsel a Couple in 6 Sessions or Less" makes it easier to counsel couples over a brief period of time, but also addresses major marital issues of communication, family issues, decision making and more. This highly practical resource for pastors - or anyne in ministry - can be used with "The Marriage Checkup Questionnaire" or as a stand alone tool for quickly diagnosing problems and referring couples to a professional, as necessary.