When Bad Things Happen To Good Marriages

No matter how good your marriage is, it's not invulnerable. Bad things happen to the best of marriages. The question isn't whether you'll face struggles as a couple, but how you'll handle them when they come. When the going gets tough, what does it take to preserve--and in the long run, even strengthen--your union? Relationship experts and award-winning authors Les and Leslie Parrott believe the same forces that can destroy a marriage can become the catalyst for new relational depth and richness--provided you make wise choices. You can even survive any of the four most heartbreaking crises a marriage can endure: infidelity, addiction, infertility, and loss. The stories and insights of couples who have made it through the worst will encourage you that your marriage is worth fighting for, not just because quitting is so devastating but because the rewards of sticking it out are so great. The Parrotts explain why every marriage starts out good but inevitably bumps into bad things. Then, drawing on their wealth of professional and personal experience as a married couple, they discuss: Three Good Things That Turn Bad for Some Couples One Bad Thing Every Marriage Can Make Better Six Bad Things That Sneak Up on Good Marriages Four Bad Things That Jolt Good Marriages to Their Core How Good Marriages Battle Bad Things In the next-to-last chapter, the Parrotts take you inside the very soul of your marriage--why it so often aches and how a vital connection with God can join your hearts together in ways you've never imagined. Designed for use with its accompanying, individual workbooks for husbands and wives, When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages could be a life saver for your relationship. It can make the difference between a marriage that founders on the shoals of circumstance and one that grows through hardship to release undreamed-of goodness and blessing in your lives.

This workbook accompanies the Parrotts' hardcover book 'When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriage's. Twenty exercises help wives work through the book.

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.

No marriage is immune to problems, but, if handled wisely and correctly, bad things can strengthen and improve a marriage. Experts Les and Leslie Parrott look at five possible reasons why good marriages bump into bad things. Includes end-of-chapter discussion questions designed to help readers pull together when life tries to pull them apart.

These workbooks -- one for the husband and one for the wife -- accompany Les and Leslie Parrott's hardcover book 'When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages'. Twenty exercises help each husband and wife work through the book.

What if God has purposed your marriage for something so much more than "happily ever after?" Since the very beginning, God's design for marriage has been for husbands and wives to be ambassadors of holy love to a hurting world. Still, too many couples stop short at happy and wonder why they feel unsatisfied. Rather than "you and me against the world," God calls each couple to the rich and meaningful mission of "you and me for the world." In Marriage After God, Aaron and Jennifer Smith, popular marriage bloggers at HusbandRevolution.com and UnveiledWife.com, transparently share their own journey of turning a marriage in crisis into a marriage built on Christ's redemptive love. With fresh biblical insight and intimate stories of their own struggles and victories, this book will guide you toward a God-centered, ministry-minded, and thriving marriage. Throughout Marriage After God, you'll learn to: Discover the signature marks of a marriage after God Find principles for building an unshakable marriage foundation Let God's story take the lead in your love story Recognize the tools God has already equipped you with for a missional life together Filled with timeless wisdom, this thorough and practical book will empower you and your spouse to dream, decide, and do as you step hand in hand into God's ultimate purpose for your marriage. God has created your remarkable, romantic, and redemptive relationship to be a powerful light to a dark and hurting world. Let Marriage After God be your invitation to marriage as God intended--a life-saving, hope-inspiring, and transforming force of God's love. Praise for Marriage After God: "This book is an incredible resource for anyone trying to grow or step into a healthier and more life-giving marriage. Aaron and Jen pull no punches; are honest, raw, and authentic; and show that a marriage in pursuit of Jesus can change the world." --Jefferson Bethke, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus > Religion "There is a short list of books I'm stashing away for my three small kiddos to read when they are older--Marriage After God is one of them. Dear couples of the world, you have picked up a treasure! This book will give you clear direction to live out God's will for your marriage. There is no greater gift you can give yourselves than to run after Him together. Marriage After God will show you how!" --Lara Casey, author of Cultivate and Make It Happen

Offers an inspirational and compassionate approach to understanding the problems of life, and argues that we should continue to believe in God's fairness.

I know of no better guide for couples who genuinely desire a maturing relationship.M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled A remarkable bookthe most incisive and persuasive I have ever read on the knotty problems of marriage relationships. Ann Roberts, former president, Rockefeller Family Fund

One of the New York Times' most popular journalists presents groundbreaking scientific news about marriage. And, surprise: It's good news. We've all heard the statistic: Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. It's enough to make many couples give up when the going gets rough, thinking that's what everybody else does. But what if it weren't true? What if, in fact, it's not only possible but often easier than you think to save a seemingly troubled relationship? These are the questions Tara Parker-Pope asked herself after her own divorce. An investigative journalist on the health and wellness beat, she turned to some of the top biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and other scientists for the facts about marriage and divorce. Those facts were more positive and provocative than she'd ever expected, and For Better offers page after page of astonishing, eye-opening good news. Parker-Pope presents the science behind why some marriages work and others don't; the biology behind why some spouses cheat and others remain faithful; the best diagnostic tools created by the most cutting-edge psychologists to assess the probability of success in getting married, staying married, or remarrying. There are questionnaires to uncover potentially damaging hidden attitudes toward spouses. There are tools to show the impact of routine, fresh activity and how small adjustments can make a huge difference. Tara Parker- Pope's genius is for exploring the science behind the big issues that affect our lives every day and translating that science into advice that we can use-every day. For Better is the definitive guide to the most profound relationship of our lives.

Captivate Your Husband All Over Again More than 250 ways to WOW your man Does your marriage need a little help in the romance department? Has it grown ho-hum in the daily routine? If so, it's time to spice up your relationship and rekindle the passion with hundreds of creative ways to show your man just how much you love him. Bestselling author and conference speaker Sharon Jaynes offers heart-stirring inspiration and simple ideas that will put a smile on your husband's face and a spark in your marriage. Get ready to... wow your guy with simple acts of affection he'll treasure for a lifetime wake up the passion that was God's idea in the first place watch your marriage grow stronger and your love grow deeper Take the 14-Day Romance Challenge— and make your husband feel like the luckiest man on earth.