Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Recommended Resources Before Marriage

While many in our culture might think of marriage a an endangered species, it is still clearly God's plan for most of us. Unfortunately, even Christians enter this holy union completely unprepared. Frankly, no one should be getting married these days without first going through a good premarital program like the one we offer at Christian Family Guidance Center. Such programs usually involve a thorough review of background histories, discussion of family genograms, developmental readiness assessments, personality and compatability profiling, discussion of the spiritual principles required in married life and a good summary of strength and growth areas with specific recommendations. Yes, that is a lot, but it is generally time well spent. Normally it requires meetings with both a professional marriage counselor and your pastor.

Whatever you do, don't assume marriage is simple or easy. Romance is a skip through the park, but marriage is more like an expedition. There will be passages to cross and obstacles to climb so you'd better have the right equipment at the start." (M.J Miller, 1998). Cited below are some very good materials for marriage preparation that you may find beneficial..




In order to have a good relationship you must know yourself and understand the
key aspects of healthy Godly relationships. Authors Les and Leslie Parrott have devoted their lives to helping others succeed in finding and maintaining healthy relationships.





I had the privilege of meeting Drs. Les and Leslie Parrot over ten years ago at a marriage conference in Boulder, Colorado. I was impressed by their personal commitment to Christ, their scholarship, quick wit and pragmatic, down to earth manner of communicating on the needs of married couples. This resource covers 7 critical questions that must be addressed before marriage. I have used this resource for many years in our pre-marital counseling program at Christian Family Guidance Center. Don't just let your marriage happen, learn how you can "start smart" and cultivate a lasting love. You may also want to get the workbooks that go along with this resource.


If you want to build a house that will provide a solid and safe haven for a family, you must start with a blueprint. Pastor Johnny Parker helps engaged couples understand the blueprints for a successful Christian marriage by looking at the practical requirements and materials for every room in the house God wants you to build.



This is a classic book by Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family. It not only contains valuable information for the newly married Christian couple, it makes for a beautiful gift since it is a hardcover book with nice photos and colorful illustration. This was one of the first premarital books we used at Christian Family Guidance Center.


For more information about these and other similar resources please visit:
http://www.christianfamilyguidancecenter.com/addresource_premarital.html

While we can whole-heartedly recommend these materials, just keep in mind that books and tapes can seldom take the place of a good premarital assessment and counseling program before marriage.