Marriage and Family Bundle, L (25 vols.)

There is no higher calling than to teach your child about God and his Word. Kathie Reimer has written the ultimate guide in 1001 Ways to Introduce Your Child to the Bible. Included is a brief synopsis of each book of the Bible and the major people, places, stories, and Scriptures from each book. Added to that are hundreds of activities to make learning fun and informative. Each chapter closes with a devotional thought for parents and teachers. With tips for adults and 1001 fun learning activities for children, this book is an invaluable resource for helping children hide God’s Word in their heart.

Zan Tyler passionately believes that God has appointed the home as a place where true education occurs and where learning best flourishes. Her in-the-trenches experience as a home school mother and advocate clearly show that children raised with a strong Christian worldview are well-equipped to become outstanding citizens, professionals, and more. In 7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child’s Potential, Zan presents a key list of biblical principles that parents can readily engage as they seek to raise dynamic and successful children who love the Lord and one another.

In Better Love Now, best-selling author Tommy Nelson helps husbands and wives in any season of marriage improve the state of their sacred union by addressing these six areas:

• Priorities
• Communication
• Life Together
• Family Life
• Respect
• Sex

With wisdom and necessary frankness, he guides men and women through each topic, looking closely and candidly at the expectations and assumptions they both bring into their marriage. Together in this less vulnerable setting, couples can put any issue that might need improvement on the table, begin to better understand one another, and soon achieve escalated romance and relationship rewards. Your marriage was made to be a lifelong love affair. Take a step toward better love now!

This book was written with one purpose in mind: to give a rational explanation to one of life’s great mysteries, which is, why men do the (annoying) things they do. You will learn why men daydream while driving, forget people’s names, have selective hearing, dominate the remote control, and put small morsels back in the refrigerator. In its tongue-in-cheek elucidation, women will begin to understand men’s idiosyncrasies. It is best to be reminded, while reading, that two of the important ingredients to a happy marriage are understanding and forgiveness. Lots of forgiveness. A special added chapter called “How to Make Your Marriage Blossom” offers practical information to truly bring your relationship to life.

Federal thinking is foreign to the modern mind. “Federal” has come to mean nothing more than centralized or big. Because our federal government has become so uncovenantal, it is not surprising that the original meaning of the word is lost. But federal thinking is the backbone of historic Protestant theology, and the Church needs to recover the covenantal understanding of federal headship. Husbands are to lead their families, taking responsibility for them as covenant heads—as federal husbands.

Reforming Marriage, by Douglas Wilson, began the discussion of covenant headship. This collection of essays, the Federal Husband, continues that discussion in greater depth, dealing with more specifics of federal husbandry.

God has much to say about sex. As the creator of sex, God understands this good gift, and he has imparted to us his plan for enjoying great sex. This book features the entire text of Song of Songs from the Holman Christian Standard Bible and is a popular, verse-by-verse treatment of God’s marriage manual. God on Sex examines popular misconceptions about marriage and sex, and it exposes their shortcomings in the light of God’s design, intention, and blessings for this vital dimension of life.

Maybe your marriage is finished—but God isn’t. Contrary as it is to God’s ideal, and hard as it is for many Christians to accept, divorce is a harsh and potentially devastating reality. What can you do as a Christian when facing your own divorce? Or how can you help someone else who’s going through one? When the Vow Breaks is a valuable resource, written by a Christian who has lived through an unwanted divorce himself.

With its extensive bibliography and other useful aids, such as sample financial settlement statements and legal correspondence, When the Vow Breaks is a must for anyone facing or recovering from the breakup of marriage.

Sooner or later, you realize it. You are getting older. But that realization is only the beginning. How you handle this reality is what’s important to making these years all they are meant to be. This is what David Petty will help you do. Aging Gracefully shares his passion to equip you with tools that can make this stage of your life all that God intends.

Petty, a retired professional gerontologist, delves into the intricacies of aging changes that affect the whole person. He encourages the philosophy of adaptation to change, using God’s good gift of human resiliency, while addressing such questions as “Why do humans age?”, “Who is a typical old person?”, and “How is it possible to enjoy, rather than to fear, growing older?” as well as financial issues. Aging Gracefully will help you seek God’s will and his kingdom even more in every stage of your life.

When it comes to parenting, it’s better to be abnormal. It’s true—because the majority of parents today have no plan for how they will raise their children. Sure, they may take childbirth classes and confer at length on paint colors for the nursery, but how much focused time do couples spend actually talking to each other about the best way to raise a child socially, spiritually, and otherwise? According to popular research, not much at all.

Parenting from Your Strengths counters that trend by getting parents on the same page, no matter where they’ve been or how old their children are now. The authors present an easy four-step plan, coupled with an amazingly accurate personality test that will begin to transform your God-given household in a way that encourages every family member. When we understand each person’s strengths and learn to value his or her differences, home life and life in general are greatly improved.

The Keefauvers believe that, in the realm of parenting, there are basic truths regarding communication, discipline, choices, being an example, family, Agape love, and blessing. The various topics within these basic truths are clarified and expounded upon within this book. Well-structured and scripturally grounded, you will learn to move from the poisons of domination, intimidation, and manipulation to the biblical truths of parenting. This book will give you the hope and the tools to “get it right” in being the kind of parent God wants you to be. You will discover how to dialogue with your children, discipline by teaching and correcting, impart blessing to your children, pray effectively for your children and label the behavior instead of your child.

“The main goal of this book,” writes Dr. William and Martha Sears, “is to help parents achieve what we believe are the three primary goals of Christian parenting: to know your child, to help your child feel right, and to lead your child to Christ.” As the parents of eight, this husband and wife team—he an acclaimed pediatrician and she a registered nurse—has extensive first-hand experience in guiding the physical, emotional, and spiritual development of children. This all-encompassing book combines a solid biblical worldview with a medical professional’s understanding of childhood and family development on topics.

Here are truths—practical, biblical, straightforward—that you can put into action, now. These vitamins for your marriage’s health counsel you to build on one another’s strengths, keep passion alive, and serve one another. Void of preachiness, each helpful chapter focuses on an important issue that you can begin to apply to your life the moment you finish reading. So, read one truth a day, together, and put it into action. Let it help you build a deeper intimacy with God and each other.

Marriage is an adventure with lots of unknowns. Every couple will have plenty of questions about how to successfully weave two lives into one. And yet, when it comes to asking questions about the most personal, intimate human relationship we’ll ever have, we often become ineffectively reserved. Why this hesitancy, even though we often desperately want answers? Revealing the nitty-gritty concerns and insecurities we have about our marriages takes a kind of vulnerability most of us fail to express. And so we continue to drift along—learning by trial and error and hoping for the best.

That’s where The Healthy Marriage Handbook comes in. Here are the answers to more than 200 confidential, personal questions that real people asked the editors of Marriage Partnership. It’s almost like having a trusted, wise couple come alongside—ready at a moment’s notice to help you safely clear the inevitable hurdles husbands and wives encounter on the road to marital happiness. The advice is time-tested, offered with compassion and understanding, and, most importantly, based on the counsel of God’s Word, the Bible. Indeed, it is only upon this rock that marriage can become what God intends.

How would you describe the spiritual aroma of your home? The source of this aroma is the relationship between husband and wife. Many can fake an attempt at keeping God’s standards in some external way. What we cannot fake is resulting, distinctive aroma of pleasure to God. Most marriage books address the mere externals of marriage, without seeking to understand the heart issues. Godly marriages proceed from an obedient heart, and the greatest desire of an obedient heart is the glory of God, not the happiness of the household.

The process of romance for unmarried Christians is about as complicated for singles today as it has ever been, perhaps even more so as behavior is no longer restrained by peer-pressure inside and outside the church. Christians are fighting against a conflicting cultural ethos; reducing the beauty of God-invented sexuality to just another entertainment option. However, lifelong marriage, though less common today, is still God’s plan for most people . . . and isn’t God’s plan the best plan?

Alex and Marni Chediak show that it is more important to become a certain type of person than it is to find a certain type of person. They offer wise guidance in how we should go about choosing a partner.

Children are a constant reminder of God’s goodness. In that light, Christian parents are called to celebrate and nurture the unique personality traits and talents of each precious one with a gracious and eternal perspective. Yet studies indicate seventy percent of teenagers from evangelical homes will drop out of church within two years after high school graduation. What the world has to offer will win their closer attention.

Parenting with Kingdom Purpose looks at Bible teaching and the recent National Study of Youth and Religion to shape a fresh approach to raising children that will cut through the chaos of modern life and bring families closer to each other and the Lord.

Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation presents in counterpoint form the four major views on how faith is cultivated in children and their respective methods of Christian education with a goal of clarifying which one is most faithful to Scripture. A prominent representative within each category writes his or her corresponding main chapter, and all contributors respond to all presented viewpoints.

Views and methods detailed here include the Contemplative-Reflective Model (cultivating a quiet, worshipful spirit), Instructional-Analytical Model (involving child evangelism and Bible memorization), Pragmatic-Participatory Model (focusing on high-energy activities, often seen in megachurches), and the Media-Driving Active-Engagement Model (using a video-based curriculum with limited teacher training).

It may not sound macho, but the world needs men who will love in ways that bring positive change to everything they touch. The Power of a Loving Man affirms both masculinity and sensitivity as part of being made in God’s image, and bravely embraces and applies the teachings found in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, helping men learn to love as God intended. As a result, families, friendships, marriages, and lives can be greatly strengthened forever.

You’ve found the life partner you’ve always dreamed of. Maybe you’ve even bought the rings, found the dress, hired a caterer, and sent out the invitation. But are you sure you’re ready for marriage? Have you done everything you can to get ready for a lifetime of love?

This guide can help you be absolutely certain. The interactive questions will encourage you and your future spouse to talk now about what you expect from each other, what you hope for as a couple, and how God intended marriage to be. Combining scriptural guidance with practical applications, Getting Ready for a Lifetime of Love encourages you to shape your marriage according to biblical values. By exploring the natural differences between the sexes and addressing important issues of intimacy from a Christian perspective, Pastor Mike Smith will help you avoid the pitfalls and perils young couples often experience, and replace them with an ever-satisfying, ever-loving marriage relationship.

Even good marriages need to be strengthened. Based on many hours of counseling women, men and couples, this practical handbook gives husbands pertinent kernels of wisdom. Using real-life examples, the authors will help you show, not just “feel,” love for your wife. Daily suggestions give you fresh, creative ways to express your love to your wife one day at a time. There are over seventy different topics, each accompanied by five specific ways to bless your wife in what you say and do. These 365 “blessings” are designed as practical applications to help meet your wife’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Do Yourself a Favor was written for men…and the women who want to know how men think. Its message is delivered with good humor and great insight and will transform your home into a vibrant and exciting place and help make your marriage come alive. This is a truly practical manual for men who want to become who God intended them to be. The author’s focus is not that you see what is completely wrong with your marriage, “but that you should want to see what’s wrong under the love and light of the Holy Spirit.”

This is the inspiring and convicting account of three eighteenth-century Christian leaders— John Wesley, George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards— all of whom were passionate about glorifying God by serving Him in their generation. They each left an enduring and fruitful legacy through their labors, and they were also married. How they did, or did not, balanced their passion for ministry with being married is the subject of this book.

This is more than just the story of three couples; it gives us contemporary lessons too, offering biblical guidelines and counsel from modern day Christian leaders. Many couples today struggle with how God views the relationship between family and ministry. This book gleans insights from these examples and gives biblical guidelines and counsel from some modern day Christian leaders too.

What is the legacy you are leaving in your marriage and ministry? Moore answers penetrating questions like:

• Which comes first: family or public ministry?
• What happens if a wife senses God’s leading in a different direction than her husband?
• What are the Biblical responsibilities of a husband and father?
• What should be a wife’s response to difficulties in ministry?
• How should a godly man treat women other than his wife?

Over the last two decades, The Pastor’s Wedding Manual has become an indispensible guide for planning and performing weddings. This updated edition recaptures the timeless suggestions of the original manual but also offers fresh ideas and contemporary suggestions. Timely issues are addressed—such as premarital interviews, wedding coordinators, and the order of the service—as well as new perspectives on traditional facets of wedding planning—rehearsals, vows, and music. Also included are entire wedding ceremonies, both traditional and contemporary, that can be edited or used in their totality.

We live in a time when marital fidelity is under assault. Driven by forces of relativism, our society assaults sexual fidelity on numerous fronts. The push for homosexual marriages, for example, comes at the end of the fall into perversion, not the beginning. Faithless husbands began the fall long ago, and our culture, with all its washed-out self-help books, fails to address the real problem—sin.

Addressed to men, Fidelity hits hard, using clear language, focusing on specific sins with specific solutions: adultery, divorce, polygamy, celibacy, pornography, and more. But in the end, the antidote to all sexual temptation is simple—the godly honoring of the marriage bed.

God calls us to follow him in every area of our lives; one of the most challenging is in the realm of our sexuality. We were beautifully, intricately created as sexual beings, but we are so quickly marred when we disregard God’s instructions. Here, two doctors sensitively address the matter within a clear biblical and medical framework.