Covenant Marriage

In this new book, the bestselling author of "The Five Love Languages" shows how communication and intimacy are two of the most important aspects in developing a successful Covenant Marriage.

A new movement is spreading across America, bringing hope to existing marriages and new guidelines for marriages yet to be; and Dr. Fred Lowery, in this courageous and insightful book, shares with you the principles of the Covenant Marriage Movement. Every marriage faces storms and struggles that can lead to failure. Unexpected changes, personality conflicts, money problems, and misguided expectations can send even the best of marriages into a tailspin. But this insightful, new book provides real answers through chapters such as "The Difference between a Contract and a Covenant," "Learning How to Manage Conflict," and "What to Do When Marriage Is Not What You Expected." Covenant marriages will stand the test of time, change, and personal problems and will shine with brilliance in a world that is besieged by divorce. This book will not only impact your life, but will impact marriages for generations to come. The principles, power, and pattern for a covenant marriages will help you and your spouse stay together in your marriage for life.

Covenant marriages requiring premarital counseling and tighter strictures on divorce have recently emerged in some American states. At the same time, the doctrine of covenant has reemerged in religious circles as a common way to map the spiritual dimensions of marriage. Covenant Marriage in Comparative Perspective brings together eminent scholars from Jewish, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Islamic religious traditions as well as experts on American covenant marriage. The introduction carries out an unprecedented comparison of contract and covenant in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim understandings of marriage. The rest of the book elucidates various facets of marriage from the perspectives of both jurisprudence and religion, producing an enlightening integrated picture of the legal and spiritual dimensions of marriage.

This book explores a movement that emerged over the past fifteen years, which aims to do just that. Guided by certain politicians and religious leaders who herald marriage as a solution to a range of longstanding social problems, a handful of state governments enacted "covenant marriage" laws, which require couples to choose between a conventional and a covenant marriage. While the familiar type of union requires little effort to enter and can be terminated by either party unilaterally, covenant marriage requires premarital counseling, an agreement bound by fault-based rules or lengthy waiting periods to exit, and a legal stipulation that divorce can be granted only after the couple has received counseling.

"Rev. Raymond J. McMahon serves as pastor at Praise, Power, and Prayer Temple and principal of Praise, Power, and Prayer Christian School in Windsor, Connecticut"--Page 4 of cover

When it comes to marriage advice, do you know who to trust? All marriages can benefit from a strong and faithful role model. With so many advice-givers, though, how do you know the best to follow? In The Covenant Marriage, discover how marriage mirrors God's commitment to His people, realize a biblical picture of what a commitment to your spouse should look like, reflect on how tradition draws you to a deeper understanding of marriage, and revisit the covenant you made when you said, "I do." This study contains four sessions, each with four main components: Tilling the Ground Planting the Seed Watering the Hope Harvesting the Fruit By delving into God's covenant with His people, you will discover a trusted advisor, and a clear picture of how your marriage was divinely designed to look. "We often hear that the institution of marriage is suffering. But there is good news, too! By submitting their relationships to God and seeking out the right resources, married couples can know what it means to truly thrive. That's what Focus on the Family's Marriage Series is all about. Whether you're in a small group, a mentoring relationship, or you just want to study as a couple, this series can transform your marriage for the better."--Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family "Marriage is an amazing adventure--filled with excitement, joy, and challenges. Focus on the Family's Marriage Series examines God's gift of marriage in all of its wonderful dimensions. I consider it a privilege to be involved with this important set of relationship-strengthening resources."--Dr. Greg Smalley, Vice President, Family Ministries, Focus on the Family

Our love story began when we started dating as teenagers in December 1960. We dated for nearly eight years before we got married as graduate students in August 1968. Fast forward fifty years and we now have a great story to tell about how God moved our relationship and marriage from good to great, built to last a lifetime. It has been a very long and difficult journey, but the rewards of persistence and perseverance are heavenly. This book is about our views on marriage, based on our experience and those of numerous people around us over all these years, from courtship, to building a resilient and Christian-based relationship, raising a family, parenting, managing family-career conflict issues, building and managing family wealth, resolving conflicts, confronting and surmounting numerous challenges, dealing with external interference, and preparing for our last years. Our message to the younger couples behind us is that God can write your love story if you would let Him.