Recommended Books on Marriage

Warning: You will need more than a book to equip your marriage for a lifetime. It is important to have content that provides the right ingredients, questions you can work through on a date night, and the counsel you need to help give you guidance in areas you may have blind spots. Get plugged into our Anchored Together ministry and you will learn the principles, get the date night questions for homework, and have access to the counsel you may need from one of our leaders or pastors.

THE MARRIAGE BUILDER: Creating True Oneness to Transform Your Marriage

by Dr. Larry Crabb | Amazon

Bestselling author Larry Crabb cuts to the heart of the biblical view of marriage: the "one-flesh" relationship. He argues convincingly that the deepest needs of human personality—security and significance—ultimately cannot be satisfied by a marriage partner. We need to turn to the Lord, rather than our spouse, to satisfy our needs. This frees both partners for "soul oneness," a commitment to minister to our spouse's needs rather than manipulating them to meet our own needs. With "soul oneness" comes renewed "body oneness," where couples enjoy sexual pleasure as an expression and outgrowth of a personal relationship.

The Marriage Builder also identifies three building blocks essential to constructing marriage: the grace of God, true marriage commitment, and acceptance of one's mate. Discussion questions are included to aid couples who want to dig into it and apply the principles to their own lives and marriages. The Marriage Builder is for anyone who longs to transform marriage from trial to triumph.

MARRIAGE MATTERS: Extraordinary Change Through Ordinary Moments

by Winston T. Smith | Amazon

Winston T. Smith, drawing on his extensive experience as a marriage counselor, offers a simple yet powerful prescription for changing your marriage. He shows how examining the everyday disappointments and irritations in your marriage will help you understand yourself, your spouse, and your need for God's love. Change begins with seeing day-to-day interactions from a different perspective, taking simple steps to love one another more effectively, and then learning how to take those steps over and over again. Interactions that used to devolve into pointless annoyances and fights can become an opportunity for God's activity and love to become increasingly evident and powerful.

The principles in this book will take your marriage to extraordinary places and lead you into a deeper relationship with an extraordinary God. Don't settle for an ordinary marriage, learn to live out God's extraordinary love in your most intimate relationship.

MARRIAGE - Its Foundation, Theology, and Mission in a Changing World.

by Curt Hamner, John Trent, Becky Byrd, Eric L. Johnson | Amazon

Never has the sacred covenant of marriage been more maligned than it is today.

It can be difficult to know how to respond to a culture that is becoming more and more antagonistic to biblical beliefs about marriage. And this is a topic worth getting right. Marriage was given to us as a picture of the triune God in relationship with his people, which means what we believe about marriage is indissolubly tied to what we believe about God and his creating and saving purposes. Therefore, it is more important now than ever that we think theologically and carefully about what marriage is and how we live faithfully in it.

Marriage: Its Foundation, Theology, and Mission in a Changing World is the much-needed work on marriage for this generation and the next. Rooted in a scriptural understanding of marriage, it thoughtfully engages the issues surrounding marriage being debated today and lays the groundwork for the crucial conversations of our day. Each section contains chapters from trusted theologians as well as experienced practitioners who work with couples daily. Rediscover the beauty of God’s design for marriage and be strengthened to stand firm amidst any challenges the world may bring.

THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES: The Secret to Love That Lasts

by Gary Chapman | Amazon

Simple ideas, lasting love

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?

In the #1 New York Times bestseller The 5 Love Languages, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.

The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

Includes the Couple's Personal Profile assessment so you can discover your love language and that of your loved one.