Book picks similar to
Happily: 8 Commitments of Couples Who Laugh, Love & Last by Kevin A. Thompson
marriage
nonfiction
relationships
parenting
Couples That Work: How To Thrive in Love and at Work
Jennifer Petriglieri - 2019
Balancing the demands of your career and your partner's while trying to nourish a relationship and family can be tough - but it doesn't have to be.In Couples That Work, Professor Jennifer Petriglieri reveals how all couples can thrive in work and love at the same time. Petriglieri has spent the last five years studying over a hundred couples in a variety of roles and types of relationships from all over the world. Drawing on this research, Petriglieri highlights the three distinct yet predictable developmental stages that all couples go through and offers practical guidance in the form of questions, exercises and activities that couples can use to overcome the most pressing challenges they face.From couples in their mid-20s to those in their mid-60s, from heterosexual couples to same-sex couples, from high flyers to steady careerists, and from those based in the US, to those in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, Couples That Work holds something of interest to all couples in which both members are committed to their careers and to each other.Couples That Work provides two-career couples with all the insight and tools they need to have it all and thrive in work and love.
The Fixed Stars
Molly Wizenberg - 2020
Married to a man for nearly a decade and mother to a toddler, Wizenberg tried to return to her life as she knew it, but something inside her had changed irredeemably. Instead, she would discover that the trajectory of our lives is rarely as smooth or as logical as we’d like to believe. Like many of us, Wizenberg had long understood sexual orientation as a stable part of ourselves: we’re “born this way.” Suddenly she realized that her story was more complicated. Who was she, she wondered, if something at her very core could change so radically? The Fixed Stars is a taut, electrifying memoir exploring timely and timeless questions about desire, identity, and the limits and possibilities of family. In honest and searing prose, Wizenberg forges a new path: through the murk of separation and divorce, coming out to family and friends, learning to co-parent a young child, and realizing a new vision of love. The result is a frank and moving story about letting go of rigid definitions and ideals that no longer fit, and learning instead who we really are.
The Four Man Plan: A Romantic Science
Cindy Lu - 2007
For years, she dated one wrong guy after another until she decided to use her math skills to fix her romantic life. The result is The Four Man Plan--a brilliant system for finding love that combines the certainties of math and human behavior into a sure-fire formula for finding Mr. Right. The secret? Always be dating four men at any given time. "But I can't find one man, let alone four!" Fear not. Lu gives you everything you need to round up the candidates and assess how they measure up. Based on a carefully developed system of postulates and practices--including the "Disney Theorem" and the "Wait for Sex Index"--her step-by-step process takes the guesswork and heartache out of dating and lets men compete for your affections while you enjoy the ride. The result is a Dating Revolution where women protect each other and take charge of their love lives; where men rediscover the joys of chivalry; and where you end up with the ultimate prize: One man to save your seat, rub your feet, and grill your meat into happily ever after.
Loving My Actual Christmas: An Experiment in Relishing the Season
Alexandra Kuykendall - 2017
An annual marker for many, it is a holiday that can often remind us how life is not going as we'd planned. Our family relationships remain strained, our finances stretched, and our schedules stuffed with too much to do in too little time. Following the formula of her successful Loving My Actual Life, Alexandra Kuykendall shares with readers her own personal experiment to be completely present in her life as it is during the holiday season. Addressing the themes of Advent and Christmas, she reflects on hope, love, joy, peace, and relishing the season, with practical pullouts on common Christmas stressors, such as finances, schedules, and extended family. Kuykendall's signature candor helps women go easy on themselves, remember what truly matters, and find joy in their imperfect Christmases.
31 Days to a Happy Husband: What a Man Needs Most from His Wife
Arlene Pellicane - 2012
Based on their answers, Pellicane identified five keys that will give wives a new appreciation and understanding of how to love and care for their mates.Domestic tranquility—A husband needs a peaceful haven.Respect—A husband needs to be honored in his home.Eros—A husband needs a fulfilling sex life.Attraction—A husband needs to be attracted to his wife.Mutual activities—A husband needs to have fun with his wife.Along with identifying a husband’s needs, Pellicane provides practical instruction to motivate and equip wives to show their husbands the care and affection they long for. Every day a wife is either building her husband up or tearing him down. This book offers wives a 31-day, no holding back, life-changing building program for their marriages.
The Second Mountain
David Brooks - 2019
Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose.In short, this book is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it’s also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme—and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives.
5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great
Terri L. Orbuch - 2009
If you’re feeling your good marriage is starting to show a little wear, zero in on those imperfections, right? WRONG! Focus on what’s going well! Enhance the good aspects of your marriage and build on the solid foundation you already have. Dr. Orbuch debunks many common marriage myths and you’ll find out who needs more compliments—men or women. Who falls in love faster—women or men? With engaging quizzes and checklists; easy-to-use tips; and new takeaways on compatibility, fighting fair, and relationship ruts, 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great will give you perfect ways to say “I love you” and show you how to reignite the passion in your relationship. You’ll find out why it’s okay to go to bed mad and why you don’t want to engage in kitchen sinking! The advice in this smart, entertaining book will help you put the excitement back in your marriage in no time, and you’ll be amazed at how easy it will be. 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great is based on the findings of a groundbreaking study directed by Dr. Orbuch, and funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study—of the same 373 married couples—began in 1986 and continues today. Dr. Orbuch is a professor, a renowned therapist, and a nationally recognized relationship expert known as The Love Doctor®.
Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments
Emily Jensen - 2019
In a world of five-step lists and silver-bullet solutions to become perfect parents, mothers are burdened with mixed messages about who they are and what choices they should make. If you feel pulled between high-fives and hard words, with culture’s solutions only raising more questions, you’re not alone.But there is hope.You might think that Scripture doesn’t have much to say about the food you make for breakfast, how you view your postpartum body, or what school choice you make for your children, but a deeper look reveals that the Bible provides the framework for finding answers to your specific questions about modern motherhood.Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler help you understand and apply the gospel to common issues moms face so you can connect your Sunday morning faith to the Monday morning tantrum.Discover how closely the gospel connects with today’s motherhood. Join Emily and Laura as they walk through the redemptive story and reveal how the gospel applies to your everyday life, bringing hope, freedom, and joy in every area of motherhood.
Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity
Dimity McDowell - 2010
Of course, real achievement is a healthy mix of inspiration and perspiration, which is why the authors have grounded Run Like a Mother in a host of practical tips on shoes, training, racing, nutrition, and injuries, all designed to help women balance running with their professional and personal lives.
The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place
Andy Crouch - 2017
It's about developing wisdom, character, and courage in the way we use digital media rather than accepting technology's promises of ease, instant gratification, and the world's knowledge at our fingertips. And it's definitely not just about the kids.Drawing on in-depth original research from the Barna Group, Andy Crouch shows readers that the choices we make about technology have consequences we may never have considered. He takes readers beyond the typical questions of what, where, and when and instead challenges them to answer provocative questions like, Who do we want to be as a family? and How does our use of a particular technology move us closer or farther away from that goal? Anyone who has felt their family relationships suffer or their time slip away amid technology's distractions will find in this book a path forward to reclaiming their real life in a world of devices.
Have More Fun: How to Be Remarkable, Stop Feeling Stuck, and Start Enjoying Life
Mandy Arioto - 2019
She brings it all in this rollicking adventure of an audiobook bent on helping you do more of what makes you come alive.Have More Fun is for anyone who has forgotten that fun is an option. In a world where political dramas and cultural uncertainties churn through our news feed every day, Mandy is here to suggest that the answer to many of the most pressing questions is fun.How do I get more done? Fun.How do I parent in meaningful ways? Fun.How do I make friends? Fun.How can I find my purpose? Fun.How do I spice up my sex life? Fun.How do I adapt when things don't go as planned? Fun.How do I improve my marriage? Fun.Not to mention that choosing fun can be a spiritual discipline--a place to experience the boundless love and joy of God in everyday, surprising ways. If you have ever waited until your to-do list is finished to have fun or you can't remember the last time you really laughed, it is possible you might be taking life, work, or parenting too seriously. Weaving together science, historical trends, hilarious stories, practical ideas and spiritual truth, Mandy uncovers fresh ways to take fun seriously instead.
Ready to Wed: 12 Ways to Start a Marriage You'll Love
Greg Smalley - 2015
Dress. Cake.You’re engaged, and the checklist for the day of your dreams is a mile long. In the who, what, where, and how of planning, the why can be forgotten.Ready to Wed discusses 12 Traits of a thriving marriage and offers a variety of topics to guide and advise those preparing to say, “I do!”Learn to:
Define a vision statement unique to your marriage.
Positively engage conflict to build a foundation of trust and forgiveness.
“Leave and cleave,” even if you are a child of divorce.
Manage expectations—and your in-laws!
Navigate hot-button issues including, sex and the chore wars.
Cope with change, stress, and crisis—especially in your first year.
Build a community of support and find mentors.
Assess your progress using the Couple Checkup.
Loaded with advice, tips, and instructions, this valuable resource is ideal for soon-to-be-newlyweds and those who support them!
Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life
Kathleen Norris - 2008
Even as she struggled, Norris recognized her familiar battle with acedia. She had discovered the word in an early Church text when she was in her thirties. Having endured times of deep soul-weariness since she was a teenager, she immediately recognized that this passage described her affliction: sinking into a state of being unable to care. Fascinated by this “noonday demon,” so familiar to those in the early and medieval Church, Norris read intensively and knew she must restore this forgotten but utterly relevant and important concept to the modern world’s vernacular. Like Norris’s The Cloister Walk, Acedia & me is part memoir and part meditation. As in her Amazing Grace, here Norris explicates and demystifies a spiritual concept, exploring acedia through the geography of her life as a writer; her marriage and the challenges of commitment in the midst of grave illness; and her keen interest in the monastic tradition. Unlike her earlier books, this one features a poignant narrative throughout of Norris’s and her husband’s bouts with acedia and its clinical cousin, depression. Moreover, her analysis of acedia reveals its burden not just on individuals but on whole societies— and that the “restless boredom, frantic escapism, commitment phobia, and enervating despair that we struggle with today are the ancient demon of acedia in modern dress.”
42 Seconds, SC
Carl Medearis - 2018
This is good news for all of us. It frees us up to talk about the most important part of our lives in a way that’s natural, meaningful, and helpful instead of clumsy, awkward, and irrelevant.Anyone who has spent countless uncomfortable hours walking from house to house with a clipboard or flash cards that talk about four spiritual laws understands.Jesus’ conversations were remarkably simple. Contemporary Christian lingo has set up a dichotomy between what we call “discipleship” and “evangelism,” but the Bible doesn’t do that. Jesus had conversations all the time with those who thought they were close to God, as well as with those who deemed themselves lost and without hope. He invited all of them to come and learn from Him.42 Seconds is a simple book that uses the ordinary moments of our lives the way Jesus used the same moments in his own. The premise is straightforward: If we can learn from Jesus how to have great conversations, it will change our lives and the lives of those around us. Its four-part structure, including five short chapters per section, is for churches and small groups to engage with the practical ideas together. 42 Seconds includes discussion questions to help groups and individuals implement Jesus’ natural rhythm of interaction in their own lives.
Wife School: Where Women Learn the Secrets of Making Husbands Happy
Julie N. Gordon - 2012
It is truly life-altering."Kendall Tashie, 50, married 30 years, mother of 6, mentors women and Bible study leaderIn a private setting, sincere Christian women repeatedly reveal that after only a few years (or even months) of marriage, their Prince Charming has lost his charm. After learning the principles in Wife School, these same women find their marriages revolutionized. Affection and closeness take a quantum leap. This remarkable progress occurs because Wife School teaches women what their husbands want and need at a deep soul level, making the husband outrageously happy.This self-help marriage book is a laugh-out-loud story in which the bratty and abrasive protagonist, Jessica--who thinks her marriage is beyond repair--learns the secrets to grow a satisfying and soul-stirring marriage. Enroll now with Jessica in Wife School, and embark on a journey that will transform your marriage beyond what you can imagine."The principles in Wife School have changed my life. The wisdom and guidance have reversed the effect the world had on my marriage. Both my husband and I are truly grateful."Emily Wilson, 33, married 8 years, 2 children, mentors younger women"The principles that I have learned from Wife School have changed my marriage and therefore changed my life in unbelievable ways. I have gone from a good marriage to an exceptional marriage (that almost seemed unattainable and unrealistic). Every wife needs to read this book."Jenny Hendrix, 33, married 7 years, 5 children