Ron L. Deal - The Smart Stepfamily Marriage: Keys to Success in the Blended Family

Copyright 2010, 2015 by Ron L. Deal and David H. Olson

Previously published as The Remarriage Checkup

Published by Bethany House Publishers

11400 Hampshire Avenue South

Bloomington, Minnesota 55438

www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of

Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

www . bakerpublishinggroup . com

Ebook edition created 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4412-6633-0

The poem In Everyones Life... by Susan Staszewski is from the Blue Mountain Arts book Love Isnt Always Easy. Copyright 2001 by Blue Mountain Arts, Inc. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

Scripture quotations identified T HE M ESSAGE are from The Message (a Bible paraphrase). Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

The authors are represented by MacGregor Literary, Inc.

Cover design by Eric Walljasper

This book will help you thrive in your marriage and beat the odds of divorce. The preventative information is the best I have ever seen, and the practical application covers it all. I have put The Smart Stepfamily Marriage at the top of my resource library for couples who find themselves in this beautiful and yet challenging world of remarriage.

Jim Burns, PhD, President, HomeWord, Author of Creating an Intimate Marriage, Confident Parenting, and The Purity Code

This book is a must-read for any remarried couple. It includes the tools needed to create and maintain a wonderful remarriage.

From the foreword by Evelyn Husband Thompson,Widow of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband, now remarried to Bill Thompson

With the high divorce rate among second and third marriages, this book is long overdue. Ron Deal and David Olson have done their homework, and what they have learned can help you beat the odds. It will take time and effort, but The Smart Stepfamily Marriage is the road map to a healthy marriage.

Gary D. Chapman, PhD, Author of The Five Love Languages and When Sorry Isnt Enough

Remarried or marrying again? Ron Deal and David Olson have a gift for you. This book is loaded with specific, useful ideas for helping your marriage reach its full potential. Using a combination of built-in assessment tools (and online tools if you want to go deeper), they will help you identify where you are at right now in your relationship. Drawing on surveys with 50,000 remarital couples, you will pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses and develop a realistic plan for having lasting love and joy in your marriage.

Scott Stanley, PhD, Author of A Lasting Promise: The Christian Guide to Fighting for Your Marriage, Research Professor, University of Denver

Remarriages have unique challenges and different relational needs than first marriages. Based on a national study of 50,000 couples, this book is a wonderful resource for remarriage couples. Take the online Couple Checkup and get a report about your relationship, read the book, and build a relationship that lasts!

Dr. Gary Smalley, Author of The DNA of Relationships

The passion that Ron and David have for strengthening remarried couples is evident throughout this wonderfully crafted and easy-to-navigate tool. From the first page, you are drawn in and feel a sense of excitement and hopefulness. You are encouraged to be proactive and intentional about growing a strong, nurturing couple relationship and family. The recommendations are incredibly comprehensive and practical and are based on sound evidence from research on remarried couples. The Smart Stepfamily Marriage is the most up-to-date, relevant, complete guide for remarried couplesI know of no other resource like it. You will be educated, enlightened, and inspired.

Francesca Adler-Baeder, PhD, Professor and Director, Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Auburn University, Director, National Stepfamily Resource Center

You want a marriage that lasts forever, right? Blended family couples can beat the oddsthis book will tell you how.

Dr. Dennis Rainey, President of FamilyLife, Author of Stepping Up

To all couples willing to risk again:
Love like you have nothing to lose.