Jim Burns - Getting Ready for Marriage Workbook

GETTING READY FOR MARRIAGE WORKBOOK
Published by David C Cook
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-7814-1218-6
eISBN 978-0-7814-1284-1

2015 Jim Burns, Doug Fields
The Author is represented by and this book is published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Group, Ltd., www.wordserveliterary.com.

The Team: Ingrid Beck, Gwen Ellis, Amy Konyndyk, Carly Razo, Helen Macdonald, Karen Athen
Interior Design: Rodney Bissell
Cover Design: Nick Lee
Cover Photo: Shutterstock

First Edition 2015

JIM BURNS is the president of HomeWord and the executive director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. Jim speaks to thousands of people around the world each year. He has more than 1.5 million resources in print and a radio broadcast heard on over 800 stations daily. He, his wife, and their three daughters live in Southern California.

DOUG FIELDS is the senior director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University and the cofounder of DownloadYouthMinistry.com. Doug has been a youth and teaching pastor at Mariners Church and Saddleback Church for thirty years, and has authored more than fifty books. He is a passionate speaker, reaching thousands of leaders, teenagers, and parents every year. Doug resides with his wife and their three children in Southern California.

Visit DCCeBooks.com for more great reads.

Rave reviews from leading marriage experts, pastors, and counselors for ...

Getting Ready for Marriage

Most of us spend more time preparing for our vocations than we do preparing for marriage. Maybe that is why we are more successful in our jobs than in our marriages. Yet lifes meaning is not found in money but in relationships, and marriage is designed to be the most intimate human relationship. If you want a successful marriage, then spend time preparing. Getting Ready for Marriage is an excellent and practical tool to aid you in the process. I highly recommend it.

Gary Chapman, PhD, author of The 5 Love Languages

Before you say I do, read this book! Jim and Doug have directed scores of people in the direction of healthy, happy, vibrant marriages. They can do the same for you.

Max Lucado , pastor and New York Times bestselling author

Getting Ready for Marriage is filled with practical, biblical insights gleaned from Jim Burns and Doug Fields years of experience counseling couples. I wish every engaged couple could read through this book together before tying the knot!

Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family

I absolutely love this book! Over years of research with singles and those dating and married, Ive seen a need for a simple, compelling book like this, one that will walk a couple through the process of well getting ready for marriage! Im thrilled Jim and Doug have put this together. Everyone contemplating marriage, and everyone helping couples who want to get married, will want this outstanding resource!

Shaunti Feldhahn, social researcher and bestselling author of For Women Only and For Men Only

Ive never known which book to recommend to engaged couplesuntil now. Jim and Doug have taken their combined seventy years of marital wisdom and boiled it down to the pressing questions and practical ideas every couple needs to read.

Kara Powell, PhD, executive director of Fuller Youth Institute

Marriage is one of Gods greatest gifts. But to be fully experienced, it requires some peeks under the hood before driving it off the lot. This makes the probability of lifetime love, intimacy, and friendship much more of a reality. Jim Burns and Doug Fields have written an essential book for the premarital relationship. Highly recommended.

Dr. John Townsend, author of the bestselling Boundaries series, psychologist, and leadership consultant

We all hear that marriage is hard work and that we need to be prepared. Now Jim Burns and Doug Fields have written a book to do just thatprepare people for marriage. In their honest and witty style, they offer practical help that can guide couples as they prepare for the greatest adventure of all. I highly recommend this book and think it would make a great wedding gift!

Holly Wagner, pastor of Oasis Church and founder of GodChicks

As a pastor, Im so excited for fresh material to help couples prepare for marriage. This is a much-needed resource! I know this content is excellent because Ive seen it help young couples in our very own churchboth Doug and Jim are leaders at Mariners and are committed to helping our marriages succeed. Im so excited to have them share what theyre doing here with others around the world.

Kenton Beshore, senior pastor of Mariners Church

With about one-third of Christian marriages ending in divorce, about one-third in misery, and another one-third ranging from doing okay to great, we obviously need this book. Both Jim and Doug have shown in their personal and professional lives that they know what they are talking about. I hope a lot of churches make this required reading before marriage in their church.

Steve Arterburn, president of New Life Ministries and New York Times bestselling author

As I read through this outstanding book, I kept thinking, I wish Kay and I had this resource before we were married . Far too many of the 2.4 million couples who get married each year are not adequately prepared to make it work. I am so happy that theres a book like this where every page is filled with practical God-honoring advice.

Rick Warren, pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life

A Message to Pastors, Counselors, and Marriage Mentors

Thank you for caring so much about helping couples build strong marriages from the ground up. We applaud you for investing your time and energy in the service of others.

We also want to thank you for choosing to use this material as part of your premarital counseling. Of course, you may choose to use this resource however works best for you, but we have several suggestions for how to make the most of it.

1. Encourage the couple to read our book Getting Ready for Marriage . While it is highly suggested, its not mandatory that they read the book in order to complete the exercises in this workbook. The exercises will stand on their own without the contents from the book; however, reading the book will provide more details and context on each topic, equipping the couple to be better informed as they go through the exercises.