Gary D Chapman - The Five Love Languages Singles Edition

MANY STRANDS of influence have intertwined to produce this book. First, I was greatly influenced by those singles who read my original Five Love Languages book for married couples and encouraged me to write a sequel for singles. Without their encouragement I would never have begun the journey.

The second strand of influence was the scores of singles who shared with me their encounters with love, or the lack of love, which shaped their lives. Their stories keep this book from being an academic treatise. I have wept and danced with them, and I hope the reader will experience both the pain and the excitement of love. All names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals, but their stories are true.

The words and paragraphs were keyboarded by Tricia Kube and Martha Jones. Tricia has been my administrative assistant for more than twenty years, and Martha has been my valuable part-time assistant. Kay Tatum was the computer guru who pulled all the technical strands together and wove the individual chapters into a manuscript. Without the help of these three dedicated ladies, the words of this book would still be rolling around in my head.

Shannon Warden has served as my research assistant. She spent numerous hours interviewing singles and helping me weave their stories into the fabric of the five love language mosaic. She also produced the love language profile found in the conclusion of the book. I deeply appreciate her contribution.

The Moody Publishers team has done their usual job of encouraging me in the project. Randall Payleitner and Jim Vincent assisted me greatly in their editorial suggestions. Greg Thornton and Bill Thrasher believed in the project from the beginning and encouraged me to take the five love languages message to singles. The entire publishing team is committed to helping singles have loving relationships. Their personal interest in the book has motivated me to keep weaving the strands.

As always, my wife, Karolyn, has been supportive of this project. She has worked with me through the years as we have sought to develop friendships with singles. Our lives have been greatly enriched from these relationships. It is our hope that this book will encourage singles to pursue love above all else, knowing that to pursue love is to pursue God.

MORE THAN FIFTEEN years ago I wrote The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate. The response has been far more than I ever anticipated: Total sales are now nearly five million copies. Each year the book has sold more copies than the year before. The Five Love Languages has been translated into forty-two languages around the world.

I have been asked on many occasions to explain its phenomenal success. The only answer I have is that its message focuses on our deepest emotional need: the need to feel loved. For married couples, it provides the insights and practical tools for keeping emotional love alive in a marriage. Thousands of couples have indicated that the idea of the five love languages brought new life to their marriage.

Because the book was written specifically to married couples, I did not anticipate that numerous single adults would also read it. I often encounter single adults like Jill, who said, I know you wrote The Five Love Languages for married couples, but I want you to know that it has greatly helped me in all of my relationships. I meet singles like Robert, a senior in college, who told me, I never understood my roommate until I read your book. Youve got to write a version of The Five Love Languages for single adults. And so, my motivation for writing this edition comes from the many, many single adults who have expressed these same needs and desires.

Though my writing and counseling have focused primarily on marriage and family, I continually find myself right in the middle of a culture alive with single adults. Quite a few years ago, I started a single-adult ministry in the church that I attend and where I have served as a counselor for over thirty years. For nine years I immersed myself in the joys and struggles of single adults. We did all kinds of fun stuff together, living life alongside one another. Some of the small groups were focused more on growth for people who were doing well and we had support groups for those who were going through more difficult times. It was during these times of growth and support that I was able to spend hundreds of hours in individual counseling with single adults who faced an array of emotional and relational issues. That ministry is still a thriving part of our church family today.