Solutions for Marital Problems
Hope for Your Marriage
Chapter One of the Book
Help for Relationship Blockers
John Eckenwiler has appeared twice on "The Balancing Act" on the Lifetime TV Network
John talks about his book and the 3 key elements to marital success
John answer's questions from the audience the 2nd.
SUGGESTED WEDDING READINGS
The following suggested readings are adaptations from the book. Page numbers from the book are referenced for you.
- Page 3 "Our life together is right now. Every moment of our life together is a new opportunity to be better than we were. The way we conduct ourselves defines who we really are. Some of these moments are big ones; most are small and happen often, even minute to minute. The way we rise to the occasion for each other tells the rest of the world just how special our marriage is."
- Page 5 "I will choose to use every challenge in our life together as an opportunity to grow. There will be hard times, but adversity will just make us stronger. I will believe in you and will work every day on developing a heart big enough to face any challenge that we could ever face."
- Page 10 "Being married is an incredible blessing, but it sometimes means times of pain as well. We establish right now that we will face any pain and look at ourselves honestly. The relationship we have right now is evidence that we will be able to get through anything together."
- Page 22 "King Solomon said that what we think is what we are. This means that our focus and motivation will be living for God and the happiness of the other before our own. Our relationship will be based on true character, which is capable of overcoming any challenge. When we are hurt, when we are sad, and when we are at our happiest, we will always remember who we are and set our minds on those things."
- Page 28 "We dedicate our marriage to being servants of one another, even at those times we don't feel like it. Even though feelings can go up or down, our love is far more than feelings. Our love is a decision we made long before today, and we want to announce to the world that, with God's help, nothing can change that. Giving of ourselves, and even surrendering ourselves to one another, comes from this decision, not our emotions."
- Page 44 "Knowing the our heart is the fingerprint of our soul, we will pay the price to be good marriage partners. Each one of us is a work in progress, growing and changing for the better every day. We will consciously help each other become stronger and more resilient individuals, and as we share this journey together, our marriage will also become stronger and more resilient. We will never stop learning how to laugh, how to love more unconditionally, and how to view all of life with true optimism."
- Page 80 "As we seal the bond between us in marriage, I have carefully examined my expectations of marriage. Unlike much of the culture around us, our marriage is all about wanting to be together, not needing to be together. It is all about sharing life with someone who is more special than anyone. Committing to you means that I give up all sense of entitlement. You are not responsible for my happiness - that must start within me. My love for you is pure, and will always be available to you without regard for what's in it for me."
- Page 111 "Because we are human, we are not always completely lovable. Love that is always deserved is fickle and is always changing. Our marriage goes well beyond that kind of love, and I will love you even when I receive no direct reward from it. I will try to remember the story of Jesus calming the sea when his friends had become afraid. With just a command, he made the waves stop. I will love you because God first loved me. I will continue to love you because God lives in me."
- Page 145 "I will accept you completely even if I disagree with you. I will strive to keep an accurate perspective on my own faults, and promise to learn the power of apology. I will strive to grow the heart of a servant that does not depend on your behavior. I submit myself to you unconditionally and voluntarily, knowing this will carry us through turbulent times."
- Page 177 "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. I will work at being painfully honest with myself about anything that could possible make me want to give up in marriage. I will give you the benefit of the doubt, assuming the best of you in all situations, even when you mess up. I believe that with us, nothing is impossible, no matter what happens in our lives. I will endure the hardest of times, realizing that true endurance involves a positive expectation that we can, and will, work through anything."
Order the book "Shatterproof Your Marriage" Here!
Shatterproof your Marriage - What Makes Couples Want to Give Up and How to Prevent it.
a book John Eckenwiler, LMFT- Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor LMFC
Approved
Supervisor, AAMFT, a Member of the Colorado Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and
The
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
 |
 |
© 2008 Shatterproof Your Marriage - John Eckenwiler, LMFT
Site Design & Optimization by Your Web Chick