Military Marriage Books

Military marriage books

Called to Serve:

Encouragement, Support, and Inspiration for Military Families

Authors: Lt. Col. Tony Monetti, Penny Monetti, Copyright @ 2011

Over 2.9 million military personnel—facing serious emotional and spiritual challenges— serve in more than 150 countries. Called to Serve professionally pinpoints the needs of the military family. Real-life stories drawn from twenty-three years of military experience offer encouragement, humor, and tools to combat relational threats from the perspective of the “Warrior” (husband) and his “Spouse.” Thirty compelling, uplifting, and encouraging chapters address the top identified military stressors affecting military personnel and their families. Each account, tied to relevant Scripture, whets the spiritual palate, encouraging the reader to seek additional encouragement from the Bible.

Fighting for Your Marriage:

Positive steps for preventing divorce and preserving a lasting love

Authors: Howard J. Markman, Scott M. Stanley, Susan L. Blumberg, Copyright @ 2001

The guide that shows you how to fight for your marriage.

This new and revised edition of Fighting for Your Marriage is based on the widely acclaimed PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program) approach. Ground-breaking studies have found that couples can use the strategies of this aproach to handle conflict more constructively, protect their happiness, and reduce the odds of breaking up. Based on twenty years of university research, this popular book will show you how to:

Talk more and fight less

Deepen and protect your friendship

Have a more intimate, sensual relationship

Keep the fun alive

Clarify and act on your priorities

Develop a vision for your future together

Fireproof (Movie):

Never leave your partner behind

www.fireproofthemovie.com

Lt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. Inside burning buildings, it's his natural instinct. In the cooling embers of his marriage, it's another story. After a decade of marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that they are ready to move on without each other. Yet as they prepare to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's dad asks his son to try an experiment: The Love Dare. While hoping The Love Dare has nothing to do with his parents' newfound faith, Caleb commits to the challenge. But can he attempt to love his wife while avoiding God's love for him? Will he be able to demonstrate love over and over again to a person that's no longer receptive to his love? Or is this just another marriage destined to go up in smoke?

God + Military Spouse:

United our families will stand

Author: Kathleen Cline, Copyright @ 2008

When the Iraq war first broke out there was ramped support for the military but as time went on personal support dwindled. Yet given the extended tour of duty, support became increasingly necessary to help women and their children get through long deployments and absences of husbands and fathers. As the wife of a Navy man, Kathleen Cline discovered that while there are many helpful books for women, there were none specifically for military wives and the particular challenges they face. During her overseas tour she also learned the importance of the Naval Chapel and the support it gives to military families. At the last three duty stations she volunteered at the Naval Chapel, teaching children church, leading womans Bible study and helping to organize VBS. Now, due to the war, the Naval Chapels focus must be on the active duty member which has left a gap of Biblical education for the family members. God + Military Spouse is the result of this need, and Kathleen Cline is qualified to offer it. From predeployment anxiety, to loneliness, depression and even temptation, God + Military Spouse is the support group manual for military wives and study groups who are serious about preserving the treasure of marriage and family.

Keys to Communication (laminated card)

Author: Bea Fishback

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Keys to Communication Card is written especially for couples in the military. Learn how the Skeleton, Front Door, and Master keys will allow you to keep the doors of communication open between you and your spouse

On the Frontline:

A Personal Guidebook for the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual

Challenges of Military Life

Author: Tom Neven, Copyright @ 2006

The struggles and temptations our service men and women encounter are unique and beyond what civilians might ever face. Written from someone who's been there, this book addresses head-on the issues prevalent in military life: loneliness, fidelity, debt, fear and much more. It's a must-read handbook with uncompromising biblical guidance that will encourage and inspire both men and women in military service.

Operation Military Family:

How to strengthen your military marriage and save your family

Author: Michael J.R. Schindler, Copyright @ 2007

Our children's well-being depends on it. Our military is fighting to preserve it. Our nation's strength is a result of it. What is it? A successful marriage.

Operation Military Family offers a unique look at how military couples strengthen their marriages despite the challenges brought on by unexpected or extended deployments. This book offers the "how-to's" on:

Establishing a pre- and post-deployment plan

Discovering the vision for your marriage

Relating to your spouse in spite of circumstances

Tapping powerful resources at little to no out-of-pocket cost

Now is the time to invest heavily in your greatest asset: your marriage.

Separate and Strong

Author: Chaplain Shawn McCammon, Copyright @ 2012

A prolonged separation will tremendously impact an entire family, but separation does not mean disintegration. Whether you find yourself at home or away, in the military or another occupation that pulls one away from home, the lessons learned within these pages are for you. There is much within the Word of God that is seemingly impossible to accomplish. But our Father promised that He would never leave our side and that what we endure is for our strength and His glory. Will you choose to trust Him? Will you put your marriage into His hands to build a more intimate relationship with Him and each other? Will you commit yourself to finishing well?

Hi, I'm Chaplain Shawn McCammon. I have the privilege of serving with our nation's military heroes and ministering to their needs. Part of this service includes times of extended separation from my family which creates unavoidable strain. Despite the negatives, my wife, Julie, and I have found hope and have experienced positive growth in our relationship as a direct result of our times apart. Sadly, this is not as common as we would like to hope. I have seen countless marriages fall apart because they do not have strategies or a battle plan in place during separations.

Separate and Strong is that battle plan. Strength can be gained not only despite hardship, but more significantly because of hardships. God has a unique, intensely powerful way of working in spouses who are separated if we allow Him to do so. The result is strength of character that will rearrange our marriages in ways that knock our socks off and glorify God!

The Survival Guide for Marriage in the Military

Author: Gene Thomas Gomulka, Copyright @ 2007

The revised edition of The Survival Guide for Marriage in the Military for dating, engaged and married military couples is an interactive work that helps couples assess their strengths and weaknesses in nine critical areas (Communication, Conflict Resolution, Finances, Sexuality, etc.). Once partners have each completed a detachable inventory, counseling insights found in the book aid couples in their discussion of certain potentially problematic statements identified in the self-grading process. The "counseling insights," based on years of counseling experience and input provided by hundreds of military couples, counselors and chaplains, are similar to the type of guidance offered to couples by counseling professionals. Reviews and couple feedback demonstrate why it is, without a doubt, the best book on the market today for dating, engaged and married personnel. Couples reunited after deployments, particularly to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, have found it particularly beneficial in their relationships. An indispensable tool for both military couples and professionals, the book aims to reduce high divorce rates, promote deeper emotional and sexual intimacy, and enhance a couple's chances for a long-lasting and happy marriage despite the challenges of life in the armed services.

The Treasure of Staying Connected for Military Couples

Author: Janel Lange, Copyright @ 2004

This book is a lifeline for couples stressed by military life, especially the lengthy separations. Short "real life" stories of couples growing through the tough times are expanded by comments from the author, a Navy wife of 25 years, who also has 25 years experience in presenting marriage enrichment programs.

The Whole Armor of Marriage

Author: Caroline Jens, Copyright @ 2010

Many military marriages and relationships suffer and fall apart because families are not prepared to handle deployment and long separations. Soldiers at war have various types of military-approved armor to protect them. However, this armor won't do any good if the soldiers aren't trained to apply it correctly, or if they don't take the time to maintain each piece. To ensure this happens, these soldiers are instilled with discipline so they don't go unprotected. Now imagine a higher level of preparation, a different type of armor. When applied, this armor is impenetrable by all things and all weapons. This fail-proof defensive weapon is spiritual armor! If we can learn how to take that discipline one step further and protect our soldiers and families spiritually, we'll have a better chance of enduring those times of separation.

The Whole Armor of Marriage will attempt to teach couples how to communicate better while apart and give them tools to make separation times easier. You will also learn to include God in your relationship which can be life-changing to a family. You and your spouse can achieve oneness with God that can bring your relationship to a whole new level. The Whole Armor of Marriage was written to help families grow stronger during deployments and extended times apart.

Within the book, you'll find valuable tools and ideas the author used when they experienced a fifteen-month deployment. During their time apart, they learned how to apply spiritual armor daily, which protected their marriage from becoming part of the divorce statistics. We all need to protect and value our marriages as priceless treasures. When you view your marriage in this light, you will want to do whatever you can, at all costs, to keep it safe. As you read The Whole Armor of Marriage, consider the daily protection you can hold onto that will keep yourself and your family secure. Whole Armor of Marriage should be read by both you and your spouse with an open heart and mind.

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Non-military marriage books back to top

Before the Last Resort:

3 simple questions to rescue your marriage

Author: George Kenworthy, Copyright @ 2008

Your marriage can be healed by answering three simple questions. Hundreds of marriages have been rescued when couples got the answers right. If you're about to give up on your marriage or know someone about to give up on his or hers, this book is for you. Learn how God can heal deep, hardcore problems whether you're ensnared in deceit, adultery, or abuse. God desires a miracle for your marriage. Before you give up, won't you answer three simple questions? Includes a “Help-Me Help-My-Friend Guide”!

Every Man's Battle:

Winning the war on sexual temptation one victory at a time

Authors: Steve Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, Copyright @ 2000

American men are in a tough position. We live in a country awash with sensual images available twenty-four hours a day on a variety of mediums: print, television, videos, internet. It is impossible to avoid such temptations, but thankfully, not impossible to rise above them. The process starts when men realize two things. First, they aren't alone. In fact, sixty-five percent of men at Promise Keepers indicated they have a problem with pornography. Second, there is help. Honest, real, life-changing help, written in a brother-to-brother style. A practical, detailed plan to help men find freedom from sexual temptation God's way. Includes a special section for women, designed to help them understand, empathize, and support the men they love. (Workbook also available)

Every Woman's Battle:

Discovering God's plan for sexual and emotional fulfillment

Author: Shannon Ethridge, Copyright @ 2003

Your sexual needs are far different from your man's. And they may be more dangerous.

When does an affair begin? Not with the first forbidden touch...but with the first

forbidden thought. Unexpectedly, you find yourself enjoying a powerful emotional

bond with another man. You feel like you matter to someone again. And the door you

thought was locked so firmly--the door to sexual infidelity--is suddenly ajar.

The only way you as a woman can survive the intense struggle for sexual integrity is

by guarding not just your body, but your mind and heart as well. Every Woman's Battle can help you learn to do that.

Using real-life stories and examples from her own struggle, Shannon Ethridge helps

women like you--whether married, engaged, or planning to marry someday--to:

understand the four unique components of female sexuality

discern the common myths that keep women standing in the line of fire

design a new defense to protect every aspect of your life

cultivate an unimaginable level of intimacy with your husband or husband-to-be

develop an affair with the one and only Lover who will truly satisfy your innermost desires: Jesus Christ

The first step in winning the struggle for sexual integrity is to wake up to the battle raging in your heart and mind. Every Woman's Battle will help you take that step--and lead you on a lifelong path to true joy and fulfillment, sexually, emotionally, and spiritually. (Workbook also available)

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage:

Unlocking the Secrets to Life, Love, and Marriage

Author: Mark Gungor, Copyright @ 2009

Based on Mark Gungor's wildly popular seminar, Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage® builds on Gungor's success with tens of thousands of couples who credit him with enriching, and even saving, their marriages. By using his unique blend of humor and tell-it-like-it-is honesty, he helps couples get along and have fun doing it.

Through exploring a variety of subjects including the myth of a "soul mate," the different ways men and women think, the conflicting levels of libido, and the necessity to forgive, Gungor proves that the key to marital bliss is not romance or destiny -- it's work and skill. Couples need to work hard at maintaining their relationship and to have the skills to pull it off. The longer spouses wait to learn these skills, the greater their chance of wanting to bail, yet Gungor makes it easy for couples to bring their relationship to the next level.

Love and Respect:

The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs

Author: Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, Copyright @ 2004

A Marriage Book with a Difference!

A Revolutionary Message: "I've been married 35 years and have not heard this taught." "This is the key that I have been missing." "A lightbulb moment." "You connected all the dots for me." "As a counselor, I have never been so excited about any material." "You're on to something huge here."

A Simple Message: A wife has one driving need -- to feel loved. When that need is met, she is happy. A husband has one driving need -- to feel respected. When that need is met, he is happy. When either of these needs isn't met, things get crazy. "Love and Respect" reveals why spouses react negatively to each other, and how they can deal with such conflict quickly, easily and biblically.

A Message That Works: Based on over three decades of counseling, as well as scientific and biblical research, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs and his wife, Sarah, have already taken the "Love and Respect" message across America and are changing the way couples talk to, think about, and treat each other.

What do you want for your marriage? Want some peace? Want to feel close? Want to feel valued? Want to experience marriage the way God intended? Then why not try some Love and Respect.

Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage:

Author: Leslie Strobel, Copyright @ 2002

Someone came between Lee and Leslie Strobel, threatening to shipwreck their marriage. No, it wasn't an old flame. It was Jesus Christ. Leslie's decision to become a follower of Jesus brought heated opposition from her skeptical husband. They began to experience conflict over a variety of issues, from finances to child-rearing. But over time, Leslie learned how to survive a spiritual mismatch. Today they're both Christians--and they want you to know that there is hope if you're a Christian married to a nonbeliever.

In their intensely personal and practical book, they reveal:

Surprising insights into the thinking of non-Christian spouses

A dozen steps toward making the most of your mismatched marriage

Eight principles for reaching out to your partner with the gospel

Advice for raising your children in a spiritually mismatched home

How to pray for your spouse--plus a 30-day guide to get you started

What to do if you're both Christians but one lags behind spiritually

Advice for single Christians to avoid the pain of a mismatch

The Enticement of the Forbidden:

Protecting your marriage

Author: Judy Starr, Copyright @ 2004

Broken vows and shattered relationships: It’s epidemic. Yet few believe they’ll ever become involved in an affair. But in a world obsessed with sex, the spiritual and physical integrity required to maintain New Testament moral purity requires uncommon intimacy with God. Here those seeking to avoid becoming the next painful statistic will find genuine help.

Discover God’s ideal for intimacy

Form and sustain the bond of love

Affair-proof your mind and heart

Enticement of the Forbidden tackles infidelity—head on. Sharing honestly from her personal experience, Judy Starr brings hope to those who have slipped. For all women seeking purity of heart, mind and soul she reveals the secret to sustained purity through the power of God. Everyone who discovers this power source will cherish an abundant harvest of fruit growing from…

Confronting temptation

Maintaining spiritual intimacy

Protecting moral purity God’s way

Guarding the mind from crossing that invisible line

The Five Love Languages:

How to express heartfelt commitment to your mate

Author: Gary Chapman, Copyright @ 1995

Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? People express and receive love in different ways. Dr. Gary Chapman identifies these as the five languages of love: quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, physical touch. If you express love in a way your spouse doesn't understand, he or she won't realize you've expressed your love at all. The problem is that you're speaking two different languages. Perhaps your husband needs to hear encouraging words, but you feel cooking a nice dinner will cheer him up. When he still feels down, you're puzzled. Or, maybe your wife craves time with you--time away from the kids and television. The flowers that you gave her just don't communicate that you care.

In this new edition of The Five Love Languages, you will find a couples guide to help you work as a team. Before you know it, you'll learn to speak and understand the unique languages of love and effectively express your love as well as feel truly loved in return.

The Love Dare

Authors: Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick , Copyright @ 2008

Too many marriages end when someone says "I've fallen out of love with you" or "I don't love you anymore." The Love Dare discusses how these statements reveal a lack of understanding about the fundamental nature of true love.

As featured in the popular new movie Fireproof, The Love Dare is a 40-day guided devotional experience that will lead your heart back to truly loving your spouse while learning more about the design, nature, and source of true love. Each reading includes Scripture, a statement of principle, the day's "dare," and a journaling area and check box to chart progress.

Dare to take The Love Dare, and see your marriage change forever. Click here for the The 40 Days of Deployment Dare from www.ExcellentOrPraiseworthy.org.

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Military marriage Bible studies back to top

Defending the Military Marriage:

Homebuilders Couples

Authors: Jim Fishback and Bea Fishback, Copyright @ 2004

Lt. Col. Jim Fishback and wife Bea discuss Defending the Military Marriage. A small group study designed to help military couples build a solid marriage. Covers items such as communicating, basic training, sexual accountability and love.

Enhancing Your Marriage:

A Woman's Bible Study

Author: Judy Rossi, Copyright @ 2004

Being in a love-relationship with Jesus Christ can't help but influence our love-relationship with our spouses. Jesus will see to that. He calls us to Himself and lovingly begins to retool our souls. And much of the work takes place in the workshop of our marriages. Enhancing Your Marriage: A Women's Bible Study will challenge you to follow God in your marriage, to let Him have full access to your life, to permit Him to re-tool your role as your husband's wife in accordance with His truth, all the while shaping you into the image of His Son. He will challenge you in every area of your marriage: love, respect, attitude, commitment, friendship, sex, romance, communication, prayer. And whether you study this book on your own or with a group, you will learn to enjoy and maximize the perks of your marriage while gaining a new freedom and confidence to address the problems of your marriage. Your relationship with your husband will become a purposeful adventure! (Not specifically a military Bible study, however, I have included it as Judy Rossi is the wife of a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army.)

God + Military Spouse:

United our families will stand

Author: Kathleen Cline, Copyright @ 2008

Loving Your Military Man

Author: Bea Fishback, Copyright @ 2007

A small-group study designed to help military wives love their husbands.

From her first day in Seoul, Korea, author Bea Fishback quickly discovered the fairy tale marriage she expected was indeed just a fairy tale. Her Prince Charming, an Army officer, would regularly disappear for field maneuvers and TDYs. As a result of this and other pressures, they found themselves approaching a marital impasse and ultimately isolation.

Bea began to overcome this isolation by applying the advice Paul gives in Philippians 4:8 to focus on whatever is true, honorable, righteous, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise. In this ten-part study, she encourages military wives to love their husbands in this way. Bea shows how to help build lifelong marriages that leave strong, stable legacies for their children and grandchildren.

Making Your Marriage Deployment Ready

Homebuilders Couples

Authors: Mike and Linda Montgomery and Keith and Sharon Morgan, Copyright @ 2008

Divorce rates among military families are at epidemic proportions with repeated deployments and the normal challenges of military life taking their toll. The most vulnerable victims of family stress are military children. Many of the solutions to family unity are spiritual in nature. Making Your Marriage Deployment Ready is an important part of a ministry to establish Hope on the Home Front and give families the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Making Your Marriage Deployment Ready uses time tested marriage principles and prepares military couples with the necessary tools to counter deployment challenges and bring hope and victory to active duty, Guard and Reserve families. It is the definitive small group Bible study for preparing a couple to live victoriously despite the stresses of deployments and today’s demanding military lifestyle.

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