The Marriage Builder

Psychologist Larry Crabb cuts to the heart of the biblical view of marriage: the "one-flesh" relationship. In The Marriage Builder, he first deals with the principles of oneness. His thesis is that the deepest needs of human personality-security and significance-ultimately cannot be satisfied by a marriage partner. It requires "turning to the Lord rather than to one's spouse," which frees both partners for "soul oneness," a "commitment to minister to the spouse's needs rather than manipulating to meet one's own needs." Differentiating between goals and desires, moreover, enables you to overcome blocked communication, faulty remedies, and past failures in restoring a meaningfully happy marriage relationship. The second part of the book presents the three building blocks essential to constructing marriage: the grace of God, true marriage committment, acceptance of one's mate, Various exercises help one understand how to build or rebuild a marriage, even when one spouse chooses not to cooperate. Helpful to counselors, The Marriage Builder is primarily designed for those seeking to change marriage from trial to triumph.