No one leaves the wedding chapel anticipating the divorce court. Somehow it just happens. This book is about creating faith communities as "hot houses" where healthy marriages naturally grow in the rich soil of thriving relationships. Editable resources available via email.

Is something missing in your life? Lysa TerKeurst knows what it’s like to consider God just another thing on her to-do list. For years she went through the motions of a Christian life: Go to church. Pray. Be nice. She longed for a deeper connection between what she knew in her head and her everyday reality, and she wanted to personally experience God’s presence. Drawing from her own remarkable story of step-by-step faith, Lysa invites you to uncover the spiritually exciting life for which we all yearn. With her trademark wit and spiritual wisdom, Lysa will help you: Learn how to make a Bible passage come alive in your devotional time. Replace doubt, regret, and envy with truth, confidence, and praise. Stop the unhealthy cycles of striving and truly learn to love who you are and what you’ve been given. Discover how to have inner peace and security in any situation. Sense God responding to your prayers. The adventure God has in store for your life just might blow you away.

The four sovereign Indian Ocean states of Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles, the two French overseas departments of Mayotte and Reunion, as well as the British colony of BIOT (Chagos), all form part of Africa. As insular nations and territories in an increasingly globalized, militarized and largely unregulated ocean, they face particular challenges. Commonly overlooked in the fields of African and international studies, this text traces the islands’ history and explores their diverse contemporary social, political and economic trajectories. From human settlement and slavery to conflict resolution and piracy, the relations with continental Africa and the African Union feature prominently. Richly sourced, this comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to Africa’s Indian Ocean islands covers a significant lacuna.

Your emotions are soaring with the thrill of new love, exciting dreams, and a growing anticipation of one of the biggest events of your life. This is a time to enjoy. But it?

Generous Justice - Keller explores a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace. The Meaning of Marriage - co-authored with his wife, Kathy, Keller turns his attention to that most complex of matters: our need for love, and its expression in marriage. Every Good Endeavour - Keller argues that God's plan is radically more ambitious than work being a means to and end: he actually created us to work. Preaching - known for his insightful, down-to-earth sermons and talks, Keller helps people understand themselves, encounter Jesus and apply the Bible to their lives.

Prepare Yourself for Lasting Love You’ve searched a lifetime for that special person, but how can you be absolutely certain that you’ve found “The One”? And more important, how can you hold on to that love for the rest of your life? More Than a Match explores the “compatibility factor,” demystifying the science behind matchmaking and giving you the tools you need to find the love you want. You’ll learn how to apply the specifics of good compatibility to a prospective date or mate, as well as how to break things off when you find yourself in the wrong relationship. But since great relationships aren’t built on compatibility alone, marriage experts Michael and Amy Smalley also delve into the “forever factor,” giving you the skills you need to turn your romance into a lifelong love affair. You’ll learn how to deal with conflict, how to develop a healthy sex life, and how to recover when you inevitably hurt one another. Fantastic marriages begin long before the exchange of the rings; they start when two people in search of love commit themselves to learning to how to love well…and forever. Because finding and keeping the love of your life is about much More Than a Match.

The wedding day is just one day in the life of a couple. But God's design is for marriage to last a lifetime. So how can someone know that the person they're with is the one they can truly build a life with--especially when so few marriages around them work? Pastor Scott Kedersha has worked with more than 5,000 premarital couples to prepare them for the biggest decision of their lives. In Ready or Knot? he offers practical and Christ-centered guidance for couples for all of the days after the wedding day. Through authentic stories from real couples about the decisions they made (or wish they'd made), Scott asks the hard questions so his readers can break free from the watered-down Hollywood version of marriage and build their lives together on the right foundation--the unchanging Word of God.

In the close-knit Amish community of Wells Landing, Oklahoma, a women’s quilting circle welcomes a new member who is struggling to keep her marriage together—or let it go . . . Quiet and unassuming Tess Smiley is new to Wells Landing. She is also newly married to Jacob Smiley. But already she is finding that married life isn’t the gentle union of contented devotion she had envisioned. Rather, the old-fashioned qualities that had endeared her to Jacob have become a source of inner confusion. As his father did with his wife, Jacob has begun treating Tess like a servant, taking her for granted, no longer surprising her with little presents. And once he began his job at the Englisch shed company, he has become more interested in his company smartphone than in spending time with Tess . . . Jacob can’t see what Tess is upset about and continues his boorish ways, ignoring her pleas to attend marriage classes. Tess loves Jacob with all her heart, but it’s her heart that tells her she must take a stand. With surprising determination, she asks for help from her new community and is welcomed into the home of her friend Clara Rose and her husband Obie. Only then does Jacob begin to see how deeply his behavior has hurt Tess. But is he too late? He may be contrite, but he will need to show much more than that to win her love all over again . . . Praise for Amy Lillard “An inspirational story of romance, faith, and trust . . . will appeal to fans of Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis.” —Library Journal on Caroline’s Secret “A beautifully written romance with an adoring character. Lillard writes stories readers can relate to.” —RT Book Reviews on Just Plain Sadie

Adam North has never seen a good marriage. His friends and past boyfriends are commitment-phobic and his parents were not together long at all. After spending years jumping from job to job, he settles in NYC where he meets Jack one night at a New Years' party. Jack and Adam soon fall in love, but their relationship is far from perfect. After three years, the inevitable happens: he and Jack split -- but so do Jack's parents, David and Linda. While Adam has always harboured a small crush on his father-in-law, David, he thinks nothing can ever come of it. As Adam soon finds out, all that he previously knew of marriage -- good or bad -- has been wrong. David is a kind and gentle man, forced into a life that he was not ready for, and now that he is on his own, he longs for his own freedom. Can both men find their freedom together, and in the process, create something much better?

Preach with compassion and conviction In More than a Sermon, Douglas D. Webster highlights the prophetic and pastoral challenge of preaching today. The task is both harder and easier than we imagine, as we are called to proclaim the biblical text in a way that convicts a hostile world while encouraging our congregations to rest in Christ's love. We need preaching that both swings the hammer that breaks hard hearts yet does not break the bruised reeds in our care. Offering practical insights and examples, Webster explores what it means to preach the gospel in different seasons such as: Advent and Lent Memorial services and weddings Times of crisis or social impact More than a Sermon is a valuable resource for both new pastors and veteran preachers who want to proclaim the whole counsel of God with power and wisdom.