In an increasingly global and connected world, marriages between spouses of different countries and cultures are on the rise. Marla Alupoaicei, herself wed to a Romanian, helps couples sort through such issues as food, finances, family, and such “hidden” problems as different understandings of what it means to be “on time.” Marla combines real-life stories with expert perspectives and biblical insight for a helpful guide both for those just starting out on the intercultural adventure – and those in the midst of it. You'll get practical and biblical advice for handling the most common intercultural conflicts, including: Planning your wedding Communication Understanding each other's values Different views of time Agreeing on food Managing finances Intimacy Raising children Handling illness and grief

Today we live in a world without borders, a global village. Distance no longer defines who we meet, fall in love with or marry. The Internet and e-mail connect people around the world in seconds. Immigration, study abroad, travel and multinational business have created a thriving cross-cultural community. But the experiences shared across cultures and countries do not always bridge the fundamental differences in beliefs and behaviors that span diverse cultures. In Intercultural Marriage, Dugan Romano delivers a “reality check” for anyone already in, or contemplating, an intercultural marriage. This insightful book interweaves lessons learned from others and suggests that the joys of an intercultural marriage often result from turning the challenges of crossing cultures into an opportunity for a fulfilling and lasting relationship. Now in its third edition, Intercultural Marriage examines the impact of cultural differences in marriage and offers practical guidelines on how to deal with the complexities they bring to a partnership. Covering such topics as raising bicultural children, religion, values, male vs. female roles, sex and social class, Romano continues to give voice to hundreds of couples she has interviewed and followed for over a decade.

You CAN build a strong and lasting marriage! Even if you have pre-marriage counseling with your pastor, this book is an excellent and richly rewarding experience for both of you to share! --The PublisherTo build a strong, lasting marriage Christian couples need a solid, scripturally based foundation. Called Together is an excellent resource that includes both pre- and post-marital counseling for couples considering a lifetime commitment.Working through key topics ranging from finances to parenting, Called Together encourages honesty and open communication, tackling tough issues faced by all couples in the first year of marriage.Whether you are considering marriage or remarriage or you counsel those who are, Called Together supplies down-to-earth advice and biblical wisdom on how to: Be certain that God has called you together. Interact constructively in verbal and nonverbal ways. Prepare a realistic budget. Relate sexually to your partner. Plan a God-honoring ceremony. Have a sensational honeymoon. The delicate subject of remarriage is also addressed, as well as intercultural and interracial marriages. You will receive help and hope for virtually every marital conflict or situation.Start building your everlasting marriage today!

The Seasons of Marriage Marriage life has different seasons. It doesnt matter whether you are a newlywed or have been married for years, there will definitely be times in your marriage relationship when you feel frustrated, sad, angry, irritated, or confused. On the hand, there will also be times in your marriage when you feel completely in love, bonded, connected, secure, and happy. Moments of thoughtfulness, playfulness, exploration, discovery, and quiet time together can make you feel like you are living in your own world. There is nothing good than feeling loved, like everything in your relationship is just connecting. In marriage, there are two big categories of seasons namely: internal and external. External marital seasons are those difficult situations, matters and issues of which we have absolutely no control. Internal marital problems are issues that develop from within the marriage over which both spouses have control. A successful couple understand that in order to maintain happiness and balance in their marriage, they must learn how to change their gears. When complications arise, these couples communicate, take the risk to express their feelings, listen to one another, and work TOGETHER to create a solution. Marriage is a journey with different seasons as you travel. Remember that every season is a unique adventure. Live and enjoy the season you are in and enjoy the benedictions through: Better communication More quality time together Affair preventions Lowered odds for divorce Reactivated sex life Flexibility to succeed despite conflicting differences. Finally, good and bad seasons are natural in marriage, everyone knows that. Sometimes everything is working right for you. Sometimes your marriage is facing trials, hardships and challenges. Sometimes everything seems stagnant and frozen. You must know that you can't fast-forward, rewind, or skip reasons. No season is for no reason. God brings us through every season for divine reason. The beauty of marriage is in facing the changes together as a team.

During the past fifty years, Western culture has experienced a significant shift in its overall stance regarding multiethnic marriage. As a result, more North Americans than ever marry spouses whose ethnicity (or culture) differs from theirs. This trend also is observable in Christian circles. Unfortunately, few resources exist to help multiethnic couples maneuver through the potential minefield of cultural collision. The purpose of this volume is to provide such a resource. Equally Yoked examines the subject of multiethnic marriage from a biblical perspective, before considering a history of the practice in North America over the last four centuries. Additionally, this book surveys the challenges that multiethnic Christian couples frequently encounter, and offers premarital counseling propositions that will prove valuable to both counselors and couples who originate from diverse backgrounds.

This essential volume examines the institution of mixed marriages in different global locations, cultures, and social climates. Readers will explore the trends of mixed marriage, the factors that influence the prevalence of mixed marriage, barriers to mixed marriage, and some consequences of mixed marriage. Essays cycle through several world locations, exposing readers to culturally based issues or stories of mixed marriage. England, Canada, Malaysia, Japan, Ireland, India, Bosnia, Serbia, Russia, and United Arab Emirates are just a few of the locations that essays explore.

Keeping in mind that interracial and interethnic marriages have increased steadily for the past forty years, this book offers guiding principles for dealing pastorally with the challenge of making sacramental unions culturally and generationally relevant for today's church.

In Our Own Words takes the unique approach of using student writing as a resource for writing instruction and idea development. The defining characteristic of this unique high-intermediate to advanced writing text is the use of non-native student writing to teach writing. This feature makes the text easily accessible to and popular with students. The third edition features 15 new readings by student writers, five new readings by professional writers, updated writing topics, Internet activities to support the writing process, and contextualized revising and editing activities.

Well known as an abolitionist stronghold before the Civil War, Massachusetts had taken steps to eliminate slavery as early as the 1780s. Nevertheless, a powerful racial caste system still held sway, reinforced by a law prohibiting “amalgamation”—marriage between whites and blacks. The Fight for Interracial Marriage Rights in Antebellum Massachusetts chronicles a grassroots movement to overturn the state’s ban on interracial unions. Assembling information from court and church records, family histories, and popular literature, Amber D. Moulton recreates an unlikely collaboration of reformers who sought to rectify what, in the eyes of the state’s antislavery constituency, appeared to be an indefensible injustice. Initially, activists argued that the ban provided a legal foundation for white supremacy in Massachusetts. But laws that enforced racial hierarchy remained popular even in Northern states, and the movement gained little traction. To attract broader support, the reformers recalibrated their arguments along moral lines, insisting that the prohibition on interracial unions weakened the basis of all marriage, by encouraging promiscuity, prostitution, and illegitimacy. Through trial and error, reform leaders shaped an appeal that ultimately drew in Garrisonian abolitionists, equal rights activists, antislavery evangelicals, moral reformers, and Yankee legislators, all working to legalize interracial marriage. This pre–Civil War effort to overturn Massachusetts’ antimiscegenation law was not a political aberration but a crucial chapter in the deep history of the African American struggle for equal rights, on a continuum with the civil rights movement over a century later.