How Can I Be Sure?: Questions to Ask Before You Get Married [Paperback]

Bob Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

To be like-minded is to be truly together. How Can I Be Sure? is a helpful tool for assisting any couple to explore one another’s minds and find areas of agreement and a basis for resolving disagreements.
                                                     Dr. Henry Brandt

This manual will prove a vital tool to any counselor.
                                                     Tim LaHaye

Now better than ever! For more than 20 years this proven premarriage guide (over 100,000 sold) has helped couples engage in meaningful discussion about vital marriage issues. Freshly updated to more accurately reflect the concerns of today, this workbook asks couples to respond to insightful questions about everything from their communication patterns to their sexual desires, and from their family histories to their future dreams.

Can be used by couples on their own or in conjunction with a counselor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 141 pages
• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers; Updated edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736900381
• ISBN-13: 978-0736900386
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #695,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok if you're a practicing Christian, May 27, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Can I Be Sure?: Questions to Ask Before You Get Married (Paperback)

This book is thorough in terms of covering issues related to married life, but does focus on religious issues and encourages the reading of many Bible passages as part of the questions and homework. If you're any religion other than Christian or atheist/agnostic you might have a problem with this. You could just ignore those parts of the book, but it just made me annoyed. Good format with space to write your answers right in the book.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Still Sure, May 28, 2004

By 

"[e-mail]" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Can I Be Sure?: Questions to Ask Before You Get Married (Paperback)

In 1989, my fiance and I purchased this book. He had not yet proposed, but we knew our relationship was heading in that direction. We wanted this to be the marriage that lasted the rest of our lives, so we did everything we could to learn how to be successful in marriage. Divorce was not an option.

We went through the book one chapter at a time. He had a copy, and I had a copy. We worked through the pages separately, and wrote down any concerns or questions we had for the other. We then met and discussed our answers to the questions in the book.

After our engagement was official, we went to our church for pre-marital counseling. We handed our pastor the workbooks at the first meeting. He was absolutely astounded that we had gone through so much effort before the engagement. We were able to identify the problems that would likely come up in our marriage (mother-in-law mostly!). Indeed, by discussing the issues ahead of time, we weren't surprised when certain things happened.

We are still married, happily, I might add, 15 years later. I have given this book to couples that I think are heading toward marriage. I have also purchased books for my children and their future intendeds. My children are still young, so they are tucked away until needed.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HIGHLY recommended for those looking towards marriage!, April 5, 2001

By 

"christiangal" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Can I Be Sure?: Questions to Ask Before You Get Married (Paperback)

This book is (as the title suggests) full of thoughtful questions that can assist any couple in their journey towards marriage. It is broken into topical chapters, such as finances, communication, family, backgrounds, etc. All of the questions are formulated to challenge you and your significant other to think about things that most couples don't think about until after they have walked down the aisle together and have returned from the honeymoon. It is then that they discover that their expectations for married life were so very different from those of their spouse. They find that little arguements have surfaced over stupid things!! It doesn't matter if you are engaged or just dating, anytime is helpful to go through this book! It really addresses a lot of current and future issues that may lead to some frustrating misunderstandings. This book helps you and your partner get on the same page about some very important issues and decisions that you will face. (Talk about them NOW, before they become stresses in the relationship and build distance between you!) If, after going through this book together, some questions arise as to whether you are compatible or not I would really consider the cost of compromising on those important issues! Many people go into marriage blindly, without thinking about simple things like their expectations of their spouse and their desires inside of a marriage. Everyone's expectations are different!!! PLEASE, ASK THESE QUESTIONS!! Obviously, they do not guarantee a "happily ever after" marriage, but they do help you make a more informed decision! (And make things easier when they do come up because you've already talked about them together!) I am going through this with my boyfriend and it has helped us understand each other and get to know each other so much better!