The Marriage You've Always Wanted [Paperback]

Gary D. Chapman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

Marriage is God’s answer for our deepest human need—companionship. And that, according to counselor and relationship expert Dr. Gary Chapman, is to have deep and lasting union with another, and to truly become one. But how can you build that oneness from the beginning?

With the expert wisdom and practical common sense that have made him a popular speaker worldwide, Dr. Chapman helps couples with such questions as: Why won’t my spouse change? What does it really mean to love someone else? How do I get him to listen to me? What if I’m the only one working at the marriage? Formerly titled Toward a Growing Marriage, Dr. Chapman covers topics like meaningful communication, expectations, and money management. Questions at the end of each chapter encourage interaction between husbands and wives. Includes an updated resource list at the end of the book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

GARY CHAPMAN is the author of the bestselling Five Love Languages series and the director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc. Gary travels the world presenting seminars, and his radio program airs on more than 400 stations. For more information, visit www.garychapman.org.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers; 1 edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802472974
• ISBN-13: 978-0802472977
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Married more than 45 years to Karolyn, Dr. Gary Chapman is just the man to turn to for help on improving or healing our most important relationships. His own life experiences, plus over thirty-five years of pastoring and marriage counseling, led him to publish his first book in the Love Language series, The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate. Millions of readers credit this continual New York Times bestseller with saving their marriages by showing them simple and practical ways to communicate their love to their partner.
Since the success of his first book, Dr. Chapman has expanded his Five Love Languages series to specifically reach out to teens, singles, men, and children (co-authored with Dr. Ross Campbell).
He is the author of numerous other books published by Moody Publishers/Northfield Publishing, including The World's Easiest Guide to Family Relationships, Anger, The Family You've Always Wanted, The Marriage You've Always Wanted, Desperate Marriages, God Speaks Your Love Language (Jan 09), Parenting Your Adult Child, and Hope for the Separated. He co-authored The Five Languages of Apology with Dr. Jennifer Thomas.
Chapman speaks to thousands of couples nationwide through his weekend marriage conferences. He hosts a nationally syndicated radio program, Love Language Minute, and a Saturday morning program, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, that air on more than 100 stations. Dr. Chapman also serves as senior associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Dr. Chapman holds BA and MA degrees in anthropology from Wheaton College and Wake Forest University, respectively, MRE and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has completed postgraduate work at the University of North Carolina and Duke University.
Dr. Chapman and his wife have two adult children and two grandchildren, and currently live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT ADVICE ON HOW TO HAVE THE MARRIAGE OF YOUR DREAMS, September 29, 2005

By 

Heather Ivester (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dr. Gary Chapman on The Marriage You've Always Wanted (Paperback)

Every couple enters the gateway of marriage hoping their journey will last forever. Yet in The Marriage You've Always Wanted, Dr. Gary Chapman shares the sobering statistic that half of all couples today will probably split up. It doesn't have to be that way, he says. Since thousands have sought him for counsel, his book captures sage advice in a concise, readable form.

As bestselling author of The Five Love Languages, Chapman is the leading expert on what leads to unity in loving relationships. The key lies in yielding our own faults and weaknesses before the throne of Christ and asking the Holy Spirit to transform our behavior, words, and attitudes. In other words, we focus on changing ourselves, not our spouse.

In candid detail, Chapman offers personal anecdotes from his own marriage, as well as stories that flesh out marital problems and solutions. Each chapter delves into a different aspect of marriage, such as its purpose, why people marry, the art of listening, decision making, sexual fulfillment, leaving and honoring parents, and financial planning.

This book is a revised and updated edition of Chapman's Toward a Growing Marriage. Church libraries and marriage counselors will want this newer version. Ideally, it would make excellent reading and discussion material for couples before they marry. Yet, it offers examples and hope to couples in crisis situations, as well as those seeking to further strengthen an already wholesome marriage. -Heather Lynn Ivester, Christian Book Previews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical Marriage Counseling, March 27, 2007

By 

A. J. Valasek (Clemmons, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dr. Gary Chapman on The Marriage You've Always Wanted (Paperback)

Dr. Chapman is one of those authors who is able to blend a certain degree of humor, practical advice (that actually works), and yet is able to basically tell it like he sees it, all without irritating the reader or giving up his pastorship in the process. I love this guy.

Dr. Chapman wisely writes about the big hitters in a marriage; money, sex, personality, and even in-laws (something that is always needed to be discussed but rarely is). He does add a healthy dose of religion, but this shouldn't scare the non-religious reader because it is definitely not overbearing, nor is it "preachy" and you'd miss a whole lot of wonderful advice. This book is both suitable to the newly married, the veterans, and probably even those thinking about it.

This book is an update to one of his earlier books, "Toward a Growing Marriage." If you've read the former, this book might not provide you with anything really new so you may want to choose another. However, if you haven't read the former, this book is definitely a more accessible version for the average reader so buy this one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for anyone that is married, September 19, 2008

By 

W. G. Price (GA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dr. Gary Chapman on The Marriage You've Always Wanted (Paperback)

Dr. Chapman just tells it like it is. I am not currently married but have been. I decided to read this book after reading about the love languages. It would be good for someone to read the five love languages before reading this book because he refers to the love languages. I can see where this book could help a couple get to know each other again, spruce up the marriage, or become "unstuck". If or when I should be married again, I would like my partner to read this book just for general knowledge.