Marriage by Design

Deliberate. Intentional. Not exactly words found in romantic greeting cards. And it's little wonder: Every song, TV show, and movie portrays true love as one wild, spontaneous force of nature. But if love conquers all, why do some relationships fail? Maybe a little planning wouldn't hurt.

Inside is a practical guide for infusing your marriage with purpose and vision. Throughout, you'll discover that a focused relationship can provide stability in an unpredictable world and that spontaneous and deliberate can life together happily ever after. Because while plans may be worthless, planning can be invaluable.

Real Life Stuff For Couples is where fairy tales meet reality. Featuring the popular Message translation, each study is filled with humorous insights, topical issues, and provocative ideas that will spark conversation - and your love life. So don't just go through the marital motions. Live, love, and learn together.

1. Introduction
2. How to Use this Discussion Guide
3. Small-group Study Tips
4. Lesson 1: Strategic or Spontaneous?
5. Lesson 2: Details, details
6. Lesson 3: Priorities
7. Lesson 4: Clashing Models
8. Lesson 5: Pre-acting
9. Lesson 6: Outright Disagreements
10. Lesson 7: Mixed marriages
11. Lesson 8: Hope for Your Intentional Marriage