If you are ready to take new ground on your marriage then I encourage you to begin working through the following five lessons. There is homework in the class notes which I strongly encourage you to complete.
Each lesson is about an hour long. Don’t feel like you have to rush through them all – take a couple days between each lesson to ponder, talk about and apply what you’re learning. A great suggestion might be to work through this material with some friends. This will provide the ability to bounce ideas back & forth as well as add additional perspective.
I’m available to help where I can – simply shoot me an email at dpleventhal@gmail.com
Lastly – I believe that no matter where you are in your marriage this content can help. Whether you
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…are newly married & want to help build a solid foundation
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…have been married a while, have a good thing going & just want to keep sharp
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…are in crisis mode & the wheels are flying off the marriage (Don’t give up! I’ve seen marriages rise out of the flames when wives were literally praying for their husband’s death…and no, I’m not kidding).
Your marriage can be the stuff of legends – if you will approach it with an open heart & mind, a willingness to work on your character defects and an acknowledgement that your problems are not entirely your spouse’s fault.
Enjoy the journey!
– David P. Leventhal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Throughout this course I refer to the book, A Lasting Promise: A Christian Guide to Fighting for Your Marriage by Scott M. Stanley, Daniel Trathen, Savanna McCain & Milt Bryan. Much of the material in this class is a synthesis of their groundbreaking research. I highly recommend this book for you and your spouse.
Key concepts discussed from their book include:
• Four Deadly Habits
• Speaker/Listener Technique
• Filters & Miscommunication
• Expectations
• Expressing Criticism Constructively
• Ground Rules for Protecting Your Marriage from Bad Conflict
• Events, Issues & Hidden Issues
• Problem Solving
Additionally, in lesson five we discuss concepts from a book titled The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I have not included The Five Love Languages assessment which helps you identify your love language. I encourage you to purchase Dr. Chapman’s book so that you can cover the content in more detail and be able to take the assessment.