Creating Strength and Beauty in Your Marriage

The Intimate Mystery, Creating Strength and Beauty in Your Marriage by Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman III takes a deeper look at the heart of marriage. The book presents a refreshing context for relational transformation. Identifying the three “potholes” that muddy up the process of marriage: past baggage, contempt for differences and failure to grow. The course addresses how to stimulate thinking that will grow marriages within a biblical understanding of God’s design as found in Genesis 2:24.

The ten chapters examine marriage as a matrix. The concepts of leave, cleave and weave are explored and applied to the foundations of faith, hope and love. The metaphor is used to encourage thinking that moves past finding a blueprint and trying to “get it right”, to pondering how to express a wholeness and full response and “doing it well”. The authors provide clinicians a context to invite couples to explore and create, rather than perform and comply.

The Goal of Marriage is also available through bookstores in a curriculum kit, DVD and study guide, that would be ideal for clinicians desiring to host a time limited marital growth group.

Educational Objectives

• Define the meaning of marriage within a spiritual context
• Identify the matrix of marriage
• Identify the spiritual implication of leaving, weaving and cleaving
• Identify the elements of good and bad talk
• Identify the four stages of sexual movement
• Identify the uniquenesses between men and women's sexual responses

Syllabus / Course Instructions

• The Course consists of reading the selected book, successfully completing an online posttest and filling out a course evaluation.
• The book is not included. It must be purchased separately. We have supplied a link to Amazon.com for your convenience.
• Purchasing your course will give you access to both a printable copy of the test and an online version. Print the test to use as a companion as you read the book and answer the questions.
• You cannot exit the online test once you begin, so have your answers available.

Additional Resources On This Site for CE

• Couple Power Therapy
  by Peter L. Sheras, PhD, ABPP and Phyllis R. Koch-Sheras, PhD: 8 CE Credits
• Bold Love
  by Dr. Dan Allender and Dr. Tremper Longman III: 12 CE Credits
• Soul Talk
  by Larry Crabb, PhD: 8 CE Credits
• The DNA of Relationships
  by Dr. Gary Smalley, Michael Smalley, and Robert Paul: 7 CE Credits
• Boundaries in Marriage
  Henry Cloud, Ph.D. and John Townsend, Ph.D.: 11 CE Credits

Additional Resources Not On This Site

• For additional information about Dan Allender’s various seminars, conferences and speaking schedules, please contact The Path Less Chosen location at:www.thepathlesschosen

Bio: Dan B. Allender, Phd and Tremper Longman III, PhD

Dr. Dan Allender received his M. Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Michigan State University.

Dr. Allender taught in the Biblical Counseling Department of Grace Theological Seminary for seven years (1983-1989). From 1989-1997 he worked as a professor in the Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling program at Colorado Christian University, Denver, Colorado. Dr. Allender currently serves as President and Professor of Counseling at Mars Hill Graduate School in Bothell, Washington. He also is known by many trout in the area as a master fly fisherman.

Dr. Allender travels and speaks extensively to present his unique perspective on sexual abuse recovery, love and forgiveness, worship and other related topics.

Dr. Tremper Longman III received his M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and his M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale University.

Dr. Longman taught for eighteen years at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. In 1998, he accepted the position of Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, where he also serves as the department chair.

Dr. Longman has written a number of articles, commentaries and books including, Introduction to the Old Testament, How to Read the Psalms, Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind, Old Testament Commentary Survey, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation and God is a Warrior. He has also been active in the area of Bible translations. He serves on the central committee that produced and now monitors the New Living Translation.

In addition to The Intimate Mystery, Dr. Longman has co-authored four other books with Dr. Dan Allender; Cry of the Soul, Intimate Allies, Bold Love and Bold Purpose. In his free time, he watches movies and plays squash.