Staying Close

Countless married Americans end up living alone-in the same house. Years of conducting FamilyLife conferences and counseling couples have convinced Dennis Rainey that isolation is the number one problem in marriages today. But Rainey is also convinced that it is possible to defeat "marital drift" and experience the miracle of oneness.Staying Close provides couples with a positive, workable strategy for keeping their marriage vital and intimate. Couples will learn to: recognize the personal and cultural forces that isolate them manage the busyness of life without losing sight of each other grow closer during hard times rather than allow troubles to pull them apart "affair-proof" their relationship (or heal it after the fact) discover the secrets of a mutually rewarding sex life create a safe atmosphere for transparent communication Previous Edition: 0-8499-3343-9

PART ONE: THE THREAT OF ISOLATION

1. Married but Lonely

1

(8)

2. The Subtle Deception

9

(10)

3. Combative Isolation

19

(8)

4. In Pursuit of Intimacy

27

(10)

PART TWO: THE SEVEN THREATS TO ONENESS AND INTIMACY

5. Why It's So Hard to Keep All Those Plates Spinning

37

(12)

6. "I Expected Him to Meet Me Halfway, But ..."

49

(9)

7. You Can't Be Selfish in a Three-Legged Race

58

(11)

8. Death, Taxes, and Troubles

69

(11)

9. There's More Than One Way to Have an Affair

80

(15)

10. Overcommitted and Overloaded

95

(14)

PART THREE: THE PLAN, THE PURPOSE, THE POWER

11. God's Purposes for Oneness

109

(13)

12. The Master Plan for Oneness

122

(10)

13. The Power for Oneness

132

(13)

PART FOUR: BUILDING A SOLID TEAM

14. The Making of a Servant-Leader

145

(16)

15. How to Love Your Husband (by Barbara Rainey)

161

(20)

16. A Mother's Influence (by Barbara Rainey)

181

(18)

17. A Word to Dads

199

(16)

PART FIVE: BUILDING ONENESS THROUGH COMMUNICATION

18. Communication or Isolation?

215

(14)

19. To Turn Conflict into Oneness, Begin to Listen!

229

(13)

20. The Secret of Loving Confrontation

242

(12)

21. Returning a Blessing for an Insult

254

(13)

22. What Makes a Great Lover?

267

(22)

PART SIX: A FINAL CHALLENGE

23. Your Family Can Make the Difference

289

(9)

24. How to Become a HomeBuilder

298

(10)

Notes

308

(4)

Appendix

312

(5)

Acknowledgments

317

(2)

About the Authors

319

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials