Preserve Them, O Lord: A Guide for Orthodox Couples in Developing Marital Unity

by John Mack

A guide for Orthodox couples in developing marital • premarital counseling for engaged couples; • marriage enrichment for those who are already married; • the development of an Orthodox understanding of marriage for those new to the Orthodox Faith. Preserve Them, O Lord is the resource you need. It gives you insightful guidance from an experienced pastoral counselor, supplemented • workbook exercises that help you understand yourself and your partner; • over 70 pages of supplemental readings on topics both spiritual and practical; • quotes from Scripture, the Fathers, and the wedding liturgy illuminating the patristic view of love, sex, and marriage. A practical guide for Orthodox marriages. Excellent for pre-marital counseling.

Genres: Religion, Christianity, Christian

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Wendy Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredibly helpful to Mark and me as we prepared to get married. It helped us to think and pray through all of the issues we would face and to talk about them with one another and with our priest. I would definitely recommend it!

[Kalliope · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my priest with whom my fiancé and I were going over this book said, "You don't even need to be getting married to get the benefit from this. This is just a guidebook on how to be a good Orthodox Christian."

I have to agree! Father John Mack presents real-world examples of which may cause marital distress and then gives you the prescription on how to approach them from an orthodox Christian perspective. I appreciate how subtle the ties into Orthodox theology are and how this book truly gives you a road map for improving communication with your spouse as well as setting healthy expectations that will serve you for a lifetime.

If you can't snag an out of print copy, just know that the Internet Archive has one you can borrow for free. Once I'm married next month, I have a feeling I'll be constantly referring to the worksheets and helpful information contained within this book. The author has an incredible way of being specific, yet broad, in how we should be looking toward Christ himself as our model for healthy married relationships.

[Austin Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very helpful in getting to figure out what topics I needed to talk about with my significant other.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for Orthodox Christian couples!