Staying One: How to Avoid a Make-Believe Marriage

Marriage is the most demanding and potentially rewarding relationship for many adults. Learning to navigate its challenges can be difficult. Staying One is a practical guide that not only teaches the spiritual what and why of marriage but also provides advice and practice in the how. Intended to save readers from the pain of learning the hard way it illustrates and explains biblically sound approaches to building a healthy and fulfilling marriage that lasts. These include things married people should and shouldnt say to each other. Staying One will prove useful to pastors in their pre-marital counseling and to the couples they are ministering. It will serve as powerful source material for marriage enrichment workshops retreats focused on marriage and church-based growth groups and adult education classes. The book will prove of special interest to engaged couples newlyweds those wanting to revitalize their marriages and married people on the brink of divorce. A key feature is that each chapter concludes with a response from the authors wife reflecting a womans point of view. We also offer a Workbook for use in completing the twenty hands-on activities contained in Staying One as well as a comprehensive Leaders Guide for those facilitating workshops based on the book. Staying One is an important contribution to the literature on the number-one request for help in the world: fix my marriage. It is extremely well written and clearly demonstrates a solid grasp of the most important skilled-based interpersonal literature. In addition it is biblically informed and reflects a clearly articulated Christian worldview and lifestyle. It is honest helpful and practical. The workbook exercises lend themselves to personal or professional reflection and action. I recommend it enthusiastically for either lay or professional audiences. It would also be a good read for faith-based couples wanting to achieve greater understanding of specific ways to strengthen or enrich their marriages. --Richard E. Butman PhD Professor of Psychology and Licensed Clinical Psychologist Wheaton College; coauthor Modern Psychotherapies and Modern Psychopathologies Drawing on years of clinical and personal experience Clinton and Anna McLemore have written a down-to-earth book filled with nuggets of practical wisdom. The text is peppered with exercises that if completed with open minds and hearts will help steer couples of all ages and stages toward deeper connection and more satisfying marriages. This book is a gift to couples and the churches who care about them. --Cameron Lee PhD CFLE Professor of Family Studies Fuller Theological Seminary Clinton and Anna McLemore have created a valuable roadmap for any couple interested in learning how to create the marriage they have always wanted. The combination of biblical truth psychological research and the wisdom of lived experience make Staying One: How to Avoid a Make-Believe Marriage an invaluable tool for building an authentic real-life passionate marriage! --Laura Robinson Harbert MDiv PhD Former Dean of the Chapel and Spiritual Formation Fuller Theological Seminary Clinton W. McLemore holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Southern California. Both a clinical and organizational psychologist he is president of Relational Dynamics Inc. For fifteen years he was a full-time professor and for nine of these taught in the doctoral clinical psychology program at Fuller Theological Seminary. He frequently speaks conducts workshops and consults. Dr. McLemore has appeared on many radio and television programs and is the author of seven previous books. Anna M. McLemore was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Relational Dynamics Inc. She also served as a church board member and treasurer and as a chapter president of the National Charity League. With her husband Anna has been interviewed about marriage on national TV.