Marriage is under attack all over the world, particularly in the USA. The purpose of marriage has been lost in the liberal dialog of personal opinion and political correctness. Many who have read this book have told us it is a surprisingly fresh look at marriage like they have never been taught or imagined before. In this book we answer an age old mystery described in the Bible about how marriage is to be like Christ and the Church. In this book, we explore and attempt to explain that profound mystery of the Trinity, the Community of God as the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit, and how that community is not only the creation point of marriage, but is the very nature and reflection of all that marriage is meant to be. That connection and relationship is very practical and concrete, and we bring it down from the ethereal and out of the clouds of mystery into something you can wrap your brain around and use in your life on an everyday basis. That is why we call it God in Real Time, Your Marriage as God Imagined It. We also take a close look at what marriage is meant to be and what it is not meant to be. We explain where marriage came from according to the Biblical teachings, offering to the reader a well-studied and solid foundation of what it means to be married, strive for love, develop real intimacy and experience our fullest expression of our true self within the marriage context. We propose that you are not alone in your marriage efforts, and that you have a very powerful ally who is profoundly interested in you succeeding in everything marriage is meant to be; His name is Father God. He thought of you specifically and created an entire cosmos just to give you this powerful and dynamic relationship called marriage. The authors bring to the table the experience of the Professional Counselor's point of view as well as the practical step-by-step approach of the Marriage Mentor Life Coach. We have strongly integrated a foundational understanding of The Holy Word of God, combined with years of teaching, preaching, mentoring, counseling, and discipleship within the Christian church and worldview. Yet we also take into account the scientific and professional world of Therapy and Counseling, offering to the reader a well-studied and solid foundation of what it means to be married, strive for love, develop real intimacy, and experience our fullest expression of self within a marriage context. The marriage relationship as God imagined it is about a 100% commitment in a three-way relationship with Him and the amazing benefits that flow out from it. This book is useful for pre-married, newly married, old timers, lay marriage coaches, pastors, and professional marriage counselors. It brings a fresh look to a timeless institution and is a must read for every person involved with marriage in any way.
About the Author: Dennis R. Madden (MA, LPC) brings to the counseling forum both the Spiritual dynamics of an Ordained Minister and a Licensed Professional Counselor. He has a long history in Church Leadership, with many years on church staffs, both large and small, serving in the pastorate, youth ministry, and church management. Dennis has a Professional Family Counseling Practice at 'Christian Counseling Associates' at the June Hunt Hope Center in Plano, TX. Dennis has worked extensively in Acute Care Mental Hospital settings ranging from working with PTSD soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, to the Minirth Faith Based inpatient psychiatric program and the Minirth Clinic in Richardson, TX. It was in the hospital setting that Dennis developed and implemented weekly the 'God in Real Time Christian Counseling Program' and model while working with over 4,000 patients, experiencing phenomenal results. After literally thousands of patients asked for the books and written material, Dennis finally decided perhaps God was opening the door to write. Dennis also has been working for over four years in a cutting edge, clinical, outcome-based program in the health care industry, working with patients on a one-on-one basis using motivational interviewing, positive psychological and solution focused approaches. His Education includes: a BA in Bible from John Brown University; Two Masters Degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: One in Christian Education the other in Marriage and Family Therapy. Dennis and his wife Linda have two grown daughters, and two granddaughters. They all reside in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where they enjoy regular family functions and the occasional getaway together. Robert (Bob) Elm and his wife Stacia have been married for over 50 years, but have also filed for divorce twice! God graciously saved their marriage and equipped them to coach others whose marriages need to be saved and/or improved. They have served as marriage coaches at The Father's House in Vacaville, CA for more than a decade. After 31 years in Management at AT&T and Lucent Technologies, Bob retired and spent 7 years as a Technical Consultant. For the last decade, he has worked with his son in the pest control industry. Bob and his wife have three grown children and seven grandchildren, all living in Vacaville, CA.