Jim Burns and Doug Fields
David C. Cook, 2014, Hardcover: 224 pp., $15.99; Workbook: 2015, 128 pp., $12.99
I am very excited about the prospects of this two-book set written by the very credible authors, Jim Burns and Doug Fields. Both of these men have served local churches and youth ministry for more than 30 years. Each book provides benefit on its own, and quite frankly, outstanding material. As a counselor, I am always searching and reaching for products of substance to help couples, especially pertaining to premarital counseling. The authors have created six short video teaching segments, which can be viewed at GettingReadyForMarriage.com. Upon completion of the video series, couples can receive a certificate indicating they stayed the course and have received some solid teaching pertaining to marriage. Many churches require counseling as a prerequisite for pastoral staff to perform wedding ceremonies. This set of books easily meets that expectation. Staff members can handle the material easily, or mentoring couples may also be a good idea.
Worthy of note is the section on remarriage. Not enough has been written about marrying again. Statistics on successful remarriage are dismal at best, so any and all topics that can be discussed the better for everyone. The workbook covers the two biggest issues: children and ex-spouses, but they also added an exercise called Remarriage Readiness Survey in which each person is asked to be honest about issues such as learning from their individual pasts, secrets, financial issues, community input, purity issues and integrity. This material coupled with good counseling will be of extreme value for the married-again demographic.
High marks for the authors’ and publisher of Getting Ready for Marriage. Don’t hesitate on this one!
