Marriage from the Heart:
Eight Commitments of a Spiritually Fulfilling Life Together
by Lois Kellerman

Simply the best book on committed relationships that I've found. Unlike too many books that focus on what's wrong with a relationship, Kellerman focuses on how to make a relationship strong by building on strengths.

Every couple -- whether married or not -- can use this book and methodology to build a more fulfilling relationship in which both can grow and change and become more themselves.

This book makes an excellent wedding or anniversary gift for a couple whose relationship is already good -- and who may want to "go deeper."

Marriage from the Heart - from Amazon.com

Helpful resources towards better understanding of the Christian and Jewish holidays, a book about Kwanzaa, another about how one atheist feels about Christmas, and a good resource on dynamics of interfaith marriages:

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Some key books using Family Systems Theory to look at congregational life and development:

Healthy Congregations: A Systems Approach
Peter L. Steinke - 1996

How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems
Peter L. Steinke - 1993

Creating a Healthier Church: Family Systems Theory, Leadership and Congregational Life
Ronald W. Richardson - 1996

Edwin H. Friedman's fables illustrate the sticky issues of leadership and family relationships and can help to trigger recognition and problem-solving.

Friedman's Fables (with booklet)
Edwin H. Friedman
Audio Cassette (abridged) also available

Friedman's full-scale treatment of family systems - specifically written with clergy in mind but useful for parents, counselors, leaders and others as well
Generation to Generation
Edwin H. Friedman
Hardcover - 1985

Extraordinary Relationships: A New Way of Thinking About Human Interactions Roberta Gilbert, M.D. / Paperback / 1992

Connecting With Our Children:
Guiding Principles for Parents in a Troubled World
Roberta Gilbert / Paperback / 1999

Bartlett's Book of Love Quotations
Barbara Ann Kipfer (Compiler), Bartlett / Hardcover / Published 1994

The 501 Best and Worst Things Ever Said About Marriage
Ronald B. Shwartz (Compiler) / Paperback / Published 1995

Familiarity Breeds Children: The Best Quotes About Parenthood : The Best Quotes, Quips, & Rhymes
Bruce Lansky, Bruse Lansky / Paperback / Published 1996

Klan-Destine Relationships : A Black Man's Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan
Daryl D. Davis / Hardcover / Published 1997

Mr. Davis spoke in March 1998 at the Northern Virginia Ethical Society. Not discounting the need for legal and other social change in working to end racism, he documents the power of one-on-one relationships, looking for common ground, in helping others to also find the common humanity across racial lines.
--JJL

The Dance of Intimacy : A Woman's Guide to Courageous Acts of Change in Key Relationships
Harriet Goldhor Lerner / Paperback / Published 1990
Audio Cassette

Harriet Lerner on Intimacy : How to Create a Remarkable Relationship
Harriet Lerner / Audio Cassette / Published 1995

16 Ways to Love Your Lover : Understanding the 16 Personality Types So You Can Create a Love That Lasts Forever
Otto Kroeger, Janet M. Thuesen
Hardcover / Published 1994
Paperback / Published 1996

I'm Not Crazy, I'm Just Not You : The Real Meaning of the 16 Personality Types
Roger R. Pearman, Sarah C. Albritton / Paperback / Published 1997

Beside Ourselves : Our Hidden Personality in Everyday Life
Naomi L. Quenk / Paperback / Published 1994

Relationship books by Harville Hendrix:

Getting the Love You Want : A Guide for Couples
Harville Hendrix / Paperback / Published 1992
Audio Cassette

The Couple's Companion : Meditations and Exercises for Getting the Love You Want
Harville Hendrix, et al / Paperback / Published 1994

Marriage As a Path to Wholeness (2 Cassettes)
Harville Hendrix / Audio Cassette

Books by Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks on conscious loving, conscious living, co-commitment, and related relationship topics:

Conscious Loving : The Journey to Co-Commitment Gay Hendricks, Kathlyn Hendricks / Paperback / Published 1992 The 10-Second Miracle : Creating Relationship Breakthroughs Gay Hendricks / Hardcover / Published 1998

Straight Talk: A New Way to Get Closer to Others by Saying What You Really Mean
Sherod Miller / Published 1984

Talking and Listening Together: Couple Communication One
Sherod Miller (Editor), Minnesota Family Study Center / Paperback / Published 1991

Marriages and Families: Enrichment Through Communication
Sherod Miller (Editor) / Paperback / Published 1976

Getting in Touch With Your Inner Bitch by Elizabeth Hilts, et al Paperback / 1997

Learn to say "no" so that you're heard -- and learn when to say "no," too. Actually, learn to say "I don't THINK so ...." with just that special touch of, well, bitchiness. They're probably going to call you a bitch, anyway, if you're a strong and assertive woman -- might as well take the term and make it a badge of honor!

Transitions, whether in our personal relationships, in our professional lives, or in communities and congregations, pass through predictable phases. We can learn to handle change -- whether for the good, or in grief and loss -- by understanding how we experience change.

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change
William Bridges / Paperback / Published 1991
A practical guide for making real-life transitions -- whether through a tragedy or loss, or even when the change is long-sought and great news.

Transitions
William Bridges / Paperback / Published 1980
This one -- Bridges' earlier book -- is a classic: the reconceptualizing of change into the three stages is very helpful, especially to those who find themselves confused and think they should be more focused.

The Way of Transition: Embracing Life's Most Difficult Moments
by William Bridges
When his own wife died, Bridges learned even more about making sense of transitions and learning how to move on and grow in the process.

Love Honor & Negotiate: Making Your Marriage Work
Betty Carter, Joan K. Peters

Hardcover / Published 1996
Audio Cassette / Published 1996
Paperback / Published 1997