What if? you reinvented marriage?

Are you tired of articles that give five ways to please your husband; six things you can do to celebrate your anniversary; or seven secrets of happy parents to teenagers?

Just released, With These Rings I, is a new and exciting way to think about, look at, live in and enjoy marriage. You?ll find no simplistic alliterations for effortlessly making your life easier. Instead, Dr. Stephen Frueh presents a compelling challenge to the way we usually talk about marriage.

With These Rings I challenges our current paradigm of marriage saying it is part twelfth century romance, part fifteenth century property protection and part twentieth century party with a tepid tip of the hat to your church of choice.

Dr. Frueh offers an entirely new paradigm for what he calls ?the marriage conversation.? It takes the idea of journeys and skillfully lays out three journeys within marriage. One surprise is that each of these journeys themselves hold within them a marriage. Taken together and interrelated they constitute the Journey that is marriage.

That is one foundation for a healthy marriage. But Dr. Frueh wants more. He argues that we all want more. In addition to health, many are seeking what he calls ?sustainable enthusiasm? for relationship over time. He offers two additional foundations, making With These Rings a kind of Marriage Tripod with three foundations that support and stimulate vibrant marriages.

We all need to think about what we are doing in our marriages as well as create a philosophy that informs, confirms, and articulates our values and beliefs. With These Rings offers Seven Principles for a need based philosophy of marriage. That?s foundation number two.

The third and most critical foundation is the capacity to return to your personal Garden of Eden ? the love that got you started in the first place. Dr. Frueh sees that many people begin early on to doubt their choice of partner. Although there may be nothing wrong with the choice, life?s challenges have served to raise doubts. He argues for the wisdom of our choice and lays out a pathway for reclaiming what is legitimately ours.

You?ll find this book stimulating, challenging, and comforting ? all at the same time. With These Rings I is the first of two volumes. The second will be out in late Spring and it concerns the competencies and skills you?ll need to realize your ?dreamed? marriage.

Stephen W. Frueh M.Div; PhD is a coach, mentor, consultant and writer. A member of The National Speakers Association he is available for keynotes, workshops and individual coaching and can be reached at: