Most Popular Books by Leslie Parrott

Are you missing out on one of the most transforming means to a deeper and more vibrant faith? In Soul Friends, Dr. Leslie Parrott explores the intimate stages of a woman''s spiritual journey while showing you how soul friendships can deepen and enlarge your faith. God brings us soul-friends to help in our spiritual journey, sometimes in predictable places: small groups, friendships, and mentors. But they’re sometimes found in places we don’t expect—these “hidden guides” are people, past or present, whose role in our life may even be hidden from them, but nevertheless, have a deep impact on our growth and vitality. Whether it’s a hidden guide, a member of a small group, or a friend we’ve had for years, these soul-friends all hold the potential to embody grace that enables us to take a next step in the unfolding journey of our faith. Leslie reveals how every woman traverses four stages of spiritual growth—quest, calling, crisis, and communion – again and again. And whatever stage you find yourself traveling right now, you need soul friends to help you move forward When we seize the initiative to connect, together we will form a part of the deep communion that is the sisterhood of the traveling saints, journeying together in our desire to know God, serve him, and love him more deeply. Through story, poem, and reflection, Leslie Parrott reminds each of us of the incredibly intimate, intricate, faith-forming work God does in us through the gift of the women he places in our lives.

Have you ever felt plucked out and suddenly dropped by the hand of God into the wasteland? Have you felt desolate, dry, and fragile? No sign of God, no sound of water? Here is the personal and passionate, "Me too!" that fans of Leslie Parrott have been waiting for. For "Seattlite" Parrott, rain isn''t a date-canceling, mood-altering nuisance. Rather, that first drop of rain and the following drizzle or downpour is a persistent, positive, mystical fact of life that both confirms the presence of God and underscores his (seeming) absences. Through original poetry, vividly-drawn vignettes, and honest reflection, Parrott mixes images of rain and "wasteland" to explore the daily juxtaposition of deluge and desert we all encounter. A conversation about grief and death takes place in lush gardens teeming with life. A prayer, delivered and answered at a dying friend''s bedside, leads to bittersweet understanding. And personal confidences ("My flaws and fears are so real, they demand my full attention.") strike a chord in all of us who struggle earnestly, if sometimes defiantly, to see God''s purpose in everything.

Am I making a difference? Does my life matter? How can I make a difference when some days I can''t even find my keys? asks award-winning author Leslie Parrott. I''ve never been accused of being methodical, orderly, or linear. So when it came to considering my years on this planet, I did so without a sharpened pencil and a pad of paper. Instead...

In this updated edition, Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott dig below the surface to the depths of human interactions, offering expert advice and practical tools for improving the most important aspect of human life: relationships. Designed for college students, young adults, singles, and dating couples, this cutting-edge book teaches the basics of healthy relationships, including friendship, dating, sexuality, and relating to God. Newly updated and expanded to include the latest research on relationship building and vital information on social networking, it provides readers with proven tools for making bad relationships better and good relationships great. A workbook is also available, which contains dozens of self-tests and assessments that will help readers determine their relational readiness, the health of the home they grew up in, their understanding of gender differences, and much more. Real Relationships and the Real Relationships Workbook furnish an honest and timely guide to forming the rich relationships that are life''s greatest treasure.

Help little ones understand that God created each part of their bodies so they can enjoy life and everything in it. In this delightful padded cover board book by well-known author and family therapist Leslie Parrott, children can follow along with Toucan––with a great big nose––as he helps them learn God loves each one of them completely.

Digging below the surface to take you to a whole new level. Offering expert advice and practical tools for improving the most important aspect of human life, this workbook is integral to getting the most out of Real Relationships--Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott''s updated and expanded edition of their classic and bestselling book, Relationships. Containing dozens of self-tests and assessments, this workbook will help you determine: your relational readiness, the health of the home you grew up in, your understanding of gender differences, and much more. Used in conjunction with the Real Relationships book, the Real Relationships Workbook digs below the surface to the depths of human interactions, helping you make your bad relationships better and your good relationships great, taking your life to a whole new level. The Real Relationships book--which includes a FREE interactive online assessment and vital information on virtual friendships and online dating--and Real Relationships Workbook reveal the secrets for healthy, authentic, and meaningful connections. Your relationships will never be the same.

Every couple has a restless aching, not just to know God individually but to experience God together. But how? How do you really allow God to fill the soul of your marriage? Becoming Soul Mates gives you a road map for cultivating rich spiritual intimacy in your relationship. Written by the creators of the dynamic Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts book and program, Becoming Soul Mates is a unique and insightful devotional that helps you dig deep for a strong spiritual foundation in your marriage. Fifty-two practical weekly devotions help you and your partner cross the hurdles of marriage to grow closer than you''ve ever imagined. In each session, you''ll find: An insightful devotion that focuses on marriage-related topics A key passage of Scripture Questions that will spark discussions on crucial issues Insights from real-life soul mates like Pat and Shirley Boone, Bill and Vonette Bright, Norm and Joyce Wright, and John and Barbi Townsend Questions that will help you and your partner better understand each other''s unique needs and remember them in prayer during the week A brief prayer that will help you both draw closer together and close to God. Becoming Soul Mates is a valuable resource for mining the rich potential of your marriage. Its principles, proven in the Parrotts'' own relationship, will help you make your journey as a couple all God intends it to be. With the strength that comes from a deeply shared spiritual intimacy, your marriage can flourish in the midst of life''s challenges. Start building on the closeness you''ve got today--and reap the rewards of a deeper, more satisfying relationship in the years ahead.

#1 New York Times bestselling authors and renowned psychologists Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott share the single most important secret to happy relationships. Relationships are rife with disappointment--but they are also the primary source of personal happiness. So it is no surprise that the number one question Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott hear over and over is, What''s the single most important thing you can do for your relationships? After over twenty-five years of researching, writing, and speaking on this subject, in Healthy Me, Healthy Us the Parrotts have whittled down their answer to the truth contained in this single sentence: if you try to build intimacy with another person before you have gotten whole on your own, all your relationships become an attempt to complete yourself. Relationship skills, tips, and tactics? Sure. They have their place. But meaningful relationships--the kind we all long for--grow from something deeper, something stronger, something that has more to do with being than doing. This groundbreaking book provides the three hallmarks to psychological, emotional, and spiritual health, pointing the way to true and lasting wholeness that can revolutionize every relationship you attempt to build.

A comprehensive resource to help churches build a thriving marriage mentoring program. Les and Leslie Parrott are passionate about how marriage mentoring can transform couples, families, and entire congregations. The Complete Guide to Marriage Mentoring includes life-changing insights and essential skills for: Preparing engaged and newlywed couples. Maximizing marriages from good to great. Repairing marriages in distress. Practical guidelines help mentors and couples work together as a team, agree on outcomes, and develop skills for the marriage mentoring process. Appendixes offer a wealth of additional resources and tools. An exhaustive resource for marriage mentorship in any church setting, this guide also includes insights from interviews with church leaders and marriage mentors from around the country. “The time is ripe for marriage mentoring, and this book is exactly what we need.” ? Gary Smalley, author of The DNA of Relationships

Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott help couples uncover and understand the dynamics each person brings into their second marriage, both as a man or woman and as an individual. For use with the Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts DVD (includes seven pre-marriage sessions plus two additional sessions specifically designed to help prepare couples for remarriage), the expanded and updated men''s and women''s workbooks include twenty-eight self tests and a group discussion guide.

For those who want to grow in the art of loving well Reflections on 1 Corinthians 13 featuring 16 different translations and paraphrases of the Bible''s beloved "Love Chapter"

From communication, conflict, and careers to sex, in-laws, and money. Questions Couples Ask is your first resource for help with the foremost hurdles of marriage. Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott share cutting-edge insights on the 100 top questions married couples ask. Whether you want to improve your own marriage or nurture the marriages of others, Christianity''s premier husband-wife marriage counseling team equips you with expert advice for building a thriving relationship: How can I be honest without hurting my partner''s feelings? What do we do when one of us is a spender and one of us is a hoarder? What can we do to protect our marriage against extramarital affairs? How can we be more spiritually intimate as a married couple?

This inspirational book of 40 meditations for couples applies God''s principles for living from the book of Proverbs to the contemporary issues of marriage.

This guide zeroes in on personal qualities and reveals how the unique combination of a husband and wife''s two personalities creates a "Love Style" that is unlike any other. Crack the code and enjoy the deepest love possible.

Every couple has a restless aching, not just to know God individually but to experience God together. Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Devotional gives you a road map for cultivating rich spiritual intimacy in your relationship. Written by the creators of the most widely used pre-marriage program in the world, this devotional includes fifty-two weekly meditations help the two of you grow closer than you''ve ever imagined. Each week you''ll find: An insightful devotion focusing on real-life issues A key passage of Scripture Questions that spark meaningful discussions Stories from well-known couples, including Jefferson & Alyssa Bethke, Gary & Karolyn Chapman, Dave & Sharon Ramsey, Francis & Lisa Chan, and Keith & Beth Moore A brief prayer that will help you both draw closer together and to God This book will guide you on your marriage journey to make it all God intends it to be. Start building on the closeness you''ve got today – and reap the rewards of a more satisfying relationship as you enjoy the intimacy of lifelong love together.

Drawing from the book of Proberbs, marriage experts Les and Leslie Parrott share ancient wisdom for modern couple--and honest answers for building a strong, richly rewarding marriage.

Build your second marriage on more than a hope and a prayer. Sixty percent of second marriages fail, but yours can be among the ones that succeed. Relationship experts Les and Leslie Parrott show how you can beat the odds and make remarriage the best thing that''s ever happened to you. More than a million couples have used the award-winning Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts to prepare for life-long love. And now, with Saving Your Second Marriage Before It Starts, Les and Leslie have added material for couples where one or both individuals are entering marriage for the second time. Uncover and understand the unique shaping factors you bring into your marriage as a woman. Prepare for some surprising and helpful insights, for honest, intimate, and enjoyable relationship-strengthening conversations with you and your fiancé, and for engaging discussions with a small group. Over the course of twenty-eight exercises, this workbook will help couples identify and meld your love styles. You''ll shed amazing new light on the way you''re made, how that affects the way you and your loved one relate, and how you can improve those areas to build a better relationship. You will gain unprecedented insights into topics such as: facing the myths of remarriage honestly exploring unfinished business your personal “Ten Commandments” making your roles conscious assessing your self-image getting your sex life off to a great start cultivating intimacy listening to your self-talk avoiding the blame game how well do you communicate? your top ten needs mind reading how to listen identifying your “hot topics” money talks your spiritual journey becoming soul mates The personal exercises portion is followed by a discussion section: 9 Questions to Ask Before—and After—You Marry. Les and Leslie will help you enjoy lively and eye-opening interaction with each other and with a small group through nine sessions on the DVD (sold separately). The discussion guide, included in this workbook, guides you through an opening exercise, note-taking as you watch the video, linking to the workbook exercises, and group discussion, concluding with an exercise each couple can do together over the next week. Designed for use with Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Workbook for Men Updated (9780310875710) and Saving Your Second Marriage Before It Starts Video Study (9780310885436), both sold separately.

Oftentimes understanding the Third Person in the trinity can be difficult. There are numerous scholarly books devoted to this purpose, but for the everyday Christian language and scriptural foundation, Les Parrott explains who the Holy Spirit is and what His purposes are here on earth.Who Is the Holy Spirit? is a book for everyday people with everyday encouragement and insight into the Holy Spirit and the blessings He affords.

How to make the thorns in your marriage come up roses. The big and little annoyances in your marriage are actually opportunities to deepen your love for each other. Relationship experts and award-winning authors Les and Leslie Parrott believe that your personal quirks and differences--where you squeeze the toothpaste tube, how you handle money--can actually help draw you together provided you handle them correctly. Turn your marriage''s prickly issues into opportunities to love each other more as you learn how to: build intimacy while respecting personal space tap the power of a positive marriage attitude replace boredom with fun, irritability with patience, busyness with time together, debt with a team approach to your finances . . . and much, much more. Plus--get an inside look at the very soul of your marriage, and how connecting with God can connect you to each other in ways you never dreamed.

Written especially for women, this workbook based on the content in L.O.V.E.: Uncover Your Personal Love Style contains study questions and exercises to take the book material to a more personal level.

Perfect for any couple, and an ideal companion to the renowned SYMBIS+ Assessment, this guidebook walks couples through an even deeper experience of their unique relationship. Chock-full of practical insights, real-life action steps, no-guilt exercises, and fun discussion starters, this guidebook will bring couples closer than ever.

Choose the parent you''ll be--and you choose the child you''ll raise. When it comes to parenting, who you are is more important than what you do. After all, your child internalizes your traits more than anyone else''s on the planet. And that''s why Les and Leslie Parrott--in a parenting book like no other--give you a proven plan for cultivating the traits you most want your child to have. Discover: the most important question you''ll ever ask as a parent the three-step method to avoid being the parent you don''t want to be the secret to making your "intentional traits" stick on even your worst days . . . and much more. A husband and wife team made up of two of today''s leading relationship experts, Les and Leslie Parrott reveal their personal experiences as parents to help you fulfill the most important calling you will ever have. The Parent You Want to Be is inspiring, warm, and filled with a transformational power for your entire family.

The ultimate guide to marriage mentoring so you can feel confident in offering wisdom, encouragement, and practical help to couples who want to live out a love that lasts! Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott and Dr. David Olson--renowned marriage experts and founders of the two largest marriage support organizations, SYMBIS and PREPARE/ENRICH--share what they have learned from decades of research involving more than five million couples. Packed with practical and proven methods, data-driven techniques, and immediately usable strategies, Helping Couples includes: The secrets--and the science--behind couples who thrive with lasting love Why romantic love is never enough, and what to do about it Strategies to instantly help reduce conflicts and increase intimacy The game-changing boost that scientific assessment tools give couples at any age or stage Four common myths about marriage and how to debunk them The distilled wisdom from hundreds of insightful surveys and studies How you can reduce a couple''s chances of divorce by 31 percent The ultimate guide for coaches, counselors, and clergy who want to know what really works!

51 Creative Ideas for Marriage Mentors offers an "idea box" of activities and innovative ways to deepen relationships between mentoring couples. It can be used in any of the three areas of the marriage mentoring triad: Preparing--mentoring engaged and newlywed couples Maximizing--mentoring couples from good to great Restoring--mentoring couples in distress Creative ideas for marriage mentors are grouped into these three areas. There is also an entire section of ideas appropriate for mentoring any couple. With activities that vary from quickly implemented suggestions to more involved interactions, this easy-to-use reference will help alleviate the stress of couples overwhelmed by mentoring . . . and take experienced mentors to a whole new level. Designed to work on its own or in tandem with the Parrotts'' other marriage mentoring resources, 51 Creative Ideas for Marriage Mentors will inspire fresh ideas, increase a sense of vision for the marriage mentoring process, and build the confidence of all marriage mentors, regardless of age or stage.

NYT best-selling authors Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott reveal new techniques based on extensive research that help couples manage conflict constructively - that''s the "good fight."

C.1 ST. AID B & T. 03-18-2008. $7.99.

Offering wisdom and insights for applying biblical truths to our relationships, this book encourages couples to connect and communicate every day. This practical, uplifting guide is perfect for busy couples who long to experience a stronger relationship and better communication. Easy-to-follow daily readings focus on loving each other the way God loves us.

No matter how good your marriage is, it''s not invulnerable. Bad things happen to the best of marriages. The question isn''t whether you''ll face struggles as a couple, but how you''ll handle them when they come. When the going gets tough, what does it take to preserve--and in the long run, even strengthen--your union? Relationship experts and award-winning authors Les and Leslie Parrott believe the same forces that can destroy a marriage can become the catalyst for new relational depth and richness--provided you make wise choices. You can even survive any of the four most heartbreaking crises a marriage can endure: infidelity, addiction, infertility, and loss. The stories and insights of couples who have made it through the worst will encourage you that your marriage is worth fighting for, not just because quitting is so devastating but because the rewards of sticking it out are so great. The Parrotts explain why every marriage starts out good but inevitably bumps into bad things. Then, drawing on their wealth of professional and personal experience as a married couple, they discuss: Three Good Things That Turn Bad for Some Couples One Bad Thing Every Marriage Can Make Better Six Bad Things That Sneak Up on Good Marriages Four Bad Things That Jolt Good Marriages to Their Core How Good Marriages Battle Bad Things In the next-to-last chapter, the Parrotts take you inside the very soul of your marriage--why it so often aches and how a vital connection with God can join your hearts together in ways you''ve never imagined. Designed for use with its accompanying, individual workbooks for husbands and wives, When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages could be a life saver for your relationship. It can make the difference between a marriage that founders on the shoals of circumstance and one that grows through hardship to release undreamed-of goodness and blessing in your lives.