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I Promise You: Preparing for a Marriage That Will Last a Lifetime
Marriage is a truly unique commitment that requires more than just love to keep it together. And those considering marriage today know too well the frightening divorce statistics--many come from divorced families themselves. So where can an engaged couple turn for help strengthening their marriage before it starts? I Promise You offers couples four ways to create a healthy and vibrant care, protection, honesty, and time. Each chapter contains useful and practical exercises to help readers make each of these four keys second nature in their relationships. Engaged couples will find this book an invaluable tool in evaluating and improving their relationships. Additionally, pastors and counselors will find I Promise You an excellent source of information and advice.
- GenresMarriage
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2006
5 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Willard F. Harley Jr.
23 books109 followersWillard F. Harley, Jr., Ph.D. is best known as author of the internationally best selling book, His Needs, Her Needs: Building An Affair-proof Marriage. Over three million copies have been purchased, and it is available in twenty-two foreign translations.
Dr. Harley earned a Ph.D. degree in psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1967 and has been a Licensed Psychologist in Minnesota since 1975. For the first ten years after earning his degree, he taught psychology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. During those years, he was also a frustrated part-time marriage counselor with little success in helping couples.
In 1973 he discovered that he was not alone in his failure to save marriages -- almost everyone in the marital therapy profession were also failing. So he spent the next two years designing an entirely new approach (see How Dr. Harley Learned to Save Marriages). When his success rate skyrocketed in 1977, he resigned from his teaching position to counsel full-time. Over the next ten years his solo practice developed into the largest network of mental health clinics in Minnesota (thirty-two locations) with over one hundred psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and chemical dependency counselors working with him to provide a full range of mental health services. He became the exclusive provider of mental health and chemical dependency services in ten counties, and had offices in other counties as well.
One of his responsibilities was to write support materials for the clinical program he directed. He created over one hundred questionnaires and wrote numerous articles that were given to clients as part of their therapy. Among the materials he wrote was His Needs, Her Needs, which was first published in 1986. Although it was written to be a support text for his marriage counseling program, within three years it had become a national best-seller and a basic reference for marriage counselors throughout the nation.
By 1988 he found himself spending almost all of his time administering his clinics, and very little time doing what he enjoyed most -- improving his marital therapy program. So he began turning his clinics over to the counselors who worked with him, and the ownership of his last clinic was transferred in 1993. Since then, he has written 16 more books and hundreds of articles.
Dr. Harley and his wife, Joyce, are actively involved in the Marriage Builders® Online Program, which introduces couples to his highly successful plan for marital recovery. An online seminar offered by Dr. Harley kicks off a one-year home study program that includes personal accountability. He supervises the progress of those who enroll, and answers their questions on a special Marriage Builders Weekend section of the Forum.
Dr. and Mrs. Harley have been married for 47 years and live in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. They have two adult children, who are now working with them as marriage coaches, and four grandchildren.
Dr. Harley earned a Ph.D. degree in psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1967 and has been a Licensed Psychologist in Minnesota since 1975. For the first ten years after earning his degree, he taught psychology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. During those years, he was also a frustrated part-time marriage counselor with little success in helping couples.
In 1973 he discovered that he was not alone in his failure to save marriages -- almost everyone in the marital therapy profession were also failing. So he spent the next two years designing an entirely new approach (see How Dr. Harley Learned to Save Marriages). When his success rate skyrocketed in 1977, he resigned from his teaching position to counsel full-time. Over the next ten years his solo practice developed into the largest network of mental health clinics in Minnesota (thirty-two locations) with over one hundred psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and chemical dependency counselors working with him to provide a full range of mental health services. He became the exclusive provider of mental health and chemical dependency services in ten counties, and had offices in other counties as well.
One of his responsibilities was to write support materials for the clinical program he directed. He created over one hundred questionnaires and wrote numerous articles that were given to clients as part of their therapy. Among the materials he wrote was His Needs, Her Needs, which was first published in 1986. Although it was written to be a support text for his marriage counseling program, within three years it had become a national best-seller and a basic reference for marriage counselors throughout the nation.
By 1988 he found himself spending almost all of his time administering his clinics, and very little time doing what he enjoyed most -- improving his marital therapy program. So he began turning his clinics over to the counselors who worked with him, and the ownership of his last clinic was transferred in 1993. Since then, he has written 16 more books and hundreds of articles.
Dr. Harley and his wife, Joyce, are actively involved in the Marriage Builders® Online Program, which introduces couples to his highly successful plan for marital recovery. An online seminar offered by Dr. Harley kicks off a one-year home study program that includes personal accountability. He supervises the progress of those who enroll, and answers their questions on a special Marriage Builders Weekend section of the Forum.
Dr. and Mrs. Harley have been married for 47 years and live in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. They have two adult children, who are now working with them as marriage coaches, and four grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 17, 2018
Generally speaking, these were conversations we had ourselves and with our pastor. There were a couple things that I gleaned from the book, but overall not surprising or revelationary.
September 7, 2023
I received this book from my grandparents when my husband and I were first engaged. We read it out loud together before we officially married. It is a way to understand how a relationship works and what makes it work. It helps you to understand your love language and your partner's. What each of you want in a relationship and expect. How to maintain the romantic love and not let your love bank run dry. We've been married nearly 15 years now and we still reference this book and occasionally break it out and re-read it. It is short and to the point. It has been a simple to understand guide that has helped us to maintain, and in some cases, repaired, our relationship when needed. Sometimes we all need to get back to basics and remember why and how we fell in love to begin with.
January 26, 2012
Alright Harley. You should have written 1 book and not tried to stretch the same information you used for that 1 good book out to 7 ok books that you needn't read half of to find the novel tenets of.
His Needs Her Needs is the best Harley book, and once you've read it you can claim that you read the rest of his stuff too!
His Needs Her Needs is the best Harley book, and once you've read it you can claim that you read the rest of his stuff too!
Want to read
September 2, 2007the title is catchy. i dont thing the book is good because with a title like that you have to deliever. especially to people who gave up on love and those who are trying to find it. Which when you think about, are the only two that make up the whole world.
October 6, 2009
So far, it reminds me a lot of The 5 Love Languages book. Still good insight, as I loved that book.
October 26, 2014
The 4 promises are good to know, but I didn't think this book was as good as the 5 love languages. The quizzes/questionnaires in the back of this book are awful and totally inappropriate.
May 30, 2015
After 15 years of pastoring, this is the best premarital book I have found. Great principles to teach you how to create win-win situations in your marriage. Are you
May 12, 2009
Not the best relationship book I've read, so far, but I'll keep reading and see.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews