Top Reasons Marriages Fail:
  1. Lack of constructive communication
  2. Spouse over-commitment (job, sports, church, etc.)
  3. Financial matters
  4. Sexual infidelity
 
Homework: (Communicate with each other)
  1. Talk about and come up with a plan on how to handle disagreements.
  2. What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses?
  3. What do you see as your partner’s strengths and weaknesses?
  4. How are you going to compliment each other? (function as a team)
  5. Who’s going to handle the money decisions? (going into debt, making major purchases, etc.)
  6. What kind of budget do you have for paying bills and putting money aside for the future?
  7. How many children are you planning on having and when?
  8. Discuss the size home you will need to accommodate your family and the cost of living in such.
  9. How are you going to handle discipline of the children?
  10. Who is going to administer such discipline?
  11. What do you plan on doing as a family in the near future, 5 years, and 10 years from now?
  12. How much do you trust your partner and why?
  13. Discuss who will do what chores (grocery shopping, cleaning, lawn care, laundry, etc.)
  14. Discuss spiritual goals you have with your spouse.
  15. Discuss your personal goals for now and the future with your partner.
  16. Discuss what truly makes you happy.
  17. Discuss what really makes you sad or angry.
  18. Discuss dates you can have before and after marriage to develop your relationship with each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
  19. Discuss what Christ brings to a marriage (see below illustration).
  20. Discuss what pre-marital sex can do to a marriage.
  21. Discuss your extended families and your strong/weak relationship with them.
  22. Discuss how you respond to adversity (i.e., do you need space or closeness when you are upset, etc.)
  23. Discuss what you need most when you have been hurt by the world or each other.
  24. Discuss likes and dislikes in types of meals (food).
  25. Discuss likes and dislikes in music, clothes, hair, house (or room) decoration and cleanliness, etc.

    How are the three linked together, or are they?
              Christ
  26.  
    You                Spouse