Synopsis "Going Together: couples travelling in faith and culture"
Going Together is not just another book on how to have a better marriage, how to be romantic, being better between the sheets, or even how to resolve arguments and differences. There are many other books which adequately cover such topics. Going Together is different; very different. It is an exploration of Christian marriage specifically in the context of international, cross-cultural and interfaith living. It is essential reading for all couples who live outside their comfort-zone, but particularly for Christians living far from their home-place of upbringing. Going Together offers couples opportunities for looking inside their relationship, to make it better and more vibrant. Surviving: yet also subject to the complexities of international living, cross-cultural and interfaith issues. Peter writes... I am not certain exactly when I first noticed that expatriate living is corrosive to marriages. The fact that a number of couples around us were crumbling under the strain certainly brought matters to my attention. But our own experiences helped us see that marital stress and strain is possible in almost any area that you would not have imagined. Why was that, when we are such a close couple? I asked around and found that others had seen the same problem in their own lives: and so was born the idea for this book. Throughout my travels in Christian mission, I took notes to remember things about couples I met and I was amazed at the material emerging. I later wrote to 50 Christian married couples (with whom we had worked); each had substantial cross cultural experience and, as I had promised anonymity, many replied with their own stories. These have been woven together in one book with each story's owner, location, names and sometimes circumstances changed, to be unrecognisable. Yet the essence of the stories and lessons learned have survived. If you want your marriage to also survive, don't underestimate the damage that can be caused by cross-cultural, international or inter-faith living. Take it seriously; being forewarned is forearmed and there is still time to take action! Whether that is do-able in body or spirit will be for you to discern from this very practical Christian perspective of the world and marriage.
