Intimate Marriage Curriculum

Dan Allender & Tremper Longman wrote The Intimate Mystery to lay out the “matrix” from Genesis for understanding the mystery of marriage. From Genesis, they glean three concepts which every married couple seeking to honor God in their marriage should strive for – Leave, Weave, & Cleave. These three concepts, the authors believe further each couple to reach the goal of marriage, which is to grow in such a way that you reveal something about God and the Gospel to one another and this world.

Many couples do not think much about the direction their marriage is headed, they either attempt to maintain or strive for closeness & happiness. But as we look at the design for marriage, the authors say that we came not only to know the Designer, but also His plan. The concept this book and the corresponding curriculum want to get across is that you need to know the destination of your marriage. You cannot arrive anywhere until you know where it is you wish to go.

The leave, weave & cleave model comes from Genesis 2.24 – “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” The leave concept is not so much about physical leaving of parents, but that emotional tie & loyalty. (Your ultimate loyalty is to God, not a spouse or marriage). This leaving develops faith within the marriage. The weave concept is about knitting your lives to one another and placing your dreams and desires in the hands of your spouse, having vulnerability with your emotions. This weaving develops hope. The cleave concept is about being soul mates, having a level of intimacy and understanding which forms an impenetrable bond. This cleaving develops love.

The Intimate Marriage Curriculum Kit offers much more than your average curriculum kit. What is included is:

• The Intimate Mystery book
• Intimate Marriage Leader’s Guide
• 7 Bible Studies books (with 6 sessions each)
• 2 DVD’s with 3-5 minutes teachings from Dan Allender on each session from the 7 Bible Study books

The leader’s guide allows a church to make this series a church-wide experience with sermon helps, small group materials and promotional videos and materials. The 7 Bible studies go through a vast array of topics from sexual intimacy, communication and family ties. Each of the Bible study books also have leader’s guides in the back of each book, but are very simple and straight-forward to use.

This is a very engaging and interesting series with something unique and important to offer in the realm of marriage and relationships. I highly recommend this study. All the components are available within the kit or sold seperately.