This puts it in football terms that guys can understand. I have recommended this book to several friends. They take a christian approach to relationships.

There are many ways to mess up, ways to lose the trust and confidence of your wife, ways to hinder your efforts to regain her trust. This book teaches by analogy to a football game; terms that most all men can understand and relate to. It has very specific advice for those who have already separated and what they need to do to mend the relationship. I found it rather disheartening to read about how bad it can be, and so was only able to read about a chapter a night.

"The foundation of all relationships is honor. Fulfilling marriages must be built upon that foundation." p xi (introduction)

"Step one. ... identify specific behaviors that are guaranteed to lose ground. ... In the game of love you can score points in two ways. You can score by doing positive things ... Or you can sustain a drive toward reconciliation by avoiding penalty flags." p13

"Step two. ... identify and understand specific patterns of behavior that can put you across
the goal line consistently with your wife. Step two will help you understand why your wife may not respond to your reconciliation attempts. When you offend your wife you usually close her spirit.
Therefore, to help you gain positive yardage, we will present the secret to opening a closed spirit."
p13

"Step three. ... honoring your wife and children." p13

"Step four. Related to honor is the concept of sacrificial love. In this step you will learn how important it is to prefer your wife above all other earthly things." p13

"Step five. ... initiate change in yourself." p14

"Step six. Understand why some women are not in a position to reconcile is the next step.
Your wife may have emotional baggage she is hauling around from a past relationship, and virtually nothing you do will make a significant difference..." p14


"Step seven. ... understand your ultimate goal after your mate leaves. As you realize that drawing closer to the Lord is the greatest thing you can do, the joy you'll experience can make the pain worthwhile and the future look brighter." p14

"Step eight. ... persistence." p14

"Step nine. ... identify a place where you can receive continuous support and accountability. Through this method, you can gain increased life span, and higher motivation and the perspective of others." p14

"Step ten. ... We identify several key factors ... that will help you to keep your winning streak going long after the reconciliation drive ends." p14-15

Write Your Own Reconciliation Game Plan Postgame Interviews
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