I just ran across a gem of a book that a friend loaned to me: Finding the Love of Your Life: Ten Principles for Choosing the Right Marriage Partner, by Neil Clark Warren, PhD.

Warren, a Christian Psychologist/Counselor, makes a case for taking great care in selecting a spouse--none of us would argue with that. Here are a few things he mentioned for singles to do in the mate selection process:

*Make sure you have developed a reasonable level of self-identity (know where you are going in life, etc). He argues against getting married before the mid-20's. I found this interesting considering some of the debates going around about young marriage.

*Get emotionally healthy yourself.

*Avoid premarital sex. Warren argues for abstinence because premarital sex clouds one's judgment (I've written about this before: Premarital Sex and False Intimacy).

*Look for someone who is similar to you in the most important areas (spiritually, intellectually, etc).

Those are just a few highlights.  I don't have time to write a more extensive review. 

This book has been around a while--it was written in the early 90's.  You can buy a used copy of this book for 1 cent. That's right--1 cent. I just bought one for about two dollars to add to my library (I looked for one that was in a little better shape).  It'll be waiting on me next time I visit the States.