Cultivating Love Growing Character is the fifth book in the Cultivating Love series and is actually a revised excerpt from Cultivating Love Renewal (Book 1), Cultivating Love Finishing Strong (Book 3) and Cultivating Love When Secrets Surface (Book 4). Growing Character is released as a "stand alone" version for the very reason it is included in the other books: regardless of the issues that we may struggle with in life and in our relationships (communication, infidelity, parenting issues, addictions, etc.) character growth is an essential part of our personal development and it is the application of our character values that leads us to the fruitful resolution of most of those issues. Like the other books in the Cultivating Love series, Growing Character is based on the principle of Phytoremediation. Phytoremediation is an environmentally sound technology (EST) in which plants are used to remove, detoxify or immobilize environmental contaminants that are in the soil and in the water. Plants belonging to the Cruciferae family work the best. These particular plants are named and are a part of this family because they have a corolla of four petals arranged like a cross. Once again, God shows us that the process of restoring and remediating health, healing and safety to our environment (whether we start in our head, or in the garden of our relationships) is done through the work on the Cross (Colossians 1:16-20). So how does this personal and relational "clean up" process happen? In this workbook, you will have the opportunity to "remediate" or "heal your land" by identifying areas of your life or marriage that need growth and development, fruitfulness and edification. Based on your self-discovery, you'll have the opportunity to select from over 400 "Positive Values" or "seeds" to plant in the soil of your heart which when developed, will help you to become a fruitful, mature and productive human being. The cultivation of your values creates healing agents in your life and marriage when they are intentionally and strategically developed. Remediation occurs when you live by the values that you cultivate within your head and heart and practice these values with the "neighbors" in your life (i.e., spouse, family members, workplace).