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The Reader uses a voice supplied by your browser or device.
- Rew
- Go back about 15 seconds.
- Play / Pause
- Start, continue, or pause reading.
- Fwd
- Go forward about 15 seconds.
- Mark
- Save this place in the article.
- More
- Open Mini, Speed, Pitch, Chase, Restart, Voice, Sleep, Help, and Close.
- Speaker
- Collapse the Mini Reader to a small Oxblood Speaker; select it again to reopen the bar. Reader-control touches do not turn Chase off.
- Chase
- Keep the spoken passage in view. LeMAR controls do not turn Chase off.
- Sleep
- Pause LeMAR after 5, 10, 15, 30, or 60 minutes, or at the end of the article. The Speaker turns Blue while Sleep is active.
Headset and system media controls: LeMAR requests Play and Pause control from the browser while reading. Hardware support varies by browser and device. AirPods control is being tested and should not be assumed until confirmed on your device.
Keyboard Commands
- S
- Small: open the Mini Reader while audio is active.
- I
- Icon: collapse the Mini Reader to its Speaker or reopen it.
- K
- Play or Pause.
- J / ←
- Rewind about 15 seconds.
- L / →
- Forward about 15 seconds.
- M
- Mark the current place.
- O
- Open or close More.
- C
- Turn Chase on or off.
- R
- Restart the article.
- H
- Open Help.
- Esc
- Close More or an open dialog.
S and I work from anywhere in the article while audio is active, except while typing in a field. The other commands work while focus is inside the Reader.
Button states: White means off or available. Oxblood means on or active. Gray means unavailable.
The Leadership Masterworks Article Reader speaks the article title, subtitle, and body with a voice supplied by your browser or device. It does not download a prerecorded audio file, so available voices and their behavior vary between systems.
Primary Controls
- Rewind (Rew)
- Moves backward approximately 15 seconds. The amount is estimated from the text, so it can vary slightly with the selected voice and speed.
- Play and Pause
- The right-facing triangle starts or resumes reading. The double vertical lines pause without losing your place. The Space Bar also pauses or resumes while the Reader is active, unless you are typing in a form field.
- Headset / System Play and Pause
- While LeMAR is active it requests Play and Pause control through the browser’s media system. LeMAR 0.3.50 retains a silent media carrier so Safari has an active web-media session while SpeechSynthesis supplies the audible reading. Hardware behavior still depends on the browser, operating system, and headset; AirPods support is not claimed until live testing confirms it.
- Forward (Fwd)
- Moves forward approximately 15 seconds. Forward is unavailable at the end of the article.
- Mark
- Flashes Oxblood when selected, then returns to White because Mark is an action rather than a continuing mode. It privately saves the current location in this browser. A small upper-right badge on both Mark buttons shows the number saved from 1 to 25 and disappears when none are saved. An Oxblood diamond appears at each saved location. Open a Mark to resume with a little context, add a private note, delete one Mark, or delete them all.
- More
- Opens the secondary controls. The button turns Oxblood while the panel is open. Choosing an action closes the panel; Voice and Speed remain open while you make a selection.
More Controls
- Mini Reader / Expand Reader
- The collapse symbol changes the full Reader into a small floating controller with the same five controls and no visible button labels. In the Mini Reader, the outward-corner Expand symbol is the first More choice and returns to the full Reader.
- Collapse to Speaker
- Use the small Oxblood Speaker in the Mini Reader’s upper-right corner or choose Collapse to Speaker beneath Expand Reader in More. The bar disappears without interrupting playback, changing your place, or turning Chase off. Select the Speaker again to restore the Mini Reader. When the Mini Reader is open and you do not interact with it for 5 seconds, it automatically collapses to the Speaker. Any Mini Reader interaction resets that 5-second timer. The Speaker remains Oxblood because it opens and closes the bar; it does not indicate whether playback is running or paused.
- Speed & Pitch
- Speed changes the reading rate. Pitch makes a voice slightly lower or higher without changing its speed. Pitch is remembered separately for each Voice, so you can tune Daniel differently from Tom. In the Mini Reader, completing either choice closes More and immediately collapses the Mini Reader to the Speaker.
- Chase
- When on, Chase highlights the spoken passage and keeps it comfortably in view. Using LeMAR controls—including collapsing or restoring the Mini Reader—does not turn Chase off. Manual scrolling or navigation in the article turns Chase off so the Reader does not pull you away from the place you chose to view. Select Chase again to resume following.
- Restart Article
- Returns to the beginning and immediately begins reading again. Closing the Reader also stops speech and resets the playback controls.
- Voice
- Select the displayed Voice to open the list of voices supplied by your browser or device. LM Audio Reader remembers the Voice identity across all articles on this site. In the Mini Reader, after you choose a Voice, More closes and the Mini Reader immediately collapses to the Speaker. On iPhone and iPad, Safari may load installed Voices in stages; the Reader refreshes the list and keeps your preferred Voice instead of permanently replacing it when an early list is incomplete.
- Sleep
- Choose Off, 5, 10, 15, 30, or 60 minutes, or End of Article. In the Mini Reader, completing a Sleep choice closes More and immediately collapses the Mini Reader to the Speaker. Timed Sleep counts only while LeMAR is actively playing; pausing playback pauses the Sleep countdown. When the countdown finishes, LeMAR pauses at the current place so you can resume later. End of Article lets the current article finish normally. While Sleep is active, the Mini Reader Speaker and floating Speaker turn Blue as a persistent reminder. They return to Oxblood when Sleep is turned Off or completes. LeMAR tries to stop at a speech boundary when timed Sleep reaches zero so the final word is not cut in half.
- Help
- Opens this guide. CONCISE gives quick definitions; VERBOSE provides the full explanation of controls, behavior, privacy, and troubleshooting.
- Close Reader
- Stops speech, closes the playback controls, and returns the Reader to its initial Listen state.
Automatic Reader Behavior
- Mini Reader auto-collapse
- After 5 seconds of true Mini Reader inactivity, the Mini Reader collapses to its Speaker. On desktop, mouse movement anywhere inside the Mini Reader, entering it, clicking a control, or making a selection resets the 5-second timer. Leaving the Mini Reader starts a fresh 5-second countdown. Touch interaction on phones and tablets continues to reset the timer.
- Controls stay available while you read
- On desktop, iPhone, and iPad, while audio is active, when the full Reader scrolls completely out of view, LeMAR automatically shows the floating Speaker so you do not have to scroll back to the Reader for controls. When you return to the Reader’s original location, the full Reader returns and the floating Speaker disappears. On desktop, hovering over the collapsed Speaker for about three-quarters of a second opens the Mini Reader; clicking it opens immediately. A quick mouse pass does not open it.
- Reader controls and Chase
- Opening, collapsing, expanding, or using LeMAR controls is Reader interaction and does not cancel Chase. Manual touch or wheel navigation in the article itself still turns Chase off so LeMAR yields control of the page to you.
Keyboard Commands
- S — Small
- While audio is active, switches from the complete LM Audio Reader to the floating LM Mini Reader without changing the article position or returning to the top.
- I — Icon
- While the Mini Reader is available, collapses it to the floating Speaker or restores the complete Mini Reader. Playback and the current article position remain unchanged.
- K — Play/Pause
- Pauses active reading or resumes from the current place.
- Space
- Activates the currently focused Reader button. When focus is elsewhere inside the active Reader, it pauses or resumes playback.
- J / Left Arrow
- Moves backward approximately 15 seconds.
- L / Right Arrow
- Moves forward approximately 15 seconds.
- M — Mark
- Saves the current place as a private Mark in this browser.
- O — More
- Opens or closes the secondary Reader controls.
- C — Chase
- Turns highlighted text following on or off.
- R — Restart
- Returns to the beginning and immediately begins reading again.
- H — Help
- Opens this Help dialog.
- Escape
- Closes More or the currently open Reader dialog.
S and I work from anywhere in the article while audio is active. They are ignored while you are typing in a form field. The remaining keyboard commands work while focus is inside the Reader so ordinary WordPress, browser, page, and typing commands stay untouched. Voice and Speed select fields keep their normal keyboard behavior.
Voice Diagnostics
For cross-device testing, copy the exact voice information this browser currently makes available to LeMAR.
Progress, States, and Privacy
- The progress bar shows estimated elapsed time, total time, and percentage. After at least 10 seconds, the Reader can privately remember your place and offer to continue about five seconds before it.
- Your progress shows Not started, In progress, or completion count. You may mark complete, start over, or reset the article’s private history.
- White controls are off or available. Oxblood controls are on or active. Mark, Rew, and Fwd use Oxblood only momentarily when selected. Gray controls are unavailable. A gold outline indicates keyboard focus and is not an on/off state.
- Voice, Speed, Pitch, Chase, Marks and notes, saved location, and completion history are stored only in this browser. They are not saved in the Leadership Masterworks website database or synchronized between devices.
- If speech stops unexpectedly, close the Reader and select Listen again. If the problem continues, open More, choose a different Voice, and try again.
The Article Reader speaks the title, subtitle, and article using a voice supplied by your browser or device. When an Article has an assigned LM Audio Intro or Outro, those short prerecorded segments play before or after the spoken article. This means a voice must be selected under Voice in the Reader setup controls before the Article Reader can work.
Listening and Playback
- Listen — Select the Listen button in the upper-right corner of the Reader box to begin. The controls open immediately. On most devices, reading follows after a brief one-second pause; on iPhone and iPad, it begins without that delay for reliable audio startup.
- LM Audio Reader — The complete Reader displays each primary control with its symbol above its name. Switch to the LM Mini Reader when you want a compact floating controller while the article continues.
- Continue Listening — After you have listened for at least 10 seconds, the Reader privately remembers your location in this browser. When you return, select Continue to resume about five seconds before that saved location, or Start Over to begin again.
- Progress and Completion — Your progress at the top of the Reader shows Not started, In progress, or how many times the article has been completed. Open Your progress to mark the article complete, start it over, or reset its complete private history.
- Join the Conversation — After the article narration and any assigned Outro naturally finish, the Reader may invite you to leave a comment and share a lesson, question, or story that could help someone else. The invitation appears only once for each article in this browser and does not appear after Stop, Close, or Mark Complete.
- Pause and Resume — Select Pause to temporarily stop the voice without losing your place. Select Resume to continue from that location.
- Back and Forward 15 Seconds — Move backward or forward approximately 15 seconds. Because reading time is estimated from the text, the exact movement may vary slightly by voice and device.
- Restart — Return to the beginning of the article and begin reading again.
- Stop — Stop the reading and reset its position to 0 seconds. The Reader controls remain available so you can begin again.
- Space Bar — While the Reader is active, press the Space Bar to Pause or Resume. The Reader will not intercept the Space Bar while you are typing in a form field.
- Device Voice and Reading Speed — Choose a Device Voice and Reading Speed from the Expanded Reader. Your Voice is remembered across this site by its identity rather than its position in the list. Safari may load iPhone and iPad Voices in stages, so the Reader refreshes before speaking and does not discard a temporarily missing preferred Voice.
- Mini Reader Speed Controls — Use Minus or Plus to decrease or increase the speed. Select the displayed speed itself at any time to return immediately to the normal 1× speed without losing your place.
Following the Article
- Follow Text — Keep the corresponding passage highlighted and comfortably in view while the article is being read.
- Manual Scrolling — Scrolling with a mouse, trackpad, touch screen, or navigation key turns Follow Text Off so the Reader does not pull the page away from the place you chose to view.
- Turn Follow Text On Again — Select Follow Text whenever you want the Reader to resume highlighting and following the spoken passage.
- Follow Text Is On — The complete Follow button turns solid black whenever Follow Text is active, making its current state immediately visible.
Marks
- Mark This Spot — Create and privately save a location in the current article. A small badge on both Mark buttons shows the number saved from 1 to 25; no badge appears at zero.
- Inline Marks — A small superscript Oxblood diamond appears in the article at each saved location. Select the diamond to resume from that Mark. Inline Marks are synchronized with the Marks list and are not included in the spoken article, copied text, or printed page.
- Open a Mark — Select a saved Mark to resume shortly before that location, giving you a little context before reaching the exact place you marked.
- Personal Notes — Select Add note beneath any saved Mark to write a private note about that passage. Notes save automatically in this browser, remain editable, and are removed with their Mark. They are not spoken as part of the article.
- Delete Marks — Delete an individual Mark beside its listing, or select Delete All Marks to remove every saved location for that article.
- Show or Hide Marks — Select the triangle beside Marks to open or collapse the complete list. Hiding the list does not delete any Marks.
Mini Reader and Close
- Mini Reader — Switch from the LM Audio Reader to the compact floating LM Mini Reader. The article continues while you use its essential controls.
- Expand — Return from the LM Mini Reader to the complete LM Audio Reader settings and controls.
- Close — Stop the reading, close the playback controls, and reset the Reader to 0 seconds.
Privacy and Troubleshooting
- Private Browser Storage — Your selected Voice, Speed, Follow Text preference, Marks and notes, saved listening location, completion history, and whether a completed-article invitation has appeared are stored only in your browser. They are not saved in the Leadership Masterworks website database or synchronized between devices.
- Browser and Device Differences — Available Voices and speech behavior vary by browser, operating system, and device. The same Voice may not be available everywhere.
- Unexpected Stops — If the reading stops unexpectedly, select Stop and then Listen again. If the problem continues, choose another available Device Voice and try again.
- Remember — Selecting Stop always resets the Reader to the beginning of the article at 0 seconds.
LeMAR Reader version 0.3.47
0.3.47-20260819
Thank you for listening
Your experience may help someone else. Leave a comment below and share a lesson, question, or story that could help another reader.
LeMAR Reader
Choose A Voice
Choose a voice to narrate Leadership Masterworks articles for you. You can audition different voices and change the voice anytime. LeMAR uses voices available on your device, so the choices may be different on your computer, phone, or tablet.
How LeMAR works
LeMAR lets you listen to any Leadership Masterworks article while following along—or while doing something else. There’s even a Sleep Timer.
Play, pause, skip forward or back, adjust the reading speed, and choose the voice you prefer. If you leave before finishing, LeMAR remembers where you stopped. When you return—even from your Leadership Masterworks Dashboard—you can continue right where you left off.
Turn on Chase and the page automatically follows the spoken text as you listen, so you can easily read along.
Read when you can. Listen when you can’t. Keep growing either way.
The Book.
This book comes in two versions:
1. The Mentorees’s version, for the couple being mentored, (or to read on your own).
6”x9” hardbound, 316 pages
2. The Mentor’s Guide, for the older couple that will be mentoring the younger couple. It has about 310 additional thoughts, examples, descriptions, and questions in a highlighted area under each subsection in each chapter, to help you in mentoring the younger married couple. Or, if the mentoree couple wants to do the book on their own without having a mentor (though that defeats the concept of Marriage mentorship!) you can purchase this version to get the additional input and help.
8.5” x 11” hardbound, 288 pages.
3. You can order both at a discount. if you are a mentor who has a mentoree couple you are going to mentor, or a couple who wants to be mentored. Save 20% by ordering both together.
One copy of each book.
The links below will take you to our main website, WeAreCaris.com to complete.
ORDER MENTOREE’s (Couples) Book
ORDER MENTOR’s GUIDE
ORDER BOTH BOOKS TOGETHER
About the Book…
Greetings Beloved of the Lord!
Imagine a life where love deepens with every passing season, where challenges are met not with fear but with unwavering unity, and where the bond between you and your spouse becomes a testament to the enduring, transformative power of God’s grace. This isn’t a distant dream, it is the profound reality that awaits when a marriage is intentionally built on the unshakeable foundation of Covenant Love. Here, within the pages of Covenant Love: A Marriage Mentorship Manual, we embark on a sacred journey together, one that promises not just survival, but a vibrant, flourishing union designed by the Master Architect Himself.
In every significant aspect of life, mentorship plays a vital role in our growth. Think of the athlete who seeks guidance from a seasoned coach, the student who learns from a wise professor, or the apprentice who hones their craft under the tutelage of a master. These relationships aren’t about weakness, they are about recognizing that true excellence, profound understanding, and lasting success are often cultivated through the wisdom and experience of those who have walked the path before us; for wisdom isn’t what you know, it’s what you do with what you know. Mentorship is a beautiful expression of God’s kindness (Romans 2:4), offering us a guiding hand, a listening ear, and a wealth of shared insight that can prevent unnecessary stumbles and accelerate our progress.

Nowhere is this principle more vital, more precious, than in the sacred institution of marriage. In a world that often bombards us with fleeting trends and subjective advice, it is essential to anchor our most intimate earthly relationship to timeless, divine truth. Marriage, in its purest form, is a covenant – a sacred promise made before God, intended to be an unbreakable reflection of His own unfailing love for us. Yet, the journey of Covenant Love is often uncharted territory, filled with both breathtaking beauty and unexpected terrain. This is where mentorship becomes not just helpful, but essential.
Covenant Love is born from a deep understanding of this need – a need for guidance, encouragement, and a clear roadmap grounded in God’s unchanging Word. This manual is much more than just a collection of information, it is a carefully crafted discipleship tool, designed to lead you and your spouse into a deeper, richer understanding of the divine blueprint for marriage. It is an invitation to feast, to truly feast, on every thought and concept that can transform your relationship from one of mere coexistence to one of profound, Christ-centered unity. We have poured our hearts, prayers, and experience into these pages, driven by the desire to see your marriage not only thrive but become a radiant beacon of God’s design.
As you turn these pages, you will discover a journey that begins with the very heart of God’s intention for marriage – understanding its divine origin and purpose. We will explore how your union is meant to be a living picture of Christ’s love for His Church, a testament to His faithfulness and grace. You will delve into the transformative power of biblical communication, learning to speak truth in love and listen with empathy, ensuring your conversations build up rather than tear down. We promise to guide you through understanding the unique personalities within your marriage, resolving conflicts with grace, and establishing healthy boundaries that protect your sacred space.
Furthermore, this manual will lead you into the profound depths of intimacy – spiritual, emotional, and physical – and illuminate the sacred gift of self-giving that fuels it. You will learn to build unwavering trust, navigate the painful possibility of betrayal, and partner effectively in raising the next generation. We will walk with you as you face life’s inevitable challenges and transitions, not as individuals battling alone, but as a united front, pressing on together. You will discover the joy of growing in faith, service, and a shared vision, becoming true stewards of your home and your resources.
There will be some light redundancy within the book – some chapters can use a few of the same points to help understanding – let that be a sign to really let that point sink in. It’s been proven that we need to hear things several times before they can take affect – especially if we’re not actively listening…

This is not a superficial guide; it is an intricate study with biblical wisdom and practical application. Our promise to you is that every thought, every concept, every exercise has been designed with the deepest care to draw you closer to God and to each other. We desire for you to hang on every word, not because of our own wisdom, but because these words point to the ultimate source of wisdom and love – our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the kindness of God, revealed through His Word and His design for marriage, will lead you into a repentance that transforms, a turning towards a love that is deeper, stronger, and more joyful than you ever imagined.
Also, remember as you’re reading through this book, it is written mostly for pre-weds and young married couples. Wherein, it is of great value for all married couples, the tone is more prescriptive than restorative, meaning that the tone is directed more toward putting into place good practices. Having said that, everything in here can also be used as restorative practice because they are biblical, godly concepts. So, in short, though made for teaching how to, it’s also good for applying to a current problem.
Covenant Love is not an uber-detailed, all encompassing exposé on every facet of marriage! It is a practical guide to help you navigate the biggest potential problems within marriage and biblical methodologies, godly strategies and tactics, to press on in love with your covenant. It is also to give helpful guidance during mentorship to delight in your marriage. Scripture is full of ways we can and should do things. The more we are in tune with God’s word, the easier it is to know what we should do.
Common sense is no longer common, Fortunately, we have scripture to tell us truth and challenge our selfishness, arrogance, and avoidance.
This book is ultimately about preparation and resilience within your marriage. It’s designed to equip you with a deeper understanding of the realities that can surface in a lifelong covenant, not to sow fear, but to foster preparedness. By exploring the biblical foundations of covenant love and practical strategies for navigating challenges – from intimacy and communication to the profound crisis of betrayal and addiction – we aim to help you face potential difficulties with wisdom, courage, and a steadfast reliance on God. Our hope is that by understanding these things beforehand and learning how to address problems as they arise, you can build a marriage that is not only enduring but also rich in grace, trust, and a love that truly honors God.
Covenant Love is an invitation to embrace the most beautiful love story ever conceived – the story of two individuals, joined by God, reflecting His divine love to the world. It is a promise to equip you, to encourage you, and to walk alongside you as you build a marriage that is resilient, purposeful, and gloriously Christ-centered. Dive in, explore, and prepare to feast. Your covenant journey awaits.
Much love and blessings, while straining forward, I remain your servant,
Royce White, Author
November 2025
P.S. – As we embark on this exploration of marriage and Covenant Love, it’s important for you to know my perspective. I approach life, and therefore this book, through the lens of a Biblical Christian worldview, which I often think of as the “Physics of God.” My belief is that this framework, rooted in the timeless truths of Christianity, offers a foundational understanding of reality that has proven its enduring strength. Just as the laws of physics govern the tangible world with predictable outcomes, I believe the principles of God’s truth provide a reliable pathway – in fact, the only pathway – toward the most fulfilling and robust outcomes in our lives and relationships. This perspective will infuse the entirety of “Covenant Love,” shaping how we discuss challenges, explore solutions, and ultimately, how we build a marriage that honors God and stands the test of time. My aim is to present these concepts in a way that resonates logically, even to the most discerning mind, demonstrating that aligning with timeless truth is the most profound investment we can make in our unions – and in everything else.
ORDER MENTOREE’s (Couples) Book
ORDER MENTOR’s GUIDE
ORDER BOTH BOOKS TOGETHER
About the Author Royce is an Executive & Life Coach, Human Behavior Specialist, and as Founder and CEO of The Caris Group, works with leadership in churches, businesses, and NGOs to help them intentionally grow by learning and applying correct leadership principles and by better understanding personality. Royce is also an international speaker, executive coach and trainer with the John Maxwell Team (John was voted most influential leadership expert in the world by Business Insider, Inc. Magazine, and the American Management Association for most of the past 15 years). Royce has also been a worship leader for over 30 years and has been involved in leadership and lay leadership at several churches during his 50 years of church experience. Married for 48+ years, five children, and 12 grand children. Bio… Testimonials…
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Table of Contents
Preface, 11
Introduction, 13
0. How to Be a Mentor, 18
1. The Divine Design for Marriage, 28
2. Building on the Rock: God’s Word as the Foundation, 42
3. The Covenant of Commitment: Unconditional Love and Fidelity, 56
4. Understanding Each Other: Personality, Preferences, and Partnership (DISC), 68
5. Communication That Connects: Speaking Truth in Love, 90
6. Resolving Conflict God’s Way: Forgiveness and Reconciliation, 106
7. Mastering Finances Together: Stewards of God’s Provision, 118
8. Intimacy In All It’s Facets: Emotional, Spiritual, and Physical, 134
9. The Sacred Gift of Self-Giving: Understanding Sexual Intimacy and Boundaries, 146
10. Expectations in Marriage: The Truth About What We Anticipate, 158
11. Growing Together in Faith and Service, 176
12. Boundaries for a Thriving Marriage: Creating Healthy Space and Protection, 188
13. Building Trust and Overcoming Betrayal: Rebuilding After Infidelity, 204
14. Unity in Raising the Next Generation: Partnering in Parenting, 226
15. Facing Life’s Storms Together: Navigating Stressors and Transitions, 244
16. A Lifelong Journey of Covenant Love and Mentored Growth, 258
Appendix A: An Invitation to the Greatest Love Story, 265
Appendix B: Recommended Reading, 273
Appendix C: The Worthy Wife, The Valiant Husband – A Jewel of Covenant Love, 277
Appendix D: The Covenant of Love: A Christian Wedding Ceremony, 285
Appendix E: Leading in Love, 293
Appendix F: Marriage Seminars and Weekend Encounters, 297
Appendix G: How To Schedule Your Time, 299
316 pages. © January 2026. Available in hardbound. Want to join the conversation, get premarital or marital training, a personality assessment, or interact with us in some way? Click here.
ORDER MENTOREE’s (Couples) Book
ORDER MENTOR’s GUIDE
ORDER BOTH BOOKS TOGETHER