Marriage Partnership articles from December 2007

Marriage Partnership archives from December 2007

Fish story.(from the editor)
December 22, 2007... My husband and I recently returned from the boundary waters of Minnesota where we spent our days fishing, hiking, and sitting around the campfire. One afternoon we were in our rented motor boat, casting fishing lines into Big Lake and...

A daily battle.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 22, 2007... "Caught Unawares" (Fall 2007) was excellent! Author lira Killam describes visually and completely how the process of temptation works--and everything that goes through a person's mind. I'm a counselor, and his comment, "Little choices....

Living the vows.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 22, 2007... Though distressing to read, I found "Living with an Intruder" of tremendous value in causing me to pause and evaluate my relationship with God and my wife. I have a tendency to take both for granted. Reading this article caused me to get on my...

Staging a retreat.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 22, 2007... Brenda lanks's article "Rest, Renew, and Retreat" was just what I needed to read. My husband and I will be celebrating our second anniversary (second marriages for both of us) and we have teenagers in the house who put our vows to the test....

Holiday connections.(couple minutes)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Traveling with small children, cooking complicated dishes, and late nights wrapping presents are just a few holiday stressors that can negatively impact a couple's communication. Try these tips to stay connected: ...

Be an encourager.(Couples devotional)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.--Acts 15:32 People tend to focus on what's wrong with the world rather than what's right, and that trickles into our relationships. INSTEAD...

The 30-second clutter cure.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... "If it takes 30 seconds or less to do a job, do it immediately." I'd memorized that tip from Sandra Felton, founder of Messies Anonymous. Though good advice, it wasn't happening. Our house was cluttered, and my husband, Robert, and I were...

Marriage means always having to say you're sorry?
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Want the key to a lasting marriage? Try apologizing to your spouse! A study of 7,950 Americans conducted by pollsters Zogby for ThePearlOutlet.com Found that having a willingness to apologize strenghtens a couple's...

The #1 way, to boost desire.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Just have sex! Often, women wait until they feel desire before they're willing to have sex. But research shows women don't always have desire first. "Most women experience a receptive type of desire," says Debra...

Tough love.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The holidays are supposed to be about togetherness, but in most families there's at least one relative who descends on every celebration like a rain cloud. Brother-sister writing team Bill Klatte and Kate Thompson,...

Work it out: how do you and your spouse deal with visiting extended family?(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... If we're visiting her family, she determines when it's time to leave. When we visit my family, it's my decision. If a situation is uncomfortable at our in-laws, we try to be sensitive to each other's needs. We also try to spend most of our...

The why factor.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] If you do something positive for your mate, does it matter why? Yes, says Heather Patrick, assistant professor of research at the University of Rochester. Patrick conducted a study of 266 men and women that showed...

You said it!
December 22, 2007... "Predictability can be good: just knowing she's going to be there every night. Her knowing I'm going to come home every night. KNOWING THAT CARE WHERE SHE IS EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY." --Dr. Phil McGraw, about Robin, his wife of 32 years ...

Starring role.(snapshot)(Interview)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Actor Jim Caviezel has portrayed a variety of roles, from the Count of Monte Cristo to Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. In his current project he gives voice to Jesus once again in The Word of Promise, an audio...

Eat ice cream! Want to get pregnant?
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Newsflash: Drinking whole fat milk and eating ice cream is good for you--if you're trying to conceive. According to new research published by the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology, low-fat dairy...

Resolution resources: check out the following books to help you be great in 2008!(between the covers)(Book review)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you resolve to get more organized: Desperate Households by Kathy Peel (Tyndale). "America's Family Manager" takes on the top 10 areas in most families' lives that desperately need a makeover. Chapters give...

The genealogy race.(that thing we do)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A genealogy buff, I'd been researching my mother's line for more than three years and hadn't gotten past my great-grandfather. One clay as I was lamenting that fact, my husband, Charles, spouted a smart remark:...

$30 changed my marriage: my shopping spree turned into more than I bargained for.(starting out)
December 22, 2007... Kyle and I had been married a few weeks when I ventured out for a day of shopping. Grabbing my purse, I shouted, "I'm going to the mall. Be back in a bit." Before I got outside, Kyle appeared behind me with a big smile. "Have fun. I love...

We don't have fun anymore.(couple counsel)
December 22, 2007... My husband and I have been married seven years and we don't have fun anymore. It just feels like everything is work--we both work full time, then we come home and work on the household chores. Our weekends are more of the same: running errands...

Common cents.
December 22, 2007... questions My husband wants to take out an equity loan to pay off our car and credit cards. I don't think it's a good idea. What do you think? answer An equity loan can be good only if old spending habits are changed and your...

Balancing your money mindset: How to make cash an asset to your marriage.(twenty-four / seven)
December 22, 2007... Through the years, many of the conflicts I've heard in my counseling office have focused on money. "I never know how much money we have because he won't let me see the checkbook." "All I ask is that she record the checks she writes. Balancing...

Marriage junk mail: its seductive promises of a better life fed my discontent.(soul to soul)
December 22, 2007... I wasn't looking for trouble. My husband wasn't around, and something enticing snagged my glance. Although I knew better, my curiosity was aroused. His disarming introduction made me feel special, as if he'd chosen me from millions. I...

The three most important choices: your marriage depends on them.
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Several years ago a movie called Family Man came out. The story begins with Jack and Kate, a committed couple whose relationship seems destined to end in marriage. But then Jack receives a chance to go to Europe to...

This time of year doesn't have to bring stress to your family's fun, waist, or wallet.(healthy holidays)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's the night before Christmas... And your little black dress won't zip, buttoning last year's trousers has you talking like an elf, and you're too exhausted to care that the credit card just triggered the...

Will we or won't we ... who holds the real power in your sex life?
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] John and I stopped at a last-food restaurant for a quick meal on the way to his farm. friend had one of the "cleanest" sexual pasts of any man I've ever met on the day he married, the only woman other than his bride...

Twelve days of Christmas: how one husband reinvented gift giving.
December 22, 2007... Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year. But often we become overwhelmed with family gatherings, hurried shopping trips, Christmas programs and parties, and planning for houseguests. Not only does our focus stray from remembering...

Not tonight, honey: I just knew we'd pray together every day. Uh ... right.
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Steve held my hand and offered a simple, profound prayer. I thanked God for our perfect love. Newly engaged, our 20-year-old hearts shared the deep conviction that our marriage would set new holiness records....

i-Connect; we-Connect: the surprising ways to use technology for your marriage: we e-mail each other in the same house!
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] a year ago, my husband and I attended a weekend retreat for Christians at a rustic hotel on the snowy dunes of Lake Michigan's shoreline. At one of the evening sessions as we sat bundled under blankets, rocking in...

We e-resolve our conflicts.
December 22, 2007... When it comes to arguing, my husband, Paul, and I have two different approaches: He swears his feelings on his sleeve; I hide mind up my sleeve. You know when Paul is angry or frustrated--it's out there for the world to see. I learned quickly...

"Let's cuddle": apparently those words do not have universal meaning to men and women.
December 22, 2007... We all know that men are from Mars and women don't watch Star Trek. The differences between us are vast, and yet the desire to connect and be understood by each other can consume our whole being. For instance, when my wife says, "I want to...

Kicking it up a notch: Ross and Debbie Radke have turned their faith and their love for martial arts into ministry that's impacting their community.(portrait of a marriage)
December 22, 2007... It was a case of dislike at first sight. As she stood on the mat beside her eight-year-old son, Josh, and listened to Ross Radke bark directions, Debbie quickly formed an opinion of their martial arts instructor. "I thought he was mean,"...

He wants to try new things.(real sex)
December 22, 2007... my husband wants me to do things when we're making love that I don't want to do. When I tell him it makes me uncomfortable, he tells me I'm being a prude. What should I do? It's difficult to answer your question, since we're unsure what...

The packer game incident: my husband had a listening problem. And I wasn't about to let him forget it.(ever after)
December 22, 2007... My wife says I never listen to her. At least I think that's what she said. There was, gleaming at me the glossy pages of a catalog: the perfect slogan T-shirt, with its cheeky grasp of the truth. I reached for my purse, intending to pull...

It figures.(Table)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ultimate make-out song: "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye: 59% "Simply Irresistible" by Robert Palmer: 17% "Seduces Me" by Celine Dion: 24% (2,746 respondents) [ILLUSTRATION...