Marriage Partnership articles from March 2006

Marriage Partnership archives from March 2006

Earning brownie points.(Valentine's Day)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 22, 2006... Last year my husband, Scott, received 1,000 brownie points. Mr. "I don't believe in Valentine's Day so don't expect anything" called me at work a week before and asked if I'd be interested in taking off V-Day so we could spend it together....

An enduring legacy.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 22, 2006... Thanks so much for Ginger Kolbaba's insightful interview with Douglas Gresham ("Marriage in the Shadowlands," Winter 2005). And hooray for Jack and Joy for teaching so many of us what a Christian marriage should be all about. People often feel...

A fresh outlook.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 22, 2006... When my husband and I thought of making our marriage better we considered everything but our sex life. For a long time I've wanted to find a way to make this part of our life better. But I didn't say anything to my husband because I thought it...

Getting real.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 22, 2006... We need more honest answers like the ones in "Sex Without Reservations" by Douglas Rosenau and Debra Taylor. Christian women are real and have the same needs as "worldly women." We need to know that's normal and expected. There would be a...

Making time.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 22, 2006... The article "Spiritually Lacking" by Susy Yates Anderson is right in my neighborhood. My wife and I have been married three years and have also grown apart from God. The ironic thing is that we're deacons in our church and have plenty of...

Grab your mate & celebrate!(healthy marriage)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... Celebration is an important part a healthy marriage. So why not commemorate your marriage vows at least once a month? Here are a few guidelines: Don't invite your friends. Think how little you actually talk to your spouse at group...

Accepting God's will.(couples devotional)(Brief article)
March 22, 2006... Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39). My husband and I respond differently to change. Randy...

You said it!(Stephen Gaines married to Tina Andrews)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... Being in a long marriage is a little bit like... that nice cup of coffee every morning--I might have it every day, but I still enjoy it. Stephen Gaines, documentary filmmaker married to screenwriter Tina Andrews

When not to sleep with your spouse.(sleeping together)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... The marriage bed is a powerful symbol of wedded bliss. But according to a 2001 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) poll, 12 percent of married adults are sleeping in separate beds--in most cases just to get a good night's rest. Check out the...

Ride the bumps together.(heart-to-heart conversation)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... When tension mounts between you and your spouse, spending an afternoon together, let alone on a tandem bike, is probably the furthest thing from your mind. But dual workouts that challenge your body can actually open lines of communication, and...

A winning team.(Vonetta Flowers and Johnny Flowers)(Interview)
March 22, 2006... When Vonetta Flowers didn't make the 2002 Olympic track team, her husband/coach, Johnny, encouraged her to try out for the bobsled team. She made it and became the first African American to win an Olympic Gold Medal in women's bobsled. She...

Gifts that keep giving.(secret to a great marriage)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... That old adage, "It's better to than to receive" can be the secret to a great marriage. Here are five ways to find joy through sacrificing for each other: 1. Give the gift of sacrifice. Giving up something so your mate can enjoy her own...

The case for chick flicks.(romantic movies can bring couples together)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... The popcorn is popped, the lights are dimmed. Now you and your spouse just have to agree on the movie. If you're locked in a heated debate over the merits of Jarhead versus In Her Shoes, go with the sentimental choice, says Oliver Schultheiss,...

5 mood-changing compliments.(informed compliment, insincere compliment, ill-fated compliment, direct compliment and unspoken compliment)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... Compliments can draw us closer and even arouse passion. But beware--they can also go astray. Here are five types of compliments and their effects: The informed compliment. Don't focus only on the results; compliment the effort. Whether...

Lights, camera, action.(communication)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... I write sketches for our church and recruit actors to perform them. My husband, Carlos, is a technophile who taught himself to use video-editing software. Two years ago, at the suggestion of our pastor, we joined forces in a drama/video...

The 7 Love Agreements.(by Douglas Weiss )(Brief article)(Book review)
March 22, 2006... The 7 Love Agreements by Douglas Weiss (Siloam) I'll never be poor again. I'll never be the kind of parent my father/ mother was. These are the kind of agreements people sometimes make with themselves that, if kept, can break a cycle of...

Your Marriage Can Survive a Newborn.(between the covers)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2006... Your Marriage Can Survive a Newborn by Glenn and Natalie William (Broadman & Holman) No matter how many parenting books you read or veteran parents you talk to, none of it can completely prepare you for the life-altering experience of...

When Two Become One.(between the covers)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2006... When Tow Become One by Christopher & Rachel McCluskey (Revell). Few marriage experts would argue that a healthy, satisfying sex life is paramount to a happy, healthy marriage. But as Christians, this certified sex therapist and his wife...

The better sex diet.(interpersonal relations)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... Adding these nutrients to your daily diet will give you and your spouse a passion pick-me-up: Zinc helps improve vaginal lubrication. Get your fix from oysters, lean beef, turkey, and almonds. The muscles that contract and spasm during...

Share the load.(share the housework )(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... Are you the one doing all the housework in your marriage? Try these tips to get your mate to share the load: 1. Be specific. Don't just say you want help with the housework. Instead propose specific projects one at a time--such as making...

A reason to celebrate: marriagepartnership.com surveys.(couple minutes)
March 22, 2006... How often do you and your spouse celebrate your marriage? Never 16% Once a year 54% Several times a year 26% Every 5 years 1% Source: 380 respondents Wanna give us a piece of your...

Building boundaries.(safeguard your marriage)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... Simply thinking or hoping that infidelity will never touch your marriage is a luxury no couple can afford. Below are 5 guidelines for establishing workplace boundaries that will demonstrate your commitment to your spouse and safeguard your...

Performance anxiety: when our sex life didn't fit the newlywed cliche, I was determined to fix it.
March 22, 2006... Newlyweds don't answer the phone, are late for work, and rarely leave the house because they're so busy making love. Newlyweds have around-the-clock sex on kitchen countertops and in Jacuzzi bathtubs. Or at least that's what I expected. ...

He won't spend time with me.(work and family)
March 22, 2006... Q. I THINK MY HUSBAND is avoiding me. He spends all his time at work or with his friends. I asked him this morning if he'd like to do something with me on Sunday and he asked if he could get back to me because he didn't know what he had going...

She's mothering me!(marital satisfaction)
March 22, 2006... Q. Since we had a child three years ago, my wife has gone overboard on being a mother--to the point where she's mothering me. She talks to me in the same voice she uses with our son. Plus, whenever he's around--which is constantly--she insists...

She says I'm not romantic.(marriage )
March 22, 2006... Q. do everything I can think of to show I care for my wife, but she tells me I'm not romantic. What does she want me to do? A. I (Carrie) have struggled with the "my husband should know all my needs and meet them" syndrome. It wasn't fun...

Pots and plans: when the non-stick stoveware was ruined, Janine and Steve Petry realized they needed a better way to treasure their possessions and each other.(interpersonal conflict)
March 22, 2006... Janine's side: We'll just buy a new one My family had a little slogan, and my grandfather said it best in his New York-Italian accent: "Whateva" It's a motto that fit any situation. If you burned dinner, forgot to mail a card, or broke...

Marriage in springtime: while spring is a wonderful season for your relationship, it still needs a boost of time and energy.(married couples in love)
March 22, 2006... I was walking through a mall when I saw a couple in their forties acting like two teenagers, picking at each other and giggling. They were oblivious to their surroundings. I noticed they were wearing wedding rings, so I said, "Excuse me. How...

A piercing silence: what I learned when I finally got quiet enough to let God speak.(marital silence)
March 22, 2006... When we were newly married, my husband, Bob, joined the Air Force and was accepted into the accelerated master's program in management at MIT--and the Air Force was paying for it. The opportunity awed and excited us. Then classes started....

Penning a marriage: the power of interactive journaling.
March 22, 2006... "I can't argue with you. You talk so fast, I don't get a chance to think of what to say before you make a new argument." Those were the words of my frustrated husband as he walked from the room. He was right. There was nothing fair about...

Put sex on my to-do list? Making love with my husband just wasn't a priority.(marriage)
March 22, 2006... I'd returned from running errands one afternoon when I walked into the house and saw my husband give me "The Look." The screen door banged behind me as my twin preschoolers ran to me and wrapped themselves around each leg, squealing with...

Holy matri-money: when it comes to finances, Marriage Partnership couples have plenty to say about their spending habits attitudes.(surveys)
March 22, 2006... When my husband, Paul, and I went through pre-marital counseling nearly 20 years ago, our pastor told us something surprising--the number one reason couples get divorced is financial disagreement. I found this difficult to believe, but as we...

Joy in the journey: the relational glue that helps us pursue oneness.(dramatic impact)
March 22, 2006... Psychiatrist William Frey spent years studying the dramatic impact that laughter, humor, and joy have on our lives. He found that joy increases our pulse rate, blood circulation, and oxygenation. Joy causes remarkable relaxation. Frey...

The secret to contentment: when Joyce Meyer took a risk to love and be loved, she discovered something deeper than happiness.(A Marriage Revolution)(Interview)(Cover story)
March 22, 2006... Forty years ago Joyce felt trapped at the bottom of a dark, deep pit of despair. Walking away with her baby son and only what she could carry, she'd just divorced her husband of five years who d cheated on, manipulated, and abandoned her. Prior...

What joy isn't: three ways we misuse or abuse joy.
March 22, 2006... Since joy is so powerful, like other powerful responses it can be abused and misused. Here are three ways we can misuse joy in our relationship. 1. Hurtful humor. This is what I call the sword and shield approach. With the sword you...

Clearer connections: remarried couples often bring baggage into their marriage. Here's how to work through the issues to gain stronger communication skills.
March 22, 2006... My husband's favorite proverb is, "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." He usually quotes that right before I agree with him by sending him to sleep in the garage. How is it that the one topic...

More than words: sometimes it's small, everyday acts of kindness that best demonstrate love toward our mate. Here are 9 ways MP readers communicate love--without ever saying a word.
March 22, 2006... Writer's getaway When I became a writer, my wife, Jane, showed her deep love for me by renovating our children's unused playhouse, a small cabin at the edge of the woods, into a cozy writing space. She invited in a beautiful writing desk,...

Something's gotta give: husband-wife duo Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist of Over the Rhine didn't realize how much their relationship was slipping away--until it almost fell apart.
March 22, 2006... In the fall of 2003, Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist, the husband-wife duo better known as the alt-folk act Over the Rhine, were living a dream. Or so it seemed. Their most recent album, Ohio, was doing well, critically and...

Body conscious.(real sex)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... I prefer to make love in the dark. but my husband always wants it in broad daylight with his eyes wide open. I'm just not that comfortable with my body. what should I do? A. Many women are "body modest" while men are "soul modest." Your...

Pelvic workout.(real sex)
March 22, 2006... Q. After several years of marriage and children, my vagina isn't as tight as it used to be. While I understand it won't be the same as our first encounter, is there something I could do to improve the situation? A. Try Kegel exercises....

Multiple orgasms.(real sex)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... Q. I read somewhere that women can have multiple orgasms. Is that true? And is there a way I can learn to have them? A. It's true that women can have multiple orgasms. The normal female sexual response includes arousal, plateau, orgasmic...

The wild side!(real sex)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2006... Q. Whenever I try to have sex with my wife in a place other than our bedroom, she says no. She's afraid the kids will wake up and see us. But I think it would be great to try a different location, say the shower, the kitchen, or even on top of...

The cat rug: I wanted to hide it in the garage. But my husband was latch-hooked to it.(home decorating)
March 22, 2006... My husband and I have different tastes in home decorating. I think there should be a master plan, a style, a theme that harmonizes the individual pieces. His philosophy: "If I like two things, then they go together." My greatest...