Marriage Partnership articles from March 2007

Marriage Partnership archives from March 2007

Recognizing God-gifts.(from the editor)
March 22, 2007... Have you ever noticed how often God surprises us with little gifts? Subtle things we could miss, but when caught, oh, how priceless they are in reminding us of his love, grace, and compassion. In the last two months, I've received dozens...

Tips for a red-hot romance.(couple minutes)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... These 5 SUGGESTIONS will convince your sweetie that it's Valentine's Day all year round: 1. Bake a LOVE NOTE INTO A CUPCAKE or write a message in icing on a large cookie. 2. Buy a box of chocolates and remove a few of the candies. In...

The perfectionist threat.(couples devotional)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.--2 Corinthians 12:9 WE EXPECT TOO MUCH OF...

7 communication connections.(couple minutes)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... These seven tips can improve the way you and your mate communicate. But be aware--most but not all men and women will share these characteristics. Switch up if you need to--that's normal, too! 1. WOMEN ARE INCLINED TO WANT "FEELING"...

Get moving.(couple minutes)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... After a long day at work, a date with your spouse, the couch, and a TV remote seems much more inviting than exercising. So how can the two of you stay motivated? SIGN A CONTRACT. On a piece of paper, have everyone in your family pledge...

The case for cuddling.(couple minutes)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... Does intimacy equal sex? Not exactly, according to a 2006 survey of 3,000 adults. "Intimacy is multi-faceted; it's not a synonym for sex," says Laura Berman, Ph.D., relationship therapist and founder of the Berman Center for Women's Health....

How do you keep your marriage running smoothly?(couple minutes)
March 22, 2007... We keep score of each other's kind words and deeds, recording them in a notebook. WE PAY ATTENTION TO THE SMALL STUFF, such as when I'm watching TV and he gets up to serve me my Favorite soda, or when I call him at work just to say, "I'm...

When you can't pay the bills: don't panic. Instead, follow these practical tips until you're back on firm ground.(couple minutes)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... CONTACT VENDORS BEFORE THEY CONTACT YOU. On the bill, write the name of the person you speak with, the time and date of the call, and file it with your records. * PAY SOMETHING--even if it's below the minimum amount. * CATCH UP. Cancel your...

A reason to smile.(snapshot)(Interview)
March 22, 2007... Kerri Pomarolli and Ron McGhee find humor in almost any situation--even being Christians and newlyweds approaching their second anniversary. Both stand-up comedians, they've appeared together and separately in such venues as Comedy Central...

The Proper Care & Feeding of Marriage.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 22, 2007... The Proper Care & Feeding of Marriage by Dr. Laura Schlessinger (Harper Collins). In her Follow-up to The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, radio personality and former marriage and family counselor Dr. Laura presents marital advice in her...

Your Time-Starved Marriage.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 22, 2007... Your Time-Starved Marriage by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott (Zondervan). First, here's what this book isn't: The Parrotts aren't asking you to quit the rat race, take your son out of soccer, or move to that nice farm in the country. As a busy...

How to Speak Your Spouse's Language.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 22, 2007... How to Speak Your Spouse's Language by H. Norman Wright (Center Street). When you visit a foreign country, are your actions that of a colonizer--expecting the natives to speak your language and adopt your customs? Or are you like an immigrant...

MP needs your help!
March 22, 2007... Do you and your spouse pray regularly together? Struggle to find time to pray? Attend a small group? MP is conducting a nationwide survey on spiritual intimacy. Take our online poll at http://christianitytoday.com/go/MPSurvey. We'd love to...

You said it!
March 22, 2007... "I tell [Dorothea] I love her every day and go out of my way to hug and kiss her. That's much more important than another Cartier. The real gifts in life are the things we've done together that have nothing to do with my work." --Jon Bon...

Dancing with the Rifes.(that thing we do)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... The second half of life can be a challenge with kids leaving home, parents aging, and physical changes. Instead of sitting around and lamenting, Chuck, my husband of 30 years, and I decided to get off the couch and do something new and fun,...

Saving in cyberspace.(that thing we do)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... Check out these (secure!) websites for great savings: www.mypoints.com * Register at this site, then visit the sites emailed to you and you'll receive points--even if you never actually buy anything. Redeem the points for a $5 gift card...

"You snore!" Sleeping with my husband was becoming a nightmare.(starting out)
March 22, 2007... When my husband, Trey, and I were on our honeymoon, the only time I felt a twinge of annoyance was a moment when he was sound asleep, blissfully unaware that I was glaring at him through the darkness. He was snoring! My pre-wedding notions of...

Whose turn is it, anyway? When they couldn't stop fighting over household chores, Jason and Jenn Walker found a new way to get the job done.(work it out)
March 22, 2007... Jenn's side: I'm sick of cleaning After an eight-hour work day, I was tired, hungry, and eager to relax. Instead, I threw a load of laundry into the washing machine, emptied the dishwasher, and cooked supper. My husband, Jason, wandered...

A friend's unwanted attention.(couple counsel)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... I've noticed that when my husband and I get together with another couple, the other husband seems a little too chummy with me. I think he's coming onto me, and it makes me feel uncomfortable. Should I tell my husband? A. It's important...

He doesn't like my sister.(couple counsel)(Brief article)
March 22, 2007... Q. My husband refuses to be part of my family gatherings if my sister is present. He feels my sister has treated him horribly in the past with rude remarks. Although my sister can be outspoken, she's apologized to him. But he still won't...

I feel manipulated.(couple counsel)
March 22, 2007... Q. When my wife gets upset about something, she shuts down. If I ask her what's wrong, she just says, "Nothing." But I know that's not the truth. After I almost beg her to tell me, she says, "You should know what you did." I'm starting to...

The fastest road to forgiveness.(twenty-four: seven)
March 22, 2007... They were sitting in my office when the wife said, "I'd forgive him if he would just apologize." He responded, "I did apologize." "You did not." "I told you I was sorry," he said. "That is not an apology," she responded. ...

Peaks, valleys, and rails: maybe married life isn't just about reaching the mountaintops and avoiding the dark times.(soul to soul)
March 22, 2007... One year my wife, Susan, and I concluded a visit to Yellowstone by heading out via Beartooth Pass. It might have been the most terrifying drive of our married life. The highway is a steep incline from the northeast corner of the national...

Planned spontaneity? You bet. Here's a fool-proof method to score points with your spouse.
March 22, 2007... I've always known my wife enjoys receiving presents. She said as much while we were dating. But then, several years ago, I read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. The book theorized that we usually do for others what we want them to do...

When the one you love hurts: living with a spouse who's living with pain.
March 22, 2007... Mrs. Bryant, I don't know why your 45-year-old husband has the body of a 70-year-old man, but he does." Dr. Ross's words echoed in my head as we talked in the small post-op consultation room following my husband, Paul's, neurosurgery....

Fear-free finances: creating stability on a variable income.
March 22, 2007... "You wake up thinking about it," says Wayne Stoneback, who works in real estate. "You go to sleep thinking about it. It affects everything--what you eat, what you drive, everything." For 20 years, Wayne and his wife, Sherri, have dealt with...

Mission impossible: stolen jewels, the Russian mafia, and a kidnapping. Would my husband choose to accept my elaborate date adventure?
March 22, 2007... I was bored, bored, bored. I didn't want to spend another date night with my husband, Dennis, watching a movie and eating popcorn. We needed pizzazz. I've always enjoyed spy thrillers, so I decided to live the adventure rather than just...

Spirituality and sex? What 4 Christian sex therapists wish you knew.(Interview)
March 22, 2007... "Welcome to Atlanta!" Michael Sytsma, one of the Christian sex therapists I'd flown in to interview, greeted me at the airport, holding out a small, white paper bag. "Thanks," I said, noticing that wrapped delicately within the folds of...

Sandwich generation: how to be a parental caregiver and still keep your marriage strong.
March 22, 2007... A good friend, Serena, * called me in tears. "Sam just doesn't understand," she said, "and it's so difficult on our marriage." Serena, a stay-at-home mother, and Sam, an attorney, live in Milwaukee, a two-hour drive from her parents'...

Take a hike! Our annual marriage check-up is a great thing. But does it have to involve so much sweat?
March 22, 2007... Bright spring sunshine creeps through the lace curtains, throwing a filigree of shadows across the wood floor and spilling over the rose comforter of our canopy bed. I wake to the aroma of fresh coffee wafting beneath the French doors of our...

Sticks and stones ... 3 surprising ways your words impact your spouse.
March 22, 2007... "Hi, beautiful!" my new husband, Jerry, called from the back bedroom where he was making pottery. I'd just come home from my university classes. "Hi," I mumbled, heading into the kitchen of our bungalow to cook dinner. My straight hair...

Feeling let down? What to do with an imperfect spouse.
March 22, 2007... My wife and I have tried, throughout our 22 years of married life, to find a happy compromise between what the two of us consider "food." I grew up a junk-food junkie; my wife grew up eating 100 percent whole wheat bread and, well, things...

Second chances: Clint and Penny Bragg learned even the most broken marriage can be healed by God's reconciling love.(portrait of a marriage)
March 22, 2007... Newlyweds and new Christians Clint and Penny Bragg were the darlings of their small church. She was on the worship team and the deacon board of missions. He led discipleship training. They taught Sunday school classes together and separately,...

Post-pregnancy turn-off.(real sex)
March 22, 2007... My wife recently had a baby and I was in the delivery room to help. But since then I haven't wanted to have sex with her. I love her; I'm just no longer turned on by her. What's up with that? MICHAEL: The miracle of birth is a wondrous...

Foreplay? What foreplay?(real sex)
March 22, 2007... My husband doesn't understand the concept of foreplay. He thinks that because he's ready to go at the drop of a hat, I should be, too. I've tried to explain that women need more time to "warm up," but he doesn't believe me and just doesn't...

Talking during sex.(real sex)
March 22, 2007... My husband wants me to talk more during sex. I just don't know what to say! I feel silly when I do try to talk. I want to please my husband, so I've gone to Christian websites and even bought a romance novel for ideas. But nothing's helped....

Seeing the sacred: moving beyond promises.(ever after)
March 22, 2007... I've learned something significant about marriage through watching you and Shirley," Todd * said. My three-times-divorced friend had lived with Martha * for eight years. Periodically she pressured him to marry her, he refused, arguments...