Marriage Partnership articles from September 2005

Marriage Partnership archives from September 2005

Take a time out.
September 22, 2005... Last fall, Scott and I took a road trip to Yellowstone National Park. It was our first vacation in four years. The stresses of everyday life had carried us to where we just hadn't taken the time to get away. So when we did, it was like a...

Powerful prayer.(Letter to the Editor)
September 22, 2005... I enjoyed "The Prayer God Loves to Answer" (Summer 2005). My wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year. Through all the treatments, I've struggled with the process of having to do more and more each day as my wife's ability to handle what...

Do over.(Letter to the Editor)
September 22, 2005... Thank you for the article on renewing vows ("We Still Do"). My husband and I went to a romantic Valentine's Day dinner at a local retreat house. Afterwards there was a speaker on romance and marriage and then a mass for renewal of vows. We were...

Female ejaculation?(Letter to the Editor)
September 22, 2005... In response to the question from the husband whose wife feels a strong need to urinate during sex (Real Sex, Spring 2005): I want to encourage her so she won't feel there's "something wrong" with her. The McBurneys told that couple that there's...

Regrets.(Letter to the Editor)
September 22, 2005... I cried when I read this article ("What I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Divorced"). I'm now remarried after 20 years of being single, but I still grieve about the pain I caused my ex-husband and children--not to mention my other family members....

Celebrate your mate!(couple minutes)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Do you struggle to suppress a yawn when your spouse crows about a hole in one? Here's a reason to summon up some enthusiasm: Reacting positively to your spouse's good news strengthens your relationship. Researchers at UCLA found that when...

Differences strengthen us.
September 22, 2005... "These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:7). Somewhere between...

You said it!(Faith HIll )(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... "A man who is right by your side through anything makes you happy. But he can leave your side to make dinner once in a while!" --Faith HIll (married to Tim McGraw)

What's your favorite date night movie?(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Our favorite at-home movie is 50 First Dates with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandier. It was one of the first movies we rented when we were dating. It's always good for a laugh, some cuddling, and good relaxing. And my husband tells me I look like...

Stash your cash.(methods for saving money)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... According to finance columnist Liz Weston, these tips for saving money may sound like gimmicks, but they work! Pad your accounts. Enter a check to yourself for $100, $500, or more in your personal finance software or checkbook. The hidden...

Autumn leaves.
September 22, 2005... Looking for the best spots to take a romantic walk and view fall colors with your spouse? Check out these sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us/news.fallcolors) Fall Color Hotline: 800-354-4595 ...

True success.(snapshot)(Interview)
September 22, 2005... With five million albums sold, 19 number one singles, and four Grammy nominations, the Newsboys are one of today's hottest bands. But four years ago, songwriter and frontman Peter Furler discovered that though his career was a success, his...

Sanity check.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Forget the popular image of married couple driving each other nuts "Studies show that getting married improves menial health and decreases depression," says Linda Waite, a sociologist at the University of Chicago. In fact, one study found that...

Better hitched than rich.(valuing money and marriage)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Money may not buy happiness, but according to a study at Dartmouth College, a lasting marriage can. Researchers say having a good marriage is equal to the satisfaction gained from earning an extra $100,000 year. They also estimate that...

Avoiding fatal attractions.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Yes, it's possible to find someone other than your spouse attractive. But a direct pull toward another person can be cause for trouble. Here are 6 strategies to defuse a potential "situation." 1. Expect it. We're married, not dead....

Around the world.(about a couple's travel)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... My husband, Jim, and I savor exotic places and flavors. Unfortunately, rarely can we afford to visit the countries we dream about, and the choice of ethnic restaurants in our small town is limited. To cope, on the weekends we share dinner and a...

MP needs your help!(Marriage Partnership, money management survey)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... How do you and your spouse handle finances? MP is conducting a nationwide survey on how couples manage their money. Take our online poll at http://ChristianityToday.com/ go/MP survey. We'd love to hear from you!

Weekends at the Mellow Motel: please do not disturb.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... During the early years of our marriage, managing funds for weekend getaways was challenging. I found myself dreaming about all the vacations my husband, Tim, and I couldn't take. My pity party ended when I decided to create our own romantic...

The Family CFO: The Couple's Business Plan for Love and Money.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... The Family CFO: The Couple's Business Plan for Love and Money by Mary Claire Allvine and Christine Larson (Rodale). Tired of fighting over money? The Family CFO introduces a personal finance plan that turns managing your money into a family...

Devotions for a Sacred Marriage.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Devotions for a Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas (Zondervan). Based on Thomas's best-selling book, Sacred Marriage, these 52 devotionals explore the problems and joys, difficulties and delights encountered in everyday married life. Rather...

The Four Seasons of Marriage.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... The Four Seasons of Marriage by Gary Chapman (Tyndale). MP columnist and best-selling author Gary Chapman identifies four seasons of marriage, and their accompanying emotions and attitudes. Are you and your mate experiencing the joy of...

Owl or rooster?(survey on night life)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 22, 2005... Owl or Rooster? Do you and your spouse rise early or burn the midnight oil? Source: 1,198 respondents We're both morning people 111% I'm a night owl but my spouse is a morning person 37% We're...

What happened to my friends? I didn't realize how deeply marriage would change my other relationships.
September 22, 2005... After Brad and I were married, there was nothing we'd rather do than spend time with each other. We couldn't wait to get home from work, and we planned every weekend moment to maximize our time together. I wanted to spend all my time with him....

Frazzled new mom.(couple counselling)
September 22, 2005... Q. WE JUST HAD a baby. Now my husband says I'm not interested in him anymore and that I love our child more than I love him. I'm just overwhelmed and exhausted. How do I make him understand? A. The birth of a baby is a stressful...

Mother-in-law visits.(couple counsel)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Q. My mother-in-law comes to our house unannounced several times a week. I was finally able to convince my husband to ask her to call before she comes. But she still drops by uninvited--then he invites her to stay for dinner! While I realize...

Depression dilemma.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Q. I've struggled with depression. To make matters worse, I think my husband is ashamed of me and doesn't believe I should seek help. He says I can take care of my "problem" without counseling. What if he's right? A. It's unfortunate that...

The dog has to go! Roger and Linda Dee thought nothing could come between them. Linda's puppy had other ideas.
September 22, 2005... Linda's Side: Pets are family members When I met Roger, I was 52 years old and had never been married. We connected instantly--in our interests, values, and most important, our commitment to God. The one glitch in our otherwise easy...

The 5 sides of intimacy: hint: it's more than just sex.(24/7)
September 22, 2005... Henry was usually jovial and positive. Last night, however, he came late to our church meeting and didn't have much to say. "I'll never understand women," he told me after the meeting. "My wife thinks we need more intimacy. She says we...

Happy birthday to me: my husband and I were born on the same day. I pampered him. Why didn't he do the same?
September 22, 2005... My husband and I share the same birthday. Some people think that's fascinating or sweet or wonderful. During our early years of marriage, my brother-in-law always made a big deal out of it at our small church where milestones were lauded and...

11 easy--and free! *--ways to say "I love you".
September 22, 2005... To strengthen unions, marriage experts advise couples to "make weekly dates" or "go away on a couple's weekend." Those are great ideas, but let's be realistic: how often can busy couples expect to drop everything and get away? These 11 quick...

Avoiding missteps & misunderstandings: how to listen before you leap (to the wrong conclusion).
September 22, 2005... Does Jackson have sun in his eyes?" This question was Leslie's code--apparently--to tell me that I (Les) needed to pull the visor over our crying baby's car seat. "No, I think he's just fussy," I responded as I got into the driver's seat...

The list that saved my marriage: what an inventory of my husband's shortcomings taught me.
September 22, 2005... The day had come. I'd lasted as long as I could in my marriage. Once my husband, Bill, left for work, I packed a bag for myself and our 14-month-old son and left our home. It was the only year in our married life when we lived in the same town...

Don't wait--celebrate! Anytime and every time is good to enjoy each other.
September 22, 2005... Time really does fly. We were looking forward to a significant anniversary--our 50th--in just a little more than a year. Like most couples, we'd always celebrated our anniversary--sometimes routinely, other times with more pizzazz. Fifty years,...

Opening the door to healing: when childhood sexual abuse affects a marriage's intimacy.
September 22, 2005... Don'tcha wanna be married? Or have kids?" I nodded, tears streaming down my five-year-old face, thorns and brambles cutting into my backside. "You gotta do this, then, or you can't ever be married." The voice--which came from a teenage...

The power of patience: an amazing thing can happen during your wait for things to change.
September 22, 2005... Patience. The very word can cause us to roll our eyes, That's because when we think of patience, we think of waiting. And we don't like to wait. But it seems as though we're always waiting for something. Waiting for a certain thing to...

In this together: sometimes patience comes only though compassion.(PATIENCE)
September 22, 2005... Several months ago my wife, Joni, contracted a bad cold, and despite steam treatments, lots of fluids, rest, and Vitamin C, it moved quickly into her chest. After two solid nights of constant coughing and an increasing tightness in her chest,...

Confessions of a former perfectionist: how four discoveries helped me realize my unreasonable expectations of my husband.
September 22, 2005... One evening when I returned home from shopping, my husband, Larry, met me at the door, grinning. What's he up to? I wondered. He led me into the kitchen and announced, "I did the dishes for you!" As I hugged him and exclaimed, "Thank...

Potato chip fallout: I didn't buy the kind she wanted. Now I was walking home.
September 22, 2005... Stop this car right now. I'm getting out!" I shouted. My emotions were boiling and I had to escape the confines of our car. "Let me out, right here!" The argument, like so many marital conflicts, was over something really important: potato...

Fried: stress-related insomnia prompted Randy Frazee to set new boundaries to find the sunny side of life.(Interview)
September 22, 2005... Randy Frazee was fried. His demanding work schedule had taken such a toll on his marriage, family, and health that the suffered insomnia for 45 days straight. Finally, he went to a physician who informed him that the insanity of his fast-paced...

I had an emotional affair: how "innocent" chats and e-mails nearly destroyed my marriage.
September 22, 2005... Here." With tears streaming down her face, Dawn,* my wife of five years, stormed into my office at work and tossed a list on my desk. "I need you to stop at the grocery store on your way home. I have to pick up the kids." "What's wrong?" I...

Arousal troubles.
September 22, 2005... Q. WE'VE BEEN MARRIED three years and though I try to do all the "right" things, it's still difficult to arouse my wife during foreplay. Sometimes the more I touch her the more dry she gets and the whole exercise becomes unpleasant. We're both...

Okay without sex.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Q. Since having our two children, my husband and I have lost our sex drives and have mutually agreed sex is no longer important. Is there anything wrong with this? A. If you're both being honest, we see nothing wrong with your chastity...

It's messy!(husband's keenness for cleaning mess after having sex lowers passion for wife)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Q. My husband hates the messiness of sex. Every time we finish making love, he wants immediately to clean up. I'd rather revel in the passion and romance, and lie in each other's arms. What should I do? A. It's remarkable how intense the...

She's too fat.(marital sex)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Q. My wife was slim and attractive when we first married, but quickly gained almost 60 pounds. While I want to be faithful and have a fulfilling sex life, I'm no longer excited by her physically. I know this is wrong. But how can I get over the...

He keeps grabbing me.(real sex)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Q. My husband is constantly grabbing me! No matter what I'm doing, he'll come up and grope my breasts. I've explained this is a turn off, but it doesn't seem to matter to him. How can I get him to stop? A. Alas, the misguided male libido!...

Fire! Yes, I nearly burned down the house. But I was more worried what my wife would do.
September 22, 2005... Norma and I enjoy hosting cookouts for family and friends. Our large backyard is great for entertaining. And the best part is the gas grill--big, shiny, with stainless steel covers on the burners. One beautiful afternoon, we invited our...