God's plan
for marriage....
C.S. Lewis once remarked that the reason why we look for fulfillment outside our own marriage is because we have not allowed God to show us the depths of joy and happiness that He can provide in our existing relationship. When we allow ourselves to experience God's plan for marriage, we soon find ourselves in a state of satisfaction and contentment that makes us wonder why anyone would ever consider such a stray thought.
Take a moment to explore some of the incredible resources that are available through the websites, books, videos, and more. As a society, we're discovering that the culture's plan for intimacy leads to disastrous results. Why not try something different... God's plan!
4 Ideas to Improve Your Lovemaking Sex can be an oasis for your marriage
by Tricia Goyer
I like using the term lovemaking when talking about sex in marriage. Any two consenting adults can have sex, but it takes committed-for-life marriage partners to make love.
<more...>
Incredible Intimacy By Jim Mueller
When you think of intimacy, what comes to mind? A romantic date? Warm conversation? Candlelight dinner? Spending time together? Sex?
Not long ago, I defined "intimacy" as the physical part of our relationship. That definition has expanded.
<more...>
Creating an Intimate Marriage by Jim Burns
Cathy and I have been married for more than thirty-one years. I truly am a fortunate person. God knew what He was doing and I didn't. We describe our relationship as a "high-maintenance marriage." This means we have to constantly work at keeping our relationship healthy.<more...>
Scheduling Intimacy Putting sex on the calendar makes it a date to remember!
by Jill Savage The young mom on the other end of the phone poured out her frustrations. She desired sex, but her husband could care less. As the parents of five, all under the age of six, they rarely found time for each other outside the bedroom, let alone inside. She confessed that she felt they were more like roommates than lovers.
<more...>
Why Dating Your Spouse is Good for the Whole Family by Jim Burns, Ph.D.
Life these days moves at a pretty hectic pace. And, in all honesty, I don’t think that’s a good thing.
But what concerns me more than just the busyness of life, however, is the fact that so many parents – even Christians – seem to be of the mind that all of this “activity” is somehow actually beneficial.
<more...>
Keeping the Spark in Your Marriage Alive by Jim Burns, Ph.D.
A quality marriage is perhaps the optimum factor for rearing secure children. It has often been said that the best thing you can do for your children is to love your spouse. Sometimes that means putting your spouse’s needs before your children’s. Many children who grew up in a home where the parents had a child-focused marriage say they have a difficult time knowing what a good marriage looks like exactly. In other words, your greatest family investment may be your marriage.
<more...>
Rekindling Romance In Your Marriage by Jim Burns, Ph.D.
Can I be perfectly honest with you? Romance doesn’t come naturally to me.
Physical intimacy absolutely does. But romance… that’s another story. I didn’t have good role models growing up and I just don’t think about it as much as the woman I am happily married to for the last 32 years does. Last Valentine’s Day, I tried to change all that.
<more...>
10 Good Ways to Work at Sex by Dr. Cliff and Joyce Penner - and Jim Burns
When a young couple begins their life together as husband and wife, they usually don’t spend too much time talking about their sexual knowledge or experience. Quite frankly, they typically take this aspect of their relationship for granted – and why not? They’re young, they’re in love and they’re married. Isn’t that the perfect recipe for passionate and fulfilling physical intimacy?
<more...>
Outline of a Weekly Meeting for Couples by Jim Burns, Ph.D.
Life, marriage and ministry can take its toll on a couple’s spiritual intimacy. It’s not difficult to become spiritually isolated from one another. Cathy and I have struggled with this in the past. In recent years, we’ve taken some intentional steps to move back towards spiritual intimacy. One of the key steps we’ve put into practice is what we call our “weekly meeting.” A successful meeting could take 5-10 minutes or much longer. Here’s the outline that we follow for our meeting time...
<more...>
Physical Intimacy and Spiritual Intimacy - Can the Two Really Go Together? by Dr. Randy Carney
When a couple gets married, and they say, "for better or for worse," they are properly ready to begin a life together of physical intimacy.
What is the benefit of physical intimacy? Of course we know, the results of physical intimacy is often the blessing of children being brought into the world. Beyond that, though, physical intimacy is intended for pleasure.
<more...>
Creating an Intimate Marriage by Jim Burns, Ph.D. <more...>
The Forgotten Intimacy - Part One by Sheri Mueller
When Jim and I were planning to be married, we set aside an intense two hours for marriage preparation -- not much of an investment for an idealistic 19 and 20 year-old couple. Unfortunately, no one pulled us aside to explain the secret to building a strong and lasting marriage. I figured if we were in lust --I mean love -- we had what we needed for a great future. My head was definitely in the clouds.
<more...>
