Marriage Partnership Newsletter

If this page is not displaying correctly, please click here.

The official newsletter of Marriage Partnership magazine
Thursday, February 22, 2007

Welcome

What do you think?

That's a question few people mind being asked.

After all, it's always a bit flattering to know someone values your opinion, whether it's your advice on a major life decision, your view on a crucial business deal, or your wisdom on marriage and relationships.

This week, we want your take on some unusual questions about living—and loving—life with your spouse. Vote in our two marriage surveys this week, and be watching for your compiled answers to appear in upcoming issues of Marriage Partnership magazine.

Then don't miss the surprising answers Marriage Partnership editor Ginger Kolbaba compiled after she posed some frank questions to four Christian sex therapists.

And if you're looking for surprising answers to the boring-date-night dilemma, learn from the elaborate and comedic adventures of one imaginative wife.

But if adventure and creativity aren't your strengths, see how you can plan spontaneity and score guaranteed points with your spouse.

To find other imaginative ways for making your partner happy, browse through the articles at MarriagePartnership.com, and then click on the feedback link at the end of each story to let us know what you think!

Thanks for reading,

Andrea Bianchi
Newsletter Editor
The Marriage Connection

To reply to this newsletter: marriage@christianitytoday.com

https://w1.buysub.com/pubs/L2/TCW/TCW_RFTO.jsp?cds_page_id=24161&cds_mag_code=TCW&cds_response_key=I8B302

Your Life. Your Faith. Your World.
Written especially for you, Today's Christian Woman is full of articles that address the meaningful areas of your life and encourage you to face life's ups and downs with confidence. Get your FREE trial issue today!

Featured Marriage Article

SPIRITUALITY/BETTER SEX
Spirituality and Sex?
What 4 Christian sex therapists wish you knew.
By Ginger Kolbaba

"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 fire-engine red tissue paper was a white feather.

"That's for you and your husband," he continued.

Uh-oh, I thought, almost afraid to unveil the other contents. Let it just be chocolates. I had no idea what to expect. This was a sex therapist, after all.

More …

Marriage Surveys

QUIZ
Take the Marriage Quiz!
17 questions about you, your mate, and your marriage.

Would you share your spouse's toothbrush? Which one of you controls the remote? What's the best time for sex? Let us know your answers to these and other questions about marriage, and then be watching for the results of the quiz in an exciting new feature of Marriage Partnership magazine!

Take the quiz …

SURVEY
Marriage Partnership Needs Your Help!
Confidential marriage survey.

Marriage Partnership is conducting a confidential marriage survey! The composite results of this survey will be reported in the Fall 2007 issue of Marriage Partnership magazine. Take our online poll here. We'd love to hear from you!

Take the survey …

More Articles on the Marriage Channel

COMMUNICATION
Planned Spontaneity?
You bet. Here's a fool-proof method to score points with your spouse.
By Michael Kientz

COMMUNICATION/ HUMOR & FUN
Mission Impossible
Stolen jewels, the Russian mafia, and a kidnapping. Would my husband choose to accept my elaborate date adventure?
By Teresa Jorgenson

Good Buys

Surprised by Remarriage: A Guide to the Happily-Even-After, by Ginger Kolbaba
Successfully combining lives in a second marriage can be challenging. From unresolved hurts and unshared histories to resentful stepkids and bitter exes, there can be obstacles to happiness the second time around. But you can have a happy and lasting relationship despite divorce in your past. With candor and uplifting stories, Ginger Kolbaba, herself a second wife, offers practical guidance for those seeking a joyful remarriage.

His Needs, Her Needs, 15th Anniversary Edition
Describing the ten most important needs of men and women and how radically different these needs are, Dr. Willard Harley's book teaches you how to "affair-proof" your marriage.

A Piece of My Mind, DVD
With true stories that nobody would dare to invent, Chonda Pierce will have you holding your sides with her trademark humor and down-to-earth insights on everyday topics!

Strengthening Families
Divorce, abuse, and other factors have weakened the structure of families in our society. What can Christians do about it? Find out when you download this guide from ChristianBibleStudies.com.

One Flame
The unity candle is a popular element in many wedding ceremonies, symbolizing the joining of two single lives into one. What happens when the winds and storms of life threaten to extinguish the flame? With warmth and humor, relationship expert Gary Smalley uses real-life examples to show you how to maintain unity.

Quick Tips

The Case for Cuddling

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. "It's the sense of feeling close and connected to your partner."

For couples wanting to heat up their relationships, the survey found that those who kiss regularly and spontaneously have a closer emotional connection than those who skip cuddling outside the bedroom. And there's a bonus: cuddling decreases stress. Says Berman, "The less stress and depression, the higher the level of intimacy because you have the mental energy to invest in the relationship."

Marriage Connection
Delivered free via e-mail to subscribers every other week. We encourage you to distribute this newsletter freely and ask only that you not change its contents.

Subscribe to this newsletter.
Subscribe to more free newsletters.
Subscribe to Marriage Partnership magazine.
Subscribe to other magazines from Christianity Today International.
Read our privacy policy and find more information here.
Advertise in this newsletter: e-mail CTIad@ChristianityToday.com.

Copyright © Thursday, February 22, 2007 ChristianityToday.com, Christianity Today International
465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
All rights reserved.

http://www.standardpub.com/Books/Adults/ThatCrazyLittleThingCalledLove.asp

https://w1.buysub.com/pubs/L2/MGP/MGP_RFTO.jsp?cds_page_id=27210&cds_mag_code=MGP&cds_response_key=I8NA01

Marriage Partnership
Subscribe Now!

• Get a Free
Trial Issue
• Give a Gift Subscription

http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?yhst-29558328906955+buC5tR+index.html

http://www.christianbook.com/html/static/marriage.html?p=1019361

This Week's Poll

Have you or would you ever go to a sex therapist?

Yes
No
I don't know

Vote here, and see how your answer compares to others'.

Results of Last Week's Poll

Do you and your spouse serve together in any kind of ministry?

Yes: 59%
No: 41%

Total votes: 340

Most-Read Articles of the Week

Keep Sex Fun
Use these 13 tips!

Ministry Times Two
For Eric and Jennifer Garcia, serving together isn't accidental.

Too Much Clutter!
When our closets began to overflow, we had to make some tough choices.

True Success
A chat with Hollywood couple Patricia Heaton and David Hunt.

Christian Sex Rules
A guide to what's allowed in the bedroom.

New Articles from
Today's Christian Woman magazine

Friends & Lovers
How we broke out of our rut and rejuvenated our marriage.

Caring Enough to Confront
5 tools to help you speak with love.

FREE NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to Women's Connection