Welcome to another monthly roundup of recent posts, podcast episodes, recommended resources, and much more. Scroll through to find what you might have missed or your next great resource for marriage.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This post includes one or more affiliate links, meaning if you click on the link and purchase an item, I receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you.
This Month on the Blog
Once again, I missed some blogging days last month. But here’s what I did write about!
From Sex Chat for Christian Wives Podcast
From Knowing Her Sexually Podcast
My Post at KHS Ministry
Click the image below to read.
A Few Great Reads Elsewhere
- To my mind, Ngina Otiende of Intentional Today is one of the best Christian bloggers on sex in marriage right now. Here’s another must-read from her: My Husband Only Wants Me Sexually – 5 Things To Do. If this post had been a book, I’d have dog-eared it about 10 times!
- This next article is not from last month, but from July. I’m embarrassed to admit that I bookmarked it back then but only read it this week. But hey, it’s timeless advice from Chris Taylor: Work on Yourself (Even if Your Husband Is the Problem) – Honeycomb & Spice.
Recommended Resources & Products
I’m repeating myself! Because you really need to know about the events I’m involved in. Again, my sessions are original material. That is, what I don’t repeat is workshop content I did for other online conferences.
Hosted by bestselling marriage author Gary Thomas and Licensed Counselor Debra Fileta, this conference will help you take your sex life to the next level. Packed with important seminars from some of the top leaders, teachers, and experts in the marriage space—you’ll learn about love and married sex in a way you never have before.
$89 per couple includes all sessions, viewable for up to a year, and a copy of Thomas & Fileta’s new book, Married Sex (a $26.99 value!). Use code: MARRIEDSEX10 at checkout to get 10% off the admission price.
My session: 5 Sex Myths & God’s Better Truths
Hosted by Dr. Kim Kimberling & Awesome Marriage, this conference focuses on marriage as a whole, including physical intimacy, but also communication, conflict-resolution, relationship-building and more.
$49 per couple
Once launched, the videos are viewable for up to a year.
My session: God’s Gift of Sex: What’s Keeping You from Enjoying It Fully?
What I’m Reading
Clinical psychologist Juli Slattery has been talking about sex for many years, but her impact has grown a lot in recent years. Her ministry, Authentic Intimacy, includes a blog, a podcast, speaking engagements, and books. Sounds familiar, actually. Though believe me, I ain’t anywhere near as big a deal as Juli is, and she is imminently qualified to speak on her subject.
I met Juli a few years back at an event she held in San Antonio, Texas.
She also appeared on our podcast, Sex Chat for Christian Wives. For someone I respect so much, it took me way too long to pick up her book Rethinking Sexuality. My review of the book could be summarized with WOW.
Rethinking Sexuality is a fantastic resource to get Christians to embrace a paradigm shift about sexuality in line with God’s will and His Word. Juli digs deep into theology while remaining practical and compassionate about complicated questions in our culture.
This book isn’t about making sex better in your marriage with tips or to-dos, though embracing this paradigm shift would do a lot to help many marriages. Rather, Juli spreads the net wider, addressing sexual brokenness in our world, why it happens, and what we can do about it.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in such issues, but particularly to those who’ve experienced brokenness, have a loved one struggling with sexuality or gender, are engaged in marriage ministry, and work as pastors. It’s well worth your time—and an easy listen if you go with the audiobook.
What J’s Up to These Days
Last time, I shared that our too-large-for-two house had sold. Now I get to report that we have ordered up the next house—a new build in Denton, Texas.
But with the construction market bottle-necked, it’s going to take maybe a year for that house to be ready! So in the meantime, we’re renting an apartment a little ways from our previous location but still in the Houston metro area. The kicker is that it’s in the same complex as my sister!
(Okay, I’ll stop posting Kristen Bell memes now. Two months of that is enough, I suppose.)
I am moved but exhausted. Here’s hoping things can calm down a bit now!
Biblical Inspiration for the Coming Month
My husband is better at hanging pictures than I am. I’m better at arranging kitchen items.
Knowing our strengths and weaknesses and using them accordingly helps our marriage overall. But it’s also a gift to one another. I don’t have to mess with rulers, levels, and hammer and nails, and he doesn’t have to figure out where all those pots, pans, and utensils are going to fit.
I was thinking about all this as I came across a verse in 1 Peter:
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10
While Peter wrote these words to scattered exiles (1:1) and not married people specifically, I believe there’s a takeaway for spouses. Our gifts can be used to serve our beloved, as our brother or sister in Christ.
What are you good at doing that would benefit your husband or wife? What do you need to let go of because your husband or wife does it better? And how can you support one another to serve in your giftedness? Food for thought.
Oh how I wish I had read something like Ngina’s and Chris’s articles about two decades ago! It would have saved us so much misunderstanding, resentment, stagnation, and pain. But I am so thankful that other women have them now.
Keep up the great work, ladies! God is blessing so many more marriages that you could imagine through your faithfulness to share your experience and search Scripture for the truth.