It's been a month since we've published the e-zine... we were on summer vacation! We hope you've had a great summer too!

Now that we're returning to our regular routines, we're very pleased to get back in touch with our readers, providing simple tips and advice for you and your partner to use. Enjoy!

A friend of ours died rather unexpectedly a few weeks ago; he left his wife and two grown children behind. He was a super guy, and his wife is going to miss him greatly. However, there was something really neat about their relationship. They didn’t take each other for granted! Now his wife is able to go forward with the understanding that they had a rock-solid marriage, and she has few regrets to hold her back.

Isn’t there a lesson for us all here somewhere?

It is so easy to take our spouse for granted—until it’s too late. In some cases, a lack of gratitude and appreciation allows for the erosion of a marriage. On the other hand, when we don’t take our partner for granted, we express thanks and appreciation continually and encourage each other.

Just this week, Hollywood’s Patrick Swayze died. Unlike most of Hollywood’s mega-stars, Patrick had a long, happy marriage with his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi. Their marriage was an example of dedication and perseverance. They didn’t take each other for granted.

"All you need is love..." line from a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles

The website: www.YOUmix.co.uk states, “The Beatles [I hope you all know this…!] were a British pop rock group from Liverpool, England. They are frequently cited as the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in modern history, with innovative music, a cultural impact that helped define the 1960s and an enormous influence on music that is still felt today.”

As much as Carrie and I both agree that “All you need is love”, we’re pretty narrow in our definition of love! Let’s face it, too often when someone says. “I love you!”, what they’re really saying is, “Hey! You’re doing a pretty good job in meeting my needs and wants right now—way to go! After all, I am the center of this relationship!”

True love is committing yourself to meet the needs and wants of your partner! Love is self-sacrificing and “other-focused”. The kind of love that is “All we really need” is best exemplified in the next quote!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails."

-1 Corinthians 13:4-7

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A Tip for You to Use

Pucker Up!
Sheila Wray Gregoire recently wrote an article for SEVEN magazine about kissing, entitled Pucker Up. The premise of her article cut to the heart of the differences between men and women: she implies that men tend to give real kisses only when they’re thinking of moving onto sex, while women enjoy kissing for kissing’s sake—and don’t necessarily want sex at that moment…

Gregoire states that for men to kiss passionately—and not always expect sex is akin to asking a lion to become a vegetarian; nevertheless, she says,

The more you can give your wife affection, without expecting something else, the more likely you are to get that something else!

She ends with a challenge that we’d like to pass on to you!

Kiss your wife for at least 15 seconds straight. Don’t let your hands wander; then, walk away. You just may find her begging you to come back for more!

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Books We're Reading
1001 Ways to Be Romantic by Gregory J.P. Godek

This is simply a delightful, creative selection of ideas! Let me just turn to page 19 under the heading: Romance for Dummies.

#34: (Variation on a theme: Flip-a-Coin” Romance) Practice “Even-Day/ Odd-Day” Romance:
On the even days it’s your turn to be romantic. And on the odd days, it’s your partner’s turn!

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Have You Checked Out Our New E-Book?

“Real Questions – Honest Answers”

Last month we announced our second E-Book, “Real Questions – Honest Answers” is now online! This book catalogues over 60 questions our “Intimate Couple” family submitted in the last year or so. Questions are categorized by topic:

• Men’s Questions
• Women’s Questions
• In the Bedroom
• Pre-Marriage
• and more!

All are real questions concerning many facets of intimacy. You will not only learn Biblical principles that work in real-life situations, but you will also find this book extremely interesting! There are questions in this book that you might have wondered about yourself—but were hesitant to ask!

We decided (for a limited time) to offer Real Questions – Honest Answers FREE, to anyone who purchases the Seven Day Sex Challenge!

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Thanks for reading and we'll be in touch again in a few weeks!

Sincerely,

Jim and Carrie

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