Sexual and Emotional Intimacy
by Dr. Gary Chapman  

It was getting late.  We had almost finished our first counseling session when the husband looked at me and said: "If we could get our sex life straightened out, everything else would be fine.  But when we don't have sex, I feel that she doesn't care for me at all.  And I can't go on like this forever."

And what was his wife's response?  "We don't ever do anything together anymore.  He's always gone.  Our communication is almost nonexistent.  I feel that he has no interest in me as a person.  He only wants to use my body."

Would it surprise you if I said that in my opinion, both the husband and the wife are looking for the same thing?  They both have an intense concern for their marriage.  They know that things are not right between them.  Each of them is crying for intimacy.  However, he is focusing on physical intimacy and she is focusing on emotional intimacy.   Will they ever connect?  I believe they can, and this week I want to show you how!  Join me tomorrow. 

Article written by Dr. Gary Chapman.  Based on the book,  Now You're Speaking My Language  by Gary Chapman. Published by Broadman and Holman Publishers. For a complete listing of Dr. Chapman's books and resources, click here.     

How'd You Know That?
by David and Teresa Ferguson 

Love suffers long and is kind.

I Corinthians 13:4

I (David) don't have one particular hobby, but there are some activities I really enjoy.  For example, I like to play golf.  I'm not any good at it, and I lose more balls than I care to admit.  But I enjoy getting out there and hitting a few.  I also like to drink coffee.  One of my favorite things to do is go to the local coffeehouse and try all the different blends.  And I can sit in Barnes and Noble, drink coffee, and read books for hours.  I'm a real java fiend.

Teresa isn't a golfer, nor does she like to watch others play.  One day, though, she asked me, "David, would you like to play in the golf tournament next month?  I read about it in the newsletter and wondered if you'd like to play.  And if you do, I think I would enjoy going with you."  I was sure Rod Sterling was going to step out from behind a door and tell me I had just entered the "Twilight Zone."

Teresa likes coffee, but she's content with two cups in the morning and the occasional cup of decaf after dinner.  One day, though, Teresa presented me with my very own coffeepot for the bedroom.  She said she knew I liked to drink coffee in the morning while I read the paper, so she set up a special coffee bar just for me.  It was complete with freshly ground coffee and my favorite mega-sized mug.  I was sure I had died and gone to heaven!

Teresa's question about golf and her gift of coffee meant that she had come to make some things important in her life because they were important to me.  Her kindness was overwhelming.

Content taken directly from The One Year Book of Devotions for Couples by David and Teresa Ferguson, published by Tyndale House Publishing.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:12-14