Technical problems.

Business problems.

Financial problems.

But, finally, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel of all of the above (here’s hoping it’s not a train!).

To those of you that have sent us emails to ask where we’ve been and if we are all okay, we want to thank you for your concern and let you know that, as the important things go (family, health, spiritual relationships), all is well.

To those that have suffered because of our technical struggles (customer support less than we strive for), we apologize and hope you’ll stick around long enough to get a better picture of what we do here.

To those of you that have simply missed the interaction of this blog, we say, “Welcome back!”

If you are new to our blog and “blog alerts,” we welcome you too and hope that you find tons of valuable information in the pages of this blog.

Starting soon, we will be resuming regular blogging and look forward to interacting with you again through your comments.

And, if I must say so myself…I think you’ll find the new blog design to be a little easier on the eyes and more conducive to spending quality time improving your marriage and sex life.

Wishing you passion in all,

Robert & Susan Irwin

This article touches on several of our most “controversial” and consistent themes in our books (Christian Sex Secrets, Sexual Skills For The Christian Husband, Sexual Satisfaction For the Christian Wife)…that sex is positive…that sex improves your marriage…and that sex can improve your relationship with God.

You might not think these are such “controversial” ideas…unless you read our mail. Many (many) Christians are still under the impression that their sexuality and spirituality are two very separate things…and that there is very little value in improving the sex within a Christian marriage.

But, over the years, we have seen, literally, hundreds of marriages saved and improved by working on the sexual part of the relationship.

An excerpt for the article…

Contrary to popular notions of Christians as sexual prudes, 15 years of study have convinced a psychologist and professor that “knowing” your spouse “in the biblical sense” can be scientifically verified as a fulfilling and spiritual experience.

Dr. Chuck MacKnee, who teaches psychology at Trinity Western University, a school associated with the Evangelical Free Church near Vancouver, Canada, began studying sexuality in Christian couples in the 1990s at the University of British Columbia.

MacKnee told The Vancouver Sun that while many people assume biblical writers used the phrase “knowing” a person as a bashful way of saying “having sex,” he believes the writers and translators were tapping into the uniquely intimate sense of knowing God that can be found within married, Christian sexuality.

“In sexuality, we’re looking for connection and fulfillment in another person,” MacKnee was quoted as saying in Faith Today. “But this is really the same reason we search for God. … The Hebrew word for sexual intimacy means literally ‘to know’, as in ‘Adam knew Eve’. Yet David used the same word for God when he said in Psalm 139: ‘O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.’”

You can read the entire article here.

I received several emails from Christian Pastors and counselors asking permission to use the post in their work.

I don’t mention the above to brag (although it is not beyond me to do so). I mention it for two reasons:

1) I am thrilled that most of our readers must be inclined to be open minded about such things.
2) I don’t feel that my opinions on this topic are far from the Christian mainstream.

But, in the past week or so, I have started to receive emails that felt that my opinions on this topic may be leading my brothers and sisters “into sin.

They were written by Blanche Ebbutt and titled “Don’ts For Husbands” and “Don’ts for Wives.”

As with most of these types of “blasts from the past,” they can be both helpful (still) and slightly amusing.

If nothing else, it is always interesting to see how culture affects our views of the “rights and wrongs” within marriage.

From “Don’ts For Wives”:

*Don’t expect your husband to be an angel. You would get very tired of him if he were.

*Don’t let your husband wear a violet tie with grass-green socks. If he is unhappily devoid of the color sense, he must be forcibly restrained, but – don’t be sarcastic about your husband’s taste in dress.

*Don’t try to hard to regulate your husband’s pleasures, and don’t be jealous if they don’t always include you.

*Don’t try to excite your husband’s jealousy by flirting with other men. You may succeed better than you want to. It is like playing with tigers and edged tools and volcanoes all in one.

*Don’t bother your husband with a stream of senseless chatter if you can see that he is very fatigued.

*Don’t forget to wish your husband good morning when he sets off to the office. He will feel the lack of your good-bye kiss all day.

*Don’t moralize by way of winning back the love that seems to be waning. Make yourself extra charming and arrange delicious dinners which include all your husband’s favorite dishes.

From “Don’ts For Husbands “:

*Don’t be surprised, or annoyed, or disappointed, to find, after treating your wife for years as a featherbrain, that you have made her one, and that she fails to rise to the occasion when you need her help.

*Don’t slouch. No one who cares for a man likes to see him acquire a slouching habit.

*Don’t forget that characther is more important than genius. If you wife is a true woman, don’t worry about the rest.

*Don’t scowl or look severe. Cultivate a pleasant expression even if nature hasn’t blessed your wife with one.

* Don’t drop, when alone with your wife, the little courtesies you would offer to other women. For instance, always get up to open a door for her, as you would for a lady guest.

*Don’t insist upon having the last word. If you know when to drop an argument, you are a wise man.

*Don’t argue that a new hat isn’t necessary because there is nothing visibly wrong with the one she is wearing. You probably have forgotten that this is its third season, but she hasn’t.

*Don’t give up cricket, or football…or whatever outdoor sport you have been accustomed to just because you are married. Athletics will keep you from getting flabby.

*Don’t selfishly refuse to go out in the evening because you have been among people all day. Remember that you wife hasn’t and a change is good for her.

You might not follow all of the above to a “T,” but you could do worse for marriage advice!

And, if you want to leap forward a few decades for your advice…

You can learn from marriage preparation videos from the 50’s like the following:

For the next 24 hours, you can download the entire
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Purchased separately, the entire library sells for over
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It includes:
-Sexual Skills For The Christian Husband
-Sexual Satisfaction For The Christian Wife
-When Your Husband Is Never In The Mood
-She Loves God, Sex & Me
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-101 Romantic Ideas
-The Ultimate Christian Guide To The G-Spot Site
Subscription
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PLUS…if you order during this limited-time offer, you
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If you have been “on the fence” about trying the secrets in
our library, NOW is the time to give them a try.

It has been quite some time since we offered a discount on
the library and it may be quite some time till we do again.

All orders absolutely must be received by Tuesday, February
26th at Noon (EST).

You can take advantage of this (extremely) limited-time
offer at:

http://christiansexfacts.com/blog/

Wishing you passion in all,

Robert Irwin

As with most secular perspectives on Christianity, you will find some viewpoints that you may not agree with.

And (be warned) the discussions are very frank and do show some nudity (within artwork only).

But, for those of you fascinated with how the Bible addresses sexuality, I think you will find this video very interesting.

For best results, I recommend that you don’t click on the actual video…just the “play arrow” in the lower left corner.

You will need to get a cup of coffee for this video…it is over an hour long.

Enjoy.

Judy Carden, author of God Things Come in Small Packages, is a best-selling author, feature writer, and former syndicated columnist. Judy has been speaking at seminars, churches, schools, and civic and business groups for nearly a decade. Currently, Judy is a speaker for MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers).

For more information on Judy and her ministry, visit the Inspiration, Etc. website: http://www.inspirationetc.com.

Enjoy the video and have a great weekend.

Dr. Reinisch is not (as far as I know) a Christian counselor, but she is a well-known and technically-sound resource for issues of sexuality.

In this video, she discusses the myth that men are not capable of being multi-orgasmic.

If you are interested in learning how to become a “multi-orgasmic male,” you will find the exact, step-by-step methods for doing so in “Sexual Skills For The Christian Husband.

Below is a video that discusses several popular “sex supplements” and their potential risks.

In fact, in many ways, the definition of our earthly existence is the working out of this tension between (perceived) reality and true potential.

This applies even more so to our approach to our marriages.

I love the analogy that marriage is a “crucible” in which we refine and distill our character and relationship to God…through the reaching to make our marital relationship move from “what it is” to “what it can be.”

But, too many times, we allow “reality” to discourage and paralyze us. Instead of relying on faith that we can move towards something more ideal, we focus on the “seen.”

Most likely, neither you nor your spouse are super models; the march of time has taken its toll.

And, many of your “real” day-to-day interactions more resemble Al and Peggy Bundy than they do the lovers depicted in the Song of Solomon.

You and your spouse have a history of disappointing each other equal to the history of fulfilling their needs and wishes.

So, do we give up on the romantic ideals and expectations that we had when we decided to marry?

Do we make the (usually) wrong assumption that “someone else” would be the answer to fulfilling our romantic dreams?

Or…

Do we make the conscious decision to remember our dreams and expectations and have the faith and fortitude to start moving towards them again?

I hope, for you, that you decide to do the latter.

And, the starting point, many times, in making progress is to “remember” what your dreams and ideals and expectations were.

Instead of hiding our eyes from our past dreams, we need to open them wide…drink in the emotions and colors and adrenaline that rushes over us when we allow ourselves to “remember.”

The video below is a slide show put together with the musical piece, “This Marriage,” by Eric Whitacre, a contemporary composer.

It is part of a greater work based on Milton’s classic work, Paradise Lost.

In this piece, Whitacre is re-creating the anticipation and dreams and desires of a young couple on their wedding day…and their prayers to God to fulfill these dreams and desires for their relationship. It is all about that naive, youthful belief that your life (and your) relationship will be THE ideal type. It is about that time before a couple has to integrate these dreams and desires with reality.

But, I would suggest that this “naive” belief is no less valid than any of our cynical, “realistic” views after running head on into life’s realities.

In fact, as a people of faith, it is MORE valid than accepting “reality.”

I am posting it because I think it can be (for some of you) a starting point…a “spark” that re-ignites that flame…that helps you to “remember” what you once hoped and wished for.

Once you have done that…you have the chance to start moving in the right direction again.

The lyrics…

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May it be sweet milk,
this marriage, like wine and halvah.
May this marriage offer fruit and shade
like the date palm.

May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day a day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.

May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky.

I am out of words to describe
how spirit mingles in this marriage.