Marriage Ignited brings practical & spiritual tools to ignite your marriage in our weekly podcast & YouTube channel. NEW episodes every Tuesday!

Episode 5 Summary: In this episode we are continuing our series on Barriers to Intimacy, Today’s the day you’ve been waiting for!! In today’s podcast we’re going to look at 3 common barriers to Physical Intimacy.

Resources from today’s episode:

Love That Lasts: How We Discovered God’s Better Way for Love, Dating, Marriage, and Sex by Jefferson & Alyssa Bethke   https://amzn.to/32pzJ43

Love That Lasts For Women (12 Essential Ways Workbooks)  https://amzn.to/2wL0WlZ

Love That Lasts For Men (12 Essential Ways Workbooks) https://amzn.to/3c1v1xM

Barriers include:

1. Modern Day Idols

2. Pornography

3. Self-Image

Suggestions to overcome the barrier or screens:

-Keep cell phones in another room, don’t touch them for the couple hours you are awake and last hour before bed.

-Fast technology weekly  

-Set periods of fasting technology throughout the year. 

-Don’t have TVs or other forms of technology in the bedroom at all.

If pornography has become a barrier to your physical intimacy here are a few suggestions:

-Be honest with your spouse about your use of pornography or your uncomfortable feelings about their use of it. Have that courageous conversation.

-Pray with a trusted friend or Pastor 

-Seek counseling as a couple

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero  https://amzn.to/2w3ZlrD

Emotionally Healthy Relationships Day by Day: A 40-Day Journey to Deeply Change Your Relationships by Peter Scazzero  https://amzn.to/2TUxV05

Episode 5 TOOL: In this week’s episode we introduced you to a tool we learned at an Emotional Healthy Spirituality Conference (see the books with links referenced above). Your homework is to have 20 minutes of skin on skin, remember this is not intercourse – though it may lead to it. 

Discussion and/or Journal Questions:

What are the idols in your life?

How are these idols affecting your physical intimacy with your spouse?

How has God brought healing to your life regarding sexual sin or abuse?

How has your self-image contributed to your physical intimacy with your spouse?

How can you prioritize physical intimacy in your marriage?

Stay Connected!

Subscribe to Marriage Ignited on YouTube to watch in a video format https://www.youtube.com/c/MarriageIgnited

Follow Marriage Ignited on Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/marriageignited/

Follow Marriage Ignited on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/marriageignited/

Marriage Ignited Website coming soon!!  www.marriageignited.org

Please SHARE with friends who would be encouraged & strengthened in their marriage!!

Marriage Ignited brings practical & spiritual tools to ignite your marriage in our weekly podcast & YouTube channel. NEW episodes every Tuesday!

Episode 4 Summary: In this episode we are continuing our series on Barriers to Intimacy, Today we’re talking about Barriers to Spiritual Intimacy. What obstacles prevent us from growing spiritually as a couple?

Resources from today’s episode:

Fighting for Your Marriage: A Deluxe Revised Edition of the Classic Best-seller for Enhancing Marriage and Preventing Divorce by Howard J. Markman, Scott M. Stanley, Susan L. Blumberg https://amzn.to/2Vp1bNR

Prepare-Enrich is the #1 Premarital & Marriage Assessment in the world & we are certified facilitators. Check out more info at https://www.prepare-enrich.com/ and email us at [email protected] to setup your personalized assessment!

Quiet Times for Couples by H. Norman Wright https://amzn.to/2T1Op6p

Printable & complete story for the 10/10/10 Exercise is available on Jen’s Blog:

https://nakedinthepottershand.com/2019/01/22/10-gratitudes-10-fears-10-truths/

Barriers include: 

1. Lack of understanding or experience

2. Fear of looking overly “holy” or spiritually ignorant 

3. Falling into bad habits 

If you’ve never related to your spouse in a spiritual way, here are some great discussion questions from Quiet Times for Couples by H. Norman Wright (linked above, page 275) to get you started. Check out his book for the complete list of questions. 

1.    When did you first experience a closeness with God? Describe how and when this occurred. 

2.    Describe a time when you recognized that the Holy Spirit was definitely speaking to you.

3.    When do you feel close to God? When do you feel most distant from Him?

4.    Which scriptures have meant the most to you and why?

Episode 4 TOOL: Sit down with your spouse and complete the 10/10/10 Exercise (printable link above). You can complete it individually and then share what you written or complete it together. Take time to pray through gratitudes, fears, and truths when you are finished. 

Discussion and/or Journal Questions:

Which of these barriers affect you the most? 

What is your favorite way to connect with your spouse spiritually?

What gratitudes, fears, or truths impacted you the most in the 10/10/10 exercise?

Stay Connected!

Subscribe to Marriage Ignited on YouTube to watch in a video format https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1_qis4tYXiZ35KjKhNOWA?

Follow Marriage Ignited on Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/marriageignited

Follow Marriage Ignited on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/marriageignited/

Marriage Ignited Website coming soon!!

www.marriageignited.org

Please SHARE with friends who would be encouraged & strengthened in their marriage!!

Marriage Ignited brings practical & spiritual tools to ignite your marriage in our weekly podcast & YouTube channel. NEW episodes every Tuesday!

Episode 3 Summary: In this episode, as we continue our series on Barriers to Intimacy, we’re going to talk about what is Spiritual Intimacy and what does it look like in marriage. 

Resources from today’s episode:

If you would like to know more about having a personal relationship with Jesus please email us at [email protected] and we’d love to connect with you. 

Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts: Seven Questions to Ask Before -- and After -- You Marry by Drs Les & Leslie Parrott  https://amzn.to/38j9U6S

Focus on the Family article: “Divorce Rate in the Church – as High as the World? By Glenn T. Stanton https://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/divorce-rate-in-the-church-as-high-as-the-world/

His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage by Willard F. Jr. Harley

https://amzn.to/32PCo7h

Quiet Times for Couples by H. Norman Wright https://amzn.to/38ep3q3

Emotionally Healthy Relationships Day by Day: A 40-Day Journey to Deeply Change Your Relationships by Peter Scazzero  https://amzn.to/32GT3tM

Living It Out

•          Unconditional love and acceptance

•          Forgiveness

•          Prayer

•          Service

•          Bible study

•          Reading spiritual material

•          Worshiping together 

•          Attending church together

•          Small group/Life Group

God created us as physical, emotional, & spiritual beings. Each of these areas of intimacy are important to the health of our marriage. We hope this episode gave you a fresh perspective and a few ideas for how to grow together spiritually in your marriage. 

Episode 3 TOOL: Stand holding hands with your spouse, shut your eyes and focus your heart on God in silence and stillness for at least 60 seconds. Then pray for each other!

Discussion and/or Journal Questions:

How does your belief in God affect your marriage?

Discuss what perseverance in Spiritual Intimacy looks like in your marriage.

What is one tool you want to implement to walking in Spiritual Intimacy as a couple?

Stay Connected!

Subscribe to Marriage Ignited on YouTube to watch in a video format https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1_qis4tYXiZ35KjKhNOWA?

Follow Marriage Ignited on Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/marriageignited

Follow Marriage Ignited on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/marriageignited/

Marriage Ignited Website coming soon!!  www.marriageignited.org

Please SHARE with friends who would be encouraged & strengthened in their marriage!!

Marriage Ignited brings practical & spiritual tools to ignite your marriage in our weekly podcast & YouTube channel. NEW episodes every Tuesday!

Episode 2 Summary: In this episode we are beginning a series on Barriers to Intimacy, beginning with a look at Barriers to Emotional Intimacy.

Resources from today’s episode:

Focus on the Family by Shana Schutte article

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/what-is-the-definition-of-intimacy-what-does-it-mean-to-be-intimate/

Check out more from Christian author Jill Savage at her website: https://www.jillsavage.org/

Love That Lasts: How We Discovered God’s Better Way for Love, Dating, Marriage, and Sex by Jefferson & Alyssa Bethke   https://amzn.to/32pzJ43

Love That Lasts For Women (12 Essential Ways Workbooks)  https://amzn.to/2wL0WlZ

Love That Lasts For Men (12 Essential Ways Workbooks) https://amzn.to/3c1v1xM

Prepare-Enrich is the #1 Premarital & Marriage Assessment in the world & we are certified facilitators. Check out more info at https://www.prepare-enrich.com/ and email us at [email protected] to setup your personalized assessment!

Barriers to Emotional Intimacy discussed today include:

1. Mentally checking out 

2. Fear of rejection

3. Bad communication

Here is a great tool for effective communication (adapted from Prepare-Enrich)

·HONEST- say what you mean & mean what you say.

·IMMEDIATE- communicating quickly will help you keep from bottling up your feelings.

·CLEAR- this means no hinting, one thing at a time, and knowing the difference between facts and opinions. 

·SUPPORTIVE- statements that help instead of hurt.

·TO THE POINT- stay on your topic and avoid going so far off track that others (and you!) forget what you were talking about.

Episode 2 TOOL: Process the following questions (think about, journal, & write down your answers) then spend at least 30 minutes with your spouse (engaged, vulnerable, & face to face) sometime this week to share your answers together. We pray they produce life & greater emotional intimacy in your marriage.

1.    Are you mentally checked out on your spouse? If yes, why? Which of reasons we discussed do you connect with and need to work on?

2.    Does the climate of your relationship allow you and your spouse to communicate honestly without any fear of rejection? Why or why not? 

3.    What can YOU contribute to improving the communication in your marriage?

Stay Connected!

Subscribe to Marriage Ignited on YouTube to watch in a video format https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1_qis4tYXiZ35KjKhNOWA?

Follow Marriage Ignited on Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/marriageignited/

Follow Marriage Ignited on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/marriageignited/

Marriage Ignited Website coming soon!!

www.marriageignited.org

Please SHARE with friends who would be encouraged & strengthened in their marriage!!

Marriage Ignited brings practical & spiritual tools to ignite your marriage in our weekly podcast & YouTube channel. NEW episodes every Tuesday!

In this episode we are introducing ourselves, sharing the purpose behind Marriage Ignited, and discussing the importance of investing in your marriage. 

Subscribe to Marriage Ignited on YouTube to watch in a video format

Follow Marriage Ignited on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/marriageignited

Follow Marriage Ignited on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/marriageignited/

Marriage Ignited Website coming soon!!
www.marriageignited.org

Please SHARE with friends who would be encouraged & strengthened in their marriage!!