The Great Sex Rescue | Interview with Sheila Gregoire

The Great Sex Rescue | Interview with Sheila Gregoire

by | Oct 4, 2021 | Uncategorized

 

Why do Christian women report sexual satisfaction rates 47 points lower than their husbands? What if Christian women experience lower sexual satisfaction because of how we teach about sex in sermons and popular marriage books?

These provocative questions are answered by Sheila Gregoire, author of the new research based book, The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You've Been Taught and How To Recover What God Intended. Sheila and Barb dive into an honest, controversial, yet absolutely necessary conversation about marriage and everything that Christian women are taught about sex. Sheila teaches us that great sex is the fulfillment of a longing for intimacy rather than just one-sided pleasure. In our conversation, she is going to equip us to see sex as God intended: personal, pleasurable, pure, prioritized, pressure-free, and passionate. 

 

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

To Love, Honor, and Vacuum

The Great Sex Rescue

 

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Sheila Wray Gregoire is the face behind ToLoveHonorandVacuum.com, the largest single-blogger marriage blog. A sought-after speaker, she's also an award-winning author of nine books, including The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex. Sheila has a Masters in Public Administration and Master of Arts in Sociology both from Queen's University. Sheila built the successful blog, To Love, Honor, and Vacuum, with traffic of one million page views a month. Her email list is 45,000 strong and her social media reach is over 100,000. Her podcast, Bare Marriage, has more than 5,000 downloads each week. She is an award-winning author with seven royalty published books. A sought after speaker, Sheila has spoken at churches and conferences around the globe. She is a frequent contributor at Family Life Canada events. Her latest book, "The Great Sex Rescue" was featured in the New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, and the Washington Post. She has bylines at Religion News Service, Relevant Magazine, and other news sources. Sheila and her husband Keith, a pediatrician, live in Belleville Ontario. They have two grown daughters and one very adorable grandson who lives down the road. She enjoys hiking, birdwatching, RV camping trips, and board games. And she knits - even in line at the grocery store.

Check out this episode!

September 2021 Better Together Moments Magazine

by | Sep 22, 2021 | Uncategorized

Welcome to the September 2021 issue of Better Together Moments. You can view this months issue below. Click on the arrows to advance each page. 

You can view this month's issue on your iPad or laptop for best viewing experience. If you want to use your cell phone, flip it vertically for best view.

Hope for Marriage: 3 Lessons To Teach God-Honoring Marriage to the Next Generation | Interview with Malachi and Courtney Green

Hope for Marriage: 3 Lessons To Teach God-Honoring Marriage to the Next Generation | Interview with Malachi and Courtney Green

by | Sep 15, 2021 | Uncategorized

Marriage is a good thing! God is still raising up the next generation of husbands and wives who are passionate about godly marriage. 

 If you are a parent of young adults, you don't want to miss this episode as Barb talks with Malachi and Courtney Green about hope for marriage and the lessons that they are teaching about God-honoring marriage to the next generation.

Malachi and Courtney are passionate about growing together as a couple as well as growing God's kingdom. In this episode, they are sharing with Barb and Tabitha important lessons that you can share with the young adults in your life. 

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

Malachi and Courtney's YouTube Channel

As You Wait Academy

 

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUESTS

Malachi and Courtney Green are the Pastors of Heart of God Ministry although online many know them as The Greens. Their mission is to normalize Christ and never dilute his power. Their ministry focus is to train, and disciple Christians in all aspects of life. They also share a strong passion for Christ centered singleness and relationships.

Check out this episode!

Five Ways to Avoid Fights at Family Gatherings

Five Ways to Avoid Fights at Family Gatherings

by | Sep 8, 2021 | Uncategorized

Happy Labor Day weekend!

It's the last official weekend of the summer. Even though our country seems like it's in the midst of a national temper tantrum, I hope that you enjoy tension-free, argument-free time with friends and family.

I'm sharing five tools with you today so that YOU can enjoy yourself, no matter how anyone else behaves. These are tried-and-true strategies, all grounded in faith and practical wisdom.

 

1. PRAY

Before you open the door to guests or ring the doorbell of your host's home, invite the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart, mind and especially your mouth! Here are two verses that you can screenshot and use today or any other time:

"God, please give me kind words, a kind heart and a kind attitude toward this person that I'm about to talk to right now. In Jesus' name, Amen." (Inspired by Proverbs 16:24 NLT)

"God, You know that it's SO hard for me to keep quiet when ______________ starts in on ___________________ (controversial topic), so God, I pray that You help me to be QUICK to listen, SLOW to speak and SLOW to get angry. I can do this with Your help. Amen. (James 1:19 NLT)

2. Let Go of Expectations

Other people can't make you angry unless you let them. Most of what makes us angry is having unreasonable expectations of others or how things should go. You have to let go of expecting people to act a certain way, especially if they've proven otherwise. If you hold onto those expectations, then you're going to be miserable and you shouldn't blame them for it.

God, I need to let go of expecting _____________________ today so that I don't ruin my day.

Here's a helpful tool from my Surrendered Bible study that many of you already know: "I am not in control of others or outcomes".

Repeat it over and over again as needed.

3. "That's interesting. You may be right."

This reply validates someone's opinion without agreeing with or endorsing it. The keyword is "may be".

Use this response to avoid or end a potential argument. Don't ruin your day over a random conversation!

4. "I don't know how to answer that. Let me think about it and get back to you."

 Like the previous suggestion, this is a wise and wonderful way to short-circuit someone's attempt to bait you into an argument. Again, this is supposed to be a fun family gathering, not a presidential debate. Proverbs 26:4 warns us to avoid having conversations with people who are arguers. Why? Because their behavior drags us down to their level.

You are too valuable and precious to sling mud. Resist.

5. Pre-Set a "Bounce" Time

If every family gathering turns into a family temper tantrum, then perhaps, you need to arrange a pre-set "bounce" or departure time.

When people are full of food or feeling tipsy, it's easy for tongues to loosen. Years ago, a friend and her adult siblings instituted a two-hour rule at family gatherings. Family members only had to stay for two hours and then they could leave.

Over time, more family members showed up because there was less fighting. If a disagreement broke out, people could leave. The quality of their family time increased, even though the time that they spend together decreased. How cool is that?!
YOUR NEXT STEP: Which one of these five suggestions is most helpful for you? If you want some accountability, you can hit reply and email me what you believe that God wants you to focus on today. I'm praying for you and cheering for you! In Jesus' name, you can do this!

Happy Monday to you!

Love, Barb
5 Questions To Ask Before Going On A Missions Trip | Interview with Mekdes Haddis

5 Questions To Ask Before Going On A Missions Trip | Interview with Mekdes Haddis

by | Sep 6, 2021 | Uncategorized

It takes a lot of courage to go on an overseas mission trip. Barb has served on 10 trips to Central America over the past 15 years. Without a doubt, saying yes to an overseas mission trip can change your life and revolutionize your faith. However, it's important to show up with humility vs. expecting that another culture will look like our country.    Join Barb for an important conversation with speaker and missionologist, Mekdes Haddis. She is the author of the upcoming book, Just Missions, to help missionaries and ministry leaders engage in healthy conversation and discuss the harmful effects of western missions. Mekdes answers the 5 crucial questions that you need to ask before your next overseas mission trip. Ultimately, she equips us to show up and to show love in a way that honors God and respects others.    RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE Mekdes' Website: mekdeshaddis.com   ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST Mekdes was born and raised in Ethiopia and moved to the United States in 2003 to pursue her studies. She has her Masters' in Organizational Leadership and a forthcoming book with IVPress and currently lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband, daughter, and son.   After 10+years of developing Discipleship and Outreach strategies in evangelical churches and non-profits, she grew impatient with the lack of mutuality and respect for leadership of those from global south. To break the cycle of harmful physical and spiritual impact of missions locally and globally and to elevate the voices of the unheard, Mekdes left her full time ministry role to start JUST MISSIONS.   JUST MISSIONS is a space that elevates diaspora voices and equips western allies to become mutual partners for the work of the gospel. It aims to forge the path of leaving a relational legacy surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. She is now the Executive Coach and actively developing strategies to train individuals and organizations with a fresh look at missions for global impact.   Her writing has been featured in Christianity Today! and Faithfully Magazine, as well as used by organizations like the American Bible Society and YWAM. ​ Check out this episode!

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