Put on the Armor of Light: Intimacy in Marriage Presentation

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Intimacy in Marriage Presentation

This is the presentation I gave on emotional, spiritual, and physical intimacy in marriage during the third hour of block meetings on Sunday, December 30, 2007. We also gave out copies of Laura Brotherson's excellent book on marital intimacy And They Were Not Ashamed. (I still have a few in the bishop's office for those who want a copy. We also have CDs for loan.)

Intimacy in Marriage

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For a PDF of the content of the slides, click here. You can also see it below. Click on the screen icon on the lower-right corner to view the document at full screen.

Intimacy in Marriage

View more documents from Michael James Fitzgerald.

Since giving this presentation, here's a new summation of what I think a wife really wants from her husband:

To be loved and cherished by him more than any other person or other thing
To be the most important person in his life
To feel that no one else or nothing else is in higher demand for his attention
To be willing to listen to her needs and frustrations and to talk about his feelings
To respect her wishes, even if he can't fulfill them at the moment
To show her affection daily (without strings attached for physical intimacy)
Speaking respectfully of her in front of others, especially the children, even when she is not present
To forgive her for her mistakes and shortcomings and work with her gently for solutions
To ask her on dates regularly—to court her and to surprise her with unexpected adventures, especially romantic ones
To be helpful and cooperative when working with the children and with work in the home—to be willing to cook and change diapers and clean bathrooms, for starters
To be willing to sacrifice so that she can do things to achieve her true potential
To never forget the power and importance of flowers, chocolates and love notes

And this is what your husband really wants from his wife:

To respect him and honor him
To show him gentleness and tenderness—this is the irresistible force that will draw him to his wife forever
To believe in him and to trust him, even though he makes mistakes
To forgive him for his mistakes and shortcomings and work with him kindly for solutions
To support him in his work and career and church responsibilities
Speaking respectfully of him, especially in front of the children and her friends, even when he is not present
To create a cheerful, welcoming home environment
To be helpful and cooperative with money and other issues that are his main concern
To give him his space and allow him to recharge with activities of his choosing
To be willing to sacrifice so that he can do things to achieve his true potential