31 Days to a More Intimate Marriage

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Hi sweet moms! Steph here. We’ve got a special treat for you today! We’ve got our friend, Sheila Gregoire with us and we’re talking about sex.

(Yes, we’re boldly going where The M.O.M. Initiative hasn’t gone before.) 

I know it’s not something you hear a lot about in Christian circles but we are thankful for Sheila’s willingness to ‘go there.’

She’s got a new book out, 31 Days to Great Sex, and we are blessed to have this interview with her to share with you!

So, whether your engaged, a newly wed, or a mom who has felt too tired, too busy or too uninterested in sex… OR, if you’re a mom who is wondering what’s up with her hubby’s lack of interest in sex, this interview is a definite “Must Read” for you.

And you will definitely want to buy her new book, because in a marriage…sex matters.

1. Sheila, what was it that made you want to write, “31 Days to Great Sex”?

Ha! Because I’m a glutton for punishment. Seriously! I never really set out to be “the sex lady”, but that seems to be what I have become over the last few years, maybe because I’m not embarrassed talking and writing about it. But now everyone thinks of me as The Christian Sex Lady, which gets really awkward, especially when my teenage girls’ friends find out.

But I guess the reason for this book specifically is because I believe that sex is so important in a marriage. We often think of sex as something which is just physical, but God made it to be so much more than that. It’s supposed to connect us emotionally and spiritually, too. And when we feel that kind of passion, our marriages can be amazing. And that’s what God wants for us. That’s part of what He means by an “abundant life”. But how many of us really experience that?

Unfortunately, when things become blah or boring (or even non-existent) in the bedroom, people often turn to the wrong things. They look at how to “spice things up”, or try new tricks, or all of those headlines that are blaring at you from the Cosmo cover. Honestly, though, when things aren’t passionate in the bedroom, the solution is usually found outside the bedroom.

And that’s what this book does. It gives you the chance to actually talk and communicate, and couples have told me that’s actually the most important thing! It’s almost like pushing a reset button on your sex life. You go back to the beginning, you move slowly, and you look at all the things sex is supposed to be–fun, friendship, spiritual intimacy, and, yes, physical fireworks! But it’s that communication and focus on intimacy on a daily basis that usually brings major breakthroughs–not some new sex trick.

2. In what ways can your book help a busy mom find the time and energy for sex with her hubby?

First, husbands often love it! I’m amazed at how many men have actually bought the book, since the primary audience for my blog and my newsletters is women. But men crave intimacy, not just physical release. And having something that prods you to work on your relationship everyday for 31 days can help us with something as simple as fitting it into the schedule, and reminding us how much fun it actually is to talk, and to flirt, and to kiss, and to do all those wonderful things with our husbands!

3. Why do you think a couple’s sex life often ends up on the back burner of their marriage?

I put it this way: men make love to feel loved, whereas women need to feel loved in order to make love. We have very different approaches when it comes to sex. When we get married, and then we realize that our spouse doesn’t see things the way we do, we can feel hurt. Or perhaps sex doesn’t feel intimate because it’s all about him. Or it feels like something on a to do list. And all of us would rather put our energies into the things we feel we’re good at. If sex is a source of conflict and hurt feelings, it can easily get set aside. And that’s too bad, because then we miss out on some of the amazing blessings God has for us.

4. Sometimes the wife loses interest, other times it’s the husband who doesn’t want to have sex. How can a desire for sex be rekindled for the one who doesn’t seem to have any interest in it?I’m glad you brought that up, because in about 30% of marriages now the wife has the higher sex drive, not the husband. And when you’re a woman married to a man with a low drive, it’s easy to feel like there must be something terribly wrong with you. There isn’t!I think the key to rekindling desire is twofold: first, realize that sex is God’s doorway into intimacy. We will never feel totally and completely intimate in our marriages unless we have a healthy sex life. Sex isn’t only physical; it’s supposed to be so much more. If we caught the vision for that, we’d stop worrying about being “in the mood” and maybe we’d jump in more!Second, libido is a “use it or lose it” phenomenon. The more you make love, the more you wake your libido up. So if you don’t want to very often, just jump in!

5. If you could give young moms one piece of advice about sex, what would it be?

Your husband comes before the kids. Now that you have children your marriage is even more important, not less, because other people are depending on you. Never, ever let your husband or your relationship go on the back burner to the children.
6. What was your favorite chapter to write and what was your most difficult chapter to write and why?

Favourite chapter: how to flirt with your husband. So fun! And we actually do a lot of those ideas, too! Hardest chapter: experiencing spiritual intimacy when you make love. That’s the essence of my message, and it’s so important, and I always wonder if I’m really able to convey in words what I want people to catch the vision for.

7. Where can we find your book? 

The best place to get my book is my website. And if you want to find out more about me, you can follow my blog, To Love, Honor and Vacuum!

Sheila, THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking time to be with us today! We also appreciate your willingness to talk about a subject that is often avoided yet SO needed. Christian women everywhere are very thankful for your candidness about how important sex is to a marriage and I’m sure they’re VERY happy that after they read your book, they’ll only be 31 days away to great sex!

 

Sheila Wray Gregoire is a syndicated parenting columnist and a popular speaker. The author of six books, including How Big Is Your Umbrella?, with more on the way, she loves encouraging women to forget about the dust bunnies under their beds and keep their focus on Jesus! She also has a passion for family, and together with her husband Keith speaks at Family Life marriage conferences around the nation. You can usually find her in Belleville, Ontario, where she homeschools her two teenage daughters and knits. Preferably simultaneously.

Stephanie Shott
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