It’s been a crazy week.
We all knew it would be, and I know that many people are avoiding the internet right now.
Plus I’ve had some health challenges again this week. As those who are on my email list may know, I had a horrible bout of vertigo that lasted for four weeks, from mid-September to mid-October. Then I thought I was fine, but two nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night with everything spinning again.
Don’t worry–I’m seeing a physiotherapist, and I shall get better.
But I didn’t want to try to record a big podcast today, because I do want to address the podcast that I took down two weeks ago. However, I have a lot to say about that, and I’d rather do it in a week where people will be back on the internet, so that it gets the normal amount of downloads, and a week when I’m feeling well.
So I hope you’ll forgive me not having a new podcast out today!
I decided instead to link to the three podcasts that I end up referring to the most, and linking to the most.
I’ve received so many notes lately that the podcasts from the last few months, specifically on how to think about sex differently and realize that her pleasure matters, too, have completely changed the way that couples see sex. And so many women have told me they reached orgasm for the first time after they felt they had permission to speak up about what they needed. That’s awesome! There are so many, though, I didn’t know which specific one to link to. This one on frequency and libido differences maybe wraps up a lot, but there are many, and I’d encourage you just to browse!
So instead of those recent ones, which all flow from each other, I’d like to link to three others that I keep coming back to, again and again. I think I said some new things in these ones, and they were important ones, so if you missed any of these, why not listen to them this week?
Podcast 1: On Marital Rape & Obligation Sex
Do Christian books actually ignore marital rape and instead spread an obligation sex message? Quick answer: Yep. We discuss all of this in our upcoming book The Great Sex Rescue, which is now available for pre-order, but Rebecca and I got quite passionate in this podcast:
Podcast 2: On Headship & Ephesians 5
I’ve been told that the first 20 minutes of this podcast have set so many women free, and have inspired couples to think differently about marriage, putting Jesus back at the centre.
We’ve been told our whole lives that “husbands are the head of the house” (even though that’s not in the Bible) and “Husbands are the head of the wife.” But what does that actually mean? Maybe it doesn’t mean what we think it means!
3. How Does Porn Use Before Marriage Affect Marriage Now?
I shared the message in this podcast in a viral Twitter thread, in a post, and in this podcast. After a number of readers sent me emails telling me about a Focus on the Family radio broadcast where they said that the reason that men watch porn is because they don’t get sex at home, I decided to address this myth.
Most porn habits today pre-date the marriage. And porn habits can change the way that men see sex. It simply is wrong, and, frankly, unconscionable to make such a claim when we know better now. So let’s understand how porn use earlier in life ends up affecting marriage, rather than blaming women for something that started even before they met their husbands:
If you’ve already listened to all three of those podcasts, thank you for being patient with me anyway!
I just didn’t have the energy to record this week, and I hope that’s okay. Rebecca and I are recording this morning for next week’s podcast, but I needed a break.
And I hope you all are keeping calm and keeping strong and not letting news affect you, either!
Let me know in the comments: Did you listen to these before? Did any of these podcasts affect you more than others? What spoke to you? Let’s talk!
Sheila Wray Gregoire
Founder of Bare Marriage
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Kudos for taking care of yourself first, Sheila. I hope you feel better!
Thanks, Kristen! (By the way, I didn’t say it yesterday, but part of the issue is that I was having some extensive followup tests for what they thought may be cancer. Got the results yesterday–just cysts! I’m fine!)