I Don’t Recommend Books…But If I DID (Part 2)

Kelly M. Roberts, MS, LMFT

Last week, I wrote a post beginning my answer to a common question I receive in my academic or therapeutic role.  That question is, “What book would you recommend for couples experiencing (enter any category) issue?” or, “I’m going to buy a good book for (x) couple, what do you recommend?”  I decided to break the answer down into the http___www.bigleaguekickball.com_category_press_ soma overnight delivery only top five “couples issues” areas I hear about most frequently, and first begin by addressing the “core three.”  I named these as:  parenting, financial struggles, and sex/intimacy.  In my first post, I covered book recommendations and some discussion over parenting and finances.  Today I’m going to talk about sex and intimacy issues, and then move into topic number four: developing yourselves as individuals within a marriage or relationship.

Sex or Intimacy Issues

To begin, let me just say that couples all seem to have their own strength areas within their relationship.  I’ve spent a good amount of time with some couples who excel at sex and/or intimacy together, but have multiple challenges in other areas.  However, I’ve seen just the opposite as well.  Some couples I know are excellent at parenting as a team, managing their finances as a team, and seem to otherwise (at least from those on the outside) have a strong and capable relationship.  But when it comes to intimacy (sharing vulnerabilities and deep-felt support) or sex, some of the seemingly greatest “power couples” run into problems.  A lot of problems.

Many of these intimacy and sex related problems have to do with trust, or strong patterns developed from their own families of origin.  I’ll cover these problems in the last entry.  Some challenges, however, are simply a matter of thinking, learning, growing or communicating, becoming comfortable with each other and asking for (and meeting) needs. And many are simply the result of leading overscheduled lives in a stressful environment.

Continue reading I Don’t Recommend Books…But If I DID (Part 2)

Comments

comments

A Conscientous Objection to Fantasy Football

Each year I get at least two or three invites to participate in some new Fantasy Football league that’s just popped up. When I don’t sign-up, the question always comes up, “Why didn’t you join the Fantasy Football league?” My answer: I hate Fantasy Football. Loathe it. Not because of what it is, but because of what it does to so many otherwise intelligent and rational people. I liken it to heroine as it turns normal dudes into crazy-eyed, stat geeks who at some point inevitably cross the line into the realm of the one unforgivable sin of football fandom: cheering for an arch-rival because you need the points. It’s like being a University of Oklahoma fan rooting for Texas to score in the Red River Shootout because roommates Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley happen to be on your Fantasy Football team.

OK. Enough with the intro. Here’s my list of 10 reasons why I am a Fantasy Football conscientious objector.

Continue reading A Conscientous Objection to Fantasy Football

Comments

comments

Childhood Journey to Rock Heaven, Zeppelin Style

by Joey Rodman

I can’t quite remember what I got for Christmas last year. Or the year before.  And definitely not the year before that.

In fact, for the most part I can’t remember what I got for Christmas for the last ten years. (No offense to my husband I promise.) I can however, remember what I got for Christmas when I was six years old.

You see, those gifts changed my life.  I remember finding them in my mother’s closet…

I had waited until she was asleep on the couch to go poking through her room. I knew my presents were in there because she had forbidden me from setting foot anywhere near her small closet about a week before. I might have been six, but I wasn’t an idiot; something was hiding in there.

Continue reading Childhood Journey to Rock Heaven, Zeppelin Style

Comments

comments

I Will Miss You, Pastor David Thomas – That’s Certain

Pastor David Thomas

I spent eight years of my professional life on staff at the Oklahoma Christian Schools (OCS) High School and administrative offices. A good part of my energy went into building a drama department from scratch, but part of that time was also spent as the lead Freshman sponsor and the Freshman Bible Teacher.

The Bible Department, from an outside view, represented quite a diversity of theological perspectives:  I was raised in an independent Christian church context, our Sophomore Bible teacher (David Thomas) was more of the charismatic persuasion having attended ORU for his education, our Junior Bible Teacher (Dan Anthony) was a Church of Christ cowboy, and our Senior Bible Teacher and Department Head (Ted Hough) had his master’s degrees both in Literature and in Divinity.  Sometimes it seemed to me that Ted’s perspective was to teach the Word of God with the finesse of only that which a liberal arts major could do.  His devotions were pure art.

But today I want to talk about David Thomas, our Sophomore Bible teacher.  David went to meet his Maker on the evening of December 4th, 2010 after a decade-long battle with a brain tumor.  I loved his spirit and his heart and am dedicating this post to he and his family.  I’m going to write only briefly about his personality, his preaching and his prayer.  However, I promise you – volumes could be written…along the lines of how John honored Jesus when he said,

25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Continue reading I Will Miss You, Pastor David Thomas – That’s Certain

Comments

comments

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: Running Through the Ribbons

wedding
Our wedding day....December 12, 1997.

When it comes to gifts, my husband has it pretty easy.  Even though I have received a few pieces of beautiful jewelry over the years, I don’t require these expensive gestures like some women do.  I got an upgraded wedding ring on our ten year anniversary.  It gets stuck in the fingers of my work gloves and it’s kind of annoying.   I prefer a card and/or  some quality time.  I already know that every day comes with its own gifts, and it’s up to me to “untie the ribbons”  (~Ruth Ann Schabacke).  Man, is this guy lucky, or what?

We had only lived in the country for three weeks when our seven-year wedding anniversary weekend began.  In our typical style, we decided to forgo “gifts”  (we were starting plans to build an entire house, after all), and we opted to go out to eat.  There were three restaurants from which to choose…

Continue reading Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: Running Through the Ribbons

Comments

comments

Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.