What were your thoughts as you heard Mark talk about the formula for incredible sex?  Do you agree with what he said about pornography, masturbation, and exclusivity?

What do you hope that people say about your marriage legacy?  What characteristics do you want your children to carry on?

Sex is a gift from God and is a central issue in marriage that can not be ignored.  God created sex to bond a husband and a wife in an incredible way so that they could meet each others needs.  Our culture and the darkness in our own hearts has corrupted us all in the area of sex.  One of the lies our culture tells us is that pornagraphy inhances our sex lives.  Another lie is that my spouse needs to do this, or that in the bed room to fullfill me.  Maybe the biggest lie is that sex is all about my fulfillment alone and I can do anything with anyone to meet those needs.  It is only natural right.   

What lies have you believed about sex that have corrupted you?  How has believing a lie brought pain in your life in the area of sex?

What do you think about the idea of bartering for things in your relationships?  Does the idea of using sex as a bartering tool okay?

Submission to one another in marriage is not a new idea.  Jesus modelled what submission looked like his entire life.  Paul taught this very idea in Ephesians 2:21-33.  From the time of Adam and Eve, sin in the world has tried to destroy this core value that God established from the beginning.  God’s desire is for a husband and wife to join into a partnership, not a dictatorship, with one another.  When sin entered the world, this idea of partnership in marriage was perverted. (Genesis 3:16)  The good news is that when Jesus came, he redeemed everything, including our marriages, back to the original partnership that God intended.  We can experience this when Jesus is present in our lives and we put Jesus’s ways into practice.

Why is submitting to one another so hard and why is there always the desire for one person to be in charge or rule over the other spouse?

Smiley Face Diagram

How did the smiley face diagram challenge you?  Does your marriage have that  balance between the heart and the smiley face that Mark talked about?

Divorce and cohabitation are both sensitive issues because they affect all of us both directly and indirectly.  This weekends message was probably painful for some who heard it.  Why was this message painful for you?

Mark talked about the differences in men’s brains and women’s brains. What was the idea that struck a cord with you as he talked about the diffences?  (Boxes versus Wires)

Marriage is a very powerful institution when it is done God’s way.  When it is not done God’s way, it can be very painful and destructive.  What are the differences between men and woman, and the different needs that men and woman have, that make it so difficult at times to have a marriage like God intends?  How can unmet needs lead to divorce, affairs, and marriages that are more surviving than thriving?