Marriage Ministry Matters – April 2015

Welcome to the CMBA Newsletter!

For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing[a] has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.    Song of Solomon 2:11-12

 

It’s springtime, and love is in the air! This issue of our newsletter invites you to share with us: join us in the CMBA Members’ Forum, let us know of marriage resources you’ve developed that you’d like to promote, and even volunteer to be our featured blogger of the month in a future newsletter. Our how-to article brings you back to basics. We may not always hear back from our readers when we blog. Even without feedback, we need to take heart and know that what we do in our marriage blogs makes a real difference. Your work is a blessing in marriages, even if you don’t get to see that all the time.

New Members

The following blogs joined CMBA since our last issue. Do visit their sites and share an encouraging word.

Bibi2Be – Bibi2Be
The Curmudgeonly Librarian – CSL
Making Love Last – Ken Hensley

Please check your listing on the member’s page to make sure that it is accurate and up to date. If it needs to be changed, send an email to Chris at chris@forgivenwife.com.

From the Forum

The CMBA Member’s Forum is a safe place for us, away from the eyes of our readers, where we can gain insight, encouragement, practical help, and prayers.

Have you visited the forum recently? Come by and take a look. Update your profile, post a question, and see if there are questions from others you can weigh in on.

If you’re new to the forum, you might find it helpful to start in the Getting Started area. You’ll find information about how to use the forum.

Click here to join us. If you have questions about the CMBA Member’s Forum, contact Lori at lori@the-generous-wife.com.

How Do I . . . ?

Why Marriage Blogs Matter

by Julie Sibert of Intimacy In Marriage

As someone who blogs about sexual intimacy in marriage, I know how discouraging it can be to think my blog isn’t getting the visibility I was hoping it would.

It’s not that you aren’t passionate, because you are. It’s just that the feeling starts to creep in that possibly you are pouring all your wisdom into a huge empty internet chasm. You pound away alone at your keyboard, hit publish and are left there to wonder. “Is anyone listening?  Is the internet just too noisy for anyone to notice?”

In desperation, you may even think, “Why am I even doing this?!

I want to encourage you, because I’ve had to remind myself that what we do as Christian marriage bloggers does matter. Don’t underestimate the difference you are making – and remember that the people you are impacting may never take the time to actually tell you.

How many of us have read something on a blog that really was beneficial to our lives, yet we didn’t take the time (or have the time) to send a note or make a comment? All of us, right?

Well, the same is true of your blog. People will stumble across it or they will send it to a friend they believe needs the hope you are offering. Or maybe they will receive it from someone else. Countless people read blog posts, benefit from them and never say a word to the person who actually wrote them.

Take heart that God sees and knows all. And if you feel He has called you to encourage others in their marriages via your blog, then your obedience in that direction is great reward.

Yes, it’s nice when someone comments on our blogs or takes a moment to send a personal email or shares the post through social networks. Even more gratifying, though, is simply knowing you are speaking God’s truth and tenderness into what could be someone’s desperate marital situation.

Truth be told, they may be at a really broken place and not even have the emotional energy to reach out. Yet what you typed as you were sitting at your keyboard, alone in your home office or curled up on the couch with your laptop computer – those words revolutionize their life. Those words help them muster the courage to nurture their marriage.

If you feel led to write your blog, then by all means – please keep writing! The world needs more bloggers proclaiming God’s sacred plan for marriage.

Ooops!

We forgot to announce the winner to our February giveaway.

Tiffany entered the giveaway with her post A Valentine’s Date and was randomly selected as our winner. She chose Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark. Thank you to The Marriage Bed for underwriting the prize!

Social Media

Are you on social media? Follow CMBA!

Marriage Resource

Do you have an e-book, devotional, printable, or other resource that you’ve developed? Let us send a little love your way. If you have a resource that you’d like help promoting, send an email to Chris at chris@forgivenwife.com. A list will be included in a future newletter. It’s a great way to help us encourage each other and see what we’re all up to.

Behind the Blog

It’s fun to get to know the person (or people) behind a blog. If you would like to be featured in one of our upcoming newsletters, contact Chris at chris@forgivenwife.com. We’ll provide you with some questions if you like. It’s a great chance to bring some fresh attention to your blog and let us know a little bit about you.

Image courtesy of franky242 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge