Love & Sex
A Christian Guide to Healthy Intimacy
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
“So many couples struggle in their sexual lives because they divide sex and love … Nancy Houston has written an excellent, practical, and very hopeful book on how to reintegrate the division.”—Dr. John Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of Boundaries
“Without question, one of the greatest communicators of our generation on Christian sex and intimacy is Nancy Houston.”—Amy Ford, president of Embrace Grace and author of A Bump in Life
Sex is powerful!
Just saying the word “sex” can stir up all kinds of emotions. Maybe it’s a positive emotion for you—or possibly a hurtful, shameful, confusing one. It’s no wonder we struggle to understand its meaning and purpose. It can be difficult to talk about, and if we have experienced unwanted shame or grew up in a home where sex was taboo, addressing the topic can be even more difficult.
In a world of sexual chaos and confusion, we all need a healthy dialogue on the topic—not a black-or-white, right-or-wrong lecture, but a safe forum for discovering, learning, processing, and growing into passionate intimacy within the freedom God provides.
In Love & Sex, Nancy Houston provides a compassionate view of human sexuality. Through the lens of Scripture, she unpacks the good God intended when He created humans as sexual creatures, while recognizing that many people haven’t experienced sex in a positive way.
You won’t find a critical examination of dos and don’ts, but stories of redemption, grace, and hope.
You will understand how you were shaped and that you are more than your sexual behaviors.
For some people, sex is a regular part of life. For others, it’s a huge deal. Maybe even too big of a deal. This book will be your roadmap to finding sexual health, happiness, and balance. And if you are one of the few unscathed by sexual shame or confusion, this book will help you develop a more compassionate lens for those who do struggle.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sex therapist Houston draws on her professional expertise in this guide intended to help Christian men and women better understand their attitudes and beliefs toward love and sex. "Scripture clearly makes a connection between married love and sex a very necessary connection to make if we are going to reclaim the meaning and purpose of our sexuality," she writes. Houston creates two fictional story lines (based on real people) of one married and one single adult who recognize their sexual angst and relationship frustrations and decide to seek help through counseling. She begins by exploring biblical stories of grace and redemption that depict healthy marital relationships (particularly Jesus's advice to husbands and wives in Ephesians 5) before delving into how these lessons can help people who are facing challenges that stem from childhood trauma, sexual abuse, obsession with pornography, "sexual confusion," and infidelity. Through the proxy characters, Houston shows how to integrate spirituality with sexuality. Though the stories are often bland, Houston's advice is reasonable: "Put ourselves in loving, compassionate, kind, and trusting environments. Tell your story over and over until your history begins to make sense to you. Attune, tune in, be present." Houston's instructive text offer sound advice to Christian readers struggling with intimacy who want to move toward understanding themselves as sexual beings.