Natural Family Planning Blessed Our Marriage : 19 True Stories

by Doyle, Fletcher

• ISBN13: 9780867167603
• ISBN10: 0867167602
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-30
• Publisher: St Anthony Messenger Pr

Summary

If you asked the average Catholic to list ten tips to build a better marriage, chances are Natural Family Planning (NFP) would not make the cut. Most Catholics, if they think of NFP at all, think only of those three troubling words, "Not tonight, dear." But more than a means of regulating birth, NFP is first a means of building communication, affection, respect and a sense of joyful freedom in a couple's sexual relationship. As the nineteen couples in this book make clear, NFP not only helped them plan their families, it improved their marriages. Many speak of a renewed grace in their lives when they made the switch from contraceptives to NFP. All agree that the benefits outweigh the occasional challenges, and none long for the days when they used artificial means of regulating birth. If you're interested in strengthening your marriage, forget the magazine articles and self-help books.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	viii
INTRODUCTION Clearing the Hurdle	ix
SECTION ONE: IT'S HER BODY
How NFP [Natural Family Planning] Is Good for a Woman's Reproductive Health	1
CHAPTER ONE We Might Never Have Had Children	6
Stephen and Wendy Panaro
CHAPTER TWO NFP: The Best Medicine	10
Dr. Gloria Zibilich
CHAPTER THREE In Sickness and in Health	16
L.G. and P.G.
CHAPTER FOUR God Is the Real Fertility Specialist	19
Don and Kimberly Smith
CHAPTER FIVE The Perfect Fit for Our Healthy Lifestyle	27
Michael and Christina Montone
SECTION TWO: ABSTINENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER
How NFP Improves the Marital Relationship	31
CHAPTER SIX A Woman Can Feel Special!	41
Drew and Erin McNichol
CHAPTER SEVEN Keeping the Home Fires Burning	45
Rick and Jeanne Karnath
CHAPTER EIGHT Better Late Than Never	51
Fletcher and Tracy Doyle
CHAPTER NINE Forced to Work Through Our Selfishness	58
Richard and Kimberly Worling
CHAPTER TEN Planning a Family Together	63
Tom and Kathy Nuttle
CHAPTER ELEVEN A Family Reconnected	67
Dominic and Kathy Cavaretta
SECTION THREE: STAYING ON COURSE
How NFP Keeps Spouses From Growing Apart	73
CHAPTER TWELVE It's Not Always Easy	78
Mark and Colleen
CHAPTER THIRTEEN What Is Just Cause?	81
Michael and Lauri Hahn
CHAPTER FOURTEEN The Feminist Mistake	85
Matthew and Mary Wenke
CHAPTER FIFTEEN Living Our Vocation as Parents	90
David and Michelle Marciniak
SECTION FOUR: THE LEAP OF FAITH
How NFP Helps Couples Develop Trust in God	97
CHAPTER SIXTEEN Message Received!	100
Steve and Mary Schumer
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Living Our Faith	105
Gary and Michelle Dorobiala
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Walking the Walk While Giving the Talk	109
Gregg and Colleen Larkin
CHAPTER NINETEEN Letting God Into All Areas of Our Life	114
Daryl and Lynda Hostetler
AFTERWORD Marriage Insurance	119
Father Richard Hogan
CONCLUSION Not Catholic Birth Control!	127
RESOURCE GUIDE	138
GLOSSARY	142
NOTES	147