ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“You are writing what?” We can’t tell you the number of times we heard that question when we mentioned we were writing a book titled The Five Sex Needs of Men and Women. We heard curious questions and saw some red faces. But most people said, “I can’t wait to get my copy.”

Why the strong responses to this book and title? We believe it’s because God created sex and has a great plan for your marriage in the area of sexual intimacy. But there is also another reason. We believe that many, if not most, Christian couples have been so overwhelmed with messages about sex that they are confused, concerned, and have truly legitimate questions about what a great sex life in a great Christian marriage looks like. The book you are holding has been labored over like all of the books we have written, but this one has a unique capacity to really give you, a husband and wife, a great deal of insight, coaching, and inspiration to have the best sex life you could ever imagine. And like all of our books, this one has been a team effort.

At the core of this team have been three women who have used their gifts, talents, and time to minister to us —as well as to you. The first person we want to acknowledge is Ginger Kolbaba. Ginger is the managing editor of Marriage Partnership magazine. She is well respected in the field of marriage literature, and when we identified early on that we wanted a strong collaborator in the writing, her name was at the top of the list. For several days, tucked away in a historic river city along the Mississippi, Ginger met with us and helped craft this message. She brought her skill, humor, and passion for marriage to every page. Thank you, Ginger. Truly, without you this book never would have been written.

Second, we commend Sarah Carroll for a job well done. Today Sarah is a stay-at-home mom with her new baby daughter, but for several years she worked alongside us as our radio researcher. We first met her when she was fourteen years old and submitted an essay for a radio contest on our program. She won the contest hands down. She then interned with us as a college student, eventually holding a vital role as our researcher for our daily radio program. Early on in the development of the manuscript for this book, she labored with us, crafting the early stages. At the end of the project she jumped back into the game and helped immeasurably by tracking down footnotes, sources, and more. Kudos to you, Sarah! Your talent is outmatched only by your passion for your marriage and for being a mom.

And third, we want to thank Lynn Vanderzalm, our editor. Lynn was one of the first people we met years ago at Tyndale House Publishers. And from the first meeting to the editing of our first Tyndale book, The Five Love Needs of Men and Women, and then on to eleven other book projects, she has been our champion, helping to forge out the best books we had in us. We heard Lynn referred to as the “velvet hammer” by another writer, and it describes her well. With love and grace she works with authors to keep digging down deep to bring the best message to readers. More important, she is a dear friend, and we honor her with this book.

We also thank our team at our ministry, America’s Family Coaches, as well as our board of directors, who equip us daily to do what we are passionate about doing: speaking and writing in different ways —from radio to books to conferences —so we can speak into the hearts of marriages in America and beyond. Everyone who comes into contact with our team and board comments that they are remarkable folks. And they are that —and more. We love you and thank you.

Thanks to our other friends at Tyndale: Ron Beers, Ken Petersen, Carol Traver, MaryLynn Layman, and more. You make us look far better than we are, and we thank you for your partnership but much more for your friendship. It is a great experience doing books the old-fashioned way, through a relationship. We promise to honor Jesus with this book.

And finally, we thank our kids and grandkids, who once again sacrificed time with Papa and Gaga Rosberg (that’s us) so that we could write a book. We promised you we wouldn’t embarrass you with this topic of sex, and we don’t believe we did. What a joy to be your mom and dad and grandparents. Our legacy is rich with passion for marriage and Jesus Christ. It doesn’t get any better than this, kids. Now guard your hearts, and go back to doing what you do best . . . loving Jesus, each other, and us!

Gary and Barb Rosberg