Ted Cunningham

Featured Keynote Programs

Guess what? You don’t have to choose between life and a spouse. You can enjoy both, and at the same time. Enjoying life, marriage and your spouse is possible when you prioritize the relationships in your home. This topic includes honoring marriage (Hebrews 13:4), enjoying marriage (Ecclesiastes 9:7-9), and prioritizing marriage (Genesis 2:24). This topic can be covered in one 35-60 minute session or expanded to 3 sessions. This is the most requested session filled with nonstop laughter. If you only need one session for couples, this is it!

(Recommended for Sunday morning services (all ages), evening events, date nights, one day events or keynote. It is the first session of Ted’s weekend marriage conferences)

Eradicating the kid-centered home begins by prioritizing marriage in the home (Genesis 2:24). The greatest gift parents give their children is a mother and father who love each other deeply, because a great marriage is the single most important parenting tool. To prioritize the spiritual journeys in the home take personal responsibility for your journey, serve your spouse’s journey, model Jesus in your marriage journey for the sake your child’s journey. This topic does not alienate single parents or blended families, but equips them to discover balance in the home and prepare their children for future relational success. This topic can be covered in a 40-75 minute session.

(Recommended for Sunday morning services (all ages), evening events, one day events or keynote. It is the first session of Ted’s weekend parenting conferences)

Most couples make three observations shortly after marriage. One, you discover your spouse is selfish and weird. Two, your spouse tells you that you are selfish and weird. Three, you justify the situation with, “Well, at least I am not as selfish and weird as my spouse!” Marriages are called to model the gospel of Jesus. He is the profound mystery and secret to marital success and happiness. “A consumer relationship lasts only as long as the vendor meets your needs at a cost acceptable to you. A covenant relationship is binding and the good of the relationship takes precedence over the immediate needs of the individual” (TKeller). In a covenant relationship you submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). That is the profound mystery. This session addresses the selfishness and woundedness that prevents us from living out the gospel in our marriage.

(Recommended for Sunday morning services (all ages), evening outreach events, and date nights that desire a time of more serious reflection.)

ing understood? What if your marriage was marked by genuine listening, understanding and validating? This session walks each spouse through the six levels of communication (Small Talk, Facts, Opinions, Feelings, Desires/Needs, and Beliefs) and gets beneath the surface of issues and into the heart (Proverbs 4:23). This session receives the most “I wish we would have heard this years ago” comments from spouses and couples. This topic can be covered in a 40-75 minute session,
depending on time allotted.

(Recommended for couples’ events and date nights where a little more content is desired)

Unresolved anger is like drinking poison expecting the other person to get sick. Some drink it in sips over time. Others gulp it daily by the gallons. In this session, couples will learn the skills to resolve conflict, hurt and pain. As spouses discover their “hot buttons,” they will learn tactics to deal with feelings of anger, frustration and rage. This session also covers the essentials of forgiveness, keys to nurturing a forgiving spirit, how to craft the perfect apology, and ways to remove the roadblocks to forgiveness. This topic can be covered in a 40-75 minute session, depending on time allotted.

(Recommended for couples’ events and date nights where a little more content is desired)

How often should an evangelical couple have sex? (That is an actual question that was asked on our website.) How creative can we get? Who sets the boundaries in the bedroom? The Church has largely gone silent on the issue. Sex is sacred, yet it must be discussed if it’s going to truly be honored and protected (Hebrews 13:4). God has given us sex as a gift and it’s one to be thoroughly treasured, celebrated and enjoyed. In this fun, practical session, we will answer the question “How can I have the best sex of my life?” We take an honest look at the differences between men and women and find ways to bridge the gap that we can create the security and intimacy that great sex needs to flourish. This topic can be covered in a 40-75 minute session, depending on time allotted.

(Recommended for couples’ events and date nights where a little more content is desired. This is Ted’s most explicit talk and is reserved for adult audiences.)

This session offers practical ways to value your spouse’s gender, personality and family history and ends with an exercise for couples called “The Honor List.” Each spouse will be encouraged to spend time listing the valuable traits in his or her mate. The goal is to see your spouse as personally autographed by God.

creation order establishes the priority of marriage as companionship (Genesis 2:18). God wants you to enjoy each other and marriage. That means spending quality time together. This session leaves couples with “The Date Night Challenge.” They will be encouraged to plan 5 dates in 5 weeks. To enhance the weekend experience, we invite couples to text, email, or tweet their date ideas to be shared on the screens during Saturday morning breaks.

I feel it is critically important to have a session for hurting couples in every conference I teach. In this session, we eradicate 8 symptoms of a “stuck” marriage. (1) When you’re stuck, you blame your spouse as the source of the problem. (2) You question your compatibility. (3) You repeat mistakes and develop patterns. (4) You rush decisions. (5) You close your heart. (6) You isolate yourself from others. (7) You doubt your future as a couple. (8) You explore other options.

Stress is one of the biggest threats to a vibrant marriage. Stress related to work, finances, parenthood, or illness can prove corrosive to a relationship, insofar as it causes one or both spouses to become irritable, withdrawn, violent, or difficult to live with. This session will offer many solid insights into reclaiming a healthy rhythm and pace in an otherwise frantic, chaotic or rushed home. This session will offer couples room to breathe. We will also explore the effects of social media on emotional, relational, spiritual and marital health. More than a dozen practical strategies are presented to reclaim your marriage and family from the distractions of technology.

(note: A third of all divorce filings in 2011 contained the word “Facebook,” and more than 80% of U.S. divorce attorneys say social networking in divorce proceedings is on the rise...ABC News, May 24, 2012)

Couples who put one another first, who steer clear of other romantic opportunities, and who cultivate a strong sense of “we-ness” or togetherness are markedly happier than are less-committed couples. Part of commitment is deciding that you’re going to finish well. This session gives four keys to ensure your marriage stays strong (and fun) to the end. We will unpack the real heart of commitment and leave you with unforgettable stories of what it means to love until “death do us part.”

Challenging the unnecessary delay of marriage is not all that popular. Eradicating prolonged adolescence and the kid- centered home is an uphill climb. With this in mind, we will address strategies to a successful marriage with those in their early twenties. This topic suits the next generation’s struggles with naysayers who dismiss or hinder a God-designed relationship. It also offers parents and pastors some direction to help prepare young adults for marriage. This topic can be covered in one to four sessions, depending on the event and attendees.
(Recommended for College Chapels, Young Professional and Singles Gatherings, Church leaders that are committed to reaching the next generation, leaders of high school or college students, and parenting events.)

I am guilty of showering my children with excessive praise, endless organized activities, too much privilege and not enough responsibility. I am part of a new generation of parents raising trophy children. Vanity parenting exists when parents use the attributes and accomplishments of their children to impress others. Spend a few minutes on Facebook and you will find plenty of examples of this modern parenting trend. This sessions covers parenting motives and the necessary strategies for raising children who love Jesus and others, not just themselves. This topic can be covered in one 35-50 minute session or expanded to 3 sessions.

(Recommended for Parenting conferences, Women’s/Men’s Ministries, Church leaders that are committed to reaching the next generation, and leaders of high school or college students.)

Who taught you about sex? Perhaps it was your parents for a sit down, one-time “Talk” with minimal details. Was it friends or teachers at school? Maybe you picked up bits and pieces from television sitcoms of the 80’s. Unfortunately, the “Talk” doesn’t work anymore. Advances in technology, accessibility of pornography, and explicit content and innuendo in music, movies and television have exposed our children to sex like no generation prior. This 35-50 minute session gives parents the confidence and words necessary to guard the hearts of their children and prepare them for their future marriage.

(Recommended for Parenting conferences and Women’s/Men’s Ministries.)