The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

In episode 65, we asked the all-important question, "Who do I believe God is?" followed by an equally important question, "Who does my spouse believe God is?" On today's Thursday Thought, we reflect further on that, asking God to reveal to us the lies that we believe about him in order that we might discover more fully the truth of who he is and the good that he desires for our lives and marriages...

One of our callings at Living Marriages is to help couples "centre their marriages on God." But have you and your spouse ever taken time to figure out what you believe about God? In what ways are your beliefs the same? In what ways are they different? Are there any false beliefs that could be causing you to drift apart and miss God's best for your marriage? Join us as we take time to ask some foun...

Today's Thursday Thought provides space for reflection and prayer while asking some extremely practical questions. (If you haven't already, please listen to Ep. 63) So grab your Bible and a journal and join us as we reflect on how God wants to pour into our lives, where we might be missing out on that and practical changes we can make to our habits so we're more available to God and one another. R...

When Bob and Linda Lotich from SeedTime introduced us to the concept of Assets Under Management (episode 61), it was in the context of finances. As we began to consider this more, we've realized that this principal applies to all of our lives and marriages, including how we manage the time, energy and attention God has given us. On this episode, we look at the powerful image of the pouring of oil...

Why is it so hard to trust God, especially when it comes to the area of finances in marriage? In this Thursday Thought, we reflect on our conversation from ep. 61 with Bob and Linda Lotich and God's invitation to shift our mindset from finding our "Net Worth" to stewarding "Assets Under Management." We reflect on the reality of God's goodness and provision AND the challenge it is as humans to cont...

In this second part of our conversation with Bob and Linda Lotich of Seedtime.com, we get practical. (Please check out the first part of our conversation in ep. 59 if you haven't already.) One of the key mindset shifts Bob and Linda teach to gain financial freedom is to move away from valuing our "Net Worth" towards stewarding "Assets Under Management." This shift will affect everything from how w...

In Ep. 59, we heard the incredible story of how God invited Bob and Linda Lotich to trust him with their finances, including giving an incredible 31% of their income. Linda mentioned that they were able to step into this with obedience and surrender because of how they had seen God's faithfulness to them earlier. 1 Samuel 17 tells the story of a young man named David who confronts a giant that nob...

We are so incredibly excited and honoured to welcome two Spirit-led guests who we've looked up to for years in the areas of finance and marriage: Bob and Linda Lotich of Seedtime. As Bob and Linda sought out God's wisdom for their finances and obeyed him, he moved them from beginning their marriage with crushing debt to giving away $1 million by the time they were 40 with incredible joy. Join us f...

As we conclude this series on examining the Lord's Prayer and Marriage, we're reminded of the simple yet profound fact that everything, including our marriage, belongs to God. Are we willing to seek him in our marriages together? Are we willing to surrender our lives and marriages to him daily, in prayer? Research has shown that couples that pray out loud together daily lower the odds of divorce f...

"Lead us not into temptation..." has always been an interesting petition in the Lord's Prayer since Scripture clearly tells us that God does not tempt us (James 1:13) Why did Jesus include this in his prayer then?  Join us as we explore Jesus' invitation to "keep us from the test" - to keep us from unnecessary testing in our lives and marriages and to have a renewed mindset, finding our hope and d...

Unforgiveness...bitterness...resentment. This is fertile ground for God's enemy to sow all kinds of chaos into our marriages and families. And yet this is the same ground where, when it comes into God's light, we can see his incredible transforming grace and love at work, bringing healing, wholeness and hope. That's why today's petition of the Lord's Prayer is so incredibly important for our lives...

As we continue our series in the Lord's Prayer and marriage, we come to the petition that I (Aaron) find both incredibly comforting and incredibly challenging. Can I trust you, God, to meet my needs and those of our family today? And not just today but every day?  This petition, as we'll discover, goes far beyond just our material needs though. It's also a daily call for us to trust God with what...

Today we pray "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is heaven." What does it mean to have heaven in our marriages today? Why does God invite us to surrender our lives and marriages to him through this petition and why the heck is that so hard??? Resources To find out more about John Ortberg's book "Eternity Is Now In Session," please click here.  You can find that beautiful quote by...

Thursday Thoughts will be taking a break for the next several weeks. That doesn't mean, though, that we aren't praying for you and your marriage. In fact, we are taking the time we would normally put into recording, editing and publishing these episodes and will be praying for you and your marriage. We'd love it if you joined us in that. We'll still be praying with you on the podcast as well as pa...

The Lord's Prayer contains a word we just don't use very often today and so we often struggle its meaning: "hallow". What does it mean to hallow the name of the Lord in our lives and in our marriage? Join us in our series on the Lord's Prayer as we discover what it means to hallow God's name, why that might be scary and the beauty and freedom that can come from this, as God hallows his name in our...

On this Thursday Thought, as we take up the habit of praying the Lord's Prayer daily in our marriages, we take time to reflect on the opening address of the Lord's Prayer and consider if we might be treating as something transactional or relational. We also pray for those who experience an obstacle praying to our "heavenly Father" because of past trauma and we spend time worshiping the God in heav...

Do you ever worry you're not doing or saying something right in prayer? That if you only knew the secrets to unlocking prayer that you would have your heart's desire? If so, you're not alone. We've been there and still struggle with this idea. If we persist in this attitude of prayer, we may be in danger of treating God like a vending machine. As God invites you to take up the Lord's Prayer as a c...

On today's Thursday Thought, we reflect on the simple habits that allow us to connect in powerful and transformational ways throughout our day and ask God to highlight the habits we can celebrate as well as be open to the new habits he's inviting us to try in our marriage. We also consider how powerfully the Lord's Prayer, as a daily habit we participate in together, will powerfully combat the for...

What if there was a small, simple, habit that could transform and shape your marriage for years to come? What if this habit only took you thirty seconds? Over the next several weeks, we'll be doing a deep dive into the prayer that Jesus taught his apprentices to pray - The Lord's Prayer - and how God can transform and shape your marriage through the habit of praying this together daily as a couple...

As you heard in Episode 46, JB and Erin Crocker were only an hour away from having their marriage end for good. And then God gave them a miracle - a miracle of repentance, of transformation, new hope and a new marriage. Join us on this Thursday Thought as we pray for a miracle of breakthrough in your marriage as you seek God's best for your marriage together. Next Steps We realize that some of you...

In Part One of JB and Erin's story (Ep 44), we heard about how God brought their marriage to an end - a marriage that was characterized by conflict, manipulation, brokenness and despair. In Part Two today, we'll hear about: The work God called JB to in order to find healing and the release of the baggage he brought into marriage How God invited JB to show up in marriage to be present and serve Eri...

The good news of the gospel is that God, in his love, meets us right where we are at. The good news though, is also that God loves us too much to leave us there. In Episode 44, we heard the story of JB and Erin Crocker and how God met them in the midst of the brokenness of their marriage and invited them to something new. But before there was something new, something old had to pass away first. Jo...

JB and Erin Crocker have been on a journey in their marriage. It's one that involved brokenness, despair and ultimately hope and redemption.  On today's episode, we are privileged to hear the first part of their story: how God ended "Version 1.0" of their marriage - a marriage that was filled with manipulation, fear and shame; a marriage that was no longer sustainable. We'll hear: Why not understa...

On this Thursday thought, we consider how God's fingerprints are all over our stories, especially when we're in a place of pain or confusion and may not sense God there. We reflect on what it means that Jesus calls us "friends" (John 15:15) and we pray that we might see how our stories, our marriages are a part of God's larger story. Next Steps In this episode, we share the story of our journey th...

On today's episode, we share how God showed up in a very unique way for us. You'll hear how April kept seeing the time 11:11 and the Scripture God finally nudged her to check out, the evening before we found out we were pregnant. We also humbly acknowledge that our story is not everyone's story - that God may have another outcome for you in the journey you're on. At the same time, we believe that...