Awesome Marriage Podcast

Can you grow your attraction to your spouse, or is it destined to grow stale over time? Today's special guest Kimberley Beam Holmes explains that attraction is a process. Following this process will increase your attraction in marriage, but stopping it will lead to a stagnant and stale attraction. Learn how to follow the attraction process that you can follow at any time in marriage.    We pray th...

Is it ever okay to feel used in married sex? If you're struggling with feeling this way, don't settle for staying stuck there. We will speak to several different contexts in today's episode. Wherever your marriage is today, we pray you find encouragement, know that you are not alone, and know that God wants you to find health and enjoyment in the sexual relationship in your marriage.    We pray th...

What are the hard conversations in your marriage? Do you avoid them, argue over them, or (*fingers crossed*) do they go really well?! We're on the last week of our Awesome Marriage Podcast 4-week summer break, and during these weeks off, we will re-share some of our favorite past episodes. We're re-sharing this one to help you have better conversations when it's time to address tough topics. Liste...

Apologies are necessary. We are all human and sinful, so we should all be apologizing regularly. But there are definitely right and wrong ways to do this, and most of us can certainly grow in doing apologies well. We're on our Awesome Marriage Podcast summer break, and during these weeks off, we are re-sharing some of our favorite past episodes. These are episodes that you might have missed the fi...

Today's podcast is a great follow up to last week's Worth Repeating episode, "Making Your Spouse Comfortable in The Bedroom." Dr. Kim and Christina go over some typical differences in how men and women approach sex in marriage. But we know that every single couple is unique, with a unique situation. But the focus is on finding ways to work through these differences, and to make them work for you a...

So many of us don't feel totally comfortable when it comes to sex. But being completely comfortable in the bedroom with your spouse is a gift that keeps on giving! So this week, we're re-airing this episode that originally aired in 2019 to help you face any barriers to enjoying this gift. We're on our Awesome Marriage Podcast break, and during these weeks off, we re-share some of our favorite past...

We know "opposites attract," but once those opposites are married, they also can tend to drive each other crazy! We're on our Awesome Marriage Podcast 4-week summer break, and during these weeks off, we will re-share some of our favorite past episodes. These are episodes that you might have missed the first time, or that just deserve a re-listen! In this week's Worth Repeating, we're sharing the E...

Is it abuse or is it bad behavior? Today Dr. David E Clarke joins Dr. Kim to tackle this tough topic with tough love. Dr. David E. Clarke is a Christian psychologist, speaker, and author who guides people toward healthy lives, marriages, and families through his Bible-based teaching and therapy. In today's episode he explains the difference between abuse and bad behavior, touches on narcissism and...

Money tends to be a dreaded issue, but we had a lot of fun talking about it. In this episode we share some helpful keys to handling your finances well. This week we're talking about Dr. Kim's top 5 money tips.   We also cover how Dr. Kim handles impulse spending, what to do if you don't want to tithe to your church, and the first step toward seeing money with less stress.    We pray this episode i...

Today one of our favorite guests returns to share some wisdom on having a healthy marriage. Debra Fileta is a wise and biblical marriage counselor. Today she joins Dr. Kim to talk about how couples can stop hitting the same "tender spots" over and over and break cycles of repetitive tension. Tune in as Debra gives steps that allow either spouse to help the marriage improve.    We pray this episode...

Studies say that most couples fight over money. Is that true for you? If so, avoiding these 5 money mistakes will help you to get on the same page, reduce financial stress and tension, and make the most of your money. Are you making any of the five mistakes? If so, there is hope! Listen today to learn five money mistakes couples make and how to get past them.    We pray this episode is helpful for...

Do you need a mentor to help you have healthy perspective as a parent? Well today you've got one!    Through Dr. Kim's 40 years as a Christian counselor, he's helped so many families work through these things, plus he and Nancy have valuable wisdom from their experience as parents and grandparents.    In this episode, Dr. Kim and I gives tips for healthy parenting perspective and I share some help...

It's not easy to be a parent, but you can find more peace and joy in parenting if you avoid these nine common pitfalls. In today's episode Dr. Kim and I unpack some of the mistakes we have made or seen that keep parents from enjoying their kids.    Tune in to learn about these pitfalls so you can avoid them. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage.    Subscribe to Podcast Email t...

Are you ever too helpful in your marriage? Do you find yourself frustrated with the way your spouse responds to you? You may be trying to control your spouse by "helping" even if you don't mean to!    Today Laura Doyle from the Empowered Wife Podcast joins Dr. Kim to teach us some empowering ways to shift the culture of our marriage, even if our spouse isn't on board.  Tune in to learn some of the...

Today we wrap up our series one one-sided marriage by answering some of your questions. We know marriage isn't easy, and there are no one-size fits all answers. But some key themes have stood out through this series, and there are practical action steps you can take to help your marriage, even if your spouse never gets on board. Tune in today as we address them.     We pray this episode is helpful...

Are boundaries in marriage selfish? Are they even a biblical concept? A lot of us have questions about what this looks like in marriage.   Thank goodness for Dr. Kim's wisdom and counseling experience to help us unpack this issue!  It's not something many of us have seen done well, or been taught to do, but setting appropriate boundaries can help you and your marriage grow healthier. Tune in to fi...

Whether single, dating, married, and no matter where your marriage is today, these 5 things will help you be at your best. Don't miss the wisdom Dr. Kim is bringing today!    Last week we talked about what a "one-sided marriage" can look like. It's not a fun situation, but there are some important and impactful things you can do if that's where you are. This week, Dr. Kim shares with us five thing...

We get lots of questions from people who want to know what to do if their spouse won't go to counseling, won't work on the marriage or has given up. Some marriages lean heavily toward the preferences of the more vocal or assertive spouse. If your marriage feels one-sided, you are certainly not alone! Today Dr. Kim and I share the one-sided times we have experienced in our own marriages, and equip...

If you're a millennial, somewhere near that generational neighborhood, or just curious about the impacts of our culture on marriage, don't miss this one! Joseph and Marissa Msefya from ForeverMarriages join Dr. Kim today to dig into some of the cultural pressures couples are facing, and to share ways to grow through them and pursue a healthy, lasting marriage.    We pray this episode is helpful to...

"Team language" is a great counselor term that I've heard Dr. Kim use a lot, and I wanted to learn more about what that looks like – and doesn't look like – in marriage. Join us today as we unpack practical ways to shift to a team mindset and use team language.      We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.    P.S. Did the "good guy" idea Dr. Kim mentions later in the episode step...

Today we celebrate 500 episodes of the Awesome Marriage Podcast by going behind the scenes with Dr. Kim, Nils and Christina!   We're thankful that God has used this podcast to bring hope and encouragement to marriages, and we are so grateful to you for engaging, sharing your time with us as you listen, and being intentional to grow your marriage.    We pray this episode is helpful to you and your...

Is your marriage feeling cozy this winter? Or have things iced over? No matter where you are right now, it's never too soon – or too late – to warm things up and fan the flames in your marriage. Today Dr. Kim and I are looking at what it looks like when couples are cold and distant, why that matters, and simple ways you can warm things up between you and your spouse.    We pray this episode is hel...

Do you have goals or ideas you'd love to see happen this year? There are a lot of ways to embrace creating a vision, like New Year's resolutions, setting an intention, or creating a vision board. The Bible also speaks to this in Proverbs. It's not enough to hope your marriage goes in the direction you want it to - be intentional with where you want to go this year. Join Dr. Kim and I as we talk ab...

I love something Christina said on a recent episode: "When your marriage is reflected in your budget, your calendar, your thoughts, and your prayers then it is a top priority." As we get the new year started, it's a great time to take stock of your marriage. What's going well, and what's just not working? So today I'm talking to Dr. Kim about what it means to check up on your marriage annually, ho...

Today's podcast is a real gift. It's not every day we get to hear from a guest who is in their tenth decade of life, and has had not one, but two awesome marriages! Today Dr. Kim interviews Ernstena "Ernie" Parker Wood, who shares some stories of following God faithfully through life in ministry, marriage and widowhood, with wisdom and warmth. Don't miss this one!    RESOURCES Accountability is a...