Behind Our Smiles Marriage Podcast

This week we are so excited for you to meet our new friends, Craig and Jennifer Sakata.   After marrying later in life, they have learned to love well despite their different childhoods and expectations for marriage.   They share their story of becoming one and living in grace even when facing miscarriage and grief.   Their love story is a beautiful testimony of God's grace in marriage! Jennifer S...

We all carry burdens and in marriage, we each have unique struggles.   The problem is when we fall into the trap of comparing our loads and wanting to be the one who has it harder. In this episode, we talk about the difference between empathy and sympathy and how it affects our ability to love.   To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: tara@behi...

Does your spouse understand the hardships you have been through and how it has affected you?   Joe and I have both often failed in understanding the ways we each have suffered.   In this episode, we talk about the role of empathy in growing true intimacy.   To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: tara@behindoursmiles.com

Do you ever feel like the odds are stacked against you?   The odds against us are real and we all have challenges that affect our marriage.   We recently we had an opportunity to speak at a marriage event about how God has worked in our marriage to help us face the odds that were against us.   In this episode, we share the audio from that live event titled, "Beating the Odds"!   To learn more abou...

One easy and fun activity Joe and I both enjoy is reading together!   There are so many books we've read that have sparked great discussions or even just gave us a good laugh.   In this episode, we discuss a few books we've read that have really impacted us.   The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis   The Body Keeps the Score Hope is the First Dose Orthodoxy   The Deepest Place To connect with us on socia...

Do you remember those times when you missed someone you love?   When you felt like couldn't spend another minute without them being nearby?   Even though it can be painful, missing each other is a result loving and being loved!  Telling each other "I missed you" is a beautiful expression of love!   In this week's episode, we're talking about those times when we miss each other!   To connect with u...

It's the season of romance, expectations, and disappointments.   Has finding ways to show romance ever been difficult for you and your spouse?  We haven't always got romance right either, but it's never too late to learn!  In this week's episode we share about our struggle with getting romance right!    To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: ta...

One common barrier to healthy communication is interrupting.   In a world overly full of distractions and interruptions, it's getting harder and harder to finish a sentence when you are in a conversation.   In this week's episode, we talk about our struggle with interrupting… while trying not to interrupt each other!     To connect with us on social media: Facebook   Instagram behindoursmiles.com...

Do you like the cold?   It's the time of year for us when the temperatures are dropping and it gets cold!   The cold can feel miserable!   But besides the weather, how does it feel when your spouse is being "cold" with you?   When there's a chilliness in your relationship?   In this week's episode we're talking about being cold and how to add warmth and heat to your marriage.     To connect with u...

When we see so many people around us hurting, it can feel overwhelming. No one individual can do it all, but we can start with one!   Whether we're speaking in a microphone or just a telephone, it always comes down to our impact on one person.   And that often is the most rewarding kind of help we can give.   Who is that one person that God has put in your path that you can offer hope to?   In thi...

Happy New Year!!   So it's that time… when many of us are thinking about what goals we have for the new year.   No matter how long you've been married, there's always room to grow. In this episode, we discuss some of the ways we want to grow as individuals and as a couple in 2024.   To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: tara@behindoursmiles.co...

Growing intimacy and connection in your marriage is impossible if all we do is shut each other down.   Joe and I fall in that trap when we stay in the mindset of, "That won't work"!   In this episode we share a better phrase to use that will build your marriage instead of tearing it down.  (In Case You Missed it Ep. #2)    To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com...

This week we want to introduce you to our new friends, Elisabeth Klein and her husband, Buzz.   They share the difficult parts of their story with wisdom and grace, a story that includes living in an abusive marriage, separation, and divorce.   Their transparency is refreshing as they share the challenges from their first marriages, in their courtship and remarriage, and in blending families.   He...

Merry Christmas!! We hope you're having a beautiful Christmas season with your family!   We wanted to take a quick moment to say hi, wish you a Merry Christmas and share some good news in our family's lives!   If this season has been hard for you, please check out Episode 9, Why don't you like Christmas?   If you're looking for a fresh way to hear the story of Jesus with your family, check out the...

Maybe you're in the middle of your Christmas season wondering how your schedule got so packed.   Looking ahead, all you see expectation to do more.   If that's where you are, join us this week as we talk about the value of doing less! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: tara@behindoursmiles.com

During the holiday season, we often hear the question, what do you want for Christmas?   What is it that we really want, in our lives, or in our marriages?   Are we wanting the right things?   And what happens when we don't get what we want?   In this episode, we talk about what it is we really want and how to rightly order our desires. To connect with us on social media: Facebook   Instagram behi...

When we get married, my story and your story merge together to make our story. Have you ever shared your marriage story with anyone else?   Do you even agree on what your marriage story is?   In this episode we share how we learned to tell our story and the value in sharing it.   To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: tara@behindoursmiles.com

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! We're hopping in your podcast feed this week to talk briefly about the holiday season and the things we are most thankful for.     To connect with us on social media: Facebook   Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: tara@behindoursmiles.com

Everyone loves a good story.   But not all stories are good stories, and many stories are not easy to tell.   One secret to intimacy in marriage is knowing each other's stories and those events in our lives that have shaped us.   How do we tell each other our stories in ways that are honest and helpful?   In this episode we're sharing how we have told our stories to each other.     To connect with...

Stretching our bodies physically allows us to move in ways we haven't moved before and allows us to be more effective and prepared for future activities.   But even the simple act of stretching is work and is about being willing to get in positions your body may not be used to!   It can be uncomfortable. Relationally, we can experience the same discomfort in our marriages when we are stretched.  ...

Do you or your spouse struggle with fear?   In the second part of   "I'm afraid" we continue our conversation about fear. Even though fear is a spiritual battle, that battle also affects our marriages.   We may fear different things.   We may respond to fear differently.   In this episode, we talk about how to support each other in those times we are afraid.     To connect with us on social media:...

Have you even been afraid?   Everyone deals with fear at some point in our lives.   And we all have to figure out how to deal with it.   In this week's episode we're talking how we have been affected by fear and how we submit those fears to God.   To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: tara@behindoursmiles.com

Holding hands is often one of our first of expressions of physical affection.   And even though we may be married for many years now, holding hands is a powerful type of nonverbal communication that can help us in our pursuit of connection.   What does holding hands communicate to you?     To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: tara@behindoursm...

In this episode, we are going behind the smiles of authors/speakers, Mark and Jill Savage.   After 28 years of marriage,   they experienced one of the hardest challenges a marriage can face: infidelity.   Mark and Jill share some of the slow fades and the spiritual and emotional battles that preceded the near death of their marriage.   Most importantly, they share how they found restoration and he...

Have you ever had that moment in your life where all you could manage to say was, Wow, God?   We have experienced many moments like that in our lives and it never gets old seeing God at work.   In this episode we share some of our favorite Wow God! moments as well as share about the new Wow God Stories podcast.     To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.c...