Discerning Marriage

Regina Boyd, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida, shares her discernment story, complete with tales from religious community come-and-see weekends to a surprise breakup and the healing that she sought after. We also discuss her take on navigating an interracial relationship with family and friends. This really is a fantastic discernment story, a...

The ache of being single can often leave a person tempted to think that being single is a time of being in a “holding pattern” while you wait for marriage. NO! This is such a lie! I am passionate about helping single people to see the beauty of this season of their lives, and to that end, I’ve invited Christina Jaloway, also known as The Evangelista, to dialogue with me about how to thrive while y...

When discerning your vocation, it’s key to know what you’re actually discerning. In this episode, Elizabeth is joined by co-host Liv Harrison to begin the discussion of what goes into living the vocation of marriage. They walk you through the vows that the couple takes on their wedding day and break down the nitty gritty of what each one entails and what that means for your discernment. On The Dis...

Revered spiritual director Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV, joins us to discuss the ways that St. Ignatius’ 14 Rules for Discernment of Spirits can enrich the lives of lay people, particularly those called to marriage. His new book, Discernment of Spirits in Marriage (Sophia Institute), sets the foundation for this rich discussion on the benefits of studying and digesting these rules. On The Discerning...

Raphy and Sara Feolino discerned marriage while Raphy was in the military and after one of them had a broken engagement. AND Sara’s mom introduced them after meeting Raphy at Church while Sara was out of town! This is a fantastic story of God working through surprising circumstances in order to call this couple to marriage. If you are in a committed relationship with someone long distance, are hea...

Mary Lenaburg, our guest in the very popular freedom from pornography episode (see link in Show Notes), is back with her discernment story! The Lord moved in big and mysterious ways as she discerned marriage and dated her future husband. Mary also offers fantastic advice at the end of the episode for couples wanting to bring glory to God in their relationships! On The Discerning Marriage Podcast,...

St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order, is recognized as a spiritual giant who has tremendously beneficial things to say for people who are discerning. In this episode, Fr. David Lugo, a Jesuit priest, gives us an introduction to Ignatian Discernment and discusses how St Ignatius’ work with discernment of spirits can be useful to people who are discerning marriage. On The Discerning Marriage Po...

Y'all, THIS DISCERNMENT STORY IS EPIC! This couple walked through some ordinary things like navigating a long distance dating relationship, getting married at 30, one person having serious dating relationships earlier in life and the other being mostly single until they met. But, they have an EXTRAORDINARY love story! Will, an American, and Rebekah, and English woman, tell their story of disce...

When you’re discerning marriage, two of the best things you can spend your time doing are healing from your past brokenness and learning to be fully focused on the present moment in order to encounter God and His grace in reality. In this episode, Dr. Greg Bottaro walks us through how to do both! He defines both mindfulness and therapy and gives some wonderful tips on how both can be utilized when...

Pornography is one of the greatest predators of marriage, perhaps the greatest universal threat in our modern time. Very few people, if any, are truly immune to it’s evil clutches. It’s crucial that you have a discussion with your significant other about the role that pornography has played in your life and theirs and the way that you want it handled in your future marriage. We are right here to a...

One of the most powerful things you can do to discern marriage well is hone in on the virtues used most in marriage and work to grow in them. While all virtues are really necessary for the Christian life, one of the things we want to do is highlight a few of the biggies for marriage and give you tips for perfecting those virtues in your life. We start that journey today with the virtue of humility...

Not everyone who is discerning marriage is coming from the same place, and the different seasons of life require a different approach to discernment. In this episode, Elizabeth is joined by co-host Liv Harrison to discuss the distinct stages of discerning marriage and what a person in each stage could do to begin discerning marriage intentionally and productively. On The Discerning Marriage Podcas...

So many of us have a longing and ache for a spouse—feeling called to marriage and yearning for relationship and love but not being in that place of total communion yet. That ache and longing is, at its foundation, a desire for Beauty. Our deep ache for Truth and Beauty points us back towards the heavens. In Episode 3, host Elizabeth Busby continues her conversation with TOB Institute's Christo...

There is something so powerful about a story, and a story about how someone made one of the biggest decisions of their life is no different. On today’s very first episode of the Discerning Marriage podcast, Elizabeth Busby interviews Theology of the Body Institute's Christopher West about his discernment story. You’ll hear how Christopher knew he was called to marriage and how he realized that...

Meet your host for Discerning Marriage podcast, Elizabeth Busby!