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

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...

On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on what it means to be blessed. We'll discover how being blessed is not about what we have (or don't have) but rather the presence of God in our lives. We reflect on Stanley Hauerwas' invitation to consider the Beatitudes, those beautiful "Blessed are..." from Matthew 5 and what this might mean for our marriage: Too often the Beatitudes are turned into ideals w...

How many times have you heard someone say, "I'm so blessed..." when they're referring to having something they desire? Does that mean that someone who doesn't have what they desire isn't blessed? On today's episode, April and Aaron share their 3 1/2 year journey through infertility and how God met them in the midst of their journey, even though they couldn't always sense him. You'll also hear how...

Join us for this Thursday Thought as we: find out how Aaron and April's fun date went reflect on our friendship with our spouse consider how God might be inviting us to invest in that friendship with fun We'll meditate on Proverbs 17:22 together and pray God's grace and blessing on the friendship in our marriage. If you have a story of something fun you like doing in your marriage that we can shar...

Recently, we have been reminded of the importance of fun and friendship in marriage. To make sure we have time to invest in some of that fun ourselves, we're keeping the episode shorter and asking for your help! We'd love to hear from you about one way you and your spouse have fun in your marriage We'll share your ideas in an upcoming episode. You can click right here and get in touch with us: htt...

We were so inspired by our conversation with Your Bible Coach Keith Ferrin in episode 36! Who knew that reading our Bibles could be helpful AND fun! On this Thursday thought, we spend more time in reflection about what it means that time with God in the word is "relational", not just "informational" and we pray that you may grow in intimacy with God and each other through your time in his Word. Ig...

"We expect the Bible to be true, we just don't expect it to be good." Keith Ferrin Anybody who has grown up in the church has been taught that reading our Bibles is an important part of being a follower of Jesus. The problem is that many of us don't know where to start or if we have, how to stay consistent with it. These problems follow us into our marriages where, with the busyness of life and yo...

Grab a pen, your journal, your Bible and your favourite drink and join us for this Thursday Thought!  Today, Aaron shares a reflection on what unity is from God's perspective and how it's been his heart for humanity since the beginning of time. He also prays that we'd discover what it means to have Christ at the head of our marriage and that we'd find a "togetherness" as we confront problems. Reso...

"We are on the same team!" This one simple truth has the power to transform our marriages and bring us greater unity. Yet, it is a truth that eludes us as so often we find ourselves seeing our spouse as the problem, rather than being able to confront the problem together with our spouse. In this episode, we chat about: How easy it is for us to forget that we are on the same team God's invitation t...

Do you believe that God has "better" for your marriage? Do you want to join God in discovering all he has for you? In Episode 32, we heard from Ron and Amanda Falk about how God has invited them on the journey to discovering the freedom and sanctification he has for them in their marriage. It hasn't always been easy or smooth but it has been good. On today's Thursday Thought, we follow up with som...

Counselling is often seen as a "last ditch" attempt to save a marriage that is in crisis. But what if that wasn't the only time seeing a counsellor could be beneficial? Today's guests, Ron and Amanda Falk, began seeing a counsellor when things were actually pretty OK in their marriage and have enjoyed incredible growth and fruit in their marriage because of it!  In today's episode we chat about: T...

Grab your Bible, journal and your warm favourite beverage and join us for this Thursday Thought as we reflect on and pray through our money stories that we brought into our marriage. Aaron shares some of his money story and how God has been doing a work of healing in his life around his scarcity mindset. He'll also lead us in a Lectio Divina around Psalm 37:1-7 as we get to hear from the Lord how...

Money, Sex and In-Laws: These are often the three most intense areas of conflict in any marriage.  On today's episode, we dive into the area of finances and see how our "money story" (how we were raised to view and treat money) can impact our marriage. We'll also invite you to explore your money story with your spouse with some of these great conversation starters provided below! Sample Questions...

Sex is a beautiful and wonderful gift that God has given us within the context of marriage. It is something that we can enjoy, that we can serve one another in and that ultimately is an act of worship.  However, sex can also be a pain point in many marriages as we wrestle with past trauma, shame and bad teaching. On this Thursday Thought, we reflect, together with God on our understanding of sex a...