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

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...

Is sex something that has brought you and your spouse closer together, or has it been a pain point in your marriage? Is sex something you can talk about freely with each other and your kids, or is there a cloud of shame that still hangs over the subject? We are so thrilled to be joined on this episode by the founder of Sex Ed Reclaimed, Kristen Miele as she shares God's heart and vision for the be...

When our kids look at our marriages, what do they see?  Even if you don't have kids, this episode is for you because our marriages matter to others, including the next generation. Join us for this Thursday Thought in which we reflect on and pray about our discussion from Ep. 26 in which we learned that “if we truly want what is best for our children, we need to want what is best for our marriage a...

It's so easy to believe that marriage only matters to a husband and a wife. But as God has really been laying on our hearts, it's time for us to realize that our marriages matter to so many more, especially the next generation. Whether you have kids or not, this episode is for you. Now, to the parents listening - this episode is not a guilt trip about the ways in which your marriage is hurting you...

In Episode 24, we had the privilege of having a conversation with Christie Thomas about the importance of small faith habits in discipling our kids. In this Thursday Thought, April leads us in a time of reflection and prayer, giving us a chance to celebrate with God the little habits we might be sharing in already that form us and our children and asking God to help us build simple, new habits tha...

How do you foster a sense of spiritual connectedness with God and your spouse when you also have the reality of little ones bringing daily joy and chaos? This is a challenge that we share with many of our listeners. That's why we're so excited to chat with Christie Thomas from Little Shoots, Deep Roots about ways in which we can cultivate a deeper spiritual journey "with" our kids instead of "in s...

On this Thursday Thought, please join us for a time of reflection and prayer as we consider the ways God is inviting us to "plant" and "tend" to the small habits in our marriage so that they may grow into the living, connected and intimate marriage he has for us! We'll consider the "mustard seeds" in our marriages as well as invite God, our "master gardener" to come and help us tend, weed and even...

I confess! I (Aaron) love big, radical things! I'm always looking for the "next big idea" that will change our lives and our marriages, the "silver bullet" or "magic formula" that will bring dramatic transformation. However, while we should not discount the big things, I've been learning the ways in which God is inviting us to discover and invest in the small things. When these are done often, wit...

Have you felt at times that God has abandoned or forgotten you? - In times of grief, doubt and confusion, do you worry that he might not care for you the way he promises to in Psalm 23? Grab your Bible, your journal and your favourite beverage and join us for this Thursday Thoughts edition of Living Marriages as April leads us in a time of reflection and prayer in Psalm 23. How can we recognize th...

Do you ever wonder where God is in the valleys of life? If you need hope and encouragement for the journey, this episode is for you! Kyle Brooks, pastor and author of "Through the Valley: 40 Days on Psalm 23 A Lenten Devotional" is our guest. In our conversation, Kyle candidly shares: How he came to write a Lenten devotional based on Psalm 23 How he and his wife Stephanie navigated Kyle's cancer d...

How would you answer these two questions about intimacy in your marriage? Is it safe to love? Is it safe to be loved? If you have positive answers, join us in thanking God that you are able to both give and receive love in your marriage! If you struggle, as many of us do, please don't lose hope. God is for you and your marriage and he wants you to be able to give and receive love in the fullest ex...

When we use the word "intimacy," our culture (and even our churches) have conditioned us to think of what happens in the bedroom, of sexual intimacy. While sexual intimacy is an integral part of marriage, it is not the full picture of what God has created us for and invited us into. There is so much more to intimacy and today's episode is meant to get the conversation going on what intimacy in mar...

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 It is fairly clear that marriages in our society are under attack. In Episode 16, we learned from Braden and Kristen Hafner of Family Life Canada that two of the enemy's strategies to destroy our marriages are subtle: difference and drift. Please join us in this Thursday Thought...