Awesome Marriage Podcast

Are you truly resolving your marriage issues? Most couples experience recurring arguments that never truly resolve. This cycle leaves you with two problems: 1, You never solved the issue, and 2, now one or both are hurt and angry. Plus you've got some baggage around the issue, too. Today we're going to help you learn how to resolve the actual issues. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: What NOT to do in a recurring argument Communication tips to help you prevent conflict Conversation hacks to prevent defensiveness The process to understand the REAL underlying issues *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! Couples Conversation Guide: Main takeaway: If you have recurring arguments (most couples do!) there's probably a deeper issue you're not aware of. Get under the surface to resolve the real issue. Questions to Discuss: On a scale from 1-10, how well do you and your spouse resolve your marriage conflict? Better communication helps you address the real issues you need to resolve. What is one step you can take to grow your communication today? QUOTES "Most couples have recurring arguments that never truly resolve" - Lindsay Few "Being vulnerable builds intimacy and trust." - Dr. Kim Kimberling "Using 'I' statements takes ownership and responsibility." - Dr. Kim Kimberling "Learning to resolve conflict in a healthy way is a gift to your marriage." - Dr. Kim Kimberling MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Our Conflict Resolution Cheat Sheet is a printable resource to help you address conflict the healthy way. Grab the free cheat sheet HERE! Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more! Has infidelity damaged your marriage? Sign up for Dr. Kim's webinar Rebuilding Trust and Establishing Healthy Boundaries After an Affair and learn what steps to take next. 15 Better Assumptions To Make About Your Spouse is a free printable to help you set your mind on what is true, right and good. Learn more here! Follow Awesome Marriage on Instagram for more marriage tips!

How well do you choose your battles? If you struggle with recurring conflict in marriage, you might need to work on choosing your battles. On the other hand, if you're feeling resentment but you're not sure how to address it… you might need to work on choosing your battles. Today Dr. Kim is going to help you learn how to choose your battles well. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: Knowing when to stand your ground vs. when to let go The underlying message in your recurring marriage issues How to balance love and grace with speaking the truth The path to build trust for open and honest feedback *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! Couples Conversation Guide: Main takeaway: Some things are not worth arguing over! You can reduce the tension in your marriage by learning to choose your battles better. Questions to Discuss: What situations tend to end in recurring arguments in your marriage? Are any of those battles you can let go of, instead of fighting? Is there any resentment you need to let go of today? QUOTES Instead of being critical, learn to work together. - Dr. Kim Kimberling Stay faithful to agreements you've made. The things you agreed on affect one another. - Lindsay Few It doesn't have to be a battle. - Lindsay Few Getting defensive just never works. - Dr. Kim Kimberling MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more! Our Conflict Resolution Cheat Sheet is a printable resource to help you address conflict the healthy way. Grab the free cheat sheet HERE! Has infidelity damaged your marriage? Sign up for Dr. Kim's webinar Rebuilding Trust and Establishing Healthy Boundaries After an Affair and learn what steps to take next. 15 Better Assumptions To Make About Your Spouse is a free printable to help you set your mind on what is true, right and good. Learn more here! What situations tend to end in recurring arguments in your marriage? Are any of those battles you can let go of, instead of fighting? Is there any resentment you need to let go of today? QUOTES Instead of being critical, learn to work together. - Dr. Kim Kimberling Stay faithful to agreements you've made. The things you agreed on affect one another. - Lindsay Few It doesn't have to be a battle. - Lindsay Few Getting defensive just never works. - Dr. Kim Kimberling MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more! Our Conflict Resolution Cheat Sheet is a printable resource to help you address conflict the healthy way. Grab the free cheat sheet HERE! Has infidelity damaged your marriage? Sign up for Dr. Kim's webinar Rebuilding Trust and Establishing Healthy Boundaries After an Affair and learn what steps to take next. 15 Better Assumptions To Make About Your Spouse is a free printable to help you set your mind on what is true, right and good. Learn more here!

After a few "golden years" of ministry for Ken Guidroz and his family, things imploded. When Ken had to face the unimaginable as a dad, faith was hard to find. Hope seemed distant as he, his wife, and their marriage both struggled to recover. Today Ken shares the story of how they clung to each other and found hope to move forward together, through their darkest season. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: How to hold onto faith when you feel hopeless Maintaining marriage unity while holding different parenting values How to recover from marriage disagreements you can't forget Ken's story of breaking through to the other side after a dark season *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! Couples Conversation Guide: Main takeaway: When your marriage is rocked by the unexpected, allow your spouse to process the way they need to. Focus on supporting one another, and finding common bonds. Questions to Discuss: What has been your hardest marriage season? What helped you stay close in that time? What is one way you can strengthen your marriage today to protect it for the future? QUOTES In some ways, it was our toughest time ever. In other ways, it was "you and me, honey, against the world." - Ken Guidroz To say we felt like we had a scarlet letter on our chest is an understatement. - Ken Guidroz We were partners in the pit. It was tough. But it also cemented us for life. - Ken Guidroz MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Find more of Ken's writing, including his book, Letters to My Son in Jail, on his website 15 Better Assumptions To Make About Your Spouse is a free printable to help you set your mind on what is true, right and good. Learn more here!

Your mindset greatly impacts your day to day life. If you're stuck in unhealthy or unhelpful thought patterns, both you and your marriage will suffer. But there are simple ways to unpack your thought patterns and replace the unhelpful with a biblical perspective. In today's episode we're looking at practical ways to adopt a gracious, life-giving perspective in marriage. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: Common perspective mistakes in marriage and what causes them Practical tips to resolve perspective issues and create a Biblical perspective What do secret sin and perspective have in common? Ways to communicate more effectively and seek to understand your spouse's perspective Tips to cultivate oneness and a spiritual foundation of unity *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! Couples Conversation Guide: Main takeaway: Is your perspective of your spouse realistic? For most issues, a generous perspective and good communication can get you through it together. Questions to Discuss: Do you have any unrealistic expectations of your spouse today? If you're not sure, check them out together. Are you and your spouse at odds over an issue? Take the time to learn what matters most to your spouse about their position on it. Do you have thought habits that are leading to bitterness or resentment in your marriage? QUOTES "It's hard to step into your spouse's shoes or take the time to do that, to have empathy for them." - Dr. Kim Kimberling "Resentment can be a huge thing and it's so dangerous because if we don't stop it, it continues to grow." - Dr. Kim Kimberling "Perspective is your lens on the world. If your lens is covered with smudges and you're not seeing clearly, that's not the world's fault. You've got to clean your lens." - Lindsay Few MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: If you are ready to have a better perspective – and a better marriage, then the biblically-based 4 Week Reframing Challenge is for you! Turn to God and ask him to renew your mind with our NEW resource, 11 Prayers To Stop Thinking Negatively About Your Spouse 15 Better Assumptions To Make About Your Spouse is a free printable to help you set your mind on what is true, right and good. Learn more here! Join the Marriage Changer Movement! Because a world full of awesome marriages can change the world Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

An affair doesn't have to mean the end of a marriage. At Awesome Marriage, we have seen so many marriages restored! Yet the recovery process will take time and working together to see the Lord heal the union. If you've experienced this pain, you need a guide to help you along the way. Rick Reynolds joins Dr. Kim today to share his story of marriage recovery, and how he's used his own painful experience to help others through the process of rebuilding after infidelity. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: How to avoid common behaviors that can set you up for an affair How to rebuild a marriage after affair - better than before Why Christians need to be aware of their own vulnerability How to overcome the obstacles to recovering after infidelity Common mistakes in the affair recovery process *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! Couples Conversation Guide: Main takeaway: One of the best ways to protect your marriage from an affair is to realize you could be vulnerable to infidelity, and put boundaries in place. If your marriage has experienced infidelity, it can be restored much stronger than before. Questions to Discuss: What boundaries do you have in your life to prevent even baby steps toward an affair? Are you a safe place for your spouse to be completely honest and open? What would help make your marriage a safer place for honesty? QUOTES "When we fall, what's important is what we do afterwards." - Rick Reynolds "A lot of Christians don't realize they're vulnerable, so they don't put constraints in place. Then they find themselves in a mess." - Dr. Kim Kimberling "What heals is empathy and emotional responsiveness." - Rick Reynolds "The wayward spouse needs to understand that disclosure is the way that trust is reestablished." - Rick Reynolds MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Learn more or sign up for the Hope Rising Conference at AffairRecovery.com If you feel defeated about your marriage, or are considering divorce, our 90 Days to Save Your Marriage plan is for you. Learn more here.

When costs keep rising, and earnings often don't match, money stress is bound to invade your marriage. Most couples face additional tension around how to handle finances well – as well as how to handle them together. In today's podcast, Dr. Kim talks with Dan and Kay Ockey about how to take control of your finances, even in times of financial uncertainty. Dan and Kay offer concrete and actionable advice on how to take the steps to get out of debt, make a realistic plan, and work together. Tune in for help to get your finances in order. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: The action plan for how to start tracking finances Productive ways to handle the realities of inflation and financial uncertainty 2 keys for financial success in a marriage Use this reframing shift and fight over finances less *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! QUOTES "The magic bullet doesn't exist, but being real about your numbers and not spending more than you make is key." - Dan Ockey "We're finding that among a lot of people there's an expectation you should have the life you want." - Dan Ockey "We may not have the money to do all the things we want right now, and that's ok. You're not a failure - you can work toward that." - Dan Ockey "Our money conversations were so painful. Then I realized that our unity was more important than my beliefs about money." - Dan Ockey Couples Conversation Guide: Main takeaway: Unity in your marriage finances requires a team mindset, learning about each other, and learning the skills to handle money well. Questions to Discuss: What financial beliefs are keeping you from unity in your marriage? Are you working toward a common goal together today? If not, work together to set one. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Learn how to avoid the 4 common budgeting mistakes couples make when in the FREE Centsei Class. Learn more here. The Gap and the Gain Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

Show of hands: Are you an Amazon box hider? … or do you have your spouse break down the boxes for you? All joking aside, online shopping can be an issue that hinders couples' closeness. Money management in general can be a hot topic, but the wide range of ways we can spend money online with just the click of a button can create some additional obstacles, and we hear about it from couples all the time. Today we're equipping you to resolve this issue. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: Red flags that you need to address online spending with your spouse. The role of trust in marriage money habits How to know when online shopping has become a problem The negative cycle of emotional triggers *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! QUOTES "When you look into what's most important with money, you make a lot more progress more quickly." - Lindsay Few "When you quit being a team, that's when it becomes a problem." - Dr. Kim Kimberling "If shopping is getting in the way of closeness with your spouse, then something needs to change." - Dr. Kim Kimberling Couple's Conversation Guide: Main takeaway: Money secrets do not serve your marriage well, so do what it takes to build trust with your spouse around finances. Questions to Discuss: Are there any money habits your spouse does not know about you? What areas bring out money tension for your marriage? What is one step that would help you work through that and build unity today? MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Learn how to avoid the 4 common budgeting mistakes couples make when in the FREE Centsei Class. Learn more here. Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

We don't often talk about our failures, but maybe that needs to change. It's easy to focus on others' highlight reel, while we're highly aware of our own personal shortcomings. But the shame of feeling like we don't measure up keeps us from real relationships. Today we're going there with special guest, Becky Kiser, as we talk about the power of the gospel and how God uses us in spite of our shortcomings. Don't miss this powerful conversation. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: Fight the cascade effect of feeling like a failure The two most debated sections of Becky's new book - and why! The 1st step to start loving your spouse well How to move out of shame and into freedom *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! QUOTES "Even women who are successful; women who have accomplished a bunch, deal with failure." - Becky Kiser "The Gospel message is not, 'Get your life together then God can do something with your life.'" - Becky Kiser "I've found the most freedom from acknowledging I can't." - Becky Kiser "Not all failures are actual failures. They're just a part of life." - Becky Kiser "We spend so much time 'dying to ourselves' that we think there's no value to ourselves." - Becky Kiser MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Find Becky at https://www.beckykiser.com/ and on Instagram @beckykiser Grab the new book, "But God Can" today! Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

After five years of marriage, Kristin and Todd Evans' world was rocked when they learned they were about to become parents to a child with a disability. The stress, grief and the demands of learning to be caregivers to a child with disabilities transformed their once-joyful marriage and nearly broke it apart. When spouses are also caregivers, the marriage will face challenges that others may not know anything about. Today Todd and Kristin share their powerful story of learning to navigate this reality and how they have kept their marriage strong through it all. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: The additional challenges parents face as caregivers Learning to cope with the 'living loss' of disability How to set and communicate priorities in an unending to do list Ways to deepening emotional connection & intimacy while always "on call" Handling grief and chronic sorrow together *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! QUOTES "For all parents, there's a sacrificial piece to it. For special needs parents, it goes to a new level of what you have to sacrifice." - Todd Evans "1 in 3 caregivers experience depression and anxiety." - Kristin Evans "I couldn't understand why I couldn't' get over my grief, but Todd had moved on." - Kristin Evans "There's not a right or wrong way to grieve, it's just different." - Dr. Kim Kimberling MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Order the Evans' book, How to Build a Thriving Marriage as You Care for Children with Disabilities Follow @DisabilityParenting on Instagram for more great tips! Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

Reduce money stress in your marriage by making sure your money knows where to go! Don't avoid talking about money with your spouse: Establishing a budget you can both stick to will certainly pay off long term. Today Dr. Kim shares several simple tricks that help him and Nancy to stress less and be intentional with their finances. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. Episode highlights include: The basic starting point for building a budget The budget category Dr. Kim & Nancy would NEVER cut out The power of breaking a scarcity mindset and becoming generous Strategies to better money management How to get started if you've never budgeted *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! QUOTES "We felt like it was always important to have a date." - Dr. Kim Kimberling "Make sure to build in your budget that you can go out somewhere each week and not have to worry about it." - Dr. Kim Kimberling "God is so generous, and that's really what we want to emulate." - Lindsay Few "My lack of generosity was not the person I wanted to be." - Lindsay Few Continue to ask, "What are our financial goals? How do we budget to make them work?" - Dr. Kim Kimberling "If you need help, get it. If you're going to fight about money for 50 years, that doesn't sound fun at all. "- Dr. Kim Kimberling "When you tithe 10%, the 90% you have left goes a lot further than you thought the 100% would." - Lindsay Few "I don't know anyone personally who would say they regret tithing." - Lindsay Few MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask Learn how to avoid the 4 common budgeting mistakes couples make when in the FREE Centsei Class. Learn more here. Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!