427-Healthy Conflict, Peaceful Life: Interview with Donna Jones
Delight Your Marriage
Have you ever been in a place where a conflict has absolutely consumed you? Whether you're grocery shopping or with friends, that conflict is just circling over and over in your mind. Maybe you find yourself wondering how you even got there in the first place? And even more so, how to get out of that place? Well, author and speaker Donna Jones is here today to talk about just that. In her new book “Healthy Conflict, Peaceful Life: a Biblical guide to Communicating Thoughts, Feelings, and Opinions with Grace, Truth, and Zero Regret”, Donna walks us through how to handle conflict with...
info_outline
Intimacy Accessories Free Training
Delight Your Marriage
Delightyourmarriage.com/accessories Free training to gain insights, Christian how-tos and practical tips as well as specific recommended (non-scary) intimacy accessories. I hope this blesses you!
info_outline
426-Sinful v. Holy Fierce Intimacy
Delight Your Marriage
I was confused. There I was a new bride, having saved myself for marriage... only to find out that my new husband wanted me to do SINFUL things. Where did he get all this "inspiration" anyway? Oh, I knew: sinful places. So, of course, I refused. And of course, it brought mutual anger (covering each of our hurt). What's your story? If it's even remotely like mine, I needed to change the lens in which I was viewing sex. I wasn't viewing sex from a biblical standpoint. I was viewing sex from a sexually perverted lens. (Even though I saved my sex for...
info_outline
425-Infidelity to "Too Good to be True": Bethany's Transformation Story
Delight Your Marriage
Bethany felt like her marriage was a lost cause. She knew that she and her husband were called to be together, but after years of serving in church ministry, three kids, and infidelity, Bethany and her husband began questioning their promise of “no divorce” and began considering separation. She knew she needed help. She was desperate. She searched for a Christian answer and found Delight Your Marriage. After listening to the podcast and the testimonies, she felt unsure because the testimonies felt too hard to believe. “God couldn’t do that for me, could he?” But she...
info_outline
424-Freedom from Shame (Good Friday)
Delight Your Marriage
Maybe you've done something wrong... Maybe there's a deep discomfort that you keep trying to avoid... Maybe you feel if you let yourself be with yourself quietly, the shame will swallow you whole... The guilt and shame you feel may be justified. And that is exactly why we need a sacrifice that allows us to live in confidence and freedom, peace and joy in life. As followers of Jesus, we don't have confidence that "we're good enough" because of some baseless affirmation. We have a strong foundation of reason as to why we have confidence. The truth is, on our...
info_outline
423-Don't Give Up, Your Suffering Matters
Delight Your Marriage
Maybe you're in the midst of a really tough season. It feels like you're alone and barely keeping your head above water. Marriage woes can be the most stressful aspect of a person's life. I want to encourage you that your suffering matters. I was walking through a museum with my son the other day, and a painting depicted a martyr who was tortured for his faith. It was a moment that helped me reflect on the importance of my suffering every day. If a moment like that occurred, where I would have to make a choice between Jesus and comfort... I...
info_outline
422-Compassion Fatigue. Interview with Kevin Bueltmann
Delight Your Marriage
If you're a pastor or are shepherded by a pastor, it is important to know that the work of the pastor is hard and can have a deep impact on the leader of such work. In this episode, we explore the emotional and psychological cost of deeply caring for others. In today's episode, we delve into compassion fatigue, its causes, and the impact it has on individuals in helping professions. Here's what you'll learn: What is compassion fatigue and how does it differ from burnout? Professions most susceptible to compassion fatigue. Warning signs and symptoms to watch out for. ...
info_outline
363-Take Responsibility, Change & THAT Creates Real Intimacy. Mick's Transformation Story (Rerelease)
Delight Your Marriage
I pulled out a fan-favorite episode to share today! If you haven't heard it, you don't want to miss this story. It'll encourage you. -- Mick is a dynamic, charismatic, but also a tell-it-straight kinda guy. When his marriage was shallow in terms of connection, emotionally and intimately, he jumped at an opportunity that he discerned understood him as a man and also had a proven track record for change. After taking responsibility, the MAIN change was his heart. He shares some particulars on why that was so vital in the outward changes of his marriage. But, he began to realize who God...
info_outline
421-Be Your Spouse's Servant
Delight Your Marriage
Maybe you don't really understand what "servant" means in relation to your spouse. Let's explore that together on our podcast today. Be your spouse's servant. That's Jesus' way. If we believe what He said, this should not offend us but teach us how to live. Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..." Matthew 20:26b-28 "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve," Matthew 23:11-12: "The...
info_outline
420-Argument vs. Clarification
Delight Your Marriage
If you've been around for a while, you may have heard that we say you must have "0 arguments" in your marriage. "But that's not normal." "But that's not healthy." "But that means someone is not being honest." Well, firstly, it's not my rule. Among many other verses, let's look at Romans 1:29, 30, 32; 2:1, 2. “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness... murder, strife... gossips... arrogant and boastful..." "Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of...
info_outlineProductiveness IS good, but we forget that we're not just human doers -- we're also human beings.
Take the story of Martha and Mary. Martha was working hard and being productive FOR JESUS. Mary was calmly sitting, being still and LISTENING TO JESUS. Both were Godly women. And Jesus even defended Mary for “choosing the good part” when Martha accused her of not DOING.
Consider how Jesus modeled JOY and DELIGHT -- not just productivity. He certainly “did” a lot, but he also had breakfast with his friends, ate dinner and drank wine (sometimes he was even accused of being a drunkard!) and little children ran to him. He must have been pretty enjoyable to be around if even little children want to run up to the revered Rabbi.
If you are ALWAYS thinking that "God wants me to be productive. I need to do this and that..." then I challenge you to sit back, listen to Him, and just take delight in His presence.
We can also apply this to our sex lives. What if sex was fun and filled you up? And it's not just about sex. Being FUN and PLAYFUL in the bedroom EXTENDS to how you interact with your husband daily.
In this podcast episode, you'll discover...
- Why sex can actually be fun!
- Sex doesn't have to be miserable - I encourage you to reverse it even if you've endured it for years and years!
- It can still be passionate, playful, purposeful --- like how it was in the beginning!
How does fun and playful sex affect us:
- We empathize easier with our husbands and other people too
- We rewire our brains to see, think, and do as God wants us to
- When we’re not constantly doing and we have margin in our lives that comes through playing
We serve a God that loves us. He want us to know that:
- His love is deeper and wider and truer than we can imagine.
- He truly wants us to enjoy our lives.
- He created physical stimuli like laughing when we are tickled. Why? Because all the joys we feel when hugged, kissed, or touched --- it is proof of God's unfathomable deep and true love for us.
SCARED to START BEING PLAYFUL? I'm curious where that fear is coming from? I have Clarity Calls set up especially to get at the root of how you feel underneath the behavior.
If you go to www.dym.as.me for a 40-Minute FREE conversation with me to understand where you are in your marriage.
If you're distraught or even if you're on the edge of divorce, by God's grace, a Clarity Call may be exactly what you need to gain hope and discern next steps FOR YOU.