Ep. 162: Letting Go — Trusting God with Your Kids
Expedition Marriage with Chris & Jamie Bailey
Release Date: 11/20/2025
Expedition Marriage with Chris & Jamie Bailey
Are phones, social media, and even AI replacing connection in your marriage? In this episode, we’re talking about the rise of false intimacy, which is when technology gives the feeling of connection without the depth, responsibility, or vulnerability that real intimacy requires. We’ll unpack: How technology is reshaping emotional connection in marriage Why scrolling, texting, and AI interactions can feel easier than your spouse The hidden cost of choosing convenience over connection Simple, practical ways to reconnect and rebuild real intimacy If you’ve ever felt like your spouse is...
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Pivoting in Marriage: The One Skill That Changes Everything Life doesn’t always go as planned, and when it doesn’t, your marriage feels it. In this episode, we’re talking about one of the most important (and overlooked) skills in a healthy marriage: learning how to pivot. This week has stretched us in real time—living in an Airbnb while helping care for our grandson after our daughter’s home flooded, navigating disrupted routines, writing deadlines, and even a broken laptop. It’s been a reminder that life rarely asks if it’s a good time. And here’s what we’ve seen: 👉 Most...
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Blended families bring unique challenges into marriage, and if you’re in one, you’ve probably felt it. The tension, complexity, and the emotional weight of trying to make it all work. In this episode, we sit down with Ron Deal, a leading voice in stepfamily ministry, to talk about why blended family marriages can feel so hard, and what actually helps. 00:00 Meet Ron Deal 00:55 How Ron Found Stepfamily Ministry 05:49 Why Blended Families Feel Hard 06:05 COVID Analogy for Blending 10:18 Expectations Kids vs Adults 12:38 Premarital Counseling Mistakes 15:06 Competing Attachments Triangle...
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When Wives Carry Too Much: Letting Go of Control and Trusting God in Marriage It’s NOT All On You (And How to Let Go & Trust God in Marriage) Are you carrying more in your marriage and life than God ever asked you to? So many wives live with an unspoken pressure: “If this is going to work, it’s up to me.” But that mindset often leads to exhaustion, anxiety, and disconnection. In this episode, we sit down with Blake Guichet (The Girl Named Blake) to talk about what happens when God begins to reshape your identity, your priorities, and the way you show up in your marriage....
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Many couples struggle with this moment in marriage: one spouse shares something painful, and the other immediately tries to fix it. But what if the real need isn’t a solution yet? In this episode of the Expedition Marriage Podcast, Chris and Jamie talk about why emotional validation and compassionate presence are often the first step toward healing in marriage. Men are often wired to provide, protect, and solve problems quickly. Women often need space to process emotions and feel understood before solutions are helpful. When couples move too quickly into problem-solving, the emotional need...
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Hormones don’t just affect your body. They can deeply impact your emotions, energy, communication, and connection in marriage. In this episode of the Expedition Marriage Podcast, Chris and Jamie sit down with Dr. Gretchen Reis, an integrative medicine physician who specializes in hormone health for both women and men. Together they discuss how perimenopause, menopause, and hormone changes can affect mood, anxiety, fatigue, memory, intimacy, and even the way couples relate to one another. Jamie also shares her own personal experience with sudden anxiety, brain fog, and exhaustion during...
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Most couples don’t struggle because they don’t love each other. They struggle because they unknowingly repeat small communication mistakes that slowly start dividing them. In this episode, we break down seven common communication patterns that erode connection, increase defensiveness, and keep couples feeling misunderstood. If you want stronger communication, deeper connection, and fewer repeated arguments, this episode will give you practical tools you can use right away. Resources Newlywed Couples Devotional (for newlyweds and newlywed "wanna be's") - ...
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In this episode, Larah Roberts, founder of Raising Autistic Disciples, shares gospel hope for parents navigating autism and unexpected parenting challenges. We discuss how autism affects marriage, how couples can stay united under stress, and how to faithfully disciple neurodiverse children. 0:00 - Not Our Family Moment 0:48 - Meet Larah Roberts 2:02 - Family Story and Faith 3:27 - Noticing Differences in Graham 4:15 - Autism Diagnosis Journey 6:55 - Gratitude and Grief Collide 13:35 - Marriage Under Pressure 14:14 - Marriage Under Pressure (Larah's response) 24:54 - Protecting Unity and...
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We've Never Shared This Before! Every marriage has a story behind it, including ours. In this deeply personal episode, we share parts of our story we haven’t fully shared before. The trials that tested us. The seasons that stretched us. The moments when we didn’t know how things would turn out. And how the Lord got us through. This episode isn’t about having a perfect marriage. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s about having a very messy marriage that became something great in the Lord’s hands. It’s our story of two broken people, confronted with the gospel,...
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If your Christian marriage feels more like roommates, it’s not just you. Many couples don’t stop loving each other even though they slowly stop connecting. In this episode, we explore why Christian couples stop talking, what causes emotional and spiritual distance in marriage, and how seasons like busyness, parenting, health challenges, burnout, and unresolved conflict quietly steal connection. We also share biblical insight and practical steps to help you rebuild intimacy without blame or pressure. If you’re feeling disconnected but still committed, this episode offers hope,...
info_outlineLetting go isn’t easy, especially when it comes to our kids. Whether they’re stepping into adulthood, moving far away, or simply living life differently than we expected, this season of release can stir up a mix of emotions: pride, fear, loss, hope, and everything in between.
In this raw and heartfelt conversation, we’re joined by our friends Brad and Lisa Valencia from the Unrelenting Pursuit Podcast to talk about what it really looks like to trust God with our children, a seaons they’re right in the middle of. Together, we unpack how to surrender anxiety, manage expectations, and move from parenting to praying, finding peace in knowing that God’s plans for our kids are even greater than ours.
If you’re walking through a season of letting go, this episode will remind you that release isn’t the end of your parenting, it’s a new beginning for your faith.
🎧 Listen now for encouragement, perspective, and hope.