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Are words just sounds, or are they spiritual? In this Marriage After God podcast episode, Aaron and Jennifer Smith explore an overlooked truth: words are spiritual things. Just as God spoke the world into existence, what we say and what we listen to carries spiritual power. They look at 1 John 4 on testing the spirits, Jesus calling His words 'spirit and life' in John 6:63, and James 3 on the power of the tongue. Like learning to spot a counterfeit bill by knowing the real one, we test every message against God's Word. Aaron shares how lies like 'I'll...

Words build and shape our world, and our marriages. In this episode of the Marriage After God podcast, Aaron and Jennifer Smith trace the power of words back to creation, when God spoke the world into being, and to the serpent, who tempted Eve with words. At the Tower of Babel, one language and the same words made nothing impossible, and the same is true when a husband and wife share the same words. They talk about how the printing press and the King James Bible spread ideas, the difference between literal and dynamic Bible translation, and how culture redefines...

After an unexpected break, Aaron and Jennifer Smith are back, and on video again. In this Marriage After God podcast episode they share what the start of 2024 held: Aaron's dad in the hospital, the death of Aaron's brother days after a two-hour phone call about the gospel, over a month grieving with family in California, celebrating Jennifer's birthday and their 17th anniversary, and frozen pipes at home. They talk about learning to simply be there for grieving loved ones without having all the answers. Then they launch a new eight-week series on the power of words, from 'let there...

Looking for Christmas date night ideas? In this fun holiday episode of the Marriage After God podcast, Aaron and Jennifer Smith share 12 creative dates for married couples: a progressive dinner, ice skating, a couples massage, cookie making, sledding or snowshoeing, a Christmas market, ax throwing, a scavenger hunt, a musical or concert, a hot chocolate Christmas lights tour, dancing, and Christmas shopping together. They explain why dating your spouse matters: it makes you both feel cherished, gets you out of routine, builds romance and unity, creates space for vision casting, and models a healthy marriage for your kids. They...

Want more purpose, unity and blessing in your marriage? Serve together. In this Thanksgiving episode of the Marriage After God podcast, Aaron and Jennifer Smith share about their family serving at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch and their long history of serving together, from youth group and Camp Shiloh to missions in Africa and Nicaragua, as well as the season when a struggling marriage turned their eyes inward and serving dried up. They explain how serving together builds unity, gives perspective, takes your eyes off yourself, and teaches your kids they can do hard things. Grounded in Christ's example in Mark...

Is being tempted a sin? In the final episode of their eight-part Lord's Prayer series, Aaron and Jennifer Smith unpack Matthew 6:13, 'lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' They teach that temptation itself is not sin, since Jesus was tempted yet without sin, so shame over being tempted comes from the enemy, not the Holy Spirit. Using James 1, they show that temptation grows from desires already within us, illustrated by Jesus' temptations in the wilderness and by Eve in the garden. They warn against walking down roads where you know you will be tempted (Proverbs...

Why should I forgive my spouse? In part seven of their Lord's Prayer series, Aaron and Jennifer Smith dive into Matthew 6:12, 'forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,' and the importance of forgiveness in marriage. They explain that forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same: forgiveness opens the door, while reconciliation takes repentance. You can forgive someone who never apologizes, or even someone who has died. They warn against building a negative identity of your spouse out of accumulated offenses, which breeds bitterness, and show that withholding forgiveness treats someone's offense against you as greater...

Can we live without prayer? In part six of their Lord's Prayer series, Aaron and Jennifer Smith focus on Matthew 6:11, 'give us this day our daily bread.' Just as our bodies need food every day, our souls need daily nourishment from Jesus, the bread of life (John 6:35). They describe how going without God's Word and prayer leaves believers spiritually starved, irritable and self-focused, and how that breeds strife in marriage when spouses look to each other instead of God to be filled. Their answer to the title question: you can live without prayer, but you cannot thrive. They...

How to pray God's will for your marriage: in part five of our eight-part series on the Lord's Prayer, Aaron and Jennifer Smith unpack Matthew 6:10, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." They share why the function of prayer is not to influence God but to change the one who prays, explain the difference between God's perfect will and His permissive will, and walk through scriptures that plainly reveal God's will, including Romans 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:3 and 5:18, and 1 Peter 2:15. You'll hear how the "without wax" picture of sincerity...

How to pray to God as your Father: in part four of our eight-part series on the Lord's Prayer, Aaron and Jennifer Smith reach the first words Jesus actually prays in Matthew 6:9, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." They explore why consciously recognizing who we are praying to changes how we pray, how we can come to God freely as His children (2 Corinthians 6:18) while still revering His holiness, and why some of us struggle to approach a heavenly Father because of our earthly experiences. Drawing on Luke 11, a quote from Billy Graham, and John...