All episodes

Fruit of the Spirit in marriage: Aaron talks with Richard Kannwischer, senior pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and author of Cultivate: How God Grows the Fruit of the Spirit Within Us, and his wife Kelly, who leads Wonderfully Made Ministry for adults with intellectual disabilities. Married 27 years, they share how they met at Princeton and the faith legacies passed down from their grandparents. Richard explains why Galatians 5 describes one fruit, not nine to pick from, why most Christians know tricks but aren't trained, and what it means for marriage to make us holy rather than happy....

How to forgive your spouse before they apologize: Leann Murphy, author of Becoming a Husband and Becoming a Wife (Focus on the Family), has been married to Mike for almost 38 years, but around year fifteen infidelity nearly ended their marriage and most of the counsel they received pointed toward separating. In this conversation with Aaron Smith, Leann shares why a covenant with God, not a contract with each other, is the reason they stayed, the night Jesus met her in the corner of a closet with the words "Would you betray me with a kiss?", and why forgiveness has...

Christian marriage wisdom from Proverbs with Pastor Mark Moore, Teaching Pastor at Christ's Church of the Valley in Phoenix and author of Wisdom 52, Quest 52, and Core 52. Married 40 years, Mark shares the Father's Day card that reframed his whole calling: the only thing he will ever be the greatest at is being the husband of one woman and the father of two children. He opens up about discovering abuse and brokenness in his family line, parenting out of sheer commitment with no model to follow, and the blind spots that surfaced after decades of marriage. Aaron and...

Intimacy in marriage is more than sex, but it definitely includes it. In week 28 of their 30-week devotional series, Aaron and Jennifer Smith unpack the three essential kinds of intimacy God designed for husbands and wives: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Starting in Genesis with a relational, triune God, they explain why marriage is the one relationship meant to experience every level of closeness, why intimacy starts with God rather than your spouse, and why vulnerability is the prerequisite for being truly known. Aaron shares honestly about his struggle with emotional connection, Jennifer recalls the first time they really opened...

How to abide in Christ as a couple: in week 27 of their 30-week marriage devotional series, Aaron and Jennifer Smith walk through John 15 and five practical ways to stay connected to Jesus, the true vine. After last week's episode on hiding from God, this conversation turns toward running to Him instead. They ask a hard question about where we go when we're sad, tired, bored or angry, whether to our spouse, a screen, food or Christ, and then unpack five habits: being in God's Word daily, seeking communion with God through prayer, living as a living sacrifice, relying...

Why we hide from God after we sin, and how to return to restoration in marriage. In week 26 of the Marriage After God devotional series, Aaron and Jennifer Smith open with the truth that we all sin, then walk through Genesis 3 to show why our first instinct, like Adam and Eve's, is to run and cover ourselves. They unpack the fear, shame, guilt, and pride that keep husbands and wives hiding from God and from each other, and Aaron shares honestly about the years he hid his pornography addiction from Jennifer and what gave him the courage to...

God's order in marriage is the focus of week 25 of the Marriage After God 30-week devotional series. Aaron and Jennifer Smith look at how God brings order to everything He makes, from the interdependent parts of a single cell to the creation account in Genesis, and why that same design matters in our homes. They walk through 1 Corinthians 11:3, the created order of man and woman, and the example of Jesus submitting to the Father, showing that headship is a responsibility to lead like Christ rather than a privilege to be served. Wives are called to an active...

Biblical minimalism for Christian marriage: Aaron Smith talks with Joshua Becker, founder of Becoming Minimalist and author of Uncluttered Faith, about how owning less frees couples to live more for God and family. Joshua shares the Saturday morning in his garage that started his journey, why the average American home holds 300,000 items, and what John the Baptist, the parable of the four soils, and 1 Timothy 6 reveal about our attachment to possessions. They get practical about decluttering as a couple when one spouse wants to purge more than the other, guarding against pride, redefining success, and the blessings...

Husband and wife roles in a godly marriage are the focus of week 24 of the Marriage After God 30-week devotional series. Aaron and Jennifer Smith use Paul's picture of the body in 1 Corinthians 12 to show how two distinct people become one flesh: individual but never independent. They walk through the husband's part as leader, protector, and foundation of the home, sharing research on how a father's presence shapes children and how simply holding his wife's hand lowers her stress. Then they turn to the wife's part, from oxytocin and nurturing to being the thermostat that sets the...

Unity in marriage and the body of Christ is the focus of week 23 of the Marriage After God 30-week devotional series. Aaron and Jennifer Smith explain why isolation is the default for so many couples, how the enemy stalks those who drift from the herd (Proverbs 18:1, 1 Peter 5:8), and how shame pulled them into hiding early in their own marriage until a church marriage group turned things around. They walk through the reasons people isolate, why your spouse should be the first to notice you're distant, and how marriage is a microcosm of Christ and the church....