All episodes

Healing and confession in marriage are at the center of this conversation between Aaron Smith and Roy Wooten, a counselor, husband of 37 years, grandfather, and executive director of The Crucible Project, a ministry helping men heal, grow, and build meaningful community. Roy shares how a 2009 retreat moved grace from his head into every part of him as God healed a wound from his childhood. He teaches husbands to handle marital conflict by getting un-triggered first, seeing the hurt beneath a triggered spouse, and owning their part. His core message is that men carry an invisible backpack of secrets,...

A marriage devotional series for couples starts here. Aaron and Jennifer Smith introduce a 30-week series walking through their first books, Husband After God and Wife After God, written in 2013 and now with more than 270,000 copies sold. They explain the weekly format, with a topic from each devotional, discussion questions, and prayer, released every Wednesday morning as a midweek marriage Bible study. They invite couples to commit to all 30 weeks, do it together, and bring another couple along, and they share their prayer to help churches launch weekly marriage studies like the one that changed their own...

Biblical manhood, marriage, and fatherhood are the focus as Aaron Smith talks with pastor Joby Martin, founding pastor of Eleven22 and author of Stand Firm and Act Like Men. Walking through 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Joby explains that being a man is about serving others and stewarding strength, not consumption, trucks, or muscles. He warns against both the passive boy-man and the chest-beating alpha caricature, describing true strength as the patient, kind love of 1 Corinthians 13 and a bent knee before Jesus. Joby also talks about mutual submission to Christ in marriage, his son's path to fire school, rites of...

Homeschooling as discipleship is the heart of this conversation between Aaron Smith and David and Leslie Nunnery, founders of the Teach Them Diligently homeschool conference. The Nunnerys share why they left a good private school to homeschool so they could maximize their time discipling their children, and why they believe you reproduce who you are, but you teach what you know. They explain that homeschooling is a tool for the real mission of bringing children to Christ, not an academic end or a guarantee. They offer simple rhythms like reading a Psalm, singing together, and morning devotions, and they answer...

An encouragement for Christian couples after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. In this special, unscripted episode, Aaron and Jennifer Smith process a heavy week and why it struck so deeply: his convictions were rooted in God's Word, and darkness hates the light. They encourage husbands and wives to support each other through hard news by checking in with one another, limiting social media, and praying together, and to disciple their children through it with Matthew 5:14-16. Drawing on the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts and Joseph's words that what was intended for evil, God meant for good, they share their...

Growing through challenges in marriage and family life is the theme as Aaron and Jennifer Smith recap a two-week family road trip to Yellowstone and Glacier that came after a cascade of trials and included a fight in the middle of the trip. They use the experience to talk about moving forward after failure, borrowing the gap versus gain idea to measure growth against where you have been rather than an ever-shifting ideal, and applying it to marriage, parenting, and sanctification. They share how music, creativity, and prayer carried them, why recovery days matter, and the 30-day reset they are...

Grace, gratitude, and intimacy with God take center stage as Aaron Smith sits down with Gary Thomas, bestselling author of Sacred Marriage and teaching pastor, married 41 years. Gary shares his journey into marriage ministry and unpacks his new book, The Life You Were Reborn to Live: Dismantling 12 Lies That Rob Your Intimacy with God. They dig into three of those lies: apathy toward the local church, demanding a sin-free life right now, and the entitlement that assumes God owes us comfort. Gary uses a WWII Czech-resistance story to show why we should give our all to Christ's bride,...

God's design for sexuality in a confused culture is the focus as Aaron Smith talks with Dr. Juli Slattery, clinical psychologist, founder of Authentic Intimacy, and author of Surrendered Sexuality. Married 31 years, Juli explains how culture has shifted sex from a covenantal gift to a tool for self-fulfillment and self-expression, accelerated by porn, social media, and AI. She critiques purity culture as rules without discipleship and urges parents to teach children early how we know what is true: God's Word, not feelings. She offers practical guidance on delaying smartphones and social media, and describes shame, confusion, and trauma as...

Faith through suffering and marriage in crisis are at the heart of this conversation between Aaron Smith and Jackie Avilés, author, pastor's wife, and the “Internet's Hope Coach.” At 26, Jackie was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal metastatic breast cancer and given a 6% chance, to the point of choosing her casket and taking funeral photos. Today she is nearly 10 years cancer-free. She opens up about the early communication breakdown with her husband, how their marriage verse, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, anchored them, and what it means to lament well. Jackie founded Pressed But Not Crushed, a ministry helping couples...

Homeschooling, church transitions, and growing through change are the themes as Aaron and Jennifer Smith catch up after a full summer. They share family updates, from their sixth baby to starting homeschool early because the kids asked for it, the encouragement they received at a homeschool conference, and why they still value printed photo albums in a digital age. They open up about stepping away from the home church they belonged to for about ten years, six of them spent pastoring it, and about a hard season when they reached out to friends for counsel and help. Gardening becomes a...