Every once in a while we go through our inboxes, voicemails, and texts to gather common questions from readers and listeners. In our years of writing for and ministering to couples, we’ve found that certain themes exist in questions we receive. That’s why we dedicated a full podcast episode to exploring (and hopefully answering) those questions! Below is the list of questions we addressed in…
5 Reasons Why Your Family of Origin Matters… a Lot
To put it plainly, “Family of Origin” refers to the environment in which you grew up. It’s not a new concept by any means, but it’s one Selena and I hadn’t explored at length. Until recently. I love thinking about family of origin in tree terms (hence the image for this post). How a tree grows doesn’t only depend on its species; it’s the net…
Video: 8 Characteristics of a Healthy Sex Life
One of the most prevalent topics we get questions about is sex and intimacy. And for good reason: sexual intimacy is an important part of marriage, but it also tends to be one of the most misunderstood. For starters, here are some biblical truths about sex: Sex is a good, gracious gift from God. He designed it. Sex is created exclusively for the marriage covenant.…
8 Characteristics of a Healthy (and Happy) Sex-Life
One of the most prevalent topics we get questions about is sex and intimacy. And for good reason: sexual intimacy is an important part of marriage, but it also tends to be one of the most misunderstood. For starters, here are some biblical truths about sex: Sex is a good, gracious gift from God. He designed it. Sex is created exclusively for the marriage covenant.…
Prenuptial Agreements: Are They Good or Bad?
Prenuptial agreements are a fairly common practice nowadays. As people of faith, how should we view and approach them? What should we do if we have a prenuptial agreement already in place? We’ll discuss these questions and more in today’s episode! We hope you’ll join us and listen in!
Abstinence: What is it, and is it Really God’s Idea?
In today’s episode, we discuss the idea of abstinence: where it comes from, what it means, and how to be abstinent for your good and God’s glory. We hope you’ll join us and listen in!
6 Ways to Affair-Proof Your Marriage
Affairs take two common forms: emotional and sexual. In either case, by the time an actual affair materializes, there have been latent and unaddressed problems for a long time. “Affair proofing”, if we can call it that, includes proactively building systems and rhythms into your marriage that will make it much less likely that you’ll start down the subtle path toward an affair. Today, at…
Naked and Unashamed
What does it mean to be truly intimate with another human? In Genesis 2 (before the Fall), it says that they were “naked and not ashamed”. So much of how we experience closeness with each other in marriage is determined by our sense of vulnerability and how we’re perceived when we’re truly exposed. Is it possible to be fully known by someone and still fully…
Love vs. Lust
Is it possible to have lustful motivations in marriage? What makes an attitude or action loving or lustful? Hebrews 13:4 says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Could this apply to married people engaging in sex within their own marriage? In today’s podcast, we’ll explore just that…
3 Profound Purposes of Sex and How They Make it Much…Much Better
Sex is so much more than physical and its purposes extend far beyond our immediate pleasure. How exactly has God designed sex for his eternal purposes? How can we enjoy intimacy more deeply knowing that we’re profoundly reflecting certain aspects of God’s grace and goodness in the gospel? In this episode, Ryan and Selena explore three purposes of sex as found in Genesis 1 and…