Awesome Marriage Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Most of us have experienced that shift in marriage—where the little quirks that once felt endearing during dating suddenly become everyday annoyances. The real challenge comes when those small frustrations start to build, creating distance, resentment, and barriers to connection. And often, it's not just the habits themselves—but the assumptions we attach to them—that carry the most power, quietly shaping how we see and respond to our spouse.

In this episode, Dr. Kim and Mrs. Nancy share practical ways to keep the small things from becoming big issues. They talk about the power of open and honest communication, setting realistic expectations, and choosing grace in the moments it's needed most—especially when assumptions threaten to take over.

Our hope is that this conversation encourages you to strengthen your connection and approach the little things in your marriage with greater understanding, intention, and grace.

Episode Highlights:

Assumptions do not help the marriage relationship.

Open communication is key to highlighting the differences in your relationship and developing an alternate way to move forward together.

Quotes from this Episode:

You begin to think God made a mistake, which He doesn't.

The way I think about Nancy, is going to impact the way I treat her.

When you start thinking negatively toward someone, just stop and lay it at the Lords' feet. 

God wants us to have a good marriage. He gave it as a gift to us so He wants it to be good.

It's hard to build a case against Nancy, when I'm taking her to the Lord in prayer.

Marriage doesn't have to be complicated. God didn't create it as this maze we have to figure our way through.

Time to Talk About it: 

When's the last time you prayed for the Lord to help you see your spouse the way He sees them. 

Is there something you need to share with you spouse that you've been viewing negatively? Something that is going unmentioned and ignored?

Take time to write down 10 things you love or admire about your spouse. Now share it with them. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Awesome Marriage is on Instagram!

• Make sure you're checking in with your spouse every week with our FREE Weekly Marriage Check in Guide!

• Your words, your tone, your attitude- they all matter in how your spouse hears you and how connected your marriage feels. Check out our new devotional: Cut the Criticism and Cultivate Companionship in Marriage

• Want an opportunity to dig into God's Word with your spouse? Find Awesome Marriage on YouVersion. Have negative thoughts about your spouse slowly replaced the positive ones? You need to start Mind Craft: Take Your Thoughts Captive to Transform Your Marriage today!

• If you haven't browsed our site, you've GOT to check out the marriage resources we have over at AwesomeMarriage.com, and browse our online courses at AwesomeMarriageUniversity.com ! 

• It's the perfect time to become a Marriage Changer! When you become a Marriage Changer you'll receive our Most Popular Resource Bundle — 10 powerful marriage tools with a combined value of $185. Become a Marriage Changer today!

In this episode, Dr. Kim talks with author and pastor Heath Hardesty about his new book, All Things Together. Heath shares how his time apprenticing under his earthly father became a living picture of what it means to be an apprentice of our Heavenly Father. They discuss what it looks like to live as image bearers in a fragmented world, why discipleship is more than "extra credit," and how God redeems, not erases, our humanity. Together, they unpack how to see with wonder again, order our imagination around Christ, and live a whole, beautiful life that reflects Him.

Episode Takeaways:

• Wholeness comes from staying connected, not from doing more.
• Slowing down is often the most spiritual thing we can do.
• God loves us and desires to dwell with us.
• Our focus and intention shape the way we experience life and who we become.
• Life feels scattered because we're often living disconnected from what truly grounds us.
• Our actions are connected to our faith.
• We ache and long for relationship with our Creator. He is a good Father.

Quotes from this Episode:

How we imagine the world really affects how we inhabit it.

Technology can connect, but the digital world often pulls us apart—scattering our presence across time and place until we forget what it means to truly be together.

When we take things out of context and mix the sacred with the trivial, our souls are shaped by confusion and chaos.

God weaves beauty from even the most ordinary or unwanted chapters of our stories—if we let Him, nothing is wasted.

We are made to be apprentices of the Master—union, abiding, obeying, and becoming like Him is the heart of how we truly change.

Faith isn't just belief in our heads—it's trust that spills out through our hands, our words, our feet, our relationships. It's embodied and lived.

Serving others, especially those closest to us, by following Christ's example, transforms both them and us. True love is found in humble service.

Faith has everything to do with our hands, our feet, our mouth, and our relationships. It's an embodied thing.

Reflect on This:

1. Where does life feel most rushed right now? How can you invite Jesus into this space instead of just trying harder?
2. What small daily habit or rhythm is shaping you the most right now, for better or for worse?
3. If following Jesus is more about apprenticeship than perfection, what is one simple practice you could lean into this week to stay more connected to Him?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Never miss a Wider Lens episode. Listen here.

Heath Hardesty is on Instagram.

Purchase All Things Together: How Apprenticeship to Jesus Is the Way of Flourishing in a Fragmented World by Heath Hardesty

Find Dr. Kim on Instagram

Blended families are beautiful—but they're also complex. When two lives, two histories, and often two sets of kids come together, figuring out what "family" looks like can feel overwhelming. From divided loyalties and differing parenting styles to navigating ex-spouses, finances, and faith, blended families face unique challenges that many couples aren't prepared for.

In this episode, we're joined by Ron Deal, director of FamilyLife Blended and author of The Smart Stepfamily. Ron shares practical wisdom, biblical insight, and deep encouragement for couples navigating stepfamily life. We talk about earning influence before exercising authority, managing divided loyalties, setting realistic expectations, and protecting your marriage while building unity in your home.

Whether you're part of a blended family or love someone who is, this conversation offers real hope, grace-filled guidance, and a reminder that healthy blended families are built over time—on purpose, and with God at the center.

Episode Takeaways:

Blended families are not repairs of biological families.

Creating a blended family involves new rules and dynamics.

Respect and communication are key.

Quotes from this Episode:

"You are not repairing a biological family structure. You are creating an entirely new blended family structure where the rules are different." -Ron Deal

"To be a great co-parent, you need to act divorced—respect your boundaries, let go of control, and focus on parenting your own way."- Ron Deal

"Stop pretending you have the right to influence your ex's choices. You can share your preferences respectfully, but after that, let go and parent your own way." - Ron Deal

"Your spouse is the most important adult relationship in your life—honor that allegiance, but never abandon your children." - Ron Deal

"You cannot demand love out of a child. That's something they decide on their time."- Ron Deal

"If you support the stepparent in front of your kids, if you are a team member in the parenting system, then your blended family has a chance." -Ron Deal

"You cannot have two parenting styles under one roof; blended families thrive when standards are more alike than different."- Ron Deal

Questions to Talk Through:

1. Where do we feel the most tension in our blended family right now—and how can we face it together instead of alone?
   
   
2. What is one way we can better support each other when parenting, scheduling, or outside relationships feel overwhelming?
   
   
3. What does "progress" look like for our family in this season, even if it doesn't look perfect yet?

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Awesome Marriage is on Instagram!

• Ron and Nan Deal wrote The Mindful Marriage- it's a MUST read for all couples.

• Blended family? The Smart Stepfamily  needs to be your next read!

• Check out more of what Ron is doing HERE.

• Your words, your tone, your attitude- they all matter in how your spouse hears you. Check out our new devotional: Cut the Criticism and Cultivate Companionship

• Want an opportunity to dig into God's Word with your spouse? Find Awesome Marriage on YouVersion. Caught in the trap of negativity towards your spouse? Start our Lord, Help my Critical Heart reading plan today.

• If you haven't browsed our site, you've GOT to check out the marriage resources we have over at AwesomeMarriage.com, and browse our online courses at AwesomeMarriageUniversity.com ! 

Show of hands: Are you an Amazon box hider? … or do you have your spouse break down the boxes for you? 

All joking aside, online shopping can be an issue that hinders couples' closeness. Money management in general can be a hot topic, but the wide range of ways we can spend money online with just the click of a button can create some additional obstacles, and we hear about it from couples all the time. Today we're equipping you to resolve this issue. 

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include: 

• Red flags that you need to address online spending with your spouse. 

• The role of trust in marriage money habits 

• How to know when online shopping has become a problem 

• The negative cycle of emotional triggers  

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES 

• "When you look into what's most important with money, you make a lot more progress more quickly." - Lindsay Few 

• "When you quit being a team, that's when it becomes a problem." - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• "If shopping is getting in the way of closeness with your spouse, then something needs to change." - Dr. Kim Kimberling

Couple's Conversation Guide: 

Main takeaway: Money secrets do not serve your marriage well, so do what it takes to build trust with your spouse around finances. 

Questions to Discuss: 

1. Are there any money habits your spouse does not know about you? 

2. What areas bring out money tension for your marriage? 

3. What is one step that would help you work through that and build unity today? 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  

• Learn how to avoid the 4 common budgeting mistakes couples make when in the FREE Centsei Class. Learn more here. 

• Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask

• Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

We don't often talk about our failures, but maybe that needs to change. It's easy to focus on others' highlight reel, while we're highly aware of our own personal shortcomings. But the shame of feeling like we don't measure up keeps us from real relationships.  

Today we're going there with special guest, Becky Kiser, as we talk about the power of the gospel and how God uses us in spite of our shortcomings. Don't miss this powerful conversation.

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

•  Fight the cascade effect of feeling like a failure 

• The two most debated sections of Becky's new book - and why!

• The 1st step to start loving your spouse well   

• How to move out of shame and into freedom

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES 

• "Even women who are successful; women who have accomplished a bunch, deal with failure." - Becky Kiser 

• "The Gospel message is not, 'Get your life together then God can do something with your life.'" - Becky Kiser 

• "I've found the most freedom from acknowledging I can't." - Becky Kiser  

• "Not all failures are actual failures. They're just a part of life." - Becky Kiser 

• "We spend so much time 'dying to ourselves' that we think there's no value to ourselves." - Becky Kiser 
  

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  

• Find Becky at https://www.beckykiser.com/ and on Instagram @beckykiser

• Grab the new book, "But God Can" today!  

• Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask

• Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

After five years of marriage, Kristin and Todd Evans' world was rocked when they learned they were about to become parents to a child with a disability. The stress, grief and the demands of learning to be caregivers to a child with disabilities transformed their once-joyful marriage and nearly broke it apart.    

When spouses are also caregivers, the marriage will face challenges that others may not know anything about. Today Todd and Kristin share their powerful story of learning to navigate this reality and how they have kept their marriage strong through it all.   

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• The additional challenges parents face as caregivers

• Learning to cope with the 'living loss' of disability

• How to set and communicate priorities in an unending to do list

• Ways to deepening emotional connection & intimacy while always "on call"

• Handling grief and chronic sorrow together

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES 

• "For all parents, there's a sacrificial piece to it. For special needs parents, it goes to a new level of what you have to sacrifice." - Todd Evans  

• "1 in 3 caregivers experience depression and anxiety." - Kristin Evans 

• "I couldn't understand why I couldn't' get over my grief, but Todd had moved on." - Kristin Evans

• "There's not a right or wrong way to grieve, it's just different." - Dr. Kim Kimberling 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  

• Order the Evans' book, How to Build a Thriving Marriage as You Care for Children with Disabilities

• Follow @DisabilityParenting on Instagram for more great tips!

• Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask

• Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

Reduce money stress in your marriage by making sure your money knows where to go! 

Don't avoid talking about money with your spouse: Establishing a budget you can both stick to will certainly pay off long term. Today Dr. Kim shares several simple tricks that help him and Nancy to stress less and be intentional with their finances. 

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• The basic starting point for building a budget 

• The budget category Dr. Kim & Nancy would NEVER cut out  

• The power of breaking a scarcity mindset and becoming generous 

• Strategies to better money management 

• How to get started if you've never budgeted 

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES 

• "We felt like it was always important to have a date." - Dr. Kim Kimberling  

• "Make sure to build in your budget that you can go out somewhere each week and not have to worry about it."  - Dr. Kim Kimberling  

• "God is so generous, and that's really what we want to emulate." - Lindsay Few 

• "My lack of generosity was not the person I wanted to be." - Lindsay Few  

• Continue to ask, "What are our financial goals? How do we budget to make them work?"  - Dr. Kim Kimberling  

• "If you need help, get it. If you're going to fight about money for 50 years, that doesn't sound fun at all. "- Dr. Kim Kimberling  

• "When you tithe 10%, the 90% you have left goes a lot further than you thought the 100% would." - Lindsay Few 

• "I don't know anyone personally who would say they regret tithing."  - Lindsay Few 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  

• Get the budget conversation started with 27 Money Questions Every Couple Needs to Ask

• Learn how to avoid the 4 common budgeting mistakes couples make when in the FREE Centsei Class. Learn more here.

• Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!

Do your habits online support your marriage? Or damage it? 

Fewer couples are getting married than ever. Tech is hitting marriages hard today. Yet research shows that marriage can provide a huge boost to personal happiness. Today's guest Arlene Pellicane has written several books on how technology is impacting relationships, and today she shares tech habits that will help you and your marriage to thrive.    

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• The 1 habit that leads to a 99% marriage success rate 

• Simple to streamline your tech habits for more connection 

• Why today's tech affects relationships differently than before 

• Research shows how marriage can impact happiness  

• Parenting tips to break unhealthy tech habits and get your child back  

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES 

• "If we seek God and His guidance, He's always going to have an answer." Dr. Kim Kimberling 

• "Is technology bringing you closer together? Or causing you to grow farther apart."  - Arlene Pellicane 

• "We're missing all these little times to connect. That's why you feel disconnected."  - Arlene Pellicane 

• "You have to prepare to be unpopular, because as a parent, it's your job to protect your child."  - Arlene Pellicane 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• If you need help with family tech habits, DO NOT miss Arlene's books on the topic. 

• National Marriage Week is each February 7-14th – and their great marriage building resources are available all year long! Learn more and support the mission on the WEB, FACEBOOK, X (TWITTER) or INSTAGRAM !

• Learn more about what boundaries can do for your marriage in Dr. Kim's free Building Healthy Boundaries Webinar. Learn more here! 

• What could 1 intentional weekend do for you and your spouse? Find out when you take on our Marriage Weekend Challenge! Click to learn more!

• Don't let screens come between you: Use our free 17 Questions Every Couple Should Ask About Tech printable to get on the same page!

• Marriage Multiplier is a quick and highly practical weekly email to help you invest in your marriage. CLICK HERE to learn more!