The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting
The Go-To Podcast for Those Who Want To Rebuild Intimacy and Connection in Their Christ Centered Marriage Has the excitement of your wedding day now faded into the background? Are you so exhausted that the last thing you want to think about is your marriage? Do you and your spouse feel like ships passing in the night? If you’re craving the intimate, connected marriage God has for you, you’ve come to the right place! We’re April and Aaron Au, marriage coaches with over a decade of experience, who are on the journey to finding God’s best for our marriage while raising two young boys. We recently heard this wisdom: “If your marriage isn’t growing, it’s dying.” Yikes! That really got our attention! But if you think about it, it’s true. Marriages need direction, purpose and a common vision to thrive. If they don’t, they will inevitably drift apart. When you add the pressures of raising young children and the grind of daily work to the mix, there are even more forces that threaten to pull our marriages apart. Thankfully, God has a beautiful vision for our marriages. He wants us to cultivate and enjoy intimacy and connection in our marriage. What’s more, God wants to breathe his Spirit and life into our marriages through beautiful encounters with him in prayer and worship. In this podcast, we’ll learn about: - Simple, healthy habits that lead to effective communication and intentional conversations - The assumptions and expectations that can sabotage our marriages - How community is essential for a connected marriage - God’s heart to bring healing and wholeness to us, as individuals and as a family And of course, we’ll dive into all of the fun topics like sex, money, parenting and why you shouldn’t buy a car without talking to your spouse first. We’ll also have space to encounter God through prayer, worship and reflection through regular episodes called “Thursday Thoughts.” So join us on this beautiful journey that we call “Living Marriages.” Get in touch! info@livingmarriages.com Like the podcast? You can make a charitable donation to keep fresh content coming: livingmarriages.com
Listen on:
Episodes
21 hours ago
21 hours ago
As you heard in Episode 46, JB and Erin Crocker were only an hour away from having their marriage end for good. And then God gave them a miracle - a miracle of repentance, of transformation, new hope and a new marriage.
Join us on this Thursday Thought as we pray for a miracle of breakthrough in your marriage as you seek God's best for your marriage together.
Next Steps
We realize that some of you may relate to the story of brokenness and despair we reflected on in today's episode. We want you to know that you are not alone. We'd love to be able to hear your story and pray with you. Please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here. We would also be thrilled to get you in touch with JB and Erin if you'd like their insight for your marriage journey.
You can also e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry with a charitable donation? Please visit our website http://livingmarriages.com
3 days ago
3 days ago
In Part One of JB and Erin's story (Ep 44), we heard about how God brought their marriage to an end - a marriage that was characterized by conflict, manipulation, brokenness and despair.
In Part Two today, we'll hear about:
The work God called JB to in order to find healing and the release of the baggage he brought into marriage
How God invited JB to show up in marriage to be present and serve Erin in the ways she needed
The ways in which God brought healing, hope and transformation to this "new" marriage while laying down the destructive patterns of their "old" marriage
Next Steps
We realize that some of you may relate to the story of brokenness and despair you've heard in today's episode. We want you to know that you are not alone. We'd love to be able to hear your story and pray with you. Please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here. We would also be thrilled to get you in touch with JB and Erin if you'd like their insight for your marriage journey.
You can also e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry with a charitable donation? Please visit our website http://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Jun 26, 2025
Thursday Jun 26, 2025
The good news of the gospel is that God, in his love, meets us right where we are at. The good news though, is also that God loves us too much to leave us there.
In Episode 44, we heard the story of JB and Erin Crocker and how God met them in the midst of the brokenness of their marriage and invited them to something new. But before there was something new, something old had to pass away first.
Join us for this Thursday Thought as we pray for you to experience the good news of the gospel in your marriage, that meets you right where you are AND calls you into something new.
Next Steps
We realize that some of you may relate to the story of brokenness and despair in marriage that we were reflecting on in today's episode. We want you to know that you are not alone. We'd love to be able to hear your story and pray with you. Please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here.
You can also e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry with a charitable donation? Please visit our website http://livingmarriages.com
Tuesday Jun 24, 2025
Tuesday Jun 24, 2025
JB and Erin Crocker have been on a journey in their marriage. It's one that involved brokenness, despair and ultimately hope and redemption.
On today's episode, we are privileged to hear the first part of their story: how God ended "Version 1.0" of their marriage - a marriage that was filled with manipulation, fear and shame; a marriage that was no longer sustainable.
We'll hear:
Why not understanding the baggage you bring into marriage can be harmful
Why having a healthy marriage requires both partners to put in work
How important it is to have community outside of our marriages
When God allows the old things to end to make room for the new
Next Steps
We realize that some of you may relate to the story of brokenness and despair you've heard in today's episode. We want you to know that you are not alone. We'd love to be able to hear your story and pray with you. Please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here.
You can also e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry with a charitable donation? Please visit our website http://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Jun 19, 2025
Thursday Jun 19, 2025
On this Thursday thought, we consider how God's fingerprints are all over our stories, especially when we're in a place of pain or confusion and may not sense God there. We reflect on what it means that Jesus calls us "friends" (John 15:15) and we pray that we might see how our stories, our marriages are a part of God's larger story.
Next Steps
In this episode, we share the story of our journey through infertility. We understand that the journey of infertility is painful. We also know that you might be in the middle of another journey of pain or confusion. We'd love to be able to hear your story and pray with you. Please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here.
You can also e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry with a charitable donation? Please visit our website http://livingmarriages.com
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
On today's episode, we share how God showed up in a very unique way for us. You'll hear how April kept seeing the time 11:11 and the Scripture God finally nudged her to check out, the evening before we found out we were pregnant.
We also humbly acknowledge that our story is not everyone's story - that God may have another outcome for you in the journey you're on. At the same time, we believe that if we're willing and open, we'll see God's fingerprints all over our story telling us how, in fact, we are a part of his big story.
Next Steps
We understand that the journey of infertility is painful. We also know that you might be in the middle of another journey of pain or confusion. We'd love to be able to hear your story and pray with you. Please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here.
You can also e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry with a charitable donation? Please visit our website http://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on what it means to be blessed. We'll discover how being blessed is not about what we have (or don't have) but rather the presence of God in our lives.
We reflect on Stanley Hauerwas' invitation to consider the Beatitudes, those beautiful "Blessed are..." from Matthew 5 and what this might mean for our marriage:
Too often the Beatitudes are turned into ideals we must strive to attain. But Jesus does not tell us that we should try to be poor in spirit, or meek, or peacemakers. He simply says that many who are called into his kingdom will find themselves so constituted.
Stanley Hauerwas, "Jesus Changes Everything"
Next Steps
In this episode, we share the story of our journey through infertility. We understand that the journey of infertility is painful. We also know that you might be in the middle of another journey of pain or confusion. We'd love to be able to hear your story and pray with you. Please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here.
You can also e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry with a charitable donation? Please visit our website http://livingmarriages.com
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
How many times have you heard someone say, "I'm so blessed..." when they're referring to having something they desire? Does that mean that someone who doesn't have what they desire isn't blessed?
On today's episode, April and Aaron share their 3 1/2 year journey through infertility and how God met them in the midst of their journey, even though they couldn't always sense him. You'll also hear how God taught them what true blessing is (hint: it's not in what you have or don't have).
Whether you are on the journey of infertility or not, this episode points to the lovingkindness of the God who meets us in the midst of our pain and confusion.
Next Steps
We understand that the journey of infertility is painful. We also know that you might be in the middle of another journey of pain or confusion. We'd love to be able to hear your story and pray with you. Please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here.
You can also e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry with a charitable donation? Please visit our website http://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Join us for this Thursday Thought as we:
find out how Aaron and April's fun date went
reflect on our friendship with our spouse
consider how God might be inviting us to invest in that friendship with fun
We'll meditate on Proverbs 17:22 together and pray God's grace and blessing on the friendship in our marriage.
If you have a story of something fun you like doing in your marriage that we can share with our listeners, please click here!
Or you can e-mail us: info@livingmarriages.com
Tuesday Jun 03, 2025
Tuesday Jun 03, 2025
Recently, we have been reminded of the importance of fun and friendship in marriage. To make sure we have time to invest in some of that fun ourselves, we're keeping the episode shorter and asking for your help!
We'd love to hear from you about one way you and your spouse have fun in your marriage We'll share your ideas in an upcoming episode.
You can click right here and get in touch with us: https://livingmarriages.com/contact#httpslivingmarriagescomcontact
Or e-mail us:
info@livingmarriages.com
God bless!