Behind Our Smiles Marriage Podcast

How can you make your spouse smile? Let us count the ways! In this episode we're letting several of our listeners share what that looks like in their marriages. You might learn a new way to make your spouse smile, too! Thank you to the husbands and wives for setting a great example for us! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Experience the story of Jesus like never before in THE CHRIST, a four-part Easter audio epic. THE CHRIST brings the gospel narrative vividly to life—from the humble manger to the victorious resurrection—through world-class voice talent, cinematic soundscapes, and stirring music. From the halls of Roman power to the wilderness of Judea and the hills of Galilee, this immersive audio drama follows the life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth—and the people forever changed by Him. Follow the podcast now so you hear each new episode the moment it releases. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-christ-an-easter-audio-epic/id1870710176 Or here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oaFRx79AiROdosDof8FME Learn more at TheChristPodcast.com

Do you ever wish your spouse could just cut you some slack? We've all had those times where we know we messed up, but we don't want anyone on our case about it making it worse. We have walked through many seasons where neither of us had much grace to give. Why is offering grace so hard, yet we want it for ourselves so badly? In this episode we share our journey and process of growing a grace-filled marriage. Our episode on Living the Grace Life with Jennifer Sakata To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

There's something really fun about hearing from a married couple that's still at the beginning of their journey. In this episode we talk with recording artist Hannah Kerr and her husband Jason. In their short time of being married, they have had to tackle the real stuff of life, from a Covid wedding to life on the road to unexpected losses. They've learned early on what it looks like to surrender your plans to the Lord and how to lean into each other in the hard times. And they shared one simple habit they discovered that is setting their marriage on the path to success. Their story will challenge and encourage you! More about Hannah Kerr's Music Hannah's Podcast: In the Middle of It To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Do you consider your spouse's opinions as valid your own? Marriage would be so much easier if we always had the same preferences and thoughts. Instead, as we choose to let our spouse's opinion truly matter to us, we grow respect and trust in our marriage. In this episode we're sharing some of our opinions… and try to figure out whose opinion matters more! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Have you ever forgotten a significant day in your relationship? Taking extra effort to celebrate each other can grow trust and romance in our marriage. In this episode, we share our times of wrong expectations and mishandling our romantic holidays. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

So much of our relationship is defined by what happens in private, between the two of us. But a lot of our relationship is also how we function together in public. In this episode we're sharing how we try to look out for each other in social settings (and the times we haven't!) To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Happy New Year! The new year can give us new hope- the promise of the change we so desperately want to see. Other times the new year can be discouraging. Here we are with a brand new year, yet here we are, having the same conversation. In this episode we share some of our "same conversations" in our marriage and how we work past that feeling of being stuck. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Tara and Joe share a short devotional about God's goodness. We hope you and your family have much to celebrate this Christmas! This week we share a short article from one of our favorite writers about seeing God in the hard places. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

We all know that person who starts listening to Christmas music in October… who fills their home with multiple Christmas trees and has decorations on every shelf and lights in every window. They are "Christmas people" through and through. But maybe you feel more like a Grinch and don't care for all the holiday trappings. Does that mean Christmas is not for you? In this episode we share our struggles with the Christmas season and what it really means to celebrate Christ during Christmas. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

There are so many needs around us and so many opportunities to give that it can feel overwhelming! We know that God wants us to be generous, but what if we don't have much? And but, and what if? In this episode we share our struggles with being generous and how our marriage has benefitted from letting God's blessings flow through us! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

There's so much joy in welcoming a baby into the family, but there's also so much work, and the dynamics in our relationship often drastically shift. In this episode we look back and share how we protected our marriage through the addition of children. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

First comes love, then comes marriage… then comes a baby in a baby carriage! A big part of marriage usually involves the welcoming of children into the family. It's very so exciting, so very draining, and has a huge impact our marriage. In this week's episode we discuss how parenting has affected our marriage…and what we want to share to our kids as they become parents themselves! Buchanan grandbabies are coming soon! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Do you ever struggles with saying "yes" too much? Or maybe your first instinct is to say, no I can't do that! Our marriages thrive when we can find the happy medium when we can stay involved but not burnt out. In this episode we talk about how we determine our capacity and draw healthy boundaries for ourselves. Note: We are switching to releasing a new episode every other week, giving you more time to catch up on any episodes you've missed :) To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Part of strong marriage also includes having fun together!! But that isn't always easy to do if you each have different ideas of what sounds fun. Or maybe you have just forgotten how to have fun together. In this week's episode, we talk about keeping a spirit of fun alive in your marriage! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Move over Joe, the ladies are talking- I mean taking over this episode! Does your marriage have a combination of a very talkative, excitable wife, and a quiet, steady husband? Verbal processor vs internal processor? Then you'll relate to the fabulous conversation I had with three of my friends who have similar marriage dynamics. But this is not an episode where the wives get together to complain about their husbands. Instead we're celebrating the way God made them and learning how to extend grace and love them better. Even when they don't talk as much as we do! Hope's YouTube Channel, Under the Median Jennifer's podcast, Living the Grace Life To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Work is such a huge part of our marriages that it finds a way to work its way into our marriage. Maybe you can't find that elusive work-life balance or there's resentment that one spouse is has a harder job or more pressure. That all puts more pressure on our marriages. In this episode we share how we support each other in our work and the place that work plays in our spiritual life. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

We'd all have more time if we didn't have jobs! Whether paid or unpaid, our work can take a lot from us and leave less for our spouse. Sorry, I would, but I have to go to work! In this week's episode we remember some of our first jobs and the impact work can have on our family and marriages. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

We've all been there… when someone has called us to account for something we did and our first instinct is to make an excuse, or maybe two or three. It was the dog who ate our homework, not our forgetfulness. In this week's episode, we share about how learning to own our mistakes and not blame shift has helped minimize conflict and strengthen our marriage. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Kids are back in school and that means time to get that homework done! Even though most of us groan at the thought of homework, there is so much value and even purpose in doing homework. In this week's episode, we share the value of "doing the work" and what that looks like in our marriage. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

We love sharing the stories of what makes you smile when you think about your spouse. But we also know many of our listeners are in tough marriages and may not have much if anything to smile about. This week we spend a few minutes to pray for our listeners who are in marriages that feel hopeless. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

We can't seem to help it- the words we speak are often clothed in this invisible layer we call tone- sometimes that tone makes us understand each other there better, and other times, those tones make things worse. Especially when tones are misread and then we assume things that aren't there. In this week's episode, we share our struggle with tone and how we keep them from getting misread. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

How do family vacations look for your family? They often are a mix of rushing, relaxing, and new adventures. In this week's episode, we share some of our favorite memories traveling as a family and how we learned to trust God in the unexpected twists and turns! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Have you taken a vacation recently? Getting away can be really fun and healthy or it can be full of stress and anxiety. In this week's episode, we're sharing and how we feel about vacations and our struggles around traveling. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

In honor of our 200th episode, we're celebrating TWOs and the ways we are better TWO-gether. Batman and Robin, Woody and Buzz, Paul and Silas - all dynamic duos where you can't imagine one without the other! In this week's episode we share what makes a good partnership so that our marriage can be a dynamic duo! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Do you have Fan Wars in your house? One person who prefers the fan be on, and the other one who needs it to be off? In this episode, we laugh about our dilemma with the fan and how we work through our differing preferences. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

How do you feel about birthdays? Maybe you love celebrating yours or maybe it brings up a host of negative emotions about your worth. In honor of Joe's birthday this week, we share some of our "birthday baggage" and how our identity is not tied to the circumstances surrounding our birth, nor who we are born to! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

In this last session of summer school, we share about another foundational skill that benefits our marriage: kindness. Once you've mastered forgiveness and offered grace, being kind is a great next step. It may be a simple skill to learn, but it can have a huge impact! Join us this week as we share about the ABC's of being kind! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

This week we're tackling another foundational skill that we need for healthy relationships: grace! Grace is one of those things that we love to receive but we are more hesitant to freely give. In our second session of Summer School we share the ABC's of showing grace in our marriages. These are the Conversation Cards that we mentioned :) To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

School's out so that means it's time for…. summer school! Sometimes summer school is all about brushing up on foundational skills so you're ready to move on to the next level. In our marriage, one foundational skill we need to know is how to forgive. In this week's summer school episode, we're sharing the "ABC's" of forgiveness! Previous epidsodes on forgiveness: Will You Forgive Me? Part 1 Will You Forgive Me? Part 2 To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Did you have a "good Dad"? Are you, or your husband, a good dad? Joe and I have vastly different experiences with our own fathers but we can agree on the characteristics of what makes a good dad. In this episode, we talk about the positive and negative influences our fathers have on us. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

We're celebrating our 28th anniversary this month! Like many couples, we look back and remember the ups and downs, and all highs and lows in our marriage. This week we share some of those moments and what we learned through each season. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Do you like to be pursued by your spouse? What does it even mean to pursue each other? In this episode we share about the value of pursuit in marriage and what it is that we are pursuing. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

We have added another daughter to our family! We recently celebrated the wedding of our son, Jeremiah, to his bride, Evangeline. In this week's episode we share highlights of the wedding day and a few things we shared with our newlyweds about marriage. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

What makes you smile when you think about your husband or wife? Sometimes what makes us smile is the most random quirks and imperfections. This week we're sharing fun comments and stories we received from you that make us smile! To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

Is Mother's Day a "loaded" holiday for you or your spouse? Does it bring up emotions and memories you'd rather not deal with? In this episode, Joe shares openly about the scars he still carries from an abusive mother and how he has found healing in Christ. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

As Mother's Day approaches, what kind of emotions come to the surface? Specifically, when you think of your mother, what do you hear her saying? The messages we hear as a child can often stay with us for life, especially if those messages were negative or hurtful. This week we're sharing our emotions around Mother's Day and the importance of replacing negative voices with God's truth. As Mother's Day approaches, what kind of emotions come to the surface? Specifically, when you think of your mother, what do you hear her saying? The messages we hear as a child can often stay with us for life, especially if those messages were negative or hurtful. This week we're sharing our emotions around Mother's Day and the importance of replacing negative voices with God's truth. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

What makes someone a good manager at work? As Joe stepped into a management role, we saw that some of the same tools that make for a good work manager can be just as helpful in context of marriage. This week we share the last three principles of managing your marriage well as a husband. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

What makes someone a good manager at work? As Joe stepped into a management role, we saw that some of the same tools that make for a good work manager can be just as helpful in context of marriage. Joe recently had an opportunity to share with a group of men at a local marriage conference about this topic. This week we share the first two principles of managing your marriage well as a husband. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

One of the most impactful types of "body language" that God has given husbands and wives is sexual intimacy. But like other areas of communication, sometimes our messages get lost in translation and cause disconnection. We've seen in our own story how our own relationship with physical touch and our past traumas can greatly affect our ability to give and receive physical love. This week we share how we learned to communicate our desires and our fears, and how we worked together to overcome those barriers to intimacy. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

What is the message that your body language is sending to your spouse? The experts say that 70% of communication is non-verbal communication: facial expressions, gestures, body language. Just like our words, we can use our body language to build up or tear down. In this week's episode we share how we use body language to pursue connection. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com myfaithpodcasts.com/podcasts/behind-our-smiles Email: [email protected]

It's the game that drives you crazy! Both options seem so extreme but you have to pick one. Besides having a little fun, this game also helps us to learn about each other and what makes us tick. In this episode, we play a few rounds of Would You Rather and discovered what our answers reveal about what we each value. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: [email protected]

Dustin Lolli is the lead singer of Sanctus Real. Have you ever faced challenges in your marriage that didn't make any sense, but they were still very, very real? Dustin is the lead singer of Sanctus Real and he and his wife Sarah make up the folk duo, This Way Home. They shared with us their love story and the hardships that they have had to walk through together, including financial struggles, depression, and near-constant moving. So much of their story, from how they met to Dustin joining Sanctus Real, didn't always seem logical, but looking back, they can see God's guiding hand in it all. Bonus: Dustin and Sarah play one of their new songs for us at the end of the podcast! Learn more about Dustin & Sarah: This Way Home on Spotify This Way Home on Instagram This episode's theme, "Smile," was perfromed by This Way Home. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: [email protected]

In recent times, smart phones have become the one thing that consumes most of our attention. Almost every thing and every person can be brushed aside when we hear any type of "ding" coming from our phones. How do we give our spouse our undivided attention with all the distraction that these devices bring? It can feel like an impossible task. This week we talk about how not to let our screens and devices pull us away from our husband or wife. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: [email protected]

Attention is one of the greatest gifts we can give another person due to the fact that it is such a limited resource. We all only have 24 hours in a day, and we all only have so much mental energy to share with another person. So many other people and things can demand our attention that it can leave our husband or wife feeling lonely. In this week's episode we talk about how to steward our attention. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: [email protected]

Are you in a season where you feel completely overwhelmed? Or maybe several back-to-back seasons? Living in overwhelm can leave us drained and can put a strain on our marriage. In this episode we share ways to combat the overwhelm together and find refuge in the ROCK! O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Psalm 61:1-4 R-Rest O-Organize C-Communicate K- Kick out discouragement To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: [email protected]

This week we're talking with Lee and Terry Burnham, as they share how they found hope and renewed faith after the loss of their 3 year old daughter, Amanda. Their story is one of sorrow, faith, and the unlikely survival of their marriage despite overwhelming loss. In this episode, Lee and Terry share the painful journey leading up to Amanda's diagnosis, the heartbreak of losing her, and how their faith was tested in unimaginable ways. To connect with us on social media: Facebook Instagram behindoursmiles.com wowgod.com Email: [email protected]