The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting
Aaron Au, April Au | Marriage Coaching and Mentoring
81 episodes
3 days ago
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
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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
After hearing Christina Worthing's powerful and moving story from Episode 79, this Thursday Thought is a simple one: it's a prayer for those who find themselves in unexpected grief and a prayer for those sharing together in that grief. It's a prayer for the church to step into its calling to "mourn with those who mourn." (Romans 12:15) It's a prayer for humility and wisdom in how we do this and for grace when we mess it up.
Next Steps
Are you going through unexpected grief? We'd love a chance to pray with you.
Have an idea for an episode? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.
info@livingmarriages.com
Want to partner with us to keep this podcast and non-profit ministry going? Please visit our website to find out how you can pray for us and support us financially: https://livingmarriages.com
At the Living Marriages Podcast, we feel it a privilege and a calling to share stories of Christ-centred marriages in all of their joys and challenges. Today's stories is about one of those marriages. Christina and Sean loved Jesus and they loved each other. And then suddenly, at a very young age, Sean passed away unexpectedly.
What came next for Christina was a story of inexplicable grief, confusion, faith, community and healing.
In this episode, you'll hear:
The blessing that Christina and Sean's marriage was as well as the lessons Christina learned
How God showed up with and for Christina in faith, friendship and community
Some ideas for how we as the church can walk with people in grief
Resources
If you'd like to connect with Christina in her professional capacity as a registered psychologist, you can find her at FUEL Pain and Injury Recovery Clinic. You can find her on social media: Facebook (Your Pain Psychologist) and on Instagram (@yourpainpsychologist)
Next Steps
Are you going through unexpected grief? We'd love a chance to pray with you.
Have an idea for an episode? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.
info@livingmarriages.com
Want to partner with us to keep this podcast and non-profit ministry going? Please visit our website to find out how you can pray for us and support us financially: https://livingmarriages.com
On this Thursday Thought, we invite you into a time and space for reflection and prayer as we ask God 3 important questions:
1. What is the fruit that is being produced in my life (both good and bad)
2. Where do you want to prune?
3. What roadblocks do I have which prevent you from doing that work of pruning?
It is good to reflect on these questions alone at first but if your spouse is willing, we encourage you to listen to Episode 77 together first and then reflect prayerfully on these questions together, as they pertain to your marriage.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."
Matthew 7:16-20
God had us confront a difficult yet extremely important question in today's episode: What is the fruit that is being produced by our marriage?
This is a difficult question because God asks us to allow him to shine his light into some areas we are unaware of or would rather leave alone. This can be in some big things or in some small habits (just ask Aaron about his hockey pool and the effects it has been having on his family!)
By his grace, he wants to bring these things into his light and his grace in order to bring his healing and wholeness, so that in our marriages and our families, we might produce good fruit.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on our family of origin (discussed in Episode 75), its impact on our marriage and how God is inviting us to:
1. celebrate the good things from our upbringing
2. acknowledge the unhealthy things
3. examine some of the things we have left unexamined that could be good or unhealthy
If you are able, please find some time to listen to this episode with your spouse. You will be able to point out and celebrate the "good things" together, support each other through the "unhealthy things" and point out the blind spots as we examine the unique things we each are bringing into our marriage.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
British author, Jay Shetty, shared an image of how our families of origin are like brick houses that we build as we are growing up. Some of those bricks (our habits, understandings, practices) are good, some are crumbling and then there are some gaps in our buildings as well.
How does this affect our marriages? When we get married, we often think that the brick houses we grew up in our the best houses and that our spouse should simply leave theirs and come live in ours. The problem? Our spouse will often feel the same way!
On today's episode, we begin to examine the impact our families of origin have on our marriages and how God is inviting us to build a new house together, brick by brick, with Christ as our cornerstone.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
Are you facing some difficult decisions as a family? Are you and your spouse confronting uncertainty in your marriage?
On today's Thursday Thought, we are inviting you and your spouse to listen together (and if you haven't had a chance yet, listen to Episode 73 where we talk about the importance of prayer and listening conversations in times of uncertainty.) What would it look like to truly seek God in this time, apart and together as spouses? What would it look like to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21) What would it look like to be able to have conversations where we really heard one another and were able to share our hearts fully?
Join us for this time of reflection and prayer!
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
Well this was a first for the Living Marriages Podcast. We started recording an episode that, a minute or two in, didn't feel like what God had for us. We always pray and discuss before we record but even with that, we felt that as we got going, God actually had something different in mind. So what to do? God had us pray about it, have a good conversation about it and then come together to talk about it!
Hopefully those of you facing uncertainty or big decisions will find encouragement in this episode as we discuss what it means to:
Stop, Drop and Pray
To submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21)
How God does desire to speak to us separately so that we can find unity when we come together
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on how saying "yes" to God may mean letting go of something we hold dear. We'll hold space to hear from God where in our lives he is inviting us to do this, as individuals and as a couple and we'll discover why God has better things for us then our favourite toy trucks at times.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
This episode began as a conversation about seeking our "Why?" from God - my life's purpose, my life's mission and focus. Aaron shared his "Why" (saying "yes" to Jesus and helping others says "yes") but as sometimes happens, the Spirit takes the conversation elsewhere and as a result we ended up talking about how in saying "yes" to Jesus, we need to be continually in touch with him about what we're saying "yes" to! (It's almost as if Jesus were inviting us into relationship with him!) :)
We also touch on the need for unity in marriage as we seek to say yes to God together and discern how that yes might change over seasons. Part of the inspiration for our conversation was Bob and Linda Lotich's journey from SeedTime.com. Their incredible episode on stepping into a new season can be found here.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on the powerful and challenging conversation we had with Dr. Barry Danyluk from SEE Globally on Episode 69 in which he invited us to recapture God's heart for the church as family.
We'll consider the ways in which God has given us the mandate, whether we are single, single-again or married, to go and make disciples of all nations. We'll take a moment to consider how we're doing at that, whether we are church leaders or parishioners and how God might be inviting us to be more fully the family he has made us to be.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
While the Living Marriages Podcast primarily focuses on married couples, we are also blessed to have single and once-again single friends as part of our listening community. How we understand singleness and marriage, especially within the church, can have incredible impact on how we care for one another and our gospel impact in the world.
On today's episode, we are excited to welcome Dr. Barry Danylak of See Globally, a ministry helping churches recognize that every single believer, regardless of marital status, is complete in Christ and empowered for significant Kingdom service.
In our conversation, we talk about:
the significance of the singleness of Christ and what that means for covenant community today
how we can care for each other as the diverse body of Christ
how everybody's story matters in the Kingdom, regardless of marital status
how the New Testament equivalent of "be fruitful and multiply" is "Therefore, go and make disciples..."
God's invitation to the singles who desire marriage and to those who are content being single
Resources
To find out more about Dr. Barry Danylak and SEE Globally please click here.
For more information on the "Church As Family" Workshop at Heartland Alliance Church on Saturday, Nov 29, 2025 featuring Dr. Danylak, please click here.
If you'd like to make a donation to this non-profit ministry, we would welcome your partnership! For more information, please visit our website: https://livingmarriages.com
Just a heads-up: please make sure you have some time and space to sit with us and the Spirit in today's episode. Grab your journal, a pen and your Bible and join us as we confront the lies we believe about ourselves with the truth of how God sees us. We'll do this by reading Scripture together, having time and space for reflection and prayer.
If you haven't yet, please also listen to Ep. 67 to prepare for this time.
This may be hard work but God assures us he is with us, he is for us, his Spirit is empowering us and that this work will be worth it.
If you'd like to receive a copy of the list of lies and the Scripture that confronts it, please let us know! And if you want prayer as you embark on this journey, get in touch. We'd be honoured to talk and pray with you.
info@livingmarriages.com
Praying for you as you take this all important journey of discovering who God has made you to be!
Aaron and April
Next Steps
Want to support this non-profit ministry? We value your prayers and financial contributions. To find out how you can make a charitable donation, please visit our website - https://livingmarriages.com
As we journey into the fullness of what God has for us in our lives and marriages, two important questions need to be continunally asked: "What lies do I believe about myself?" and "Who does God say I am?"
Join us as we explore the impact of these two questions and hear the story of how Aaron was sabotaging his marriage early on as a deeply buried lie he believed about himself stopped him from receiving April's love in some areas.
Also, discover God's wisdom for how we can gently yet powerfully draw our spouses out of the lies they believe about themselves into God's redemptive and freeing truth.
Next Steps
How can we be praying for you? Do you need someone to journey with as you discover more about who God is and why that matters in your marriage? If so, drop us a line! We are here for you and want to journey with you: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry? We value your prayers and financial contributions. To find out how you can make a charitable donation, please visit our website - https://livingmarriages.com
In episode 65, we asked the all-important question, "Who do I believe God is?" followed by an equally important question, "Who does my spouse believe God is?"
On today's Thursday Thought, we reflect further on that, asking God to reveal to us the lies that we believe about him in order that we might discover more fully the truth of who he is and the good that he desires for our lives and marriages!
Luke 11:1-13
Next Steps
How can we be praying for you? Do you need someone to journey with as you discover more about who God is and why that matters in your marriage? If so, drop us a line! We are here for you and want to journey with you: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry? We value your prayers and financial contributions. To find out how you can make a charitable donation, please visit our website - https://livingmarriages.com
One of our callings at Living Marriages is to help couples "centre their marriages on God." But have you and your spouse ever taken time to figure out what you believe about God? In what ways are your beliefs the same? In what ways are they different? Are there any false beliefs that could be causing you to drift apart and miss God's best for your marriage?
Join us as we take time to ask some foundational questions about who we believe God to be and why that matters to our marriage.
Resources
“We must come to an awareness in our own minds concerning the nature of God. That is, we must think about God in ways that match what God is like. Without harmony between our ideas about God and his true character, we will never be able to make the kind of contact with God that will give us confidence, grounded in our experience, in the complete sufficiency of God to provide for our needs.”
Dallas Willard from Life Without Lack
Next Steps
How can we be praying for you? Do you need someone to journey with as you discover more about who God is and why that matters in your marriage? If so, drop us a line! We are here for you and want to journey with you: info@livingmarriages.com
Want to support this non-profit ministry? We value your prayers and financial contributions. To find out how you can make a charitable donation, please visit our website - https://livingmarriages.com
Today's Thursday Thought provides space for reflection and prayer while asking some extremely practical questions. (If you haven't already, please listen to Ep. 63)
So grab your Bible and a journal and join us as we reflect on how God wants to pour into our lives, where we might be missing out on that and practical changes we can make to our habits so we're more available to God and one another.
Resources
"Find the room where your family spends the most time and ruthlessly eliminate the things that ask little of you and develop little in you."
Andy Crouch, Tech-Wise Family
Next Steps
We'd love to have the opportunity to hear your story and to pray for you. Drop us a line and let us know what cracked jars God is asking you to give up so you can receive his "more" for your marriage and your life! info@livingmarriages.com
Thank you so much to those of you who have invested in this non-profit ministry! If you feel God inviting you to partner with us through prayer and a charitable donation, please visit our website to find out how you can do this: https://livingmarriages.com
When Bob and Linda Lotich from SeedTime introduced us to the concept of Assets Under Management (episode 61), it was in the context of finances. As we began to consider this more, we've realized that this principal applies to all of our lives and marriages, including how we manage the time, energy and attention God has given us.
On this episode, we look at the powerful image of the pouring of oil into jars that God gave April from 2 Kings 4. We consider if we're missing God's miracle for the "more" he desires for our marriage because we're pouring our time, energy and attention into the wrong things, into cracked jars.
Resources
Read the account from 2 Kings 4:1-7 by clicking here.
Next Steps
We'd love to have the opportunity to hear your story and to pray for you. Drop us a line and let us know what cracked jars God is asking you to give up so you can receive his "more" for your marriage and your life! info@livingmarriages.com
Thank you so much to those of you who have invested in this non-profit ministry! If you feel God inviting you to partner with us through prayer and a charitable donation, please visit our website to find out how you can do this: https://livingmarriages.com
Why is it so hard to trust God, especially when it comes to the area of finances in marriage?
In this Thursday Thought, we reflect on our conversation from ep. 61 with Bob and Linda Lotich and God's invitation to shift our mindset from finding our "Net Worth" to stewarding "Assets Under Management." We reflect on the reality of God's goodness and provision AND the challenge it is as humans to continually trust him in that.
We also pray for a breakthrough in your understanding and trust of God for your finances in your marriage. Grab a pen and your journal and join us for this time of reflection and prayer!
About Bob and Linda + Resources
Bob and Linda Lotich have spent the last 15 years helping millions discover true financial freedom with their award-winning blog SeedTime.com and SeedTime Money podcast. Unlike most financial experts, they lead with grace over judgment and focus on creating hope while washing away the shame so many carry with money. In their new book Simple Money, Rich Life, they share practical steps to save and earn more money in order to fund your God-given purpose and dreams.
For your free copy of "Simple Money, Rich Life" click here.
Support Living Marriages
Thank you so much to those of you who have invested in this non-profit ministry! If you feel God inviting you to partner with us through prayer and a charitable donation, please visit our website to find out how you can do this: https://livingmarriages.com
In this second part of our conversation with Bob and Linda Lotich of Seedtime.com, we get practical. (Please check out the first part of our conversation in ep. 59 if you haven't already.)
One of the key mindset shifts Bob and Linda teach to gain financial freedom is to move away from valuing our "Net Worth" towards stewarding "Assets Under Management." This shift will affect everything from how we budget to how generous we can be, all while growing closer to God and one another in our marriage.
About Bob and Linda + Resources
Bob and Linda Lotich have spent the last 15 years helping millions discover true financial freedom with their award-winning blog SeedTime.com and SeedTime Money podcast. Unlike most financial experts, they lead with grace over judgment and focus on creating hope while washing away the shame so many carry with money. In their new book Simple Money, Rich Life, they share practical steps to save and earn more money in order to fund your God-given purpose and dreams.
For your free copy of "Simple Money, Rich Life" click here.
Support Living Marriages
Thank you so much to those of you who have invested in this non-profit ministry! If you feel God inviting you to partner with us through prayer and a charitable donation, please visit our website to find out how you can do this: https://livingmarriages.com
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
