Marriage & Disappointment

#386: What’s the Secret To Getting the Marriage & Intimacy You Want? Go Vertical

Guests Dave and Ann Wilson join Juli in this special bonus episode as they share how God transformed their marriage from the top down.

Q&A: What If I’m Not Attracted to My Spouse Anymore?

What do you do if you’re no longer attracted to your spouse?

#447: Strengthen Your Marriage Today (and Be Ready for Whatever 2023 May Bring)

Juli Slattery and Gary Thomas share wisdom and insight to keep your marriage together when the storms of life threaten to rip it apart.

Webinar: How to Use Your Power to Build Intimacy

What do you do if your husband refuses to get a job? When you don't like the way he's parenting the kids? How do you know when you've become a controlling or manipulative wife? God has given you a powerful influence in the life of your husband - but you have to learn...

#156: How To Keep Your Heart Open When You Don’t Feel Emotionally Safe

"Open" is the default setting of our hearts. When our hearts are closed, we lack perspective. We're more likely to make poor...

#430: Marriage Can Be Hard, Here’s Why the Work Is Worth It

What do you do when you want to give up on your marriage? Greg & Erin Smalley share their story—and remind us that we can ask...

#414: Good Marriages Often Get Off to a Rocky Start (& Why It’s OK)

Even good marriages can get off to a rocky start. In this episode, Ray and Robyn McKelvy, now married over 30 years, share their...

#383: What Do I Do With Disappointment in Marriage?

Have you tried to "fix" problems in your marriage, only to end up feeling distant? Disappointment is common...

Want Your Marriage To Go the Distance? You’ll Need More Than “Artificial Intimacy”

Here’s a little secret I learned a few years into marriage: I didn’t know if I really loved Mike until I felt no feelings of love toward him. The sense of “feeling love” had to fade away for me to be able to learn how to really love my husband. My friend, and this...

#341: When Staying Married Feels Impossible

Circumstances in Laurie’s life started triggering her memories of childhood sexual abuse. Her lifelong struggle...

#327: When Your Spouse Feels More Like a Roommate

Every couple experiences times of disconnection, but when your spouse begins to feel more like a roommate than a lover, it’s easy to...

#319: Is Good Sex a “Right” in Marriage?

Juli and Hannah sit down for a candid conversation about whether or not it's possible to have a good, Christian marriage and not be...

#55: When Marriage Won’t Get Better

What do you do when your marriage isn’t what you want it to be, but your spouse won't work on it, no matter...

Where Do You Run When Marriage Gets Lonely?

It’s one thing to be lonely when you are single, wondering if and when God will ever bring the right guy. It’s another matter for your heart to ache with loneliness when the “right guy” is living in your home and sleeping in your bed. If this is your reality, please...

Beyond a Happy Marriage

Within the past month, I’ve been accused of two things that seem to be mutually exclusive. A few women have made comments like, “Why don’t you ever challenge the men? Why is it always the woman’s responsibility to build a healthy marriage?” And men have written me...

A Perfect Marriage

Mike and I recently attended a wedding. The bride was stunning, and the groom gleamed with pride. Not a dry eye in the place. Weddings are beautiful—not just because of the music, flowers, dresses, and tuxes, but also because they represent young, unblemished love....

Is There Really a 7-Year Itch?

My husband and I are leading a Bible study with mostly newlywed couples. After a few weeks, we noticed how often we referred to the seven-year-something . . . itch? pit? slump? The other couples in the group started nervously teasing about what terrible blockade may...

#33: What’s It Like to Be Married to Me?

Have you ever asked yourself, What's it like to be married to me? What's it like to make love with me? Why do I want to stay mad? ...

Your Spouse Doesn’t Complete You

When is the last time you felt disappointed by your marriage? Notice that I asked when, not if. Disappointment is a normal part of any relationship, but it hits us particularly hard in marriage. We live in a day and time when marriage is presented as an answer for...

#204: Managing Your Expectations in Marriage

Once I am married I’ll always feel loved. I’ll never be lonely. Sex will be fantastic because I waited....

#172: My Husband Isn’t My Best Friend

When you say “I do”, are you also promising to be your spouse’s best friend? Is it important to think...

#164: How to Work Through Missed Expectations in Marriage

Marriage doesn’t always turn out the way you think it will. Maybe your husband isn’t quite the gentleman he...

#157: Why He Wants to be Your Hero

Men are simple—or at least that’s what you’ve been led to believe. Give them food, sex, perhaps throw...

Help! My Husband Annoys Me

“He slurps his soup, bites his fingernails and always leaves his dirty clothes on the floor. I expected the relational challenges of marriage, but my biggest problem is that I can barely stand to be in the same room with the man!” I wonder how many marriages are...

My Husband Isn’t My Best Friend

Endless romance. Hot sex. Being best-best-best-best friends. These are just some of the idealistic hopes we pile onto marriage. There are good motivations behind each of these hopes, but let's just be real. It's probably not all going to happen. Though it is a...