Authentic Intimacy

Q&A: How Do I Learn to Trust My Spouse Again After an Affair?

How do you learn to trust again when your spouse has had an affair?

Q&A: How Do I Love My LGBTQ Friends Without Compromising Biblical Truth?

Is it possible to love your LGBTQ friends without compromising biblical truth?

#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...

#263: Experiencing Sexual Pleasure, Part 2

In part two of this conversation, you'll hear about the other two legs of the "sexual desire triangle" and go from getting your body...

#262: Experiencing Sexual Pleasure, Part 1

Unlike most men (who always seem to be in the mood, always climax, and never experience pain), sexual pleasure can be a mystery to...

#423: How to “Rethink” Issues in Our Church Culture Around Sexuality & Abuse

We need to be asking some hard questions. In the wake of the SBC investigation, along with the growing tsunami of fallen pastors,...

#509 Workaholism And Infidelity Almost Led To Divorce, But A Miracle Saved Their Marriage

Join Juli, David and Terri, as the couple talk about how God’s intervention saved and restored their marriage.

#505 What Does it Look Like to Struggle with Sexual Sin and Still Love Jesus?

Lina Abujamra discusses external and internal challenges and the truths we all wrestle with as we pursue God’s design for sexuality.

#488 What Does the Bible Really Say About Same-Sex Marriage?

What is the Biblical essence of marriage and who is it for? Preston Sprinkle discusses his new book “Does the Bible Support Same-Sex Marriage?”

Q&A: How Do I Know if My Spouse Is Repentant After a Betrayal?

How do you know if your spouse is repentant after a betrayal?

Q&A: Past Sexual Trauma Inhibits My Ability to Enjoy Sex. Is There Hope That I Can Ever Heal?

When trauma is in your past, is sexual enjoyment possible?

Q&A: How Can I Overcome the Shame I Experienced as a Result of Purity Culture?

How do you overcome any shame you’ve experienced from purity culture?

Q&A: Is Sex Necessary For Intimacy?

Is sex necessary for intimacy?

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?

Q&A: Sex Has Never Been Pleasurable in Our Marriage. Should I Just Fake It?

If you don’t enjoy sex, should you just fake it?

Q&A: What Is the Difference Between Sexual Integrity and Purity?

What is the difference between sexual integrity and purity?

Q&A: What’s Okay to Do Sexually in Marriage?

What’s okay to do sexually in marriage?

#438: How Your Story Becomes Sacred in the Hands of Jesus

Glenn Packiam joins Juli to talk about how the biblical metaphor of ordinary table bread reveals God’s...

#437: How To Help Your Kids Learn Resilience and Build Character

Living with sexual integrity often means saying no to what you want in the moment. If you expect life to always be...

#155: How To Fight With Your Spouse

Are you ready to fight your way to a better marriage? Conflict presents an incredible opportunity for couples. When done well, it...

Webinar Series: Sex & the Single Christian, Pt 2

How To Ditch the Counterfeits & Find True Intimacy Part 2 in this webinar series Therapist and life coach Dawn Jones is back to tell us the truth about counterfeit intimacy and how to recover from trauma like porn, abuse, and even your "friends" on social media....

#429: How To Find Love When Dating Has Changed with Jonathan Pokluda

Is the way you approach dating actually sabotaging your chances for a healthy marriage? From “just coffee” to...

#426: How To Better Understand the Complexity Beneath Gender Dysphoria

What’s the difference between sexual identity and gender identity? Should parents use preferred pronouns? Or allow kids to dress in...

#421: “God, Sex, and Your Marriage”-Juli Answers Your Questions

You're starting to see how sexual intimacy is a reflection of covenant love. But what does that actually look like in your sex...

#418: What Is Sexual Intimacy Supposed To Look Like in Marriage?

Imagine that you and your spouse are building a jigsaw puzzle, but you don’t know what the picture on the front of the box looks...

#416: How God Uses Heartache to Prepare You for Your True Calling

Dr. Dan Allender and Cathy Loerzel join Juli to share about Redeeming Heartache—a new book and tool (think Enneagram or DISC) to...

#413: The Perfect Parent Is the One Who Knows They Need Jesus

Dave and Ann Wilson get real about the messiness of parenting. They'll share how they learned to bring others around them, to learn...

#411: The Unlikely Means God Uses To Bring Beauty From Ashes

What are the unlikely (often unwelcome) means that God uses to heal us? Join us to find out and discover the power of being fully...

#403: How Do I Reconcile God’s Goodness with Sexual Pain & Injustice?

How can we reconcile the pain of sexual abuse with faith in a loving God?

#402: If God Made My Body “Good,” Why Does It Cause So Much Pain?

Juli is joined by author and apologist Sam Allberry to share how we can reconcile the goodness of our bodies (which are created by...

#401: Why “Love Is Love” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

Black Lives Matter. Love is love. Hate has no home here. A thread of truth—truth deeply rooted in Christianity—runs through these...

#400: If God Is Good, Why Doesn’t He Take Away My Sexual Addiction?

At the root of every struggle with ongoing, unwanted sexual sin is a lie about God—and it keeps you from the very things that bring...

#399: Why Questions About Sex Cause You to Question God

Juli and Hannah kick off the "Making Sense of God & Sex" series with a conversation about how questions around sex always lead...

#398: How Trauma-Informed Care Helps Your Brain, Body & Relationships

“Trauma-informed care” is more than just a pop psychology buzzword. Join Juli and her guest to learn about the experiences that we...

#393: Practical Wisdom for Dating & Friendship

Can we get practical about dating? Juli and author Eric Demeter put aside the Christian dating subculture and get super...

#65: Why Healing Takes Time, with Francine Rivers

Juli sits down with author Francine Rivers to hear how her own story of brokenness and healing after an abortion...

#387: Life, Intimacy and Loving Your Body After Breast Cancer & Reconstruction

Kim Harms was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her fortieth birthday. In this episode, Juli grabs...

#385: How To Wrestle With God Over Questions of Sex & Sexuality

Come deconstruct with us for 40 minutes or so. Yep, that's right. If we can’t ask hard questions about the...

#378: How One Church Learned To Embrace the Beauty of Broken

Imagine there is a sign on the door of your church that says, “Please leave your sexual brokenness on the steps...

#348: What You Need To Know About the “T” in LGBT, Pt 2

In this episode, Juli continues her conversation with Preston Sprinkle as they dive into biblical questions around...

#347: What You Need To Know About the “T” in LGBT, Pt 1

What was once a rare psychological diagnosis has quickly become an accepted cultural movement. While it's critical...

I Was Sexually Abused. Now, God Is Restoring My Identity

How does sexual abuse impact the way we view ourselves? A sexual abuse survivor shares her journey towards healing.

#510 Influencer Anh Lin on Overcoming Trauma and Living a Beautiful Life

Accidental influencer and author of “Forever Home”, Anh Lin, shares her story of journeying through trauma and brokenness to healing.

Overcoming Addiction: The Crucial Element You Might Be Missing

What does it mean to be “in Christ,” and how does this lead to healing and freedom?

#508 What Does Healthy Masculinity Actually Look Like?

What can we learn from the lives of the heroes of the faith?

#507 What You Need To Know About The Gender Conversation

John and Sarah Stonestreet explore some of the underlying beliefs surrounding sexuality in our culture.

#506 How To Make Sense Of Grief And God’s Goodness

Pastors Ed and Lisa Young of Fellowship Church join Juli for a moving, faith-filled conversation about the loss of their daughter, Lee-Beth.

How can you Know if You’re Ready for Marriage?

Are you as ready as you think you are for marriage?

Q&A: Can Sexual Sin be Forgiven?

Are some sins less forgivable than others?

Q&A: How Do I Love My LGBTQ Friends Without Compromising Biblical Truth? (Part 2)

Is it possible to love your LGBTQ friends without compromising biblical truth?

Q&A: Is It OK to Call a Transgender Friend by Their Preferred Pronouns?

Is It OK to call a transgender friend by their preferred pronouns?

How The American Church Reinforces Isolation and Why That Needs to Change

What if one of the most important things about church is not what happens at meetings but what happens between them?

#490 How Do You Go From Being Stuck in Bondage to True Freedom?

What does it really take to go from death to life? How are we truly transformed? Jonathan Daugherty joins Juli to discuss his new book.

#257: How Trauma Affects Our Bodies & Souls

Whether you’ve experienced physical or emotional trauma, it always leaves a mark. Susie Larson joins Juli to discuss the path to healing when trauma runs deep.

#486 Teaching Sexual Discipleship: How to Walk in Truth and Love with LGBTQ+ Kids

Kelly Urbon discusses the work she is doing in counseling parents of those who identify as LGBTQ+, and explains why this work is so necessary.

Q&A: Is It My Responsibility to Meet My Spouse’s Sexual Needs?

Is it your responsibility to meet your spouse’s sexual needs?

#473 Repentance, Redemption, and Revolution: How to Accept the Invitation of Godly Sexuality

What does it actually look like to accept the invitation to reclaim God’s design for sexuality in your life? Is the path straight, wide, and flat, or narrow, bumpy, and full of twists and turns? In this episode of Java with Juli, Juli hosts guests Cole and Caitlin Zick of Moral Revolution as they discuss their polar-opposite experiences embracing their sexuality as God intended.

Q&A: We Have Sex Regularly, but My Husband Never Seems Satisfied. What Do I Do?

What do you do if your spouse never seems satisfied with the sex you’re having?

Q&A: Is There Any Hope for Me in My Struggle with Porn?

Is there hope for you in your struggle with porn?

Why We Don’t Experience Victory

I recently spoke with a young woman who despises herself because of her continual struggle with lust and pornography. She’s tried to obey God and run away from sin only to find herself falling into it once again. I’ve met other people who feel similar discouragement...

What Do I Do With My Sexual Desires?

“What do I do with my sexual desire?” I’ve heard this question from men and women of every age, from those who have never married and from those who find themselves “single again.” I have also heard this question from married people who, for one reason or another, do...

Q&A: How Can I Steward My Sexuality as a Single?

How do you steward your sexuality as a single person?

#448: When Did Sexual Identity Become a Thing? (and Why Are We Obsessed With It?)

Sexual identity has become a common phrase, a personal choice, a political cause and, for many, the way we introduce ourselves to others (used even by tweens and teens who’ve never had a sexual experience)—and it feels like it all happened overnight. Do you ever wonder how we got here?

#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.

#446: How Much More of Your Sexuality Will You Let God Reclaim in 2023?

Juli shares her thoughts on 2022, on having hard conversations about sexuality, and how to ask God to use painful...

#444: A Heart Set Free From Shame and Lies Is a Gift

Open the gift that allows you to experience real intimacy. Our long-awaited Savior came to set us free from sin and shame. Will you exchange your heart for His?

#443: Is Your View of Sex and Marriage Gift-worthy?

When marriage is simply about getting our needs met, we end up playing whack-a-mole with symptoms of sin and brokenness that pop up...

#442: How To Find Peace and Hope in the Midst of Anxiety

Linda Dillow shares about the loss of her daughter during the pandemic, how God used the message of “Calm My Anxious Heart” to...

#441: Understanding God’s Heart for Food and Freedom

Are you ready to end that toxic relationship in your life — your love-hate relationship with food? No more...

#440: Why Don’t Christians Like to Talk About the Real, Hard Stuff in Life?

Are Christians a prickly audience when it comes to sharing our brokenness and pain? Let's change that. Join Juli and...

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...

#436: Friendship Trends Gone Wrong? (How to Keep Your Friendships Healthy)

Boundaries are a tricky part of friendship. Friends help us meet legitimate needs for companionship, spiritual growth,...

#435: What’s the Most Important Thing the Bible Says About Your Identity?

"The journey of the Christian life is that God has increasingly more of me." - Dr. Juli Slattery Juli and Hannah talk about sexual...

#434: Is Sexual Sin More Than Just Your Behavior?

If you are a Christian, you are a new creation—the old has gone and all things have become new. As new creations in Christ, what...

Webinar Series: Sex & the Single Christian, Pt 1

What Kind Of a Gift Is Sexuality if I Can't Have Sex? Part 1 in this webinar series A fan-favorite "Java with Juli" guest, The Boundless Show's Lisa Anderson, steps in as co-host to help Juli unpack why your sexuality doesn't have an on/off switch called "marriage."...

#433: Can You Be Gay and Follow Jesus? with Greg Coles

Greg Coles shares why he doesn't love the controversy surrounding the title of his book Single, Gay, Christian, yet why he's...

#432: Unraveling the Threads of Racism & “Love Addiction” in My Story

Why did I have sex with him again? Why can't I stop this masturbation addiction? Why can't I get this fantasy out of my head? Are...

#428: Don’t Say That to Your Single Friends (Say This Instead)

It happens. Despite good intentions, perhaps without realizing it, you say something careless to a single friend. You've got time....

Prioritize Sexual Intimacy by Getting Your Body Ready, Part 2

Much of my work in helping people navigate sexual issues revolves around how we think about sex. Your thought life, and your understanding of God and sex, are very important to your sex life. However, the basic truth is this: you can’t have sex without a body. Sex,...

#425: Bonus! How To Build Community & Friendships with Intention and Grace

Feeling stuck in your friendships? You're not alone! As the seasons of life change, our friendships don't always keep up. If you're...

#424: A 54-Year Friendship That Broke Through Cross-Cultural Barriers

Their friendship defied the odds. In the late 60s, in the South, these men weren’t supposed to become friends. Yet, with Jesus as...

#422: How to Care for Both Women and Children in the Wake of the Dobbs Decision

Do you know that God’s heart is for both women and their unborn children, and don’t know where you fit in the pro-life/pro-choice...

#420: Bonus! What Redemption and Sexual Intimacy Look Like in Real Life

Sex was nothing like what they were told it was going to be. She felt pain. He felt guilt. Together, they're on a journey toward...

#419: Why Sexual Intimacy is About So Much More Than Just Having Sex

Are you working from the wrong understanding of what makes a great sex life? Find out in this...

5 Ways the Church Must “Step Up” in Response to Sexual Abuse Within Its Walls

A few weeks ago, the Christian world was rocked by a bombshell revelation. An independent report of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) documented a pattern of ignoring and silencing victims of sexual abuse within the denomination. While there were rumblings of...

How To Go From Demand and “Duty Sex” to True Sexual Intimacy

As Roy and Stacy listened to their pastor teach on I Corinthians 7, they began to shift uncomfortably in their seats. “Paul is saying here that a wife is to meet her husband’s sexual needs. If she doesn’t, he may be tempted to seek sex outside of their relationship.”...

How To Help Little Ones Celebrate How God Made Their Bodies

We're happy to welcome Francie Winslow back to the blog. You can learn more from Francie at her website. I was cuddled up with my youngest son on the couch when the well-known cartoon “Blues Clues” popped up on the screen. Along with flashy colors came a classic tune,...

#415: How To Encourage and Celebrate the Single Mom in Your Life

God's promise of provision for the single mom is also a call to body of Christ. In this episode, Michelle Donnelly...

#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...

#410: Sexual Abuse in Marriage and How To Help a Hurting Wife

Sexual abuse in marriage... wait. What? Doesn't the Bible say a spouse "has authority" over the other's body? Let's talk practically...

#408: Science Offers Kids a Powerful Reason To Say No to Porn

If teens understood the significant impact of porn on their brains, on their relationships, and porn's link to human trafficking,...

#407: Masturbation: The No. 1 Question You’re Asking Us!

There's more to the masturbation conversation than simply "right" or "wrong." Could masturbation be an issue of spiritual maturity...

#406: Every Couple Has a Sexual Dance. What Does Yours Say About You?

Sex therapist Dr. Mike Sytsma says that when a couple tells him how they kiss or how they make love, he can tell them...

Webinar: Making Sense of God & Sex, Live Q&A

How do I bring God my heartache over the fact that my daughter is living in a same-sex relationship? Why does God care if my husband and I are having sex or not? Does God really expect me to give up sex, even if I never marry? When you wrestle with sexual pain or...

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