When Eric and Erikah Rivera met and started dating as high school sweethearts, they sensed God’s call on their lives. But they did not know how it would all unfold. Today they are church planters in their hometown of Chicago, and they graciously share their story of how God has met them in the midst of unexpected fear and pain, and the ways He has worked in each circumstance. Don’t miss this encouraging conversation with the Riveras.    We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.    Episode highlights include:    How sharing their fears and grief with each other led to increased faith   Unexpected ways God can use our trials when we invite Him to    Should the disciple be known as “Doubting Thomas” or “Ride-or-Die Thomas”?     When God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we hope      Subscribe to Podcast Email to make sure you never miss an episode. When you sign up, you will get our 4 Week Connection Challenge for free! Plus you will get noteworthy quotes, resources, and more delivered straight to your inbox.   *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!   RESOURCES   You can find Eric and Erikah on Instagram   Hear more on the Brook Church website and YouTube Channel    44 Tips to Better Sex in Marriage: Sexual Intimacy Cheat Sheet   Whether you’re early in marriage or past the halfway point, we want you to thrive the whole way through. “Love, Intimacy and Sex in the Second Half” is Dr. Kim’s newest book. It releases in August, and it’s available HERE for preorder today!     

When God Meets Us Where We Are with Eric & Erikah Rivera

Far too many couples are just surviving their marriage when it was meant to thrive. This is the place for practical tips on how to build an awesome marriage. Our passion is to help you strengthen your marriage.

Dr. Kim Kimberling hosts the show. Dr. Kim is the President of Awesome Marriage, has been married for 53 years, and has been a professional counselor for 40 years. He is the author of 7 Secrets to An Awesome Marriage and 14 Keys To Lasting Love. 

Dr. Kim is joined by co-host Lindsay Few, Content Director for Awesome Marriage. She has been married for 20 years. Her husband is a church planter, and they love ministering to married couples together. 

Tune in each week to hear practical ways on how to have an awesome marriage!

This podcast is brought to you by the ministry of Awesome Marriage.

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Today we answer some of the most frequently asked questions we hear about sex. Dr. Kim and Christina covered this on an episode in 2021, and we’ve distilled their conversation into the most timeless and practical answers to common sex questions.  We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage.   Episode highlights include:     How often is “normal”?   Dealing with dead sex drive   Is oral sex ok in marriage? What about anal?   Is there such thing as too much sex when trying to conceive?    How to start talking to your kids about sex    What do do if your spouse withholds sex     *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!    QUOTES    “Guys, you have to continue to be romantic.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling    “I wanted my kids to talk to me about sex before they went to a friend or read it on a bathroom wall or a magazine. You want that door to be open.”  - Dr. Kim Kimberling    “You need to honor each other and respect each other’s body to honor God in marriage.” - Christina Dodson   “Guys, if you please your wife first, does it really matter when you orgasm? There's this unspoken pressure.” - Christina Dodson    “There’s always an answer. I’ve never had a couple we couldn’t figure out an answer for.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling   “Stay at the comfort level of the one who is least comfortable. If you do that, you’re going to be ok.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling      MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:    Sign up  HERE to get the Couple’s Conversation Guide for each week’s new episode    Dr. Kim’s Marriage Multiplier is a quick weekly email with actionable insights to grow your marriage. Sign up HERE!    Resources we recommend for starting the sex conversation with your spouse    Celebration of Sex   Lovemaking Survey    Resources we recommend for talking to your kids about sex:      Don’t Mom Alone Podcast Ep 328    Full Set - God's Design for Sex Series: Revised and Updated Edition by Stan Jones, Brenna Jones    We’re delighted to partner with The Sex Talk, an excellent online course to help you navigate this topic well      

Answering Listener Sex Questions | Ep. 615

Trust in marriage is not one-size-fits all. There are many areas where your marriage needs trust in order to thrive, and some might matter to your spouse more than they do to you, and vice versa. So today we’re talking about how to navigate any trust gaps you may have with your spouse, how to start the conversation about it, and rebuild what’s been broken so you both feel more connected and secure in your marriage.   We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage.    Episode highlights include:     Several types of trust marriages need, and why they matter   The side effects of missing trust    Simple steps to catch a trust slip-up so that trust is not broken   Specific trust-killers you need to avoid    How to build trust - and keep it     *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!    QUOTES    “It helps to build trust if you accept me as I am, not as you wish I would be.” - Lindsay Few    “I may not even be aware if I did something that affected the trust, and I want to know.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling    “If it’s important to her and it keeps coming up, I want her to tell me about it.” Dr. Kim Kimberling    “I’d be so offended when he didn’t trust me, but when I think about the reality, I wasn’t trustworthy.” - Lindsay Few    “Trust is between two people. It’s not just your perception of yourself.” - Lindsay Few    “It’s not like we quit making mistakes, it’s just that we handle them differently now.”  - Dr. Kim Kimberling      MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:    What would happen if you took the next 4 weeks to reframe your spouse and your marriage with a biblical approach? Cultivate a better perspective – and a better marriage, with our  Reframing Challenge   Sign up  HERE to get the Couple’s Conversation Guide for each week’s new episode    Does your sex life need a reboot? Improve your sex life with our Locking Lips Kissing Game!    If your marriage has been damaged by porn, the  Marriage Undefiled Online Course provides a path to rebuild trust and repair your marriage.     Click  HERE to get the Couple’s Conversation Guide for each week’s new episode!    The free printable  Weekly Check Up is a simple way to keep short accounts and keep building trust.  

Types of Trust Every Marriage Needs | Ep. 614

Does lust have a place in marriage? What sets it apart from sexual desire? Today we’re working through the reasons this question matters for your marriage, and how to have a marriage that glorifies God in every aspect, including how you steward your sexual desires.  We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage.  Episode highlights include:      Defining the difference between lust and desire, biblically    The godly purposes for sexual desire in marriage   Specific reasons why misused sexual desire is destructive    How to maintain purity in marriage    Why porn affects your marriage even if your spouse doesn’t know you use it     *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!  QUOTES    “Lust is more about what you see, what you’re attracted to and what it can do for you.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling   “In the Bible, it’s not like they lived in a Puritanical culture at that time. No, it was probably every bit as bad…we just access things in a different way now.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling   “If we look at Scripture, lust was never mentioned in a positive light.” - Lindsay Few    “We won’t ever clear that bar, but he’s taken care of it through his life, death and resurrection, so there is grace and forgiveness.” - Lindsay Few    “The best sex is within the context of a Christian marriage.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling   “If it’s reduced to that ‘just get it over with’ kind of situation, whoa. Red flag. The goal is not just to satisfy the urge, the goal is mutual enjoyment, pleasure, connection and building of the marriage.” - Lindsay Few   “Vulnerability is uncomfortable, but it can lead you to prevent something a lot more painful.” - Lindsay Few      MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:     If your marriage has been damaged by porn, our free  5 Steps to Healing After Porn Betrayal webinar with Dr. Kim is a great first step toward healing   Our  Marriage Undefiled Online Course with Matt Cline takes a deeper look at ways to heal and restore your marriage    Sign up  HERE to get the Couple’s Conversation Guide for each week’s new episode    Getting Your Sex Life Off To A Great Start by Cliff & Joyce Penner   The Gift of Sex by Cliff & Joyce Penner    The Best Way to Affair Proof Your Marriage (Past Episode)    Does your sex life need a reboot? Improve your sex life with our Locking Lips Kissing Game!     

Lust vs Desire: What's the Difference? | Ep. 613

Most couples are not going to be completely aligned with sex drive. There are a lot of factors that  can cause this, but there are also a lot of solutions! Today we want to equip you to have a productive approach to making your sex life the best it can be in marriage.  We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage.    Episode highlights include:     Why is it so hard to have a productive conversation about sex?    Should the lower-drive spouse “just do it” for the spouse’s sake? Why or why not?    Why respecting your wife’s drive level helps her feel sexy    Ways to respect your spouse’s drive      *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!    MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:    What would happen if you took the next 4 weeks to reframe your spouse and your marriage with a biblical approach? Learn how to have a better perspective – and a better marriage, with our  Reframing Challenge   Does your sex life need a reboot? Improve your sex life with our Locking Lips Kissing Game!    If your marriage has been damaged by porn, the  Marriage Undefiled Online Course provides a path to rebuild trust and repair your marriage.     Click  HERE to get the Couple’s Conversation Guide for each week’s new episode!     

How to Handle Mismatched Sex Drives in Marriage | Ep. 612

Do you hope to break generational patterns of pain? Are childhood hurts haunting your marriage? Today’s guest Kristen Hallinan is a writer and speaker, and today she helps you see how to identify and break generational patterns to find hope, healing and redemption. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage.    Episode highlights include:      How your past trauma can affects your current reactions    What makes it so hard to break cycles    Red flags of unhealthy family dynamics    How to work with God to find his redemption    Steps to making a redemption plan for your marriage      *Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!    QUOTES   “It can be easy to say, ‘Why didn’t I know better?’ You didn’t know better because that’s all you knew.” - Kristen Hallinan    “The more I’ve gotten to know who God is, the more I understand who I am.”- Kristen Hallinan    “I used to believe if I just tried hard enough, I could grow up and create this perfect family.” - Kristen Hallinan      MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:    Sign up  HERE to get the Couple’s Conversation Guide for each week’s new episode    Learn more about how to make your marriage conflict healthy by joining Dr. Kim for the 8 Guidelines for Fighting Fair Webinar    Dr. Kim recommends the book, The Body Keeps the Score    Grab Kristen’s book, Legacy Changer for more great info on the topic   Follow Kristen on Instagram and check out her website  

When God Meets Us Where We Are with Eric & Erikah Rivera

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