Marriage After God

By Aaron Smith & Jennifer SmithSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Relationships

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Marriage After God episodes

August 14, 2025 Embracing Change: Homeschooling, Community, and the Joy of Growth
A summer update on homeschooling, leaving a longtime home church, and a simple prayer challenge for friends
About This Episode
Aaron and Jennifer Smith catch up and share reflections from a full and meaningful summer. They talk about their sixth baby, starting homeschool early because the kids asked for it, their soon-to-be 13-year-old doing independent junior-high work and teaching himself Japanese, and the encouragement they received at a recent homeschool conference. They explain why they still make physical photo albums, and open up about the bittersweet decision to step away from their home church of about ten years, six of which they spent pastoring it. They also share honestly about a hard moment in their marriage when they reached out to friends for counsel, and how gardening has become a picture of patient, consistent growth.
About Aaron & Jennifer Smith
Aaron and Jennifer Smith are the founders of Marriage After God and authors of Husband After God, Wife After God, and Marriage After God. Married since 2007 and raising six children in Bend, Oregon, they started Husband Revolution and Unveiled Wife to share what God was teaching them, not from a place of having it figured out, but as fellow travelers pointing couples back to Jesus.
In This Episode
Family updates — Life with baby number six and a full, meaningful summer.
Homeschooling early — Why they started the school year early because the kids asked for it.
Homeschool encouragement — What they took away from a recent homeschool conference.
Tangible memories — Why printed photo albums still matter in a digital age.
Leaving a home church — The emotional decision to step away from the church they pastored for six years.
Reaching out for help — Why prayer and support from friends matter in hard seasons.
Gardening and growth — What tending a garden teaches about patient, consistent effort.
The prayer challenge — Ask your spouse and a few friends, “How can I pray for you today?” and pray right then.
Scripture Referenced
Isaiah 55:10-13 — “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle.” God is not done growing us.
James 1:15 — Sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.
Romans 7:24-25 — Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ.
Resources from This Episode
His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley Jr.
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann
Teach Them Diligently homeschool conference
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
44 min
August 07, 2025 Marriage, Mentorship, and Parenting in a Digital Age w/ Jay Holland
Jay Holland on rites of passage, raising brave kids offline, and why dad should be the first to repent
About This Episode
Aaron Smith sits down with Jay Holland, a pastor with more than 25 years in college and student ministry, husband to Emily, and the biological, adoptive, and foster father of four. Together they explore the intersection of marriage, parenting, and youth ministry. Jay explains how intentional rites of passage, using Robert Lewis's framework and ceremonies where the church lays hands on graduating seniors, help raise sons and daughters into godly manhood and womanhood. They talk about combating teen anxiety and identity struggles by limiting kids' digital access, citing The Anxious Generation, while giving them more freedom and bravery in the physical world. Jay also makes the case for dad being the first repenter in the house and for surrounding kids with godly mentors.
About Jay Holland
Jay Holland is husband to Emily and the biological, adoptive, and foster father of four children. For over 25 years he has served as a pastor in college and student ministries, has navigated seasons of special-needs parenting within his own family, and is the voice behind the Let's Parent on Purpose podcast.
In This Episode
Rites of passage — Why intentional milestones help shape manhood and womanhood.
A framework for manhood — Drawing on Robert Lewis's approach to raising sons.
The church's role — Ceremonies where the church lays hands on graduating seniors.
Parenting in a digital age — How technology affects teen anxiety, identity, and connection.
Brave in the real world — Limiting digital access while encouraging freedom and risk-taking offline.
The first repenter — Why dads should model repentance and humility at home.
Mentorship — Surrounding kids with godly men and women.
Identity in Christ — Teaching children who they are in Christ.
Joy in marriage — Prioritizing joy and intimacy with your spouse while raising kids.
Scripture Referenced
Genesis 1:27 — We are made in the image of God, the core of our identity.
1 Corinthians 15:33 — Bad company corrupts good morals.
Matthew 13:24-30 — The parable of the wheat and the tares.
Resources from This Episode
Let's Parent on Purpose: letsparentonpurpose.com
Guided by Faith: Jay's daily devotional podcast for teens and young adults
Things for Thursday Newsletter: text THINGS to 66866
Book mentioned: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
Resource mentioned: The Sex Talk, a subscription resource that coaches parents through age-appropriate conversations from preschool through engagement
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
1 hr 10 min
July 31, 2025 Embracing Faith and Family Through Adoption w/ Spencer & Ashton Draper
A five-year, $80,000 adoption from Ghana, a marriage near divorce, and the counseling that turned it around
About This Episode
Aaron Smith sits down with Spencer and Ashton Draper, who met through a mutual friend at a youth conference and have been married 12 years, to hear their journey of adoption, faith, and perseverance. They share how Ashton's lifelong passion for adoption led them to pursue their son Bismarck from Ghana, a roughly five-year, $80,000 process delayed by COVID and Ghana's new Hague accreditation, and funded through grants, two fundraising events, and a Gobena Coffee account. They also open up about Ashton's unexplained health decline beginning in 2020 and how poor communication brought their marriage to the brink of divorce. A biblically grounded counselor helped turn things around by challenging their threshold of grace, and they encourage couples to get their marriage healthy first.
About Spencer & Ashton Draper
Spencer and Ashton Draper met through a mutual friend at a youth conference, drawn together by a shared love for Jesus. Spencer works as a planner in manufacturing, and Ashton is a sign language interpreter and the author of Big Yellow House, which tells the story of their adoption. Through a difficult adoption journey and ongoing health challenges, they have learned to walk in grace, patience, and purpose, anchored by God's faithfulness.
In This Episode
Early marriage — How the Drapers met and decided to pursue adoption.
A lifelong calling — The roots of Ashton's passion for adoption.
Bringing Bismarck home — A five-year adoption from Ghana slowed by COVID and new Hague accreditation.
Funding an adoption — Grants, fundraising events, and a Gobena Coffee account, with God providing every penny.
Health and marriage — How Ashton's health decline and poor communication pushed them toward divorce.
Biblical counseling — The counselor who challenged their threshold of grace and changed everything.
Marriage first — Why getting your marriage healthy matters before and during big callings.
Considering adoption — Prayer, patience, and practical encouragement for couples.
Scripture Referenced
Romans 14:23 — Whatever is not done in faith is sin.
Resources from This Episode
Big Yellow House by Ashton Draper (a companion journal is also available on Amazon)
Follow Ashton Draper on Facebook
Gobena Coffee (adoption fundraising support)
Parenting by Paul Tripp
Forgive by Tim Keller
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
1 hr 3 min
July 24, 2025 Motherhood, Identity, & the Gospel w/ Vicki Courtney
Vicki Courtney on mom-influencer comparison, putting marriage before kids, and being a good enough mom
About This Episode
Aaron welcomes bestselling author and speaker Vicki Courtney to share wisdom from her new book, Motherhood Is Not Your Highest Calling: The Grace of Being a Good Enough Mom. Vicki explains how, prompted in part by her daughter's grief over infertility, she realized she had once written the opposite and could find no Scripture to back it. Together they explore how moms can resist the pressure of social media and mom influencers, stop playing the Christian pretender game, and avoid idolizing marriage and motherhood in ways that leave singles and those facing infertility feeling less than. Vicki also shares why she and her husband put marriage before kids, the value of simple living, and why our identity starts as children of God.
About Vicki Courtney
Vicki Courtney is a speaker, bestselling author, wife of 38 years, and mom of three grown children. She became a Christian at 21 after years as an agnostic, and for more than 25 years in ministry she has encouraged women to pursue biblical truth in a modern world. Her latest book is Motherhood Is Not Your Highest Calling: The Grace of Being a Good Enough Mom.
In This Episode
A change of mind — Why Vicki wrote a book challenging a view she once held.
Identity in Christ — Finding who you are as a child of God before any role.
Mom-influencer comparison — Navigating mom guilt and social media pressure.
The Christian pretender game — Letting go of the need to look like you have it all together.
Less than — Why singles and couples facing infertility should never feel second-class in the church.
Marriage before kids — Prioritizing your marriage in the parenting years, including date nights without kid talk.
Simple living — How decluttering and slowing down make room for what matters.
Faith-filled conversations — Talking with your kids about what really matters.
Scripture Referenced
2 Corinthians 10:12 — The danger of comparing ourselves with one another
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 — The ministry of reconciliation and being ambassadors for Christ
1 Corinthians 6:12 — All things are lawful, but I will not be mastered by anything
Psalm 127:4-5 — Children are like arrows in a quiver
Resources from This Episode
Vicki Courtney: vickicourtney.com
Motherhood Is Not Your Highest Calling by Vicki Courtney
5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter by Vicki Courtney
5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Son by Vicki Courtney
Instagram: @vickicourtney
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
1 hr 1 min
July 17, 2025 Always Choose Adventure: Faith, Family, and Purpose w/ Dan and Sam Mathews
Dan and Sam Mathews on RV life in 160 square feet, adventure with kids, and coming home for church community
About This Episode
Aaron sits down with Dan and Sam Mathews, a couple passionate about weaving adventure and faith into every part of family life. They share how close-quarters seasons, including tiny homes, a roughly 160-square-foot RV, and six months traveling the country full time, brought them closer and forced them to work through conflict. Together they talk about viewing marriage as a ministry, treating your family as your first disciples, and how parenting has deepened rather than ended their pursuit of exploration. They also share the heart behind their book Always Choose Adventure, why Dan's relatable marriage content reassures couples they're normal, and why they came off the road to find the Christian community that sustains their marriage.
About Dan & Sam Mathews
Dan and Sam Mathews are the authors of Always Choose Adventure and faith-and-family creators with a large YouTube and Instagram following built on real, faith-filled family content. Married about 12 years with two children and a third on the way, they have lived in tiny homes and RVs and spent six months traveling the country full time as a family.
In This Episode
How they met — Bible college, a church gym, and four years of dating.
RV life — What living in about 160 square feet taught them about conflict and growth.
Marriage as ministry — Why your family is your first mission field.
Adventure with kids — How parenting deepened their pursuit of exploration.
Relatable marriage content — Why honest humor helps couples know they're normal.
Coming off the road — Missing the Christian community that strengthened their marriage.
Community over isolation — Why every couple needs people around them.
Raising courageous kids — Choosing adventure and purpose in every season.
Scripture Referenced
1 Corinthians 13:5 — Love is not irritable or easily angered.
Hebrews 10:25 — Do not forsake gathering together.
Resources from This Episode
Always Choose Adventure by Dan and Sam Mathews
Instagram: @DanAndSam
Dan's hunting humor: The Nomadic Outdoorsman
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
1 hr 6 min
July 10, 2025 Breaking Pain Cycles in Marriage: The Mindful Marriage with Ron Deal
Ron Deal on breaking couple pain cycles, nurturing your marriage's “usness,” and why any family can be godly
About This Episode
Aaron chats with Ron Deal, licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and speaker who specializes in blended families and stepfamily dynamics. With more than 30 years in family ministry, Ron explains that healthy families aren't defined by their structure but by the Spirit producing fruit, and he challenges the church to build stronger marriage ministries. Drawing on his book The Mindful Marriage, he describes how feeling unloved leads us to dysregulate into blame, shame, control, or escape, creating pain cycles between spouses. Ron shares how neuroscience supports biblical truths about relationships, why a spoken process of personal agency helps calm conflict, and how nurturing a couple's “usness” begins with humility and crying out, “I need you, Lord.”
About Ron Deal
Ron Deal is a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and speaker who specializes in blended families and stepfamily dynamics. Married 39 years, he is the founder of Smart Step Families and FamilyLife Blended and has served in family ministry for more than 30 years. His books include The Mindful Marriage.
In This Episode
Blended families — The unique challenges and opportunities stepfamilies face.
Any family can be godly — Why the Spirit's fruit matters more than family structure.
The church and marriage — Why churches need a theology of relationships and stronger marriage ministries.
Pain cycles — How feeling unloved leads to blame, shame, control, or escape.
Neuroscience and Scripture — How brain science affirms biblical principles of connection.
Personal agency — A spoken, step-by-step way to calm down and respond well.
Usness — Nurturing your marriage as a shared, living identity.
Humility — Why relationship struggles can deepen our dependence on God.
Scripture Referenced
Galatians 5:22-23 — The fruit of the Spirit.
Romans 12:2 — Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Romans 7:15-20 — Why do I keep doing what I don't want to do?
Ephesians 4:22-24 — Take off the old self and put on the new.
2 Peter 1:3 — We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness.
James 4:6 — God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Resources from This Episode
Ron Deal: rondeal.org
Reactive Coping Style Assessment
The Mindful Marriage by Ron and Nan Deal with Terry and Sharon Hargrave
Podcast: FamilyLife Blended Podcast
Marriage After God by Aaron & Jennifer Smith (also in our shop)
The Marriage Gift: 365 Prayers for Our Marriage by Aaron & Jennifer Smith (also in our shop)
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
1 hr 6 min
July 03, 2025 From Addiction And Unbelief to Redemption w/ Vince Revo
A former atheist on his grandfather's warning note and the woman whose persistent kindness led him to Jesus
About This Episode
Aaron sits down with Vince Revo, a church planter in Toronto, to hear his testimony of transformation from addiction and unbelief to redemption through Christ. Raised in a Pentecostal church-planting family, Vince walked away from God as a teenager, struggled with alcohol and drugs, and drifted into atheism and new age beliefs. His grandfather's death, and a blunt note urging him to return to God, brought him to his knees. Two years later in the Philippines, a woman who kept bringing him food and inviting him to church finally took him there, and he surrendered his life to Jesus. Vince and Aaron talk about how sin deceives us into unbelief, the Holy Spirit's conviction, church planting, online ministry, and how marriage refines us.
About Vince Revo
Vince Revo is a former atheist turned passionate follower of Jesus Christ, a church planter in Toronto, Canada, and the host of the Revo Report. With a background in pastoral ministry, leadership training, and digital outreach, he teaches the Bible and challenges cultural Christianity, equipping the church to stand firm in truth, walk in holiness, and see their homes as the front lines of spiritual revival. Vince and his wife have been married ten years and are raising two children to love Jesus deeply.
In This Episode
Walking away — How addiction and hedonism fed Vince's slide into atheism and new age beliefs.
A grandfather's note — The warning that came back to him the day his grandfather died.
God, use me — The desperate prayer Vince prayed before he even knew who God was.
Persistent kindness — The woman who kept bringing food until she finally took him to church.
The deceitfulness of sin — Why practicing sin can lead believers into unbelief.
Holy Spirit conviction — Throwing away full packs of cigarettes as God slowly set him free.
Your first ministry — Why marriage and family must be in order before ministry.
Repentance at home — Why a dad who apologizes first leads his family toward reconciliation.
Look to Jesus — There is no perfect home, marriage, or church, so fix your eyes on Christ.
Scripture Referenced
Hebrews 3 — A warning against unbelieving hearts and the deceitfulness of sin
1 John 3:7 — Whoever practices righteousness is righteous
1 Corinthians 10:13 — God provides a way of escape in temptation
Galatians 6:9 — Do not grow weary in doing good
Hebrews 12:2 — Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith
Mark 9:24 — I believe; help my unbelief
1 Corinthians 9:22 — Becoming all things to all people to win some
1 Timothy 3:4-5 — Managing your own household before the household of God
Resources from This Episode
Instagram: @vincerevo
YouTube: RevoReport
Vince Revo resources on Patreon
Marriage After God by Aaron & Jennifer Smith (also in our shop)
Wife After God by Jennifer Smith (also in our shop)
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
1 hr 3 min
June 26, 2025 Simplifying the Bible and Strengthening the Family w/ Zach Windahl
How a 90-day Bible challenge transformed Zach Windahl, and why reading Scripture in context changes everything
About This Episode
Aaron chats with author and Bible teacher Zach Windahl about faith, family, and biblical literacy. Zach shares how his mom's perseverance through four cancers shaped his early faith, how he wrestled with doubt in college, and how a challenge to read the Bible in 90 days transformed him, leading to a year of studying Scripture 12 hours a day in Australia. Drawing on his new book, The Bible Simplified, he explains why many Christians never read the whole Bible, why the Old Testament and Jesus' Jewish context matter for understanding the New Testament, and how knowing each book's writing style and original audience keeps us from pulling verses out of context. They also dig into homeschooling, raising entrepreneurial kids, and reading Scripture aloud.
About Zach Windahl
Zach Windahl is an author and Bible teacher who helps Christians read and understand the whole Bible in context. His new book is The Bible Simplified, and he also speaks on homeschooling and raising entrepreneurial kids.
In This Episode
A mother's perseverance — How his mom's fight through four cancers shaped Zach's faith.
Doubt in college — How environment can influence belief.
The 90-day challenge — Reading the whole Bible and the year of study that followed.
Reading the whole Bible — Why so many Christians never have, and what they miss.
Context is key — The Old Testament, Jesus' Jewish context, and each book's style and audience.
Reading aloud — How reading large portions of Scripture aloud deepens understanding.
Homeschooling — The freedom to blend education and faith.
Entrepreneurial kids — Teaching children to think critically and build.
Family Scripture — Growing together in God's Word and prayer.
Scripture Referenced
Isaiah 55:11 — God's word will not return to Him empty.
1 Corinthians 15:33 — Bad company corrupts good morals.
Nehemiah 8 — Ezra reads the Law aloud to the people.
Matthew 4:1-11 — Jesus answers temptation with Scripture in context.
Romans 12:2 — Transformed by the renewing of the mind.
Resources from This Episode
The Bible Simplified by Zach Windahl
The Word of God in English by Leland Ryken
Zach Windahl: zachwindahl.com
Instagram: @zachwindahl
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
1 hr
June 19, 2025 Defining Womanhood: A Biblical Perspective on Identity, Family, and Purpose w/ Bethany Beal
Bethany Beal on walking away from modeling, a father's role in a daughter's worth, and reclaiming womanhood
About This Episode
Aaron Smith sits down with Bethany Beal, co-founder of Girl Defined, to talk about her journey from the modeling world to biblical ministry. Bethany shares how a degrading modeling-agency interview became a turning point, and how her father's words and presence grounded her worth in Christ. Together they unpack what it means to embrace womanhood in today's culture, the impact of social media on identity, and why holding high standards, like saving her first kiss for marriage, is leadership rather than weirdness. Drawing on her book Made to Be She, Bethany discusses how cultural shifts, feminism, and birth control have reshaped views of motherhood and children, and why our heart posture toward children reveals our theology.
About Bethany Beal
Bethany Beal is the co-founder of Girl Defined and co-author, with her sister Kristen, of Made to Be She. She teaches biblical womanhood, identity in Christ, and the importance of a father's role in his daughter's life, encouraging women to reclaim their worth, set healthy boundaries, and embrace God's design for family and motherhood.
In This Episode
Leaving modeling — The degrading interview that turned Bethany toward ministry.
A father's influence — How a dad's words and presence shape a daughter's worth.
Social media and identity — Why parents must stay aware and engaged.
Standards as leadership — Saving her first kiss for marriage and holding healthy boundaries.
Leaving the home — How cultural movements have altered family dynamics.
Home and motherhood — Home-cooked meals and intentional motherhood as a lost tradition.
Children as a blessing — How birth control changed views of family, and why heart posture matters more than a number.
A cultural renaissance — Signs of a return to boundaries and the home.
Resources from This Episode
Girl Defined: girldefined.com/meet-us
Instagram: @girldefined
Book: Made to Be She by Bethany Beal and her sister Kristen
Shop Marriage After God books and devotionals
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
As an Amazon Associate, Marriage After God earns from qualifying purchases.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
1 hr 9 min
June 12, 2025 Faith In the Waiting: A Story of Infertility, Adoption, and God's Perfect Timing w/ Stephen Moore
Eight years of infertility, two adoptions, then a surprise daughter: trusting God's timing
About This Episode
Aaron sits down with Stephen Moore, director of WinShape Camps, to talk about faith in the waiting. For eight years Stephen and his wife Hope walked through infertility, until doctors told them their only options were IVF or adoption. They took a break, Hope became a pediatric cancer nurse, and God led them to adopt two boys. Just weeks after the second adoption, they unexpectedly conceived a daughter. Stephen shares why hope and happiness aren't synonyms, why he never stopped praying, and the story of face-planting feet from the finish line in the Braves "Beat the Freeze" race on the day his second adoption was finalized, a moment that went viral and let local news tell their adoption story. They also talk about WinShape Camps' mission to reach kids with the gospel and the value of device-free community.
About Stephen Moore
Stephen Moore is the director of WinShape Camps, which exists to reach kids with the gospel through camps and WinShape Camps for Communities. He and his wife Hope are parents to two adopted sons and a daughter, and their story of infertility, adoption, and persistent prayer encourages families who are waiting on God.
In This Episode
Eight years of infertility — Stephen and Hope's long season of waiting and the IVF-or-adoption crossroads.
Adoption as a gospel-centered calling — how God led them to adopt two boys.
An unexpected pregnancy — conceiving their daughter just weeks after the second adoption.
Hope vs. happiness — why the two aren't synonyms when life doesn't go to plan.
Never stop praying — trusting that God's timing is better than ours.
Beat the Freeze — the viral race that let local news share their adoption story.
WinShape Camps — reaching kids with the gospel through community, discipleship, and device-free environments.
Scripture Referenced
Proverbs 3:5-6 — Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
1 Samuel 1 — Hannah's prayer for a child.
Matthew 14:22-33 — Jesus prays, then walks on the water to His disciples in the storm.
2 Corinthians 12:9 — My grace is sufficient for you.
Resources from This Episode
WinShape Camps for Communities
WinShape: winshape.org
WinShape Camps on Instagram (@winshapecamps)
Shop Marriage After God
Full show notes and blog post
Connect with Marriage After God
Website: marriageaftergod.com
Shop books, devotionals, and prayer journals: shop.marriageaftergod.com
Follow Marriage After God: Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Follow Aaron and Jennifer: Husband Revolution · Unveiled Wife
Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.
Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026
54 min