Marriage Talk

Valerie and Sheldon interview Elaine and Darren Lee on their marriage journey. The things they have done well and the things they have learned from along the way.

Darren is a Quality Assurance Manager working for a global tech company. Elaine is a Strategic Projects Lead working in Power to Change. 

Elaine and Darren are passionate about food and travel and they each do equal amounts of eating and cooking, but Darren loves long journeys and hanging out in airports to check out planes, while Elaine prefers to get to the destination as quickly as possible.
 

They both grew up in Christian households but walked away from God for more than 10 years. They rededicated their lives to Jesus in 2018 whilst living in London, UK for 2 years. Darren & Elaine moved from New Zealand to Canada almost 5 years ago (Oct 2019). They lead a Prayer Ministry Team in church and love to see people experience healing and freedom by the work of the Holy Spirit through prayer. They facilitate a 12-step course called STEPS, designed to help people find freedom from unhelpful/unhealthy thought or behavior patterns. They have a heart for caring for people pastorally and hope that sharing their story would help strengthen relationships and marriages. 

Weekend Getaway Summer Sale happening July 5 - 18th. This will be the lowest publicly posted rate of the year. For locations and conference information go to familylifecanada.com/events.

If you sign up for the Four Weeks to Oneness free series at familylifecanada.com/live anytime now or during the promo period, you’ll get an exclusive behind the scenes discount on the summer promo. No need to wait until July!

Sheldon and Valerie interview Pat and Anita Neuman on their marriage journey. The things they have done well and the things they have learned from along the way.

Pat and Anita Neuman are actually part of the volunteer team that helps with FamilyLife Canada’s Weekend Getaways in the maritimes. They have been married for 27 years and have 4 children, 3 of whom are out on their own now, and their youngest is going into his last year of high school.

They live in New Brunswick, but have previously lived in Ontario, Michigan, and Ethiopia where they served as missionaries. A few years ago, Pat and Anita opened a retreat centre called Ballast Lodge at their home in Johnson’s Mills New Brunswick. The tagline is “a place of stability in the midst of life’s storms”, and that really is the focus of what they’ve created there. 

Pat and Anita love to serve and bless churches, pastors, and counselors. As well as couples who want to invest in their marriages, and families dealing with grief or loss. Ballast Lodge provides space for solitude, quiet reflection, time in nature, a break from technology, and opportunities to really be present with your spouse or family. 

It’s located right on the Bay of Fundy, which offers incredible views and lots of space to hike or birdwatch. And on clear days you can see the famous Hopewell Rocks. And  it’s open year-round!!!

For more information visit Ballastlodge.ca or search Ballast Lodge on Facebook

Weekend Getaway Summer Sale happening July 5 - 18th. This will be the lowest publicly posted rate of the year. For locations and conference information go to familylifecanada.com/events.

If you sign up for the Four Weeks to Oneness free series at familylifecanada.com/live anytime now or during the promo period, you’ll get an exclusive behind the scenes discount on the summer promo. No need to wait until July!

Valerie and Sheldon talk about what to do if grandparents are being too involved in our lives. In this episode they introduce 3 elements that can help parents navigate the conversation with grandparents that are too involved (1. Be A Team; 2. Make A Game Plan Together; 3. Have The Honest Conversation).

Intentional Grandparenting

Here is the link that is talked about in the show regarding FamilyLife US and their podcasts on intentional grandparenting.

Weekend Getaway Summer Sale happening July 5 - 18th. This will be the lowest publicly posted rate of the year. For locations and conference information go to familylifecanada.com/events.

If you sign up for the Four Weeks to Oneness free series at familylifecanada.com/live anytime now or during the promo period, you’ll get an exclusive behind the scenes discount on the summer promo. No need to wait until July!

Sheldon and Valerie talk about being stuck in a gridlock, not the traffic kind but the marriage kind. They unpack the 5 steps to move us out of gridlock identified in the book “The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work” by Dr. John Gottman. Step 1 - Be A Dream Detective; Step 2 - Don’t Solve Rather Seek To Understand; Step 3 - Soothe Each Other; Step 4 - End The Gridlock; Step 5 - Say Thank You. 

We have the privilege of having my dad, Terry, and Sheldon's dad, David, on the podcast today and of course Sheldon is here with us also. I will be interviewing them on their journey of fatherhood. 

Sheldon and Valerie talk with Randy and Donna Carter (founders of STM Ministries) about their marriage journey. The things they have done well and the things they have learned from along the way.

Randy and Donna Carter began speaking at marriage conferences in 2015 after experiencing a renaissance in their own marriage. They quickly discovered that they love sharing, both what they’ve learned over a long marriage, and the stage. They are in demand as marriage speakers whose bible centred, research based talks brim with authenticity, humour, wisdom and empathy. Randy is also a seasoned youth speaker and youth ministry specialist. Donna is a bestselling author, broadcaster and speaker. They have two daughters, two sons-in-law and two adorable grandchildren.

Here is the link to the ADHD Toolkit that is referred to in the episode. 

Sheldon and Valerie talk about how we will be remembered. What kind of attributes and character traits, what kind of person do we want to be remembered for? They talk about some things we can all do to make sure our family is getting our best.  

Sheldon and Valerie talk about self-care. Why it matters, what it can look like and the benefits of taking care of ourselves. They talk about the balance between loving and serving others while also taking care of our own mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health.  

Sheldon interviews Valerie, Brenda Breker (Valerie's mom), and Edith Dean (Sheldon's mom) on their journey of motherhood. This episode is full of laughter and tears and we trust it will be an encouragement to those who listen. 

Sheldon and Valerie talk about another 5 strategies we can do to make the switch from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. This is part 2 of the series. To hear the other 5 strategies tune in to episode 81.