What really happens when people leave a church? How do pastors and their families carry that weight? In this vulnerable episode of Me & My Pod, Ricardo and Christian sit down for a raw and honest conversation about the highs and heartbreaks of ministry life.

This week, we’re talking about:

• The emotional toll of pastoring in silence
• Why “I’m not being fed” often misses the point
• Parenting five kids while navigating church transitions
• Protecting your marriage and your heart in leadership
• How to truly encourage your pastor and their family

We also celebrate 20 years of marriage, share stories from the parenting trenches, and reflect on what trust and calling really mean in ministry.

Whether you're a church member, a leader, or just someone trying to stay faithful in hard seasons, this episode is for you.

Listen now and share with someone who needs to hear this.

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After 20 years of marriage and 5 kids, Ricardo and Christian share their unconventional dating secrets that kept their romance alive. From fake Walmart proposals to grocery store dates, discover why they believe every trip together is a date and how simple rules like "always open the door" transformed their relationship.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why Sam's Club became their go-to date spot (and why it still works!)
• The one small gesture that made Ricardo think "she's a keeper"
• How they define dates (spoiler: it's not what you think)
• The simple door-opening rule that's lasted 20 years
• Why their kids are now copying dad's romantic gestures
• How dating helped Christian overcome depression
• Budget-friendly date ideas that actually work

Whether you're newlyweds or celebrating decades together, this episode will inspire you to reimagine what dating your spouse can look like.

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Is ministry something you do, or is it simply how you live?

In this episode of Me & My Pod, Ricardo and Christian Volcy continue their conversation on love, marriage, and parenting by exploring a deeper truth: life and ministry were never meant to be separate.

From pancake breakfasts after karate class to serving side by side at conferences, they explore how integrating family and faith has shaped their home—and why it's not just for pastors.

You’ll hear:

• How parenting is both a privilege and an obligation
• Why merging ministry with everyday life is worth it
• What discipleship looks like around the dinner table
• How their kids are catching the vision and joining the mission
• Real examples from their own story—mess and all

Whether you're in full-time ministry or figuring out faith in the margins of your schedule, this episode will challenge and encourage you to rethink the divide.

This is an invitation to live a life that ministers.

—

Mentioned in this episode:

• Christian and Missionary Alliance LIFE Conference
• Serving with your children
• Discipleship as a daily practice
• Episode 4 recap: Love, marriage, and parenting

New episodes drop every Monday at 7 PM ET.
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Think love is enough to make a marriage last? After 20 years of marriage, 5 kids, and countless challenges, including almost losing their first baby, Ricardo and Christian share the raw truth about what actually makes relationships work long-term.

In this deeply personal episode, they reveal three marriage elements that saved their relationship when emotions failed them: why love is a choice not just a feeling, the difference between planning a wedding versus planning a marriage, and why parenting is both a privilege and an obligation.

What You'll Learn

• The question Ricardo asks every couple in premarital counseling that reveals everything
• How a medical crisis during Christian's first pregnancy tested their commitment
• Why "Love Don't Cost a Thing" is actually a lie and what love really costs
• The real reason most marriages fail - it's not what you think
• How to love someone even when you don't "feel" it
• Why feelings are like a rollercoaster and what to do when they flatline
• The difference between wedding planning and marriage planning
• How their church family stepped up during a crisis
• Why they integrate ministry and family life instead of separating them

Key Takeaways

Love is a Choice: Real love isn't just butterflies and romantic gestures. Love is waking up every single day and choosing your person, especially when life throws curveballs you never saw coming.

Marriage is a Decision: We spend months planning the perfect wedding day but how much time do we spend planning for the actual marriage that starts the day after?

Parenting is Privilege and Obligation: Being entrusted with lives that can impact their community is a privilege, but it's also our responsibility to point children toward something greater.

Perfect For

• Engaged couples planning their future together
• Married couples looking to strengthen their relationship
• Anyone curious about what makes love last decades
• Parents balancing marriage and family life
• People who want real talk, not highlight reel perfection

Episode Highlights

Ricardo and Christian get brutally honest about the messy, imperfect reality of long-term relationships. From sharing blankets to sharing dreams, from borrowed engagement rings to hospital vigils, they share intimate stories that reveal how they've built a lasting marriage.

They discuss their first pregnancy crisis when Christian was put on bed rest and they weren't sure their baby would survive. In that hospital room with devastating statistics and difficult decisions, love wasn't a feeling - it was a choice to walk through the fire together.

This isn't your typical marriage advice podcast. This episode will challenge everything you think you know about love and marriage while providing practical wisdom from a couple who's walked the walk - imperfectly, authentically, and with deep intention.

Connect With Us

Subscribe and follow Me and My Pod on your favorite podcast platform. We love hearing from our listeners - share your thoughts, questions, and your own marriage insights. Your engagement helps us grow this community of people committed to building lasting relationships.

Visit our Facebook page @MeAndMyPod and YouTube channel for more content and to join the conversation.

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In this episode of Me & My Pod, we rewind to the chaotic beauty of our beginning: dating for 11 months, getting engaged, and eloping just 11 days later.

We talk candidly about what it looked like to skip the honeymoon phase and dive straight into married life during the first week of classes, living in a tiny attic apartment, navigating culture clashes, laundry wars, and learning each other’s habits the hard way.

But we also dive into the deeper stuff:

• What it means to build a marriage without premarital counseling
• How cultural and financial realities shaped our choices
• Facing a terrifying pregnancy scare just before starting full-time ministry
• Learning how to say “yes” to each other again and again, even when life gets heavy
• Why marriage and ministry have never been separate for us

If you’re newly married, preparing for marriage, in ministry, or just trying to figure out how to stay together through the chaos, this one’s for you.

Let’s hear from you!
How long did you date before engagement?
How long were you engaged?
How long have you been married?
Drop us a comment, message, or email, we’d love to include your story in a future episode.

Subscribe, share, and leave a review, and as always, join the pod.
Because this journey is better when we do it together.

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What happens when two people from completely different cultures meet at Bible college, awkwardly cross paths over a “lost” Bible, and then end up married just 11 days after getting engaged? You’re about to find out.

In this episode, Ricardo and Christian share the full story how they met, their wildly unexpected engagement timeline, what their surprise wedding looked like (yes, in a gazebo with strangers humming Here Comes the Bride), and the early days of cross-cultural marriage.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a marriage across cultural lines or if you’re just curious how someone ends up married less than two weeks after saying “yes” this episode is full of laughter, honesty, and 20 years’ worth of wisdom.

🎧 Listen in and be part of the pod family.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The lost Bible that started it all
• Why Christian had a whole wedding planned in 5 minutes
• The Haitian-American cultural dynamic that shaped their marriage
• Why they eloped, and what they learned from it
• Navigating family expectations early on
• Why communication and isolation both helped their marriage grow

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In this raw and relatable debut episode, Ricardo and Christian share what nearly 20 years of marriage has taught them—especially when you're building a life across cultures. From a Haitian upbringing to a Chicago childhood, the Volcys unpack how their backgrounds shape how they love, lead, and live.

They're not coming as experts—but as a couple committed to showing up, learning together, and letting ministry and family life flow as one.

Key Takeaways:

• Cross-cultural foundations deeply shape marriage dynamics
• Marriage is a lifelong, grace-filled process
• Ministry and family should flow together
• Regular date nights matter
• You don’t need to have it all figured out to show up with love

Call to Action:
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