Mormon Marriages

People don’t recover in treatment centers, people don’t recover in a buildings, or in jails. People recover in the context of relationships.”

— Jason Coombs

“How do you get a spouse on board with ideas and follow through? Do I have to wait around until they’re ready? I’m sick of waiting around for change, but also don’t know how to go about it without my partner, because he’s half of the relationship...”

— Anonymous Listener

“How do you get a spouse on board with ideas and follow through? Do I have to wait around until they’re ready? I’m sick of waiting around for change, but also don’t know how to go about it without my partner, because he’s half of the relationship...”

— Anonymous Listener

“… Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” - D&C 88:118

This scripture applies to all aspects of your life - especially your marriage!

The Holy Ghost plays a vital role in your life by leading, guiding (walk besiding…), and testifying of truth.

However, you must first seek out truth before the Holy Ghost has any material to work with!

I remember in college praying so hard that the spirit would help me to do well on a test that I hadn’t had time to study for. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t one that I was very happy with.

But why?? I read my scriptures daily, I prayed daily, I went to church every week and visited the temple often. I was trying my very best to live my life in a way that was worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

So, why didn’t He follow through and help me ace my test? Wasn’t I deserving of such a blessing?

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father shall send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” - John 14:26

The Holy Ghost helps me to remember important and valuable things - but I can’t remember something that isn’t in my brain to begin with!

The Holy Ghost wasn’t going to magically give me all the answers to my test. He could inspire me as to what was most important to study, He can help me remember something I learned in my reading, but it was up to me to put forth the effort of studying in the first place.

The same goes for your marriage. It can be easy to assume that if both spouses are doing their best to live righteously that everything is going to magically work out.

That isn’t how it works.

Just like there is an order to everything we do in the gospel, the way we learn and gather information to better our marriages is no different.

You must “seek ye out of the best books [or workshops, or podcasts, or therapy, or counseling, or ecclesiastical leaders, or marriage experts, or role models] wisdom.”

You must “seek learning, by study and by faith.”

“But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.” - D&C 9:8

First comes study, then comes answers.

Information before revelation.

Your big day is quickly approaching.

Your wedding night is something you’ve been looking forward to for decades! Becoming husband and wife, getting sealed for eternity, not having to say goodbye at the end of the night, and of course…

Sex…

Whether you grew up in a home that talked openly about sex, or one where everyone avoided the topic like the plague, there are some important things to consider before your honeymoon.

Alisha Worthington is a clinical social worker and sex educator. Many parents send their newly engaged children to chat with Alisha before the big day.

In this episode of the podcast, we sat down with her to discuss the most important advice she gives to Latter-Day Saints preparing for a sexual relationship in the near future.

Check out today's episode for all the details!

In the beginning, God created man after his own likeness (D&C 20:18)

And as Thom Harrison likes to say,

“God doesn’t create junk.”

Our bodies are a wonder. The way all the parts and pieces work together in harmony is nothing short of a miracle.

When you were formed in the womb, your heart was the first organ to take shape and begin to function.

In beautiful synchrony, it began to play a vital role with other organs and chemicals and hormones to further your physical development.

When you were finally born, the heart and the brain had an inseperable bond, working harmoniously together as your explored and discovered your earthly experience.

As life goes on, the bond between head and heart can become fractured.

Whether through physical trauma, chemical imbalances, pregnancy, life changes, or emotional stressors, mental illness affects all of us in one way or another.

We see it in our spouses, we see it in our families, and we see it in ourselves.

Somewhere down the line, society began to take God out of dealing with mental illness.

Why would we exclude the one being who knows how to reconnect our heads and our hearts better than anyone else?

In this week’s episode of the podcast, Thom Harrison talks about his determination to bring God back into the discussion of mental illness.

God made you, so he can heal you!

What are your dreams?

What adventures call to you? What hobby do you want to start? What idea keeps tickling the back of your mind?

How many times do these things cross your mind and the first words that come to your head are:

“I can’t.”

“It’s impossible.”

“It’s not in my cards right now.”

“I’ll try tomorrow/next month/next year/in ten years….”

Bryce and Nellie Jurgensmeier were all too familiar with these thoughts. Bryce had wanted to start a YouTube channel for quite some time, but something always held him back.

A health scare in 2015 completely changed their perspectives on pursuing their dreams.

What happens when you keep waiting for tomorrow, and then tomorrow never comes?

Now, they’re a full-time travel family, currently adventuring through all 50 states in their RV home.

“Life sucks sometimes, and that’s the honest truth. But, it’s the crappy parts - that type of devastation and that type of pain - that allows you to experience the purest form of joy in your entire life.”

- Kim White

Imagine you were just given a few months left to live….

What would change? How would you look at life differently? Would your values and priorities stay the same? How would you want to spend your time?

This is exactly what Kim and Treagan White experienced.

Kim was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, turning their lives completely upside-down. They were told it would be a miracle if she made it a few months, let alone an entire year.

Treatment after treatment, surgery after surgery, and miracle after miracle, almost five years have passed since then, and she’s still alive.

Stories are powerful. When a story is based in truth, it resonates with our soul. These truth-based inner-narratives inspire growth, unlock doors of opportunity and progress, and can even transform a life.

Stories that aren’t based on truth will completely undermine your relationship with God, destroy your marriages, and corrode our life.

Part of learning our journey to become more like Christ involves learning to tell powerful, truth-based stories, and identify when our own stories and the stories of others are based on falsehoods.

The world that you live in is heavily influenced by the stories you tell yourself - whether they are true or not.

What story are you telling yourself about your relationship?

Is it true?

How do you know?

In this week’s episode of the podcast, we answer a question from one of our listeners. We talk about how the stories you tell yourselves and what you choose to focus on has a direct correlation with the quality of your relationship.

Do you focus on the giant pile of dishes in the sink, or on the amazing dinner your spouse made you?

Do you focus on the dirty socks left next to the bed, or freshly shoveled driveway?

Do you focus on all the hours your partner spends apart from you, or on all the hard work being done to provide for the family?

What you tell yourself is what you believe.

What you choose to see becomes your own reality.

Give this week’s episode a listen to learn how to assure that the stories you are telling yourself are in your favor.