One Degree Marriage: Christ-Centered Communication & Habits

Every marriage needs guardrails. But does a rule about never being alone with someone of the opposite sex actually protect you, or just give you a false sense of security?

In Episode 160, we tackle the Billy Graham Rule head-on: what it is, why it exists, and whether married couples actually need to follow it. We share our honest take while also making clear that "not following the rule" doesn't mean "not guarding your marriage." The real protection, we'd argue, comes from something a lot harder than a policy.

Resources & Links:

• Free Weekly Marriage Meeting Template: https://onedegreemarriage.com/meeting
• Daily Marriage Challenges: https://onedegreemarriage.com/challenge
• Weekly Marriage Meeting Journal: https://shop.onedegreemarriage.com/

Share this episode with one couple who's navigating this conversation, then subscribe so you don't miss what's next.

You're doing the dishes, the diapers, and the 2 a.m. wake-ups—and somewhere in the middle of all of it, your marriage quietly slips to the back of the line. This episode is for every couple in the thick of the littles who still wants to choose each other.

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on our own two-under-two season: a colicky second baby, COVID isolation, no family nearby, no meal train, and the constant low hum of "how are we going to get through today."

RESOURCES:

FREE WEEKLY MARRIAGE MEETING TEMPLATE

DAILY MARRIAGE CHALLENGES

Some weeks the loneliest seat in the house is the one right next to your spouse. If you love Jesus and they don't (or they used to, and now it's complicated) this episode is for you.

Whether your spouse is a non-believer or simply lukewarm in their faith, the conversation walks through six practical, hope-forward practices for staying steady... without slipping into bitterness, pride, or quiet compromise.

In this episode:

• What "unequally yoked" really means — and why it can apply even when both of you say you're Christians (02:28)
• Why praying for your spouse and your own heart has to be a daily rhythm, not a one-time desperate ask (06:00)
• The micro-compromises that quietly erode your faith — and how to guard against them (07:13)
• How 1 Peter 3:1-2 reframes your everyday life as a witness without ever making you preachy (09:33)
• Why you need a few people in your corner who will tell you the hard truth in love (14:23)
• Taking ownership of discipling your kids when your spouse won't — the Eunice and Lois story (19:10)
• The danger of turning your spouse into an evangelism project and forgetting to actually love them (21:19)

Resources & mentions: 1 Peter 3:1-2, 2 Timothy 1:5 (Eunice and Lois), Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.

If this episode encouraged you, share it with one couple who needs to know they're not the only ones. Subscribe so you don't miss next week's conversation, and leave a review to help more couples find One Degree Marriage.

You said "I do," and then assumed sex would just figure itself out. For a lot of couples, it doesn't. And the silence around that can make you feel like you're the only one struggling.

In this episode, we get honest about the first three years of our marriage, when sex felt more like a burden than a blessing, and what we wish someone had told us sooner. We unpack the lingering weight of purity culture, the lie that physical intimacy should "just come naturally," and the small shifts that slowly turned things around. Whether you're a newlywed, engaged and prepping for the marriage bed, or a long-married couple wanting to grow, this conversation offers a hopeful, faith-informed look at what healthy intimacy in a Christian marriage can actually look like, and how to start talking about it without shame.

In this episode:

• Why "sex is good and from God" is easier to believe in theory than in your body
• The lonely myth that intimacy should come naturally, and why it often doesn't
• The one mindset shift that takes sex from transactional to deeply connecting
• "Chore play" and why foreplay starts hours before the bedroom
• How to actually talk about sex with your spouse (without it getting weird)
• Why growing together sexually is one of the most underrated gifts of marriage
• Your one-degree shift for this week

FREE WEEKLY MARRIAGE MEETING TEMPLATE

Mentioned in this episode:

Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template

Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template at onedegreemarriage.com/meeting

Ever been blindsided by something on your spouse's calendar — a meeting, a trip, a last-minute Cubs game — that you swear they never told you about? You're not alone. Most couples default to reactive scheduling, and it costs them more than they realize.

In this episode:

• Why "I told you about this" fights almost always come down to expectations, not memory
• The two questions to ask every week — and why one alone isn't enough
• How setting expectations on the front end turned a hard solo-parenting day into one of the week's highlights
• A real workout-morning example: how 30 seconds of communication prevents small frictions
• Why the calendar tool you pick matters less than you think — and the one feature that actually does
• The one-degree shift to start this week, even if you've never had a marriage meeting before

If this episode hits home, share it with one couple who keeps getting caught off guard by their own week. Subscribe so you don't miss what's next, leave a quick review to help other couples find the show, and head to onedegreemarriage.com for tools to make your weekly marriage meeting actually stick.

Your marriage isn't in crisis. There's no betrayal. No big fight. No broken trust. You're both showing up, doing your jobs, putting food on the table, and somewhere along the way, "showing up" quietly turned into "going through the motions."

That's a rut. And it's the most common (and most overlooked) season in a marriage.

In this episode, we unpack a Yahoo column about a husband whose answer to "I feel unseen" was "but we have a nice house" and why that response is way more common than we'd like to admit. Then they walk through the five small habits they keep coming back to for getting out of a rut: the Weekly Marriage Meeting, the daily high/low/buffalo, praying together, intentionally mixing things up, and outside accountability.

A reminder that you can't coast your way to connection, but you can take one small step back toward each other this week.

What if the secret to deeper friendships, stronger family rhythms, and richer Christian community wasn't a bigger house or a better-cooked meal, but simply opening your door every Friday night?

Let's chat about our weekly "Sabbath Kickoff Dinner"—a standing Friday night meal with friends and kids that's become the most anticipated part of our week. We unpack the difference between cultural hospitality (perfect table settings, drinks-in-hand, flawless meals) and biblical hospitality (Mary vs. Martha, authentic fellowship, shared life), and why lowering your expectations is the key to actually getting started.

If you've ever thought, "I'd love to host, but our house isn't ready" or "I don't have time for that" — this episode is for you.

In this episode, we're getting honest about one of the sneakiest marriage killers: ungratefulness. We've found in our own marriage, and in the couples we talk to, that the longer you're together, the easier it is to start taking your spouse for granted. The things that once drew you to them? You stop noticing. And the things that bother you? They seem to get louder.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why ungratefulness breeds discontentment — and what to do instead
• How our Weekly Marriage Meeting builds gratitude intentionally into our week
• The "what you look for grows" principle and why it's a game-changer in marriage
• What to do when your heart is hardened toward your spouse and it feels impossible to feel grateful
• The Litany of Humility and how it shapes the way we approach recognition and appreciation
• A live, rapid-fire version of our three-things-we-appreciate exercise... straight from our own meeting

We wrap with a practical one-degree shift you can try this week: keeping a daily gratitude list specifically about your spouse.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Weekly Marriage Meeting Journal
• Daily Marriage Challenge emails
• The Litany of Humility— a Catholic prayer of humility we reference throughout the episode

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a couple who needs it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss a new episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template

Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template at onedegreemarriage.com/meeting

What would your marriage look like if both of you woke up every morning asking, "How can I out-serve my spouse today?"

In this episode, we get real about what it actually means to seek to out-serve your spouse, the subtle scoreboard most couples keep, why our flesh resists serving without reciprocation, and how the gospel completely reframes what sacrifice is meant to look like in marriage.

In this episode:

• Why "I did it last, so you do it now" quietly shifts service into transaction
• The language shift that removes the tally from your marriage
• What to do when you feel like you're the only one giving, and nothing is coming back
• Why prayer isn't an afterthought, it's your first move
• Three practical one-degree shifts to start serving your spouse better this week

📋 Free Weekly Marriage Meeting Template → onedegreeMarriage.com/meeting

One Degree Marriage Podcast | Helping couples grow through practical, faith-grounded conversations... one degree at a time.

Mentioned in this episode:

Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template

Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template at onedegreemarriage.com/meeting

Marriage will change you — the question is, will it change you for better or worse?

In this episode, we get honest about six real ways marriage has shaped, stretched, and sanctified us — the good stuff AND the uncomfortable stuff. From sin being exposed (yes, including the t-shirt drawer debate) to learning that love is a daily choice and not just a feeling, this one's a candid conversation you'll want to share with your spouse.

In this episode:

• Why marriage exposes sin you didn't even know you had
• How close proximity forces you to think about others more
• Why structure and discipline in marriage creates MORE freedom
• The conflict skills they had to learn the hard way
• The humbling reality of thinking you know it all before kids
• Why love is a choice — and what that looks like in the real, tired moments

One Degree Shift: Ask your spouse this week — "How can I best serve you this week?" — and then actually do it.

🎁 Free Weekly Marriage Meeting Template → onedegreeMarriage.com/meeting

Mentioned in this episode:

Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template

Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template at onedegreemarriage.com/meeting