Marriage in the Middle

Today we sit down with Tiffany and Travis Stroud as they share their adventure of walking through the unknowns of sepsis. At the beginning of 2020, Tiffany went had an apicectomy that went seemingly smooth until a few days later when she starting feeling sick, which they later found out was sepsis. They share how they have worked through the experience, the gift of community and how important it is to process emotions and anxiety through prayer and counseling. Resources Mentioned: * Get more encouragement from Tiffany on her blog [https://seeingsunshine.com/] or instagram [https://www.instagram.com/seeingsunshine1/] * Five Love Languages [https://www.amazon.com/Love-Languages-Secret-that-Lasts/dp/080241270X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JJCTQLRLTI7D&dchild=1&keywords=five%20love%20languages&qid=1617339789&s=books&sprefix=five%20love%20lan%2Cstripbooks%2C223&sr=1-1] by Gary Chapman Take the quiz [https://www.5lovelanguages.com/] to find out your love language Listen on your favorite podcast platform.

Our identity in Christ changes the way we live, starting with ourselves and overflowing into our marriages. This week we dive into the importance of knowing our identity in Christ and how it practically looks like in our marriages.

After a few months of sitting on our flash drive, we are excited to share our conversation with Sarah and James Gilpin. They have been married for two years and the parents of an 18 month old daughter. Sarah took time before marriage to process the pain of her past in order to live a better now and future. She worked through life controlling issues at Mercy Multiplied,  residential home for women 13 - 32 to work through life hurts and life controlling issues. Sarah and James share what this experience was like for them and how this has impacted their marriage. A few takeaway notes: * Sarah and James' marriage started not by seeking someone to marry to fulfill them but through seeking God with prayer and fasting. * There is always a cost of going through the healing process and Sarah shares about the challenges of giving up comforts of home to pursue it. * Sarah explains postpartum rage and how she has worked through that as she became a new mom. * Encouragement of renewing our minds in the Word, even after going through healing, it is still a choice where our thoughts go. Using tools to do this is huge and Sarah share a few.

Wedding season may be coming to end up but it is the perfect time for those who are engaged to prepare for their marriage. In this episode we share the importance of premarital counseling and marriage counseling to prevent divorce, grow together as a team and build our marriage. Takeaways: * The importance of knowing your spouse * Importance of focusing on your relationship before wedding planning * Sliding into marriage is a common thing in our society but does not  have to dictate who you marry. Find out what it is and how it impacts your marriage choices.

Expectations and roles changes have occurred in homes everywhere - from who is helping with distance learning to who is leaving the house for work this year, so this week we talk about creating a home that is functional and well run while navigating these changes. We share about what that looked like for us and how we made big changes to our home dynamics in January. A few takeaways: * Recognizing the role you play in your marriage and family * Taking time to list personal expectations for yourself and your spouse, then asking: Are these realistic in this season? * Are there any expectations you need to let go of that are causing division in your marriage? * Happy couples know they owe each other everything but expect nothing in return. - Andy Stanley. * Talk to your children about the changes, do not assume they understand or know the why Links Mentioned: * The intro video to this but the whole sermon is great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JcTQbH5Jwc