You can reduce the stress and conflict in your marriage simply by creating margin. Today’s episode unpacks several practical ways to create margin in your marriage. Scripture demonstrates how essential a healthy mindset is, so all month we’re getting practical about how to cultivate a healthy mindset and a healthy marriage. Tune into today’s episode to learn how to create margin in your marriage.
We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage!
Episode highlights include:
The practice Dr. Kim recommends to help you build margin into your marriage and the free resource we offer to make this simple to do
Mindset shifts to help you find margin
Practical ways to prioritize your marriage
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
QUOTES
“It’s not just carving out more time for each other, it’s how you use that time.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
“We talk about your home and marriage being a refuge. You want to create that.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
“It’s worth the effort to get intentional about this and get on the same page, so you can tackle it as a team.” Lindsay Few
“Learning to really listen makes a big difference. There’s so much value to feeling heard, and knowing that your spouse cares to really listen.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
“One thing that really helped us is when we realized we were not each other’s enemy.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
“Be ok with being counter cultural if that’s what’s best for your family and your marriage.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
QUESTIONS:
How can you and your spouse work together to create more margin in your marriage?
How can you work together to create a culture of grace in your marriage?
What do you really want for your marriage? What do you need to say no to in this season to make that happen?
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Contentment doesn’t come easily, but is more than worth the effort. Take the steps to grow your contentment with our 15-Day Contentment Challenge! It’s yours for a donation of ANY amount to the ministry of Awesome Marriage this Giving Tuesday!
Dr. Kim highly recommends a Weekly Check In for every couple – so to make this simple for you, we have created a Weekly Marriage Check In Guide. You can snag this resource for free when you sign up for the One Thing to Grow Your Marriage email series!
We really enjoyed the book “Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” mentioned in today’s episode
Cut the stress out of gift giving this Christmas. If shopping for your spouse (and anyone else on your list) feels daunting, this episode is for you. In this episode Patrick Kucharson, the Better Gift Coach, shares how to give gifts that will resonate with their recipients, strategies to become a better gift-giver, and great gift tips for any budget (including free!).
Tune in to learn more!
Episode highlights include:
Simple strategies to know what they really want
Why you need to make brainstorming gift ideas a team sport - and who to recruit to your team
The categories of not-so-good gifts you do not want to fall into this Christmas!
Patrick’s Golden Rule of Gift-Giving
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
QUOTES
“How much thought you put into a gift doesn’t necessarily translate into the value the gift recipient will assign to it.” - Patrick Kucharson
“Give gifts that you know they want to receive, over gifts that you want to give.” - Patrick Kucharson
“It’s showing that you appreciate them. You’re listening.” - Patrick Kucharson
“A shortcut for gift-giving: Look around, take note of the negatives, and try to give gifts that will remove them.” - Patrick Kucharson
QUESTIONS:
What’s your favorite gift you’ve given your spouse, and what made it great?
Who can you recruit to your “gift brainstorming team” this season?
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Patrick’s Better Gift Coach free weekly email is every bit as entertaining and insightful Patrick was on today’s podcast! Sign up HERE!
You can also find him on Instagram
In the midst of all the gift talk, take time to look for something only God can give: Contentment. Grad our 15-Day Contentment Challenge with your donation of ANY amount and pursue true contentment.
Gratitude is a powerful mindset – it affects our mind, our marriage, even our physical health!
Scripture is clear that our mindset is very important, so this month we’re digging into how to cultivate a healthy mindset and a healthy marriage.
Today we’re talking about the power of gratitude. What makes this trait so important, and how can we cultivate it? Tune in for all the details!
Episode highlights include:
Dr. Kim and Lindsay share how gratitude helped them each deal with depression
The way gratitude helps your marriage and your outlook on life
Why growing in gratitude actually ends up leading to – more gratitude!
Practical ways to cultivate gratitude in every day
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
QUOTES
“I think we’re wired to give thanks and be grateful to God.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
“When we acknowledge on a regular basis what we’re thankful for, we tend to be happier and less depressed.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
“It’s looking at what’s actually happening in my life. What is God doing? What is here today? It brings you back into the present.”- Lindsay Few
“I think the more we acknowledge who He is in our lives and worship him for that, that goes a long way to changing our gratitude.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
“I don't think God put us together to grumble for 50 years. I think He put us together to grow, to learn, and to be grateful.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
“I think it helps us to serve our spouse and serve our God better when our frame of mind is healthier. And I think gratitude makes it healthier.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling
QUESTIONS
So many things in the world are out of our control, but God IS in control. What is 1 reason you are thankful that He is in control today?
When you think something good about your spouse, say it! What do you appreciate about your spouse?
What is 1 thing you can do to be more present with your spouse today?
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Contentment doesn’t come easily, but is more than worth the effort! Grab our 15-Day Contentment Challenge with a donation of ANY amount to the ministry of Awesome Marriage this Giving Tuesday! LEARN MORE HERE!
The 27 Scripture Prayer Cards resource is a beautiful way to remember scripture and to bring the power of prayer into your marriage each day!
It’s the perfect time to sign up for Dr. Kim’s daily One Thing to Grow Your Marriage email series, since this week’s emails give you simple ways to practice gratitude with your spouse
Has blame crept into your marriage? If so, your marriage is certainly suffering its effects. But it does not have to stay that way! Today Dr. Kim helps you discover how to identify and remove this damaging habit from your marriage.
Scripture is clear that our mindset matters, and that we have the ability to change our minds! So this month we’re digging into how to cultivate a healthy mindset and a healthy marriage. Dig in today to start dismantling the blame.
Episode highlights include:
How to identify - and break - subtle blame patterns
Why expecting each spouse to give their 50% share to the marriage just doesn’t add up
Dr. Kim and Lindsay get real about how blame has impacted their marriages
How to remove blame from our efforts to show our spouse love
How to address the issue healthily instead
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Dr. Kim mentioned this article from Harvard Health in the episode
Contentment doesn’t come easily, but it’s SO worth the work! Get our 15-Day Contentment Challenge with a donation of ANY amount to the ministry of Awesome Marriage this Giving Tuesday! Learn more here!
15 Daily Prayers Bundle
More mindset resources:
Dr. Kim’s Mind Craft Plan
Switch On Your Brain by Dr. Leaf (includes the “21-Day Brain Detox”)
Calling all military spouses AND frequent travelers: Do not miss this bonus episode! Today we’re thrilled to have Jen McDonald of Milspouse Matters join us on the podcast. Jen is full of wisdom and warmth as well as practical tips and advice on how to weather a marriage separated by distance and the unique challenges of military life. Tune in and be encouraged by her story!
Episode highlights include:
The parts of military life that Jen was NOT prepared for
The realities of deployment and reintegration
Practical things that helped her marriage stay connected during deployment
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Find Jen on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter (X)
Get Jen’s Amazon bestselling book: You Are Not Alone: Encouragement for the Heart of a Military Spouse
And her new book Milspouse Matters: Sharing Strength Through Our Stories
She also has several Military Spouse Resources on her site (including the The 5-Day Deployment Devotional and deployment resources for families and kids). Jen has graciously offered our listeners 10% off when you use the code marriage10 at checkout! (Discount available through 12/31/23.)
Resources for kids / families:
Military OneSource (info and support for families)
What does it mean to “reframe?” And how can you know if you need to do it? Reframing is a term Dr. Kim has used in past episodes, and today we learn exactly what it means and the practical steps to do it.
Scripture is clear that our mindset is very important, so this month we’re digging into how to cultivate a healthy mindset and a healthy marriage. Tune into today’s episode for the details!
Episode highlights include:
The Biblical basis and Scripture to support the concept of reframing
Practical steps of the reframing process
What to do if your spouse frames you negatively
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Dr. Kim’s Mind Craft Plan (I accidentally referred to it as Mind Your Marriage in the episode) is a great place to start!
Caroline Leaf’s book, Switch On Your Brain includes the “21-Day Brain Detox” Dr. Kim mentioned in the episode
The Weekly Marriage Check In is a great way to stay connected with your spouse, and you get this printable resource FREE when you sign up for the One Thing email! Get all the details here.
Being self-aware is a gift to your marriage, yourself and everyone around you! Our Self Check In Guide is a tool to take you through the process of growing self-aware.
Dr. Kim mentioned our Marriage Changers Membership, where he and Nancy share exclusive video content each month. Marriage Changers also get automatic access to each new monthly resource we create. Learn more here.
Scripture references:
Romans 12:2
Proverbs 4:23
1 Corinthians 2:16
Romans 8:6