PodcastsKids & FamilyThe Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

Aaron Au, April Au | Marriage Coaching and Mentoring
The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting
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110 episodes

  • The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

    Best Of: Overcoming Shame with Grace in Your Marriage with Katie Skurja

    2026-02-24 | 43 mins.
    This is a first for the Living Marriages Podcast - a rebroadcast of one of our and your favourite episodes! Be encouraged as we re-visit this conversation with our good friend and mentor, Katie Skurja.

    ------

    "Shame is the most powerful force on the planet, apart from grace."

    Katie Skurja, founder of Imago Dei Ministries, is an internationally recognized inner healing practitioner, spiritual director and marriage counsellor. We were thrilled and honoured that she could join us in this conversation exploring the devastating power of shame in our marriages and the joy and freedom available in Christ's healing work.

    Topics we explore include:

    What are "shadow vows" and why every couple should do them

    God's grace that is available for us to turn into and confront our shame rather than hide it

    How, as image bearers of God, we are like "Peanut M&Ms"

    When we understand the paradoxes of God, we understand ourselves and our spouses better

    What the drama triangle is and how it threatens our marriages

    Resources:

    For Katie's incredible conversation with children regarding the image of God and "Peanut M&M's", check out this video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVTBnl5iEEg&t=310s

    An excellent article on the "Drama Triangle":

    https://www.idmin.org/_files/ugd/0d9c11_b989426836064bd3a9dfdfe15fe4e382.pdf

    Where to find Katie, her resources and courses:

    Imago Dei Ministries - https://www.idmin.org

    Companying Center - https://www.companioningcenter.org

    Let us know what you think of this conversation! Contact April and Aaron at [email protected]
  • The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

    An Important Update to the Living Marriages Podcast

    2026-02-19 | 4 mins.
    Greetings friends!

    When we began the Living Marriages podcast over a year ago, we could never have imagined what a wonderful ride God was inviting us to - one filled with inspiring interviews, challenging conversations and the incredible opportunity to get to know some of you, our listeners.

    We felt called from the beginning to offer 2 episodes a week (outside of once-a-week summer episodes) and we soon settled into a rhythm of Tuesday conversations and Thursday reflections and prayers.

    Well, God moves us into new seasons and it feels like a new season has arrived for us! As our work with FamilyLife Canada is ramping up and our need for rest becoming more evident, we're making some changes to the podcast. This is our last Thursday Thought episode as we transition to one weekly episode. We will still have times for prayer and reflection in our main episode and offer, from time to time a bonus episode in case it feels like God is calling us to extra reflection and prayer. 

    Thank you for sticking with us as we walk into a new season together with God and each other!
  • The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

    Thief of Joy: Busyness and Why God's Call to Sabbath Still Matters

    2026-02-17 | 23 mins.
    Are you feeling hurried, busy beyond what you thought was possible, stripped of joy? Our culture has a solution for you - buy this bathrobe or three of these candles or this SUV to take you to the mountains so you can find the rest you so desperately want and need. 

    They have one thing right - we need this rest! But here's what they have wrong - you don't need to buy it. God offers it to you. It's on the first page of the Bible!

    Join us for this conversation where we explore:

    What Sabbath truly is

    What it means to "work from rest" rather than "rest from work"

    Why God's heart for Sabbath rest for us today matters more than ever

    Why legalism will ruin Sabbath for anybody

    Why we need to give ourselves grace as we seek to practice, not perfect Sabbath

    Here are a few of the resources we referenced during our conversation:

    The Body Teaches The Soul by Justin Whitmel Earley

    The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

    Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

    Next Steps

    Do you have some Sabbath practices that work for you? Get in touch so we can share them with our listeners! [email protected]

    We'd love to pray with you and hear how things are going in your marriage and family as well!
  • The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

    Unsatisfied? Praying and Fasting to Find Contentment in God

    2026-02-12 | 12 mins.
    On this Thursday Thought, we provide some time for reflection as God invites us to consider:

    Are there areas of our marriage or our lives where we don't feel contented or satisfied? If so, why might that be?

    In what ways is God calling us to a fast in those areas, whether that be from food or spending?

    Where do you have a sense that God is inviting you to fast in order to prepare you for his feast?

    For those interested in trying a "No-Spend Week" here is some advice from what we've learned:

    1. Prepare! Make sure you have what you need for the week you won't be spending.

    2. Do it in community. Ask another family or your small group to join you in this.

    3. Give yourself grace. There will be things that don't go according to plan this week.

    4. Pay attention. Are you still being drawn to fill your online shopping cart even if you aren't spending? What are you filling your time with that you'd normally be spending shopping? What is God trying to teach you as you observe these things?

    Interested in a food fast? You can find a resource to explore here.

    Next Steps

    Thanks for tuning in! We'd love to hear from you with how things are going with any fast God is inviting you into. We'd also love to pray for you. Get in touch! [email protected]
  • The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

    Thief of Contentment: Why Spending Won't Make You Happier (and What We're Trying to Do About It!)

    2026-02-10 | 16 mins.
    Dopamine is profitable. We live in an age where everything is designed to give us quick dopamine hits, from our devices to our online shopping carts, because retailers and marketers know that dopamine drives sales.

    But is this what God designed us for? As individuals and in our marriages? On this episode, we share about our experience of doing a "No Spend Week". We talk about:

    The difficulties there are in overcoming these quick dopamine hits

    What we learned from our week of not spending

    Why it's important to flex our "no muscle" (thanks to Bob and Linda Lotich for that reference!)

    Two tips for starting your "No Spend Week"

    Next Steps

    Let us know if you're going to try a No Spend Week so we can be praying for you and encouraging you! [email protected]

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About The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

The Go-To Podcast for Those Who Want To Rebuild Intimacy and Connection in Their Christ Centered MarriageHas the excitement of your wedding day now faded into the background? Are you so exhausted that the last thing you want to think about is your marriage?Do you and your spouse feel like ships passing in the night?If you’re craving the intimate, connected marriage God has for you, you’ve come to the right place!We’re April and Aaron Au, marriage coaches with over a decade of experience, who are on the journey to finding God’s best for our marriage while raising two young boys.We recently heard this wisdom: “If your marriage isn’t growing, it’s dying.” Yikes! That really got our attention! But if you think about it, it’s true. Marriages need direction, purpose and a common vision to thrive. If they don’t, they will inevitably drift apart. When you add the pressures of raising young children and the grind of daily work to the mix, there are even more forces that threaten to pull our marriages apart.Thankfully, God has a beautiful vision for our marriages. He wants us to cultivate and enjoy intimacy and connection in our marriage. What’s more, God wants to breathe his Spirit and life into our marriages through beautiful encounters with him in prayer and worship. In this podcast, we’ll learn about:- Simple, healthy habits that lead to effective communication and intentional conversations- The assumptions and expectations that can sabotage our marriages- How community is essential for a connected marriage- God’s heart to bring healing and wholeness to us, as individuals and as a familyAnd of course, we’ll dive into all of the fun topics like sex, money, parenting and why you shouldn’t buy a car without talking to your spouse first. We’ll also have space to encounter God through prayer, worship and reflection through regular episodes called “Thursday Thoughts.”So join us on this beautiful journey that we call “Living Marriages.”Get in [email protected] the podcast? You can make a charitable donation to keep fresh content coming: https://livingmarriages.com
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