The Grace Marriage Podcast

Why do we keep doing the things in marriage we know we don’t want to do? In this episode, Brad sits down with Ron and Nan Deal to unpack the core concepts behind their new book The Mindful Marriage—a practical, accessible tool built on decades of clinical marriage therapy work from Dr. Terry Hargrave.

Ron and Nan explain what “dysregulation” actually is, why your brain reacts before you can think, and why couples get stuck...

Most couples think they have a game plan for marriage… until life exposes that they actually don’t. NFL chaplains George & Tondra Gregory join Brad to reveal why doing nothing is still a “game plan” (even though it's a terrible one) and how intentional, Christ-centered strategy can completely transform your relationship.

If your marriage feels “fine but not beautiful,” this conversation gives you the practical ste...

In this episode, Brad and Kent get brutally honest about a tension every parent wrestles with: How do you balance grace and truth?
Kent shares a powerful framework on why Jesus didn’t stand in the same place with everyone. He stood wherever the person in front of Him needed Him most. And as parents, that’s exactly what we’re called to do.

Brad opens up about his own journey with grace, including how regular confession,...

Blended families often step into marriage thinking the hardest part is behind them...then reality hits. In this powerful conversation, Brad sits down with Ron Deal, one of the leading voices in stepfamily ministry, to unpack why blended family life feels so complex and why those challenges are actually normal.

Ron explains why a blended marriage begins in the middle of a story, not the beginning, and how layers of loss, sh...

In this episode, Brad sits down with pastor and author Kyle Idleman to talk about the unseen thought patterns that quietly shape our marriages. Kyle shares the heart behind his new book Every Thought Captive and why so much of the transformation we hope for in marriage never sticks, because we try to change our behavior without ever changing our thinking.

He unpacks how strongholds form, why simply trying to “stop thinking...

Most parents say their kids are their top priority. But what if putting your children first is actually damaging your marriage?

In this episode, Brad talks with Kent Evans (Founder of Manhood Journey) about why a strong marriage is the foundation of great parenting, how our culture has become child-centered, and why the gospel calls husbands and wives to love one another first.

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We’re getting a lot of things wrong in marriage—and it’s not because we don’t care. It’s because we often fight the wrong battles.

In this episode, Brad Rhoads talks with Dr. Chris Thurman, author of Real Marriage Made Simple: Proven Principles for Thriving in Marriage. Together they unpack why so many couples end up frustrated, distant, and emotionally drained (and some simple biblical principles that can change that).

Why do women say they feel unseen and unheard while men quietly wonder why sex feels distant and disconnected? In this episode, Brad Rhoads sits down with researchers and authors Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn to unpack the two most common complaints in marriage: “We don’t communicate” and “We’re not intimate enough.”

They reveal surprising research about how women are constantly asking, “Do you still love me?,” and how men are...

What if the one skill that could transform your marriage, your friendships, and even your politics isn’t communication—it’s curiosity?

In this episode, Brad Rhoads sits down with author Drew Worsham, whose new book The Magic of Curiosity explores how asking better questions can heal division and deepen connection. Together, they unpack how curiosity builds bridges in a polarized world and restores understanding between spo...

What if the biggest danger to your marriage isn’t conflict...but distraction?
In this powerful conversation, Brad Rhoads sits down with longtime ministry leader Rick Howerton to uncover the real reasons so many marriages drift apart and how both couples and churches can reverse the trend.

Rick draws from 50 years in ministry to share why marriage doesn’t come naturally, how busyness and misplaced priorities destroy con...

What if your spouse carries hidden fears you’ve never even noticed (and have been bumping into them without realizing it)? In this powerful conversation, Brad Rhoads sits down with bestselling authors and researchers Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn (For Women Only, For Men Only) to uncover surprising truths about the inner lives of men and women.

You’ll hear how their journey from law and Wall Street into marriage research began...

What if the health of your marriage came down to one overlooked skill?

In this conversation, Brad Rhoads sits down with Drew Worsham, author of The Magic of Curiosity, to unpack how intentional curiosity can transform your relationship. They discuss why busyness kills intimacy, how to move past surface-level conversations, and the power of simply asking better questions.

Whether your marriage feels fragile or stro...

What do you do when the feelings fade—or when ministry, stress, or seasons of hardship threaten to pull your marriage apart?

In this episode of the Grace Marriage Podcast, Brad Rhoads sits down with Rick Howerton, longtime pastor, consultant, and marriage champion, for a very honest conversation. Rick shares lessons from 48 years of marriage (even times when the seasons when love felt absent). From learning to offer grace ...

What do you do when fear dominates your mind, stress piles up, and apathy creeps in?

In this powerful conversation, Brad Rhoads opens up about a difficult season marked by health scares, family stress, and anxiety, and invites therapist and pastor Nathan Thompson to walk him through it in real time. Together they explore how fear compounds on itself, why judging your emotions makes things worse, and how grace (not performa...

Is perfectionism secretly sabotaging your relationship?

In this episode, Brad Rhoads sits down with therapist and pastor Nathan Thompson from Southeast Christian Church to uncover how performance-driven living spills into marriage, fueling criticism, defensiveness, and stress. 

Together, they explore why grace is the antidote and what it really means to live in Jesus’ easy yoke. You’ll walk away with fresh hope, p...

What if just six seconds a day could change your marriage?

In this episode of the Grace Marriage Podcast, Brad Rhoads sits down with John McGee of Watermark Church, a national leader in marriage ministry and founder of re|engage. Together, they share practical wisdom on building healthy rhythms, convincing churches to prioritize marriage ministry, and why intentional time (not just an elaborate date night) is the real game...

What happens when you stop keeping score in marriage?

In this episode of the Grace Marriage Podcast, Brad and Marilyn Rhoads share how their own marriage was transformed when they discovered the power of shifting from performance...to grace. They explain the difference between law-based and grace-based relationships, how grace changes the atmosphere of a home, and why forgiveness creates steadiness instead of roller-coaste...

Kids are a blessing—but they can also pull marriages apart if couples aren’t intentional.

In this episode of the Grace Marriage Podcast, Brad is joined by Rob Pierce, Caleb Potter, and Trey Pippen to talk about how children, with their sports schedules, constant demands, and daily chaos, can quietly take center stage in a marriage. The group shares practical ways to avoid child-centered marriages, from weekly coffee tradit...

Is your marriage stuck in the “same old, same old”? If dinner, dishes, and diapers have crowded out laughter, spontaneity, and adventure, you're gonna want to hear this one!

Brad Rhoads sits down with Rob Pierce, Caleb Potter, and Trey Pippen for a raw (and often hilarious) conversation about why so many marriages drift into boredom, and how you can break the cycle. From kitchen fires to hurricanes at Disney (with a n...