Marriage After God with Aaron & Jennifer Smith

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Hey guys. Welcome to the Naked Marriage Podcast. We are Dave and Ashley Willis, and on this podcast we undress the truth about sex, intimacy and lifelong love. And I hope you've been enjoying our summer Q and A Quickies as much as we've been enjoying them. We've been loving it. But we have something new for you today and we're so excited about it.

Yeah, super excited, because we've connected with a couple we've been following for a super long time, Aaron and Jennifer Smith. They're the ones behind Unveiled Wife and Husband Revolution and a new book called Marriage After God. They also have a podcast of the same name, Marriage After God. And they're such an encouraging couple, such a neat couple. And the conversation today is going to be really, really cool. So this is a full length episode right here in the middle of summer. Hope you guys are having a great summer. By the way, starting next week, you know, we're going to get back to the summer quickies doing Q and A's, but then at the end of the summer, leading into fall, we're going to go to a new podcast format where we're going to do kind of regular episodes. But then the end of every regular episode, we're going to have a short Q and A time and we want to answer your question. So if you go to this site, naked marriagepodcast.com you can submit a question, whatever your question might be. And we're going to be taking those questions straight from nakedmarriagepodcast.com and we're going to be addressing them at the end of our episodes because we love the questions you send in and we want this podcast to continue to be a service to you in your marriage to deal with whatever struggles, whatever stuff you might be dealing with. So thank you for those who've submitted questions already. And we're excited.

We are so excited. And you know, we're especially excited about the episode today because we are talking to a couple who does a lot of the same things we do and they have a passion for reaching marriages and encouraging marriages and leading people to the Lord because we know that you know, God is our foundation. God created marriage. And anything we're going through, we believe that God can get us through it. And so we're gonna talk a lot about today, so let's dive in.

You know, one of my favorite kind of TV episodes are what I call crossover episodes. When we're watching Law and Order and Law and Order svu, characters interact with regular, like, original Law and Order characters. And my mind is blown because I'm watching, like, two of my favorite shows at once. And today it's like a crossover podcast. And I'm so excited because it's the Naked Marriage meets Marriage After God with Aaron and Jennifer Smith. You've heard the intro. Gosh, we love these guys. And we're connecting today in this podcast format for the first time. And so, Aaron and Jennifer, we're so excited to have you here. Welcome.

Oh, man, we are so honored to be here.

Thank you. Thank you.

And that was a great analogy.

Now every time you watch a crossover episode on tv, you're gonna be like, it's us and the Willises happening right now. So, so honored to have you guys. And we're gonna dive in today and start a really important about something you guys are doing with your life. And also that you've talked about extensively in your new book, Marriage After God, which is an amazing resource. We've really been enjoying reading it. And that is how to use your marriage as a ministry.

Yes.

Like, what exactly does that mean, you know? Cause you talk a lot about that in your book. What exactly does that mean?

So, you know, our heart with this was the road that God has taken us on. From, you know, day one to today is, you know, 12 years into our marriage has been one of surrender, one of recognizing what he wants for us and from us rather than what we want. And the more we've pursued that, the more we've dug into the word of God, the more we've sought after God together. You know, our subtitle, Chasing Boldly after God's Will for our life together is seeing our marriage for what it is. Seeing our marriage as what it actually is, which is a ministry, that it's not just a thing. It's not like, oh, we're married. And then we have our ministries over here and ministries, something far off in the distance. And one day I'll be there, or I'm not called to ministry like some people are, but recognizing that no God has a ministry for all of us. And so seeing our marriage as a ministry and recognizing the truth of that has Changed the way we look at everything in our life.

And not just look at, but experience, like, the way that we interact and engage with one another, you know, just in front of our kids or out into the world with our neighbors or people at the store. Like, we found that it's so. It's critical to our Christian faith and the purpose of why we're together to see our marriage as a ministry.

I love that. You know, I think that's so important. But I think where people kind of get tripped up is when they're going through struggles. And, you know, the bottom line is every marriage goes through struggles. I know we've had our struggles, and I'm sure you guys have had your struggles. So what are some things that you've had to overcome kind of along your journey in your years of marriage that really have gotten you to this point of knowing that your marriage is a ministry and really teaching others that their marriage is a ministry.

One of the first things that stands out to me is the way that we communicate with one another. And communication is so important. And it's one of those things that can be really frustrating for people, especially in marriage. But we've had. It's a learning process. So we have been called out in our marriage by other people before for our bickering, and that's an overflow of not communicating through struggles. Well.

Right.

So we've had to learn how to present our hearts to one another, how to expose them, how to share them in a way that's still respectful, and communicate through those struggles so that it doesn't overflow into a bickering session, especially in front of someone else. So we've been really embarrassed before by the way that we communicate wrongly in.

Front of people and the terrible witness that we are because of it. Yeah, we don't even. There was a time that we didn't even notice that, like, we bickered so much. We just thought it was normal the way we talked to each other. Until finally a friend of mine had enough love for me to say. I mean, he didn't say it, actually. He, like, looked at me and was like, you're being such a jerk to your wife right now. And I'm like, what?

Like, tobit, that's a good thing.

Caught me off guard.

Yeah.

Yeah. It's hard to hear, but he was right. And I was like, I didn't even. I didn't even know I was bickering.

I didn't even recognize was playing out in both of our hearts at that time. And so I just think of something as simple as that, where it's like we're not communicating correctly, appropriately, respectfully to one another. And so when we say marriage is a ministry, we're saying, you know, how we interact and engage with each other represents a message that we believe to others. And what message are we sharing? What, what are we reflecting? Are we reflecting the love of God in our lives and his power and how he's transformed us, or are we, you know, sharing some other message that has no power?

Yeah, and, and we've, I mean, in the early on in our marriage, we struggled with sexual intimacy and, and our brokenness in that, and then that led to, like, bitterness toward God and towards each other. And on the outside, we're still pursuing God, we're still trying to do ministry, quote unquote, but internally getting more and more angry. And then we had financial issues, trying to get out of debt, and all of the normal things that all of the blogs and all of the podcasts talk about, breakup marriages, we dealt with, because you're going to, dealt with, deal with it. You're two individual humans coming together, trying to learn to be one, trying to walk this life out, and then on top of that, trying to be godly and trying to follow, follow his purpose for your life. And when we come to those struggles, as you mentioned, when we come to those trials, there's a couple ways we can deal with them. We can cope with them, meaning we self medicate by chasing hobbies or chasing things that make us happy, or more distractions, more destructive things, more distracted things, or we confront them biblically and we humble ourselves and we say, okay, in this moment, I can't do this. You know what I'm supposed to do? Get on my knees and say, God, I can't do this.

Right, right, right.

And then find, find counsel. The Bible tells us that we wage war by many counselors in Proverbs instead of just trying to do it on our own. That's what we do, is we try and do it on our own. But this idea of recognizing and this is what God did with us, and he kind of, he brought me to my knees, you know, when we came to the end of ourselves and right before, you know, calling it quits in our marriage. And God was like, you're, you're doing this in your strength, and I want you to do it on mine. And you're doing this your way, and I want you to do it my way. And so I finally, like, he got ahold of me, brought me to my knees and said, are you ready to do it my way? And I was like, yes, because my way is not working. All the things that I'm trying to do, which were all very selfish things. Change my wife, have her fulfill my needs and my desires, get what I want out of the marriage rather than be who God's called me to be.

Yeah. God's way is way more sacrificial and selfless.

Yeah. And so having that idea of like, okay, God's got a. There's a symbol, there's a representation, there's a light that we are supposed to be. And that kind of, not kind of, that actually changes the way we think about everything. In that moment, my perspective about my entire marriage changed in the way I saw my wife. It didn't mean all of the trials just disappeared. It doesn't mean. It just changed how I dealt with them. It changed how I saw them. I mean, the Bible is very clear that trials will come. It doesn't say if they come. It says they will come. And we're to persevere in the trials, but with Christ. And so, yeah, like you said, looking at my wife and realizing, like, oh, if I'm going to be this way and selfish, then I'm actually not being the symbol I should be. I'm not being the symbol of Christ. I should be in the world, in loving my wife as Christ loves the church, giving myself up for her, washing her by the water with the word, like, that's what I'm supposed to be. And that's the message I get to proclaim whether my wife does it ever or not.

Man, that's good. That is so good. And I love your all's transparency. What you've done through Unveiled Wife to create a place for wives to share struggles. What you've done through husband revolutions for husbands to do the same. And how in the book Marriage After God, you guys open up about the struggles. Like you just talked about struggling with sexual intimacy early on in others. It gives people the courage to have those conversations in their own marriage and, and to find the accountability and the counselors and the hope and the mentorship that you guys talk about. So kind of turning the page a little bit with this theme on keeping marriage a ministry. You guys have four kids. You know, we've got four kids. A lot of the folks listening don't have kids or don't have kids yet. But many of our listeners do have families and they want that first ministry in their marriage to be toward their children. Like modeling Christ for their Kids. And if we do have kids, I mean, that is a sacred aspect of what our marriage ministry does need to look like. So in your family, in your home, you know, what does that look like? How does your marriage strategically become a ministry for shaping that next generation that's growing up in your house? And how do you guys keep your marriage a priority with the struggles of having young kids? Because we're there too. And so I'm asking you half just out of curiosity so we can steal some ideas.

Always trying to learn.

Yeah, that's right.

The first thing I'll say is that one thing that I've learned, our kids are still pretty young, but they watch everything. Even if you think they're not paying attention, they are watching, they are soaking in.

And they remember everything.

They remember everything. And then they copy everything they do. Everything that you do.

Right.

I know they're sitting back in that car and they're talking to each other and I'm like, why did he just say that to her? And then, and Jennifer looks at me, she's like, that's what you say?

No, yesterday I've had those moments like with. Yeah, go ahead.

Sweet. Like I took our 4 year old to the, to the bathroom and he peed. And then he was watching me. And then I leaned over, this maybe too graphic, but I spit in the toilet before I flushed it. And then he ran back to the toilet to spit in it before he like, this is what I've got to do. This is what men do. We spit in the toilet. And so it was just one of those reminders that, oh my goodness, every little thing we do, they're watching.

Even the things we don't think about.

Even things we don't think about, good or bad.

Yeah, yeah. So they're little imitators and they don't even have to be told to imitate, you know, and so here we are with this beautiful gift of a marriage and a responsibility to be teaching our kids and to be raising them to know God's ways. And that is why having the perspective of your marriage being a ministry, even to your children is so critical. It's so vital.

Yeah. And we, I feel like there's been a, you know, globally, in the global church, in Christianity, there's been this idea that there's someone smarter than me and more godly that's going to raise my, like, teach my kids about God.

Yes.

And there's nothing more dangerous than that. You don't see that in scripture. Yes. The kids went to the rabbis. Yes. The Kids. But the men in the home, the husbands and the wives, the fathers and the mothers, they were the main source of raising their children. So me recognizing that I can't pawn off my responsibility of discipleship to anyone else. Yes, there will be other Christian influences, hopefully, in my children's life. That would be wise of me to do and put them around other Christian mature men that I want them to imitate. But I need to be that. I can't just say, well, no, I don't have to be that because there's this other guy over here doing it. And I can sit here and be lazy and watch TV while my kids are, you know, whatever. Not that TV's bad, necessarily, but my responsibility is to exemplify to them, not just in word, but in deed, that I show them that I believe what the word says when I do it. So when I don't do what it says, I actually can humble myself and go to them and be like, hey, I actually. I sinned against you, and I need to apologize. So then they're actually learning what repentance looks like from their father. Not like, dad doesn't ever do anything wrong and I do everything wrong.

So why don't you share practically what that looks like for us daily?

Yeah. So for us is just in our relationship to each other. Because our kids see that, you know, when I'm loving my wife as Christ loves the church, when she's submitting to me and respecting me, our kids get a picture of not only the gospel, because that's what Paul says the mystery of marriage is, is Christ and the church. That's what the. They're seeing a picture of a redeemer and a bride. They're seeing the picture of unity and oneness.

And then when we make. I was gonna say they get to see reconciliation through forgiveness and apology.

So they see us working things out. They don't just see weeks of us not talking to each other. Right. They don't. Like. Yeah, they might see us fight at a time, and then we come together and we say, hey, we're sorry we fought. We shouldn't have fought in front of you, first of all. And you know what? I love Mommy. And I shouldn't have done that to Mommy. I was rude how I spoke to. So they're actually seeing us confront our sin, confront our own sin. Yeah. And then to them, you know, when we discipline and when we walk with them through things, constantly trying to bring them back to the word of God, it's not just what dad said. It's what God says. Cause one day they're going to be outside of my home and they're gonna be like, well, Dad's not here to tell me this, so it doesn't matter anymore.

Or where do I find what dad was talking about?

Yeah. Or like what dad says isn't relevant anymore because Dad's not here now. I'm my own person. So we always try and point him back to, like, the ultimate authority that I even get. My we're all. All authority is derived from God. It's not just inherent in me. I have this authority that I get to wield. I have it from God. So when I'm saying, hey, you dishonored Mommy, you know what God says about that? He says, to honor your mom and your dad, and you weren't honoring. And so it's not dad saying you need to honor your mom. And so again, this sounds like I'm doing it perfectly.

But we're not perfect.

We're not perfect. This is just recognizing that. Our first ministry is to each other. Our second ministry is to our kids. My ministry to them is to disciple them. Not to just turn them into productive adults or to turn them into what is the second commandment? Be fruitful and multiply. Not just multiply and have a bunch of kids that don't love God and are crazy in the world, but to be fruitful. So have God, as it says in Malachi, have godly offspring. And so my job with my kids is to raise them to know what the word of God says, to know what God's heart is for them, to know that even their strengths and their purpose is from him. And so, like my. Just a good example, our daughter is super strong willed, and that's a good thing. Now it's difficult because she's going to always confront us and fight us on things, but I remind her, I'm like, olive, you have such a strong will and that's so good. But if you don't learn to control it, it's going to be dangerous when you get older. And so she may not fully understand that now, but repeating these truths to our kids over and over and over again isn't going to stifle their power. And the gift that God's given them is actually going to allow them to wield them for him.

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The other thing that I was hoping you'd touch on a little bit, but that's okay. Is Family Bible time. You're so good at this, so why don't you share?

Well, thank you. Why don't you share it? Cause you, like, you get to watch me do it.

Okay.

Well, it's a really important but also fun part of our day, and that's just something that we have decided to commit to, to help and in, you know, sharing the word of God with our children. And so every morning after breakfast, we sit down for, you know, some days it's only like 10 minutes. Some days it's like 25, depending on how many questions the kids have. But we just sit down and we read scripture and we talk about it, and then we pray together. And the kids are looking forward to this now. The kids are responding and expecting it. And so I wanted to share that because I think for people listening, they go, you know, that. That sounds right, and that sounds good, but how do I do this? Well, Family Bible time's a really easy, practical way to encourage biblical growth within the family. It's a family experience. So we've really enjoyed that.

Yeah. And there's a. Just practically. Cause people are gonna be like, that'd be awesome. How do I do that? It started with I would read a verse, and I would just talk about it and say, what words did you hear? And so you don't have to. If you're gonna start doing this. You don't have to be a Bible scholar to do Bible time with your kids. Really. It's just. There's a few things that happen. There's training that happens. So you train them to sit still and listen, and you train them to learn from mom and dad. Those are huge things. You train them to not be afraid of the Bible. Because I'm sure if you grow up and your parents never open the Bible to you and you only hear it from a pastor, all of a sudden you're like, what do I do with this thing? And how do I open it up? Where do I start? So just doing it regularly shows them that the Bible's not a scary thing. It's not hard to understand. You can open it up and read. Because we go from Old Testamen and New Testament back and forth, and I ask them where things are at. And you get better at teaching it because you're like, hey, what book are we in? And they just learned yesterday. And they forget and you're like, we're in John. And John was a disciple. And so you just say simple things that seem simple enough, but they're learning them. And then you actually grow as a Christian because you learn stuff and then you start pulling out. You're like, hey, we just learned something. Hey, remember, Elliot yesterday when you said that to your sister? Do you feel like that lines up with what we just read? And they're like, no, not at all. So I wanna take away any of the fear or anxieties of starting this. And just for anyone who wants to start, just start. Open up in the Bible. Read a verse, one verse, and talk about it with your kids.

Man, that's good.

I love it.

My mind's already racing to how I can be more intentional about that. Like, that's something I wanna put into practice. Man, that's good.

Well, and the thing I love saying that the Bible's not scary. Cause I totally get what you're talking about. I grew up in a home where, like, the Bible was scary. We had one, and it was like an old family Bible that was passed down, but it was never open, never go near it. No, it was. It was like, we have it in our home, so our home is blessed kind of thing. But it was never open. And my parents love them to death. But at the time, I think it was scary to them. And I think a lot of times people listening to this, there might be some listening where you believe in the Lord and maybe you've even accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But the Bible is scary to you. And you, deep in your heart, you feel like you don't have what it takes to understand it, but that's just a lie from the enemy. And I love what these people are saying. I mean, you know, listen to what Jennifer and Aaron are saying. That you don't have to be scared of the Bible. God made it for you to be closer to him, to know him, to learn about him, and to pass it on to your kids, if you have kids. And so I love that. Cause I remember when I started as a Gosh, a 13 year old who had just accepted Christ. You know, reading it, it's like once you do read it and you guys are doing this for your kids and we're doing this for our kids as well, you want more. You know, it's just you want more and more and more of it and you want to fill up your heart with it and your mind with it. And so I love that. And I feel like if there's anything they take from this conversation, hopefully, you know, they'll start that tradition in their own home. I think it'd be awesome.

Oh, man. If that's life changing, take away from this and you start doing that in your home. That could change the next generation. That's powerful. One kind of maybe final turn because we could talk all day. I'm loving this. I'm loving this. But want to honor your time and the time of those who are listening. But making the transition of how do we take our ministry as a marriage? And yes, if we have kids, obviously first and foremost it's in the home. But for couples that feel like I don't feel qualified, even the word ministry kind of freaks me out. Like, I'm not a pastor, I don't know where to start, but I want to do something. And maybe they, you know, they look at, you know, like what you guys are doing and think, I could never do anything on that scale. And so, like, I don't even know where to start or if I should start. But how would you challenge a couple that God has a calling for them? Because we believe every married couple is a ministry duo that God means to send out into the world and to impact their community and their world in a very unique way in ways that they could never do apart from Christ and apart from each other. But where do you start for that couple that's never really thought of their marriage that way, and they want to do something, but they don't know where to begin. How would you encourage a couple like that?

We push this pretty hard in the book Marriage After God. And we even say in there like, we're doing what God has called us to do and you don't need to look, don't covet what we're doing because you don't want to covet someone else's ministry. And often we look and say, I can't be a. A preacher. I can't be an evangelist. I can't do that thing over there that they're doing. And you know what? Maybe you can. That's the whole point. In First Corinthians, chapter 12, it talks about how everyone has been given a gift, everyone has been distributed in the body, and there's a purpose for it. And the hand can't say to the eye, I don't need you. The head can't say to the foot, you're not necessary. That every part in the body is necessary. You listening as a believer? You are. You're necessary and vital for what God's doing in the world, and you can't be replaced if you don't do what God's built you and created you and gifted you to do there. Yes, God will use other people to do things for his kingdom, but they're going to be obedient for them, and we're all going to be accountable for ourselves, not someone else. And so this challenge is to recognize that your marriage is a ministry right now, whether you think it's so or not. And so the question is, are you being a good steward of that ministry? And the way we tell people, we encourage people, is like, what has God naturally gifted you in? What resources do you currently have? What location are you in? Because we're not where you guys are in Texas. You guys have a sphere of influence around you personally and on your podcast and where you're at and what you're doing that we don't have. And that's exactly the point, that I'm not you and you're not me. And it's a beautiful mosaic that God is putting together for his purpose, for his kingdom. So you look at what you have and you say, okay, Lord, what do you want done with this? Maybe, like, if you own a home, right? If you have a house, if you have an apartment, that's a place that could be a sanctuary of reconciliation. That could be a place that you can invite a neighbor in to have a meal with you. Are you a good singer? Can you draw? Are you just good at talking? Do you love just spending time with people? Like extroverts? That's a gift to go and be like, I can sit and talk with anyone. Like, that's a gift.

It is a gift.

And we gotta say, lord, how do you want me to use this? And then in your marriage, you say, what do we have and how can we use it? For God. And it's all about his message. It's the same thing. It doesn't have to be a podcast. It doesn't have to be a YouTube channel or a social media platform, to be honest. You have a neighbor. The Bible makes it so simple.

Can you cook pies? What can you do that's gonna bring joy to you and bring joy to others? And the opportunities are endless. When you look at it that way.

Yeah, it makes it not so complicated. I think we do try to complicate things sometimes where we're like, but it's gotta be this grand thing. But really, it's just in the. It's being faithful in the little things and the things that seem maybe small to us, they can be a huge deal to your neighbor. Reaching out to your neighbor and saying, do you wanna come over?

Say this?

I'll share this little story. You know, we moved to Texas about a year ago from Georgia. And Georgia, we love Georgia. We were there for about 10 years. So when we moved here, it was hard, you know. Cause we were leaving people who'd really become like family to us, even though we weren't from that area. And I'm telling you, I always pray whenever we've moved. I'm always like, God, bring the right people in our lives for our children, but also for us. And let me tell you, I had no idea the amazing neighbors that we had when we. When we chose where we were going to live. And the first. I guess the first week when I was. I had to come and move us in while Dave stayed at home with our kids. And so I flew out here to, like, meet the moving truck. And it happened to be. And you all, this is how crazy it is. Moving is so nuts that I forgot it was actually Mother's Day weekend.

Oh, man.

Yes, I know. Because we were so busy.

It was a crazy time. Nuts.

And so, anyway, so I'm there, and I'm like, oh, yeah. Like, I'm gonna be here over Mother's Day, completely away from my family. And I was like, oh, no. Well, my neighbors saw it. They thought ahead. And our neighbors across the street brought me flowers. Another neighbor brought me cookies. Another neighbor brought me these amazing bundt cakes that I'd never had before. But, like, it was just so sweet. And I told Dave, I'm like, they were so thoughtful. And they've still. Over this past year, they have been the best neighbors we've ever had. Yeah, they've been amazing. And it's just been so nice. Like on holidays when we Were like, we don't have any family here, and we are still cultivating friendships. They would invite us over. And it's just been so, so nice. And it's. It's just reminded me exactly what you guys are talking about, you know, just being hospitable, just being a kind friend to your neighbor. It's as simple as that. That is being a ministry.

It is. And a quote you had in the book that really deeply resonated with both of us is that it's not me and you against the world. It's me and you for the world. Yes. And I think so often couples, they take this, it's me and you against the world. And they try to mean it in this romantic way, like, we're gonna take on the world. Like it's. But it's going into the world as if it's you two against everybody, and you're going to win, they're going to lose kind of thing. It's the wrong mentality. When Christ calls us to what you've said in the book, it's me and you for the world. He's brought us together for our good and for his glory and for the good of our community, for the good of our state, our country, for the good of our neighborhood, for the good of the world. And if we'll see it that way, and we'll look at every opportunity, every person we encounter as somebody that we can impact together for God's glory, then it adds this extra layer of purpose and significance to everything we do as a couple, because it removes this natural selfishness that all of us have, and it makes us look at the world as just this.

Like, what can we do to help?

Exactly.

I love that.

Yeah, I love that, too. And just encourage those listening. I feel like it's such a fun process. It's such a fun experience to be able to go with your spouse and say, hey, what can we do today to bless someone else? Hey, our neighbor's going through something. What can we do? What do we have to offer them? And that's a fun experience, to be able to collaborate in that way and bring your talents and bring your resources and to bring everything that's in the two of your hearts together to bless the world in that way. I just think it's beautiful and it's fun.

Yes.

Oh, that is so good, guys. Man, I'm telling you, I want to just move to Bend, Oregon. I want to grow a beard like Aaron. I know he said it's wrong to covet someone's ministry. But I have to confess, I'm coveting someone's beard right now and I need to learn how to what oils I need or what's involved in having something like that. But no, you guys are the real deal. And I just want to, before we close, I want to give everybody around the circle real quick a chance to share, like, one little final nugget of marriage advice or encouragement. But while you're thinking about that, just want to tell listeners if you're not connected to Aaron and Jennifer's ministry, you are missing out. These guys are the real deal. Their new book, Marriage After God, their podcast, Marriage After God is so full of practical wisdom to help you in every aspect of your marriage. And if you're interested in connecting with that, you can find their podcast anywhere. You listen to podcasts and you can find their book@marriageaftergod.com and soon, very soon, wherever books are sold, you can also connect with them at Unveiled Wife and at Husband Revolution. They've got many other great resources, prayer resources, really popular resources that have impacted thousands upon thousands of, of folks. And truly, guys, we just appreciate you. We appreciate your authenticity, your transparency, your genuine concern and calling for helping, helping couples grow closer to God and closer to each other. So thank you for being on. So final, final thoughts, my love, we'll start with you. What are some final thoughts today?

Oh, gosh. I mean, there's so many good nuggets in this conversation, but I would just say, you know, thinking beyond the here and now problems of the day, like what we were talking about, the struggles that we're going through and realizing that God has a greater calling for you and your spouse, whoever is listening. You know, you might be going through a hard time right now, as all of us will. Like we talked about, Jesus himself said, in this world, you will have trouble. But he didn't just leave it there. He said, but take heart, I have overcome the world. And so with Jesus, we can overcome any problem, any trial that we're going through. And if we keep our perspective on what God has called us to as a couple, as a ministry, then on those really hard days, it kind of helps you to lighten the load because you see that greater calling that he has on your life. And just like Jennifer was saying, that's fun. That's exciting. It is fun because God has called you to bless other people in your life, and you are in ministry whether you realize it or not.

So good.

So something that I'd like to share is just that it's More of a challenge. And that's just to consider today what you can do as a team with your spouse to bless someone else and to be those initiators of love for God.

Love the word initiative. Yes. You don't. Wait, wait. Do it. Yeah. I would say this, and we bring this up in the book, and it's something that the Bible does a really good job of in the New Testament, specifically of reminding believers that there's a day coming that our Lord's gonna return. And it says, today is the day of salvation. There's all these urgencies in the word of God of, like, let us run the race. Let us pursue that which is good, and let us keep our eyes on things that are above. And let us like all these things, because, man, Jesus is coming back and the days are growing short, and we got a job to do. And that job is so good and it's so blessed. And when we chase that, man, we just see what God's doing in and through us. And so I just want to. I want to just remind the believers, listening of the urgency that Jesus is coming for us and we have a job to do.

I love that. That is so good. And mine would just simply be to keep putting these things into practice. You guys have heard some great, great wisdom from Ashley, from Erin, from Jennifer today to keep listening to their podcast, to this podcast to keep trusting in God's word, to keep growing together. And we want to thank you guys for listening. I want to thank, as always, our producer, Brittany Wilcox, our audio engineer, technical wizard, Jordan Kennedy. I can't even plug in a cell phone, so the fact that this is happening at all is clearly not, not doing. It's a team effort. And we appreciate these guys and we appreciate Aaron and Jennifer so much. Thank you again for being here.

Thank you.

Thank you for having us.

Thank you for being. It was so much fun. It was just so much fun. We could do this all day. And so, guys, for listening, you guys who are listening, stay tuned. Got more fun stuff coming. Thank you for listening, for subscribing and for leaving reviews, both on the Naked Marriage podcast and on the Marriage After God podcast. It helps others discover this free resource, and it just helps helps the message keep spreading. So thanks, guys. We'll see you next time. God bless.

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Sa.