Focus on the Family
500 episodes
If you’re married — or soon to be — you’ve got questions. What makes this relationship work? How do I fix it when it breaks? Where do I go when I need help? Host John Fuller and marriage experts Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley help answer those questions with practical, down-to-earth insights based on God’s design for marriage. Find answers and inspiration in every short episode of this Christian marriage podcast.
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A practical marriage conversation about using boundaries to pause conflict without shutting each other out.
This episode stays close to a very ordinary but real marriage problem: what happens when a fight needs to stop, even if one spouse wants to settle it right away. John Fuller, Greg and Erin Smalley, and Dr.
A frank faith based look at how emotional distance can wear down a marriage.
The episode looks at emotional closeness in marriage and the gap that opens when a husband assumes provision and verbal affection are enough. Greg Smalley speaks plainly about the collapse of his first marriage, saying his wife did not feel cherished or truly connected even when…
Pastoral sermons for healing, faith, and release.
Faithful steps for God-shaped dreams.
Christian marriage counsel with prayerful accountability.
Christian steadiness for unsettled news and cultural life.
John Fuller hosts marriage experts Greg and Erin Smalley to discuss how lies and emotional distance can damage marriages, featuring insights from Jim Turner's story and biblical principles on redemption.
This episode explores how people can find hope and redemption through faith and counseling when facing personal failures or marital struggles.
This episode discusses setting boundaries against flirting and temptation in marriage, featuring a conversation with author Jerry Jenkins about his book 'Hedges'.
This episode features an interview with Ron and Jan Welch discussing how control and manipulation damaged their marriage, with insights from marriage experts Greg and Erin Smalley on overcoming these issues in relationships.
This episode features a discussion with marriage experts Greg and Erin Smalley on how to handle unmet expectations and offenses in marriage, focusing on communication and conflict resolution.
This episode discusses the importance of prioritizing family over temporal achievements, featuring insights from marriage experts and a conversation about lessons learned regarding family.
This episode discusses the challenges of progress and regression in marriage and recovery, featuring a conversation with David and Krista Dunham about dealing with an eating disorder and maintaining faith.
This episode discusses how married couples navigate multiple seasons of loss together, sharing personal stories about grief and supporting each other through difficult times like hospice care.
This episode features a conversation with Christian singer Rebecca St.
This episode features a discussion on how marriage helps individuals grow personally and spiritually, with insights from couples sharing experiences about love, expectations, and support.
This episode features Dr.
This episode features a discussion with Jerry Jenkins about building practical hedges and boundaries to protect marriages from temptations related to sex, money, and pride, based on biblical principles.
This episode discusses how sexual temptation persists in marriage despite expectations, addressing cultural influences like pornography and the importance of open communication and accountability.
This episode discusses how couples can embrace their differences as part of God's design to strengthen their marriage rather than letting them cause conflict.
This episode explores how unmet expectations in marriage can lead to codependency, with insights from marriage counselors on shifting focus from a spouse's actions to one's own behavior to foster healthier relationships.
This episode discusses how slowing down emotional reactions during marital conflicts can prevent escalation and foster better communication and empathy between partners.
This episode features a discussion about handling misunderstandings in marriage by remembering you're on the same team, with insights from marriage experts Greg and Erin Smalley and Focus on the Family President Jim Daley and his wife Jean.
This episode discusses the importance of thinking generationally about marriage and faith, featuring Dr.
This episode discusses the impact of pornography on marriages from a Christian counseling perspective, featuring insights from Dr.
Greg Smalley shares a personal story about how a mentor helped him realize his desire to marry Erin by imagining a future together.
This episode discusses research showing that spending about 10 minutes daily on meaningful conversation can significantly improve marital quality and connection.
This episode explores communication challenges in marriage, featuring Greg and Erin Smalley discussing how misunderstandings arise when one partner assumes they know what the other meant.
This episode features a discussion about marriage struggles, including a personal story of a long-distance confession regarding an eating disorder, with insights from marriage experts.
This episode explores how perfectionism damages marriages through unrealistic expectations and pressure, featuring insights from marriage counselors and a personal story.
This episode discusses the harmful effects of pornography addiction from a Christian perspective, focusing on its impact on the brain, relationships, and productivity.
This episode explores how to prioritize pleasing God over pleasing others, particularly in marriage, with insights from Dr.
A Christian marriage expert shares a personal story about how marriage helped him confront depression and improve self-awareness through self-reflection rather than blaming his spouse.
This episode features a conversation between couples discussing how to prioritize appreciating your spouse over daily to-do lists to strengthen marriage relationships.
This episode discusses how wives can encourage their husbands in marriage, addressing the impact of pain on the heart and the importance of opening one's heart regardless of a spouse's actions.
This episode features a discussion with Ted Cunningham about using humor and laughter to navigate differences in marriage, illustrated by a funny restaurant story.
This episode discusses the common struggles in marriage, including communication breakdowns and dissatisfaction, with insights from research and a spiritual perspective on overcoming these challenges.
This episode explores eating disorders and mental illness through a couple's personal journey, discussing gender differences in how these issues manifest and are perceived.
This episode explores loneliness in marriage and modern culture, featuring a discussion with experts on how digital connectivity paradoxically increases isolation and the importance of meaningful conversations.
This episode features a discussion about marriage proposals, with hosts sharing personal stories and promoting a marriage counseling program called Hope Restored.
This episode explores why Christians struggle with forgiveness in marriage and offers practical advice on how to genuinely forgive and move forward.
This episode features a discussion about letting go of control in marriage, with insights from Rebecca St.
This episode discusses practical ways to reignite romance in marriage through daily intentional actions rather than relying solely on grand gestures, featuring insights from marriage experts Dr.
This episode discusses practical ways for married couples to maintain communication and connection through small gestures and regular check-ins, featuring insights from marriage experts Greg and Erin Smalley.
This episode discusses the power of words in marriage, featuring a marriage counselor sharing how her husband's encouragement helped her pursue a doctorate.
This episode discusses how simple activities like walks or drives can help couples reconnect and improve their marriage by providing distraction-free time together.
This episode explores how cultivating curiosity about your spouse can strengthen marriage by fostering better communication, trust, and selflessness, drawing on insights from experts and resources like Focus on the Family.
This episode discusses the challenges of overcommitment and hurry-syndrome in modern life, featuring personal anecdotes from hosts about balancing family, work, and relationships.
This episode discusses the dangers of emotional disconnection in marriage, featuring personal stories from hosts and guests about dismissing feelings and misaligned perceptions.
This episode explores biblical interpretations of marriage, focusing on redefining 'weaker vessel' as 'fine china' to emphasize cherishing spouses.
John Fuller and experts Erin and Greg Smalley host Dr.
Hosts John Fuller and Jim Daly interview Rebecca St.
This episode discusses the dangers of small temptations in marriage, such as inappropriate physical touch and emotional oversharing, which can lead to affairs.
This episode discusses practical strategies for married couples to guard against temptation and maintain sexual integrity, featuring insights from Greg and Erin Smalley on transparency and boundaries, along with advice from author Jerry Jenkins on rules like avoiding alone time with the opposite sex.
This episode explores healthy conflict resolution and boundary-setting in Christian marriage, featuring a dramatic story from Dr.
This episode discusses how marriage often fails to meet unrealistic expectations of happiness and contentment, with insights from marriage counselors on why people seek help when their marital dreams don't align with reality.
This episode discusses spiritual warfare in marriage, identifying key indicators of demonic attack based on Christian teachings.
This episode addresses financial conflict in marriage from a Christian perspective, offering a process for couples to navigate disagreements.
A Christian marriage podcast offering practical, faith-based advice on strengthening relationships through prayer and biblical principles.
Host John Fuller and marriage experts Greg and Erin Smalley discuss the importance of prayer in marriage and share personal prayer practices.
This episode discusses four key choices couples can make to strengthen their marriage, based on a conversation with Arlene Pelican.
A Christian marriage podcast discussing emotional safety and attachment in marriage from a biblical perspective.
A Christian marriage podcast offering practical advice and biblical insights for strengthening marriages.
A Christian marriage podcast discussing how newlyweds can navigate relationships with parents, featuring a couple's story of redemption after premarital pregnancy.
A Christian marriage podcast discussing the devastation of marital affairs and the path to healing through faith and practical advice.
A Christian marriage podcast discussing how to navigate infidelity and find forgiveness through faith.