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, practical tools, and a new vision for grace-filled love.

👉 Subscribe, share this episode with a friend, leave a review, and visit gracemarriage.com to grow deeper in your own marriage.

🔑 KEY IDEAS:
• How perfectionism in yourself leads to nitpicking your spouse
• Breaking free from Gottman’s “Four Horsemen” of marital breakdown
• The freedom of “You’re not okay—and it’s okay”
• Why grace, not guilt, is the key to real change in marriage
• How grace lowers stress when life feels overwhelming
• Shifting from self-effort to resting in God’s care

KEY VERSES:
📖 Matthew 11:28–30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
📖 Hebrews 4:9–10 – “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
📖 Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
📖 Galatians 5:22–23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”

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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 changer.

From the power of a six-second kiss, to weekly connection blocks, to finding couples worth emulating, Brad and John unpack both big and small ways to strengthen your relationship and protect it from neglect. If you’ve ever felt too busy, too tired, or too stretched, this conversation will remind you that small, consistent investments create the biggest long-term returns.

👉 Subscribe, leave a review, and learn more about Grace Marriage at gracemarriage.com.

🔑 KEY IDEAS:
• Why intentional time together is the “401k” of marriage
• How to bring marriage ministry into your church (without frustrating your pastor)
• The six-second kiss and ten-second hug: small habits with big impact
• Why you should seek out couples with marriages worth emulating
• The difference between real connection and Instagram-worthy date nights
• How to build daily, weekly, and lifelong rhythms of connection

KEY VERSES:
📖 Romans 12:2 – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
📖 Joshua 24:15 – “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE HEARING??
✅ Subscribe & Share – Help us spread the message of grace-based marriage by subscribing to the Grace Marriage Podcast and sharing this episode with friends or family.
✅ Join Grace Marriage – Ready to invest in your marriage? Visit GraceMarriage.com to learn how proactive marriage care can transform your relationship.
✅ Leave a Review – Your feedback helps us reach more couples who need encouragement.

FOLLOW US:
📌 Facebook: facebook.com/gracemarriage
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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-coaster ups and downs.

With honesty and practical wisdom, Brad and Marilyn unpack how to extend grace when your spouse hurts you, how to deal with ongoing issues without enabling, and why grace motivates more than guilt. If your marriage feels heavy, this conversation will give you hope, freedom, and a new way forward.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and learn more at gracemarriage.com.

🔑 KEY IDEAS:
• The difference between a law-based marriage and a grace-based marriage
• Why keeping score kills intimacy and connection
• How grace steadies relationships and makes reconciliation possible
• What extending grace looks like in daily life (and what it’s not)
• Why selflessness—not self-focus—leads to joy in marriage
• How grace transforms not only marriage, but parenting and home atmosphere

KEY VERSES:
📖 Romans 6:14 – “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
📖 Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
📖 Galatians 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
📖 Romans 2:4 – “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
📖 1 John 4:19 – “We love because he first loved us.”


LIKE WHAT YOU'RE HEARING??
✅ Subscribe & Share – Help us spread the message of grace-based marriage by subscribing to the Grace Marriage Podcast and sharing this episode with friends or family.
✅ Join Grace Marriage – Ready to invest in your marriage? Visit GraceMarriage.com to learn how proactive marriage care can transform your relationship.
✅ Leave a Review – Your feedback helps us reach more couples who need encouragement.

FOLLOW US:
📌 Facebook: facebook.com/gracemarriage
📌 Instagram: instagram.com/gracemarriage
📌 YouTube: youtube.com/@grace_marriage