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Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs

483: Four Small Shifts That Will Make a Big Difference in Your Marriage

Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs

Karen Stubbs

Christianity, Parenting, Parenting Advice, Kids & Family, Christian Parent, Religion & Spirituality, Faith, Motherhood

4.9 • 936 Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Marriage doesn’t have to feel heavy or complicated, sometimes we just need a gentle nudge to see where we’ve let things slide. In this conversation with Arlene Pellicane, author of Making Marriage Easier, Karen and Emily unpack the four practical shifts that can strengthen your relationship: play by the rules, speak kindly and listen well, practice gratitude, and take fun seriously. Whether you’re in the trenches with little ones or looking ahead to the golden years, this episode will encourage you to invest in your marriage today!

Episode Recap:

  • Arlene’s background and marriage (5:43)
  • Ask yourself, what can I do to make my marriage easier? (7:59)
  • What does it mean to “play by the rules” in marriage? (9:47)
  • Divorce is highly predictable based on how couples speak to one another (11:05)
  • How does giving thanks make marriage easier? (14:37)
  • The source of our happiness is God, nothing else (17:36)
  • Our phones are essentially a third person in modern marriages (18:15)
  • Don’t forget to have FUN together! (21:57)
  • In marriage, you will reap what you sow (26:21)


Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”


Discussion Questions:

  1. What is one small step you could take this week to “make marriage easier”?
  2. How do you and your spouse communicate? Do you notice more admiration or criticism in your words?
  3. When was the last time you laughed/just had fun with your spouse? How could you plan something simple and enjoyable together soon?
  4. In what ways can practicing gratitude shift your perspective in marriage?
  5. How has phone or screen usage affected your relationship? What boundary might help protect your connection?
  6. What was most encouraging to you about this conversation? 


Resources:

Transcript

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0:00.0

We are of the opinion that you can't afford not to have fun.

0:03.7

And it doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

0:06.0

Right.

0:06.3

But to just ask that question, when was the last time you laughed with your spouse?

0:10.8

When was the last time you had fun together?

0:13.3

And if you really have to scratch your head like, wow, that's really, really hard.

0:17.9

Then you know, okay, we got to do something about this.

0:20.2

And it really could just

0:21.1

be watching a YouTube video together for 10 minutes of your favorite comedian. I will give you that.

0:27.0

And as long as it's together, and then after it's over, like turn it off and go do something else.

0:31.3

But do something proactively to have fun together. And I know this gets really difficult.

0:36.6

Like all of the things I like to do kind of, you know, like a concert, a play, a movie.

0:42.0

Like my husband is not into those things.

0:44.0

He likes to ski mountain bike roller plate.

0:47.6

I don't like those things.

0:49.1

So there's a very long list in making marriage easier of activities from A to Z.

0:54.0

And I would encourage you, look at

0:55.7

that list, circle all the things you remotely like, find like the two things that you both

1:01.4

remotely like and start doing them. Welcome to WireTalk, where we encourage and equip moms

1:06.7

by answering practical questions about motherhood. We want to help instill God's truth in your heart so you can experience more joy and peace

1:14.4

on your journey of motherhood.

1:15.9

Are you ready for some truth?

...

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