Building a Safe Marriage, Finding Authentic Community, The Power of Mentorship - w/ Mike & Holly Worley

MAG - Marriage advice, Relationship Encouragement, We discuss Sex, Money, Finances and everything In-between, Marriage Tips a

Aaron & Jennifer Smith

Christianity, Relationships, Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Arts, Books, Self-improvement, Education, Kids & Family, Sexuality, Spirituality, Parenting

5 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 March 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today's episode of the Marriage After God podcast, Aaron interviews Mike and Holly Worley, founders of Spark Discipleship. High school sweethearts who have been married for 16 years, they share their journey through the challenges of early marriage, healing from past trauma, and discovering the power of authentic community. With three children and a passion for discipleship, the Worleys candidly discuss the mistakes they made and the lessons they learned about building a thriving marriage centered on Christ.

In this vulnerable conversation, we explore:

How being a safe person for your spouse creates space for healing from past trauma
The three critical mistakes many couples make early in marriage that can limit growth
Why simply attending church isn't enough—true commitment means active participation
The difference between having friends and having authentic Christian community
Practical steps for finding and pursuing mentorship from older, wiser couples
How marriage becomes richer and deeper through years of sanctification together
The importance of walking alongside others in their struggles rather than trying to fix them
Why healthy marriages are meant to be disciple-making partnerships
The healing process that happens when couples work through past trauma together
How vulnerability and honesty open the door to genuine connection and growth

Whether you're newly married, struggling with past trauma, feeling isolated in your faith journey, or simply wanting to strengthen your marriage, this conversation offers biblical wisdom and practical encouragement for becoming a disciple-making couple.

Please subscribe to our channel on YouTube, iTunes, or Spotify and leave us a star rating and review to help us reach new listeners. Your support and feedback mean the world to us!

Connect with Mike & Holly Worley:

Website: sparkdiscipleship.com
Free Resources: "Five Practices of a Thriving Marriage," "Weekly Huddle Guide," and "Investing Spiritually in Your Spouse"
Ministry: Helping couples build thriving marriages through church commitment, authentic community, and mentorship

Follow Marriage After God:

Instagram: Marriage After God - https://www.instagram.com/marriageaftergod
Instagram: Unveiled Wife - https://www.instagram.com/unveiledwife
Instagram: Husband Revolution - https://www.instagram.com/husbandrevolution

Support this podcast:

Shop: https://shop.marriageaftergod.com/
Become a patron: https://marriageaftergod.com/patron

KEY WORDS: Marriage After God, Aaron Smith, Mike Worley, Holly Worley, marriage mentorship, authentic community, church commitment, healing from trauma, safe relationships, biblical marriage, disciple-making couples, Spark Discipleship, marriage discipleship, Christian community, marriage sanctification

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/marriageaftergod/donations

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey friends, I just wanted to talk to you for a few seconds.
0:02.8	We're going to get into the content soon.
0:04.3	But if you're new to this show, we just want to invite you to subscribe.
0:07.0	We're trying to see 2025 be a year of growth and expansion.
0:10.8	We just need people like you to subscribe to our channel and to share about the episodes
0:15.2	that you just are totally in love with on social media.
0:18.3	And then lastly, if you can leave us a review today, we'd greatly appreciate it.
0:23.1	The algorithms will appreciate it. And so thank you so much for joining us on the marriage
0:27.3	effort God podcast. And I just pray that you enjoy this content.
0:31.7	Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of the marriage after God podcast. I'm your host, Aaron Smith.
0:36.7	Today's episode, I think
0:38.2	you're going to really like it. It's with Mike and Holly Worley. They run a ministry, a marriage
0:42.9	ministry called Spark Discipleship. And they use the mistakes that they've made in their own
0:49.5	marriage to help other couples thrive in theirs. The three mistakes that we walk through are not being close and connected in a church,
0:59.6	not walking closely with community, true biblical community,
1:02.9	and also not seeking out mentorship from older couples.
1:07.0	And so their spark discipleship ministry is about helping marriages thrive by working on those three things.
1:13.1	They have three children. They've been married for 16 years. They had issues in the beginning of their marriage.
1:19.7	Holly talks about the abuse that she dealt with and how Mike and her walked through those early in their marriage.
1:27.3	It was a very, very
1:28.5	insightful, very beautiful conversation. I pray that it blesses you. So please enjoy my conversation
1:33.4	with Mike and Holly Worley. Hey, I'm Aaron. And I'm Jennifer. And we're the host of the Marriage
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Aaron & Jennifer Smith, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Aaron & Jennifer Smith and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.