Hey everybody, if you're going to be in Utah over the next few weeks dropping kids off at school or maybe heading back to school yourself, we wanted to let you know about a really special place in downtown Provo called the Compass Gallery. It's a beautiful, expansive art gallery right on Center Street that doubles as a Faith Matters event space. And it's where we've got some really amazing programming happening this fall and designed especially for students looking for support on their journey of faith. To give you just a taste of what we have planned, we're giving away a special gift to anyone who stops by the Compass Gallery and says that Faith Matters sent them. They're open from 12 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, so be sure to swing by and pick up your gift from us. And don't forget that students and young adults also get a really great discount on Restore. You can grab your tickets at faithmatters.org slash restore if you haven't already. And if you're in a position to help us sponsor this type of programming, we would love for you to get in touch. You can email us anytime at info at faith matters.org. Thanks so much. Hey everybody, this is Aubrey Chavez from Faith Matters.

We are so excited today to be welcoming back Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, someone whose voice

and work have shaped our thinking in really lasting ways. Today we're talking with Jennifer

about her brand new book published by Faith Matters that's called That We Might Have Joy. The book offers

an honest look at how sexual intimacy can reveal the truth of a relationship, and for those

willing to confront that truth, can serve as the starting point for deep joy, spiritual transcendence,

and communion with another soul. It reframes sexual intimacy, not as something separate from our faith,

but as an integral part of it, a way of knowing ourselves and another person, and of developing

fully into our divine potential. In this conversation, we explore what intimacy requires,

and it's not just about saying the right things or playing the right role, or becoming selfless.

It's about showing up fully,

honestly, even when it's uncomfortable. Jennifer makes the powerful case that true intimacy can't be

faked, that our bodies and our partners always know when we're hiding. And so we talked about what to do

about it. We talked about the traps that so many couples fall into, cycles of accommodation,

avoidance, pressure,

or silence, and how our hunger for validation often gets in the way of real connection.

And maybe most importantly, Jennifer helps us see that the tension in our relationships

isn't a sign that something's broken. We loved this conversation, and we are so excited to share

it with you. Jennifer's book will be released on September 30th, but you'll be able to purchase early copies of the book at Restore in just a few weeks. Thanks as always for listening. And with that, we'll jump right into the conversation. All right. Well, welcome back. Jennifer, we're so excited to have you back on the podcast. Yeah. Thanks for having me. We don't take these conversations for granted.

And yeah, I've been thinking this week about how much I've learned from you over the last five years. And so I just have a really full heart. I'm so excited to get to talk about your book.

And we've been waiting for this for a long time. So welcome back. Thank you.

I want to, I think maybe a place where we could start is something that feels, it feels

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