Expedition Marriage Christian marriage and relationship podcast with Chris & Jamie Bailey, marriage coaches

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Welcome to the Expedition Marriage podcast—a place where you can find hope, encouragement, fun, and some practical tips for enjoying the journey of marriage. We are Chris & Jamie Bailey, Christian counselors and marriage coaches, and we’re excited to share with you all that we have learned about marriage, not only from our own marriage, but also as trained professionals.

Is Technology Replacing Your Spouse? (The Truth About False Intimacy) Are phones, social media, and even AI replacing connection in marriage? In this episode, we talk about the rise of false intimacy, which is when technology creates the illusion of connection without the depth, responsibility, or emotional safety of real intimacy. 00:00 AI Knows You Best 00:38 Is Tech Replacing Spouses 01:29 From Distraction to Displacement 02:56 Cheap Substitute Trap 04:50 False Intimacy Warning 06:08 Phubbing and Marriage Fallout 09:19 Oversharing Online Advice 13:06 Emotional Outsourcing to Bots 15:07 Parasocial Validation Loop 17:38 AI Romance Simulation Risks 20:13 Long Term Attachments Form 20:57 Known Fully by God 21:44 Safe But Empty Validation 22:21 Bonding With Screens 23:40 Tolerance Shrinks Over Time 25:36 Loneliness And Lower Wellbeing 27:31 AI Romance And Infidelity 28:42 Emotional Affairs Defined 33:33 Dopamine Hits Rewire Expectations 35:52 Preventative Questions To Ask 37:40 Faith Growth And Waiting 40:08 Practical Guardrails And Tools 41:53 Prayer And Final Takeaways If you’ve ever felt like your spouse is competing with a screen, or you’ve noticed yourself turning to your phone instead of your spouse…this conversation is for you. We break down: ✔️ Why technology feels easier than real connection ✔️ How false intimacy slowly replaces real intimacy ✔️ The impact on trust, communication, and emotional safety ✔️ Practical steps to reconnect 👉 Want help reconnecting? Visit: https://expeditionmarriage.org/marriage #ChristianMarriage #MarriageHelp #Relationships #EmotionalIntimacy #MarriagePodcast __________ At Expedition Marriage, our mission is simple — to help couples build healthy, Christ-centered marriages that reflect God’s design and bring Him glory. As professional Christian Counselors and Marriage Coaches, we’re passionate about equipping husbands and wives with the biblical truth, practical tools, and encouragement they need to thrive, not just survive in marriage. Through our weekly podcast, online courses, marriage counseling and coaching, and our Newlywed Couples Devotional, we walk alongside couples who want to: *Strengthen connection and communication *Restore hope in hurting seasons *Grow together to become more like Christ *Learn to love one another the way Jesus loves us Whether you’re newly married or decades in, we’re here to remind you that marriage is a sacred journey. One meant to be enjoyed and continually refined by God’s grace. Need help for your marriage? Reach out to us to learn more about our counseling and coaching options at https://expeditionmarriage.org/marriage Want to Join our 30 Day Praying for your Spouse Challenge? Wives- Pray for your husbands https://expeditionmarriage.org/30-day-praying-for-your-husband-challenge/ Husbands- Pray for your wives https://expeditionmarriage.org/30-day-praying-for-your-wife-challenge/ *Disclaimer: The information discussed here is meant for entertainment purposes and is not meant to replace counseling or working with a trained healthcare professional.
“Your Phone vs Your Spouse” (The Rise of False Intimacy in Marriage)
Most marriages don’t struggle because life is hard. They struggle because they don’t know how to adjust when it is. 00:00 Solutions Not Ammo 00:15 Meet The Pivot 02:06 Why Change Feels Hard 03:45 Triggered Spouse Dynamics 04:26 Trials And Growth 05:57 When Plans Collapse 10:48 Gods Sovereignty Mindset 13:27 Flexibility Versus Stability 15:35 Upstairs Brain Solutions 16:35 Pressure And Deadlines 17:09 Asking For Grace 18:29 Best Buy Blowup 19:41 Repairing After Conflict 20:54 What Pivoting Means 22:36 Storms Will Come 23:36 Reset Expectations 27:04 Resentment Vs Pivoting 28:33 Release Control To God 30:31 Flexibility Anchored In Truth 32:08 Prayer And Sendoff In this episode, we’re talking about the one skill that can change everything in your marriage: learning how to pivot. From unexpected stress to disrupted routines, we walk through what it looks like to stay connected when life doesn’t go as planned, and how to stop turning on each other in hard seasons. This week stretched us in real time, living in an Airbnb, helping care for our grandson after a family emergency, writing deadlines, and more. It forced us to adjust, communicate, and extend grace in ways we don’t always naturally do. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why inflexibility creates conflict in marriage * How to adjust expectations in stressful seasons * What to do when your spouse “misses it” * How to stay emotionally connected under pressure * Why pivoting isn’t giving up—it’s adapting Scripture: James 1:2–4 Proverbs 16:9 👉 Subscribe for more marriage encouragement 👉 Share this with your spouse 👉 Learn more about working with us: https://expeditionmarriage.org/marriage #ChristianMarriage #MarriageAdvice #Relationships #MarriageHelp __________ At Expedition Marriage, our mission is simple — to help couples build healthy, Christ-centered marriages that reflect God’s design and bring Him glory. As professional Christian Counselors and Marriage Coaches, we’re passionate about equipping husbands and wives with the biblical truth, practical tools, and encouragement they need to thrive, not just survive in marriage. Through our weekly podcast, online courses, marriage counseling and coaching, and our Newlywed Couples Devotional, we walk alongside couples who want to: *Strengthen connection and communication *Restore hope in hurting seasons *Grow together to become more like Christ *Learn to love one another the way Jesus loves us Whether you’re newly married or decades in, we’re here to remind you that marriage is a sacred journey. One meant to be enjoyed and continually refined by God’s grace. Need help for your marriage? Reach out to us to learn more about our counseling and coaching options at https://expeditionmarriage.org/marriage Want to Join our 30 Day Praying for your Spouse Challenge? Wives- Pray for your husbands https://expeditionmarriage.org/30-day-praying-for-your-husband-challenge/ Husbands- Pray for your wives https://expeditionmarriage.org/30-day-praying-for-your-wife-challenge/ *Disclaimer: The information discussed here is meant for entertainment purposes and is not meant to replace counseling or working with a trained healthcare professional.
“Marriage Feels Hard?” Pivoting in Marriage - The One Skill That Changes Everything
Blended family marriage comes with challenges many couples don’t expect. In this episode of Expedition Marriage, we sit down with Ron Deal to talk about why blended family marriages can feel so difficult—and how to navigate them in a healthy, Christ-centered way. If you’re part of a stepfamily or blended family, this conversation will give you clarity, encouragement, and practical tools to strengthen your marriage. We also discuss the Blended & Blessed® event, a powerful resource for stepfamilies looking for biblical guidance and support. 00:00 Meet Ron Deal 00:55 How Ron Found Stepfamily Ministry 05:49 Why Blended Families Feel Hard 06:05 COVID Analogy for Blending 10:18 Expectations Kids vs Adults 12:38 Premarital Counseling Mistakes 15:06 Competing Attachments Triangle 18:09 Insiders and Outsiders 21:10 Front Seat Marriage Priority 23:08 Balancing Kids and Spouse 25:07 Wilderness to Promised Land 25:56 Blending Takes Years 26:49 Earning Stepchild Trust 28:11 Parenting Conflicts Surface 29:16 Paralyzed Parent Problem 29:57 Bio Parent Must Lead 32:19 Divide and Conquer Tactics 33:45 No Magic Bullet Mindset 35:11 Resources That Actually Help 37:21 Blended and Blessed Event 41:14 Barna Data Wake Up Call 44:52 Healthy Step Families Redeem 46:48 Redemption and Next Steps In This Episode: * Blended family marriage challenges * Stepfamily dynamics and conflict * Marriage advice for blended families * Christian marriage encouragement * Parenting and stepfamily relationships * How to build connection in a blended family Learn More: Blended & Blessed® Event:https://blendedandblessed.com https://smartstepfamilies.com/events/find-an-event Ron Deal:https://smartstepfamilies.com/about/about-ron-deal Subscribe for more: Christian marriage advice, practical tools, and faith-centered encouragement from Expedition Marriage. __________ At Expedition Marriage, our mission is simple — to help couples build healthy, Christ-centered marriages that reflect God’s design and bring Him glory. As professional Christian Counselors and Marriage Coaches, we’re passionate about equipping husbands and wives with the biblical truth, practical tools, and encouragement they need to thrive, not just survive in marriage. Through our weekly podcast, online courses, marriage counseling and coaching, and our Newlywed Couples Devotional, we walk alongside couples who want to: *Strengthen connection and communication *Restore hope in hurting seasons *Grow together to become more like Christ *Learn to love one another the way Jesus loves us Whether you’re newly married or decades in, we’re here to remind you that marriage is a sacred journey. One meant to be enjoyed and continually refined by God’s grace. Need help for your marriage? Reach out to us to learn more about our counseling and coaching options at https://expeditionmarriage.org/marriage Want to Join our 30 Day Praying for your Spouse Challenge? Wives- Pray for your husbands https://expeditionmarriage.org/30-day-praying-for-your-husband-challenge/ Husbands- Pray for your wives https://expeditionmarriage.org/30-day-praying-for-your-wife-challenge/ *Disclaimer: The information discussed here is meant for entertainment purposes and is not meant to replace counseling or working with a trained healthcare professional.
Why Blended Family Marriage Feels So Hard And What Actually Helps Ron Deal
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Ep. 25: The Best Marriage Advice

Mar 25, 2021

This is a special episode because it was put together by YOU! Yep, we surveyed our followers and asked them what the best marriage advice they ever...

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Ep. 22: Marriage Under Stress

Mar 3, 2021

Are you feeling STRESSED OUT? Well, if you’re undergoing some extra stress, that means your marriage is too. And today, we talked about all that...

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Ep. 17: Let’s Talk About Sex

Jan 27, 2021

Did you know that God intended sex to be for a lot more than just procreation? Yep, it’s true! AND, He actually wants you to not only be having it...

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Ep. 13: A Year to Remember

Dec 20, 2020

On today’s episode we’re talking about the importance of remembering—remembering the past year as a couple, remembering the struggles, the fun and most importantly remembering God’s faithfulness through it all.

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Ep. 11: Holiday Stress

Dec 3, 2020

This is episode 11 where we’re talking about Holiday Stress, what it is and what you can do about it! We all have amped up stress during the...

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Ep. 10: Gratitude, God & Science

Nov 19, 2020

Do you have gratitude for your spouse? They don’t always make it easy, do they? But did you know there’s a lot of science behind what gratitude does to your brain and mental health? There are also big impacts it can make in your marriage.

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Ep. 6: Keeping Love Alive

Oct 22, 2020

Today we’re shooting from the hip, going off the cuff, or whatever else you call it when we just decide to hit record and share some real...

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Ep. 5: Technology in Marriage

Oct 15, 2020

What gets in the way of connecting with our spouse more than anything nowadays? Technology, mainly our cell phones. They keep us attached to the outside world way more than they help us stay connected to our spouse. Join us today as we chat about the…

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Ep. 4: What Not to Say to Your Spouse

Oct 10, 2020

Have you or your spouse ever gotten into hot water with each other? Chances are it’s because someone said something that they shouldn’t have. We’ve all been there a time or two, but today we want to help prevent you from falling into the same…

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Ep. 3: The Power of Praying for Your Spouse

Oct 9, 2020

On today’s episode we’re talking about the power of praying for your spouse. Prayer is one of the most impactful things you can do for them, and also for you and your marriage! We shared 4 impactful, marriage changing benefits of praying for one…

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Ep. 2: 3 Expectations in Marriage

Oct 7, 2020

Do you expect things from your spouse? Do you ever wonder if you should or not? Well, on this episode, we are talking about 3 common expectations that couples have that might be causing some struggle in their marriages. We’re also talking about how…

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Ep. 1: Our Why

Oct 7, 2020

On today’s episode we’re giving you a glimpse into why we do what we do here at Expedition Marriage. We know that not everyone dreams of growing up and becoming marriage counselors. I know, as fun as it sounds to sit with couples and talk about…

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*Disclaimer: The information discussed in this podcast is meant for entertainment purposes and is not meant to replace counseling or working with a trained healthcare professional.