Everybody Grieves. Not Everybody Mourns Well with Matthew Efird

Matthew Efird is a husband, father of four boys, business owner, and author of Even Though We Will, a book written from a dad's perspective on child loss. In 2019, he and his wife Hannah learned their second son, Noah, had trisomy 13, a lethal diagnosis, and in March 2020 they held him for 57 and a half hours before saying goodbye. In this conversation with Aaron, Matthew traces how the ordinary rhythms of faith, mentorship, and community they had built for years became the ground they stood on when the news came, and why everybody grieves, but not everybody mourns well. He shares the question their neonatologist asked that protected their marriage, the family slogan born out of the book of Job, and the two questions he and Hannah learned to ask each other in place of "Are you okay?" Whether you are walking through loss yourself or trying to love someone who is, this episode offers a picture of what it looks like to trust God when it hurts.

Brad Rhoads spent the first year of his marriage convinced his wife's unhappiness was her problem — until two men in his church told him he was succeeding at the things that mattered least and failing at the things that mattered most. He's now a pastor, author of The Grace Marriage (Moody Publishers), and the founder of Grace Marriage, a ministry equipping churches with ongoing marriage discipleship. In this conversation, Aaron and Brad discuss the difference between a performance-based marriage — where love is given and withdrawn based on behavior — and a grace-based marriage built on the gospel. They cover why the church has largely abandoned the space between premarital counseling and marital crisis, how resting in God's grace changes the way you love your spouse, and what it looks like when a couple's marriage is so genuinely fun that younger couples come asking for counsel.

Jennifer Pepito has been married 36 years, homeschooled seven children for 30 years, and written The Inspired Homeschool — but a clarifying moment in her story came when her grown daughter told her what actually caused trauma growing up. It wasn't the hard circumstances. It was the conflict between her parents. In this conversation, Jennifer and Aaron walk through what chronic complaining does to a husband, how unresolved fear and disconnection create an atmosphere children absorb even when no one is talking about it, and what it actually looks like to cultivate a joy-filled, thankful home in the middle of genuinely difficult seasons. They also make the case for homeschooling — why the public school standard was never the right measuring stick, and why parents who feel unqualified are closer to ready than they think. For any couple that wants to build something better inside their home, this episode is a good place to start.

Dr. Genee Francis is a licensed therapist and Assistant Director of Content and Programming for Windshaped Marriage — and after 18 years of marriage, two kids, a two-year estate battle, an unexpected hip replacement, and a decade in couples' counseling, she has a reframe for every couple who says they can't communicate: it's not a communication problem. It's an intimacy problem. In this conversation, Genee and Aaron talk through the prayer rhythm that gave her a window into her husband's grief when words failed him, why so many couples feel alone even inside a church, and what it actually takes to build the kind of community that sustains a marriage through hard seasons. If you've ever felt disconnected and didn't know what to call it — this one is for you.

30 Marriage Devotional: How to Have a Marriage After GodAbout This EpisodeWhat does it actually mean to have a marriage after God? In our final episode of this podcast series, we share a pivotal moment that transformed our marriage and discuss what it actually means to have a Marriage After God.In This EpisodeJesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: what Aaron heard God ask him through Matthew 26, and how it broke himWhy Christ's "not my will, but yours" is the template for every marriageHow Unveiled Wife and Husband Revolution were born out of sharing the journey, not having it figured outWhy confession and transparency in community dissolves the power that darkness has over a marriageThe difference between pretending to have a perfect marriage and proclaiming the actual message of the gospelWhat a marriage after God looks like — not perfection, but perseverance, reconciliation, and hopefulnessWhy sanctification is not a one-time transformation but a lifelong pursuitThis Week's Call to ActionWrite a love letter to your spouse. Not a quick note — a real one. Name what you've endured together. Name what you see in them. Share where you believe God is taking your marriage. If you're not sure where to start, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what your spouse needs to hear from you.Resources from This EpisodeWatch this devotional series from the beginning and get your copies of Husband After God and Wife After GodMarriage After God Like and subscribe to catch other episodes!If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.Follow us on Instagram: Marriage After God · Unveiled Wife · Husband RevolutionWant to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026

Forty-eight years to the same woman — in Hollywood? Dan and Peggy Rupple have been married 48 years while working inside one of the most corrosive industries on the planet. In today's episode, Aaron sits down with them to talk about God's move in Hollywood, navigating media with your kids, and the non-negotiables that held their marriage together through it all.About Dan & Peggy RuppleDan and Peggy Rupple are the founders of Master Media International, a ministry serving as a Christian presence inside the mainstream entertainment industry. Dan spent over 50 years in Hollywood — from nearly being cast in SNL's original lineup, to The Price Is Right, to Late Show with David Letterman. Peggy has walked alongside him through every chapter. Dan's new book, Glimpses: Viewing the Media Through the Lens of Faith, is available now at mastermedia.com.In This EpisodeHow Dan and Peggy met — and why they were married within a yearNearly landing Saturday Night Live before Dan came to ChristWhy Dan is more excited about God's move in Hollywood than ever beforeWhy Hollywood is in crisis — and what's filling the gapWhat the top 25 box office films of all time have in commonBe a Daniel: excellence and integrity as a Christian in the industryThe non-negotiables that protected their marriageHow to navigate movies and media with your kidsAI and the danger of losing imaginationAnd moreResourcesBook: Glimpses: Viewing the Media Through the Lens of Faith — mastermedia.comMaster Media International — mastermedia.comWindRider Film Forum — windrider.orgAct One Masters Class in screenwriting and producing — mastermedia.comPlugged In (movie reviews for parents) — pluggedin.comIf this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.Follow us on Instagram: Marriage After God · Unveiled Wife · Husband RevolutionWant to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026

Could you let your own child tell you that you failed them — and not get defensive?In today’s episode, Aaron sits down with Isaac and Angie Tolpin — good friends, parents of nine, grandparents of nearly six — on the launch day of their new book, Courageous Parenting: Biblical Parenting in Unprecedented Times. They get into what the word "Christian" actually means anymore, why so many kids are walking away from the church by 18, raising children in an AI world, and why your child's faith might be purer and further along than your own.About Isaac & Angie TolpinIsaac and Angie Tolpin are the hosts of the Courageous Parenting Podcast and the founders of Be Courageous Ministry, a discipleship-focused ministry built around equipping Christian parents to raise kids rooted in the Word of God. Parents of nine children and grandparents of six (and counting), they recently planted a church in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho and have just released their newest book, Courageous Parenting: Biblical Parenting in Unprecedented Times.Website: becourageousministry.orgBook on Amazon: Courageous Parenting Podcast: Courageous Parenting Podcast (available wherever you listen)In This EpisodeWhat "Christian" actually means today — Angie shares why the label has lost much of its weight, and why fruit — not title — is the real indicator of someone following ChristThe authentic community crisis — Why so many believers can't verbalize what's missing, and how the Tolpins' church model is answering a hunger people didn't know they hadKeeping families together in worship — The fruit that comes when children are present for sermons, communion, and real church life rather than separated into programsWhy kids are leaving the church — The connection between low expectations, age-segregated environments, and the statistic that two-thirds of kids walk away from faith by 18Your child might be ahead of you spiritually — Jesus said to have faith like theirs; what it looks like to actually believe that and parent from itHumility as a parenting strategy — Why apologizing to your children isn't weakness, and how Angie's own discipline from God before a conference became the most powerful message she gaveRaising kids in the age of AI — The double-edged sword of AI, why homeschooling parents can't afford to ignore it, and how to use it to accelerate creativity rather than kill itBuilding creative confidence before the screen — Why it matters that kids know their own gifts before they ever delegate to AIThe one thing that actually prepares your kids — Grounding encouragement for overwhelmed parents who feel behindResources from This EpisodeBook: Courageous Parenting: Biblical Parenting in Unprecedented Times by Isaac & Angie Tolpin — available on Amazon (update with direct link)Ministry & Podcast: becourageousministry.orgPodcast recommendation: The AI Daily Brief (Aaron's recommendation for parents wanting to get up to speed on AI)Previous book: Redeeming Childbirth by Angie Tolpin (2012)If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.Follow us on Instagram: Marriage After God · Unveiled Wife · Husband RevolutionWant to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026

What if you could completely transform your marriage — even if your spouse never participates? Belah Rose, founder of Delight Your Marriage, has coached over 500 couples and has seen it happen hundreds of times. This week on the Marriage After God podcast, we sat down with Belah to talk about the real root of marital breakdown, what it actually looks like for a husband or wife to take the lead in healing, and the apology framework that gets the rot out of the foundation. Belah also shares her own story — a failed first marriage, walking away from God, and how the Lord used a second chance to reshape everything she now teaches.Belah Rose is the founder of Delight Your Marriage, a faith-centered coaching organization that has served over 500 couples. She started with a book in 2014, launched the Delight Your Marriage podcast in 2015, and has since built out full coaching programs for men and women — including Masculinity Reclaimed for husbands and a graduate community for ongoing growth. Belah coaches men and women separately, and the results her clients experience often surprise the unparticipating spouse most.In This EpisodeBelah's testimony — A first marriage that ended in divorce, anger at God, and the journey back to faith through a husband who showed her what it meant to feel truly known and safeWhy one spouse doing the work is enough — How Belah's own story convinced her that even a single willing partner can redirect a marriage toward healingThe Delight Your Marriage framework — Men need to feel respected, admired, and wholeheartedly intimate; wives need to feel safe, known, and wholeheartedly cherished — and the failure to understand this difference is where most couples quietly destroy each otherThe 1–10 marriage health scale — Why the advice that works at a 9 can backfire at a 2, and how to match your level of emotional openness to where your marriage actually isPride as the chief enemy — Why self-righteousness is the log we carry into every conflict, and why repentance — not persuasion — is the first moveThe SHORE apology framework — Specific, Humble, Own, Repair, Exonerate: a step-by-step framework for apologies that actually shore up the foundation instead of papering over itResources from This EpisodeDelight Your Marriage — Belah's coaching programs, podcast, and free clarity call (mention Marriage After God for a listener discount)DYMarriage.com — Shorter URL for the same siteIf this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen.Follow us on Instagram: Marriage After God · Unveiled Wife · Husband RevolutionWant to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together.Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026

What does it actually mean to be unveiled — fully known, fully seen, and no longer hiding — before God and before your spouse? In week 29 of their 30-week Marriage After God series, Aaron and Jennifer Smith dig into the victory believers have in Christ and what it looks like to walk in that freedom inside a marriage. Drawing from Ephesians 2, Romans 8, and the moment the temple veil was torn in two, they unpack how the cross removes the dividing wall between us and God — and how that same freedom can transform the way spouses show up for each other.In This Episode— The victory believers have in Christ, and why it can be hard to actually feel like a "conqueror"— Ephesians 2:14–18 — how Christ breaks down the dividing wall and brings peace— Romans 8:1–4 — no condemnation, and what it means that Christ fulfilled the law in us— The torn veil in Matthew 27:50–51 and what it reveals about access to God— A personal story about a bride's veil, and what it pictures about intimacy and unveiling— How sanctification plays out day to day — including the "washing of feet" picture from the Last Supper— Galatians 5:16–17 and what it practically looks like to walk in the Spirit versus the flesh— 1 Corinthians 10:13 and the "way of escape" from temptation— Real-life pictures of walking in victory within marriage — parenting moments, disrespect, hurtful words, and forgiveness— Proverbs 24:16 and Peter walking on the water as pictures of falling and getting back up— Discussion questions: what keeps you from being unveiled, and one step you can take to be unveiled with God and your spouse— This week's call to action: memorizing 2 Corinthians 3:16–18 and Romans 6:6Bible Verses Mentioned:Ephesians 2:14–18Romans 8:1–4Matthew 27:50–51Galatians 5:16–171 Corinthians 10:13Proverbs 24:16Romans 6:62 Corinthians 3:16–18If you’ve been encouraged by this series, please share it with a friend or another married couple!Like and subscribe to catch the remaining episodes.Join in on our devotional series and get your copies of Husband After God and Wife After GodFollow Marriage After God:Instagram: Marriage After GodInstagram: Unveiled Wife Instagram: Husband Revolution Support this podcast:Shop Marriage After God  Become a patronSmith Family Resources, Inc © 2026