Why Most Marriages Stay Stuck (and the Freedom You’re Missing) - feat. Dr. Chris Thurman

We’re getting a lot of things wrong in marriage—and it’s not because we don’t care. It’s because we often fight the wrong battles.

In this episode, Brad Rhoads talks with Dr. Chris Thurman, author of Real Marriage Made Simple: Proven Principles for Thriving in Marriage. Together they unpack why so many couples end up frustrated, distant, and emotionally drained (and some simple biblical principles that can change that).

From learning to "stay in your own backyard" to becoming a true giver instead of a taker, Dr. Thurman shares decades of wisdom from counseling couples who’ve found real freedom in letting God do the convicting and focusing on what they can actually control.

If your marriage feels stuck or one-sided, this conversation will help you rediscover grace, humility, and peace right where you are.

Listen now—and start working on the one person you can actually change.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more couples discover the hope of a grace-filled marriage.

** Real Marriage Made Simple: Proven Principles for Thriving in Marriage –https://a.co/d/izefU1K

🔑 KEY IDEAS:
• Why trying to “fix” your spouse never works (and what does)
• The difference between triggering emotions and causing them
• How to find freedom by staying in your own backyard
• Why giving more than you take leads to real joy in marriage
• How guilt and pressure fail—but grace transforms
• The subtle difference between desire and need in healthy relationships

📚 KEY VERSES
📖 Matthew 7:3 – “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
📖 Galatians 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
📖 Acts 20:35 – “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
📖 Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE HEARING?? 
✅ Subscribe & Share – Help us spread the message of grace-based marriage by subscribing to the Grace Marriage Podcast and sharing this episode with friends or family.
✅ Join Grace Marriage – Ready to invest in your marriage? Visit GraceMarriage.com to learn how proactive marriage care can transform your relationship.
✅ Leave a Review – Your feedback helps us reach more couples who need encouragement.

FOLLOW US:
📌 Facebook: facebook.com/gracemarriage
📌 Instagram: instagram.com/gracemarriage
📌 YouTube: youtube.com/@grace_marriage