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In this episode, I sit down with Lindsey Maestas for a conversation that feels both honest and deeply hopeful for anyone navigating the realities of marriage.

Coming off our Marriage Through the Decades series, this conversation couldn’t be more timely. Lindsey brings both truth and tenderness as she shares from her own story—walking through seasons of exhaustion, disconnection, and even moments where their marriage felt like it was on the brink.

We talk about what really leads marriages toward breakdown—not the big, obvious issues, but the subtle patterns of contempt, resentment, and unmet expectations that quietly build over time. Lindsey shares openly about the moment she nearly “burned her own house down,” and the turning point that led her and her husband back toward healing.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Why contempt is one of the most dangerous patterns in marriage
• How unmet needs often show up as frustration or resentment
• The power of asking “why” beneath your reactions
• Practical ways to rebuild connection when things feel distant
• What it looks like to choose love when it doesn’t feel natural
• How serving one another can shift the entire tone of a relationship
• The role of physical and emotional connection in marriage
• What to do when you feel like you’re the only one trying
• Why leaving doesn’t solve what hasn’t been healed

Lindsey reminds us that marriage isn’t about perfection—it’s about perseverance. It’s about choosing, again and again, to build instead of tear down.

If you’re in a hard season, or even just feeling the slow drift that can happen over time, this conversation will both challenge and encourage you to lean back in and fight for what matters most.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Find and Follow Lindsey at:

Website - https://sparrowsandlily.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/livingeasywithlindsey/

Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-easy-with-lindsey/id1481805272

Dont Burn Your Own House Down - https://amzn.to/4sXuJik

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n the final week of the Marriage Through the Decades series, Nikki sits down with Marc and Lori Maillefer, a couple who have been married for 44 years and who have played a deeply meaningful role as mentors in Nikki and Jed’s life. Their marriage has been shaped by decades of ministry, raising five children, navigating grief and hardship, and learning to continually choose one another through every season of life.

With humility and honesty, Marc and Lori share the rhythms and practices that have sustained their marriage over more than four decades. From simple habits like walking together and prioritizing family meals to deeper commitments like forgiveness, repentance, and extending grace in seasons of conflict, they offer wisdom gained through years of living out their faith in the everyday moments of marriage.

They also speak candidly about communication, trust, and the importance of cultivating healthy rhythms that protect a relationship—whether that means going to bed at the same time, protecting time together, or creating a family culture centered around connection rather than correction. Through stories from their early years of marriage, raising children, and now entering a season of empty nesting and grandparenting, they remind listeners that strong marriages are not built on perfection but on commitment, humility, and God’s sustaining grace.

For couples who feel discouraged or weary, this episode offers both encouragement and perspective. Marc shares a powerful image of two doors—repentance and forgiveness—reminding listeners that reconciliation and renewal are always possible through Christ. Whether you are in your first years of marriage or decades in, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that God is faithful to restore, strengthen, and grow a marriage when we continue to seek Him together.

Episode 5 - 4 Questions That Can Help You Move Forward with Confidence:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2232091/episodes/14423409-5-4-questions-that-can-help-you-move-forward-with-confidence

Episode 20 - Navigating Love Languages in Parenting and Marriage:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2232091/episodes/14924383-20-navigating-love-languages-in-parenting-and-marriage

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Follow Along @ - https://www.instagram.com/nikkicronksmith/

We would love to hear from you! Text us any feedback.

In week three of the Marriage Through the Decades series, Nikki sits down with Loren and Sue Tucker, a couple who have been married for 35 years and whose influence has stretched across generations. This conversation is especially meaningful as Loren and Sue were Nikki’s youth pastors during some of the most formative years of her life. With warmth, wisdom, and humility, they reflect on marriage, parenting, empty nesting, grandparenting, ministry, and the faithfulness of God through every season.

Together, they share what it looked like to raise four children with intentionality, how they learned to release fear as their children grew into adulthood, and why asking good questions became such an important part of their family culture. They talk honestly about the challenge of letting go of control, the beauty of watching adult children build lives and families of their own, and the joy of welcoming grandchildren. Loren and Sue also speak candidly about the realities of marriage over time, including the need to deny self, guard your thought life, communicate with wisdom, and keep your eyes fixed on Christ.

This episode is filled with practical encouragement for couples in every season, from raising teenagers to navigating an empty nest. More than anything, it is a conversation about faithfulness—faithfulness in marriage, faithfulness in parenting, faithfulness in ministry, and the steady grace of God that carries us through it all. Loren and Sue’s story is a beautiful reminder that strong marriages are not built on perfection, but on humility, growth, deep trust in the Lord, and a willingness to keep showing up for one another year after year.

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Follow Along @ - https://www.instagram.com/nikkicronksmith/