Shocking Marriage Podcast

Marriage is the only relationship described in the Bible as one flesh. Many equate this simply as a result of sex. In this episode you will hear how there is a blessing associated with becoming one flesh that can take your marriage to new levels.

Our guest this week is Pastor Lou Rodriguez from Encounter Church in Evansville, Indiana. Lou has worked extensively with young couples both married and engaged. He has personally married over 90 couples! Lou shares from his vast experience the importance of effective communication in a marriage. He also shares some of the other common struggles faced by newlyweds including setting boundaries, and defending your spouse with in-laws. Lou has a tremendous sense of what young couples need to know and relates these stories in an entertaining fashion. 

We all have those days when we are not excited about our spouse. We may be bored or frustrated - we just don't "feel it". This happens to every couple. In this podcast, learn how to change your perspective on those days and use them to actually improve on your marriage. A Shocking Marriage is about more than feelings - it's about a long-term commitment. 

This episode discusses the final aspect of intimacy in marriage - physical intimacy. Sex is an important ingredient in marriage, but often times couples use sex as an inappropriate tool or reward. Learn how to stop manipulating behaviors and embrace sex as the gift that God intended in your marriage.

In this podcast, Jerry talks about the critical and fragile nature of emotional intimacy in a marriage. Couples that can satisfy each other in this regard are well set for the long-run. Those that ignore it risk potential collapse. Learn what it is, how to nurture and protect it and how to satisfy your spouse in this area.

Learn what Spiritual Intimacy is, and the important role that it plays in a Shocking Marriage. You will learn how to develop it, nurture it and apply it alongside your spouse. You will see how bringing this blessing into your marriage will help you in all aspects of your relationship and draw you both closer together and closer to God.

In this episode you will learn the three key aspects of intimacy that support a marriage relationship. You will see how these work together, and how if any one of them suffers, the relationship will suffer as well. You will understand the breadth and depth of Godly intimacy in a marriage and learn how to focus on and improve this critical aspect of your relationship

Too much effort is expended in marriage in trying to change your spouse. It just doesn't work. You can only change yourself. Having said that, you have a bigger influence on your spouse than anybody else could possibly have. Learn to use your influence to change the course of your marriage for the better.

In this episode, Jerry talks about common issues that couples face when dealing with their in-laws, and offers practical advice on how to turn a tenuous relationship into a great one.

In this episode, Jerry provides you with a way to incorporate a long-term perspective on your marriage. He talks about the importance of not focusing on the moment, not worrying about winning arguments or exhibiting other behaviors that are actually destructive in a relationship.

Complacency has become one of the biggest enemies of a Shocking Marriage. Couples start out strong, but in time begin to take each other for granted, putting other priorities ahead of their spouse. Before long, boredom creeps in and the relationship begins to erode. In this episode, you will hear how to recognize signs of complacency in a marriage and learn how to take proactive steps to avoid or overcome it.

In this episode, Jerry talks about the contrast between what many marriages are today in our culture and what they could and should be. He explains what he calls a Shocking Marriage, a definition that will serve as a foundation for all future episodes. Couples need not settle for a mediocre relationship, they should strive to have a marriage that just gets better and better over time.