Join us in this riveting episode as we delve deep into the complexities of unresolved trauma, exploring its impact on friendships and marriages. Our expert guest, Tara Lalonde PhD, a seasoned psychotherapist and marriage counsellor, shares profound insights and practical advice for supporting individuals amid their trauma journeys. Tara recently worked with Focus On The Family Canada in producing a resource centred around helping people find Healing From Un-resolved Trauma. If you find this podcast episode helpful and want to go deeper we would highly recommend signing up for this free resource.

Episode #84 Highlights:

-Demystifying Trauma: In a world increasingly aware of trauma, our guest breaks down the concept for listeners, providing a clear understanding of what is meant when we speak of trauma and its various forms.

-Big T vs. Little T Trauma: Explore the distinctions between Big T and Little T trauma, gaining valuable insights into why these nuances matter in mental and emotional well-being.

-Procedural Maps and Life Filters: Unpack the fascinating concept of procedural maps and how they become the lenses through which we navigate life, shaping our perceptions and responses to the world around us.

-Childhood Trauma Unveiled: Understand why experiences from our formative years persist into adulthood, affecting relationships and emotional well-being…and more!

Tara Lalonde, a registered psychotherapist in Ontario, has been counselling adults and couples for over 20 years and is a lead marriage therapist with the Hope Restored marriage intensive counselling program in Ontario, Canada. She also has a private practice focusing on trauma recovery. Tara holds a doctorate in professional counselling from Liberty University and has theological training through her Master’s of Divinity in professional counselling, minoring in pastoral studies, from Tyndale Seminary. Tara has appeared on 100 Huntley Street and 700 Club along with radio programs and podcasts in Canada. She is also the author of An Unexpected Freedom: Discover Peace and Joy in the Reality of Life. She is also publishing a new book she co-authored that will be out in July 2024. Tara and her husband Vince have been married for 19 years.

For more info on the Hope Restored Marriage Intensive, click here

Welcome to the first episode of season 4 of The Union Podcast.

We frequently receive numerous inquiries about singleness, how to begin healthy relationships and the key ingredients for a successful marriage. Therefore, we have dedicated this entire fourth season to exploring these subjects. We have some outstanding guests lined up that we are confident you will enjoy.

In this episode Bonnie and Bryan cover:

-Unpacking the profound truth, "It's not good for man to be alone"

-Exploring current trends of marriage and singleness, and their impact.

-The remedy for loneliness in the church.

-Addressing the challenge of connection and fostering meaningful bonds to combat isolation.

…and more.

I’ve heard it said that “ the only key for better sex in marriage, from a man’s perspective, is for the wife to bring food and show up naked.”

All joking aside, being an authentic man is a challenging topic for many guys. As men, we hear a wide variety of voices calling for everything from the crushing of the patriarchy and the ever-growing definition of toxic masculinity to the other extreme of “red-pill” masculinity that sees manhood as being defined by money, power and sex. How we see these topics will affect the type of man we become and the health of sexual intimacy we have in marriage. That’s exactly what Bryan and Pastor Matthew Schlesinger talk about in this episode.

Matthew, and his wife, Sabrina were married in 2000 and served as pastors alongside Matthew’s parents for ten years in Oregon. The dream God placed in their hearts years earlier unfolded and in December of 2012 they joined the Grace team as Lead Pastors in their favorite city, San Diego. Matthew is fun and authentic. He loves God’s Word, places priority on His Presence, and believes that the local church is the hope of the world. Matthew & Sabrina are the proud parents of three beautiful daughters and one amazing son. Their family mission is to populate heaven and plunder hell. Matthew and Sabrina host both the Marriage on the Go and Parenting on the Go podcasts.

@matthewschlesinger

Grace Church North County

Marriage On The Go

Parenting On The Go

The statement that “sex before marriage is bad” can quickly become “sex is bad” if we don’t see sex as the beautiful gift from God that it is.

In this episode, Bonnie chats with Sabrina Schlesinger about how women can have a healthy perspective toward their sexuality and experience a better sex life within their marriages.

Sabrina is a wife to Matthew, mother, pastor, speaker and podcast host. Sabrina and Matthew host two podcasts, Parenting on the Go and Marriage on the Go. Both podcasts offer Biblical and practical advice on parenting and marriage. Every episode is brief so you can listen to them in the carpool lane, at the gym, grocery shopping, and anywhere you are "on the go!" You can subscribe and listen to them every week on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify. Sabrina also wrote a book for moms called, What Other Moms Never Told Me. It is available on Amazon as paperback or Kindle.

Register For The Union Conference

@Sabrinaschlesinger

52 Date Night Ideas

Parenting On The Go Podcast

Marriage On The Go Podcast

Get Sabrina’s Book

In Episode 65, we sit down with Ruth Erickson as she unpacks some of the keys to finding healing after a marriage experiences adultery even when the marriage doesn’t survive. Ruth is a mama and step-mama in a beautiful blended family. Ruth has a heart for worship and for helping women, who are recovering from infidelity trauma, find hope & healing and to equip the church to love these women well. God has rewritten the most painful parts of her story to prove His promises.

Ruth’s new book, (Un)Faithful, is a guide through the firestorm of infidelity. Ruth Erickson’s story of heartbreak and healing is an invitation for all women who have suffered the betrayal of an affair to discover the depths of the faithfulness of God. Ruth offers wisdom, perspective and hope, standing years beyond her own fire, yet the book also journeys back in time to include riveting and honest poetry and journal entries from her real-time experience.

Wrapped in forgiveness and faith, (Un)Faithful is a raw and reverent journey to healing, whether the marriage survives or not. While every story is unique, this book offers timeless, biblical principles by which any woman can walk into safety and dignity under the covering of a gracious God.

Follow Ruth on IG- @ruthaerickson

VISIT RUTH’S WEBSITE

FIND YOUR COPY OF UNFAITHFUL HERE

AFFAIR RECOVERY COACHING

The numbers don’t lie, porn usage within marriage is a key factor in why many marriages end in divorce. For a long time, porn was viewed as only a man's problem, but the stats show a major increase in women accessing porn. No matter whether it’s the husband or wife, porn in a marriage is destructive. In this episode, Bryan speaks with Sam Thielemans about how change can be possible in a marriage where porn is present and the boundaries needed to be set to make that change.

Sam Tielemans is a licensed marriage and family therapist that specializes in helping couples overcome the effect of unhealthy porn use in their relationship. He has a private practice in Las Vegas, and after working with couples for over a decade, he has developed an approach to help couples restore their marriage, rebuild trust, and improve their sexual intimacy after betrayal.

https://healingcouples.org

Healing Couples Facebook

Couples Healing From Porn Addiction Podcast

They thought that it was all over. They had been high school sweethearts, married for multiple years, but Chris had begun to live a double-life.

Though he was leading worship on Sunday mornings at his church, doubts and questions about his faith were nagging at him. It was a battle in his mind, but also in his soul as he began to live without restraint.

The foundation of their marriage was eroding, and Steph was shocked the day that Chris told her it was over. Shortly after, the divorce papers were signed. But, it wasn’t as over as they thought.

We are grateful to be able to share our conversation with this remarried couple from Out of the Dust music over on The Union Podcast today.

This conversation will help you:

• See the value of transparency, starting right now, today

• Understand the processes of forgiveness and learning to trust again

• Realize the need to put your hope in a God who will not fail you

• Find hope that restoration for your soul is always possible through Jesus

You can find this episode over on our website, on Apple, Spotify, or Google Play. We welcome you to subscribe, rate, and share so that these messages of hope can be found by many more listeners who are at a vulnerable spot and need some love!

And be sure to follow along with Chris & Steph to listen to the beautiful music they have released and to see them live!

Out Of The Dust Music Website

IG: @outofthedustmusic

Is every marriage doomed to experience one conflict after another? Certainly not, says Dr. Ron Welch. In this practical and encouraging book, he outlines the ten specific choices you can make to minimize conflict and increase joy in your marriage.

Recently, Bryan sat down with Dr. Ron to discuss the principles of his new book “10 Choices Successful Couples Make”.

We covered questions like:
Where does a couple start the restoration process if they both feel hurt, tired, and have little hope?

How do you help a couple recognize that winning the argument isn’t the goal; loving and respecting their spouse is?

What are important strategies to practice in order to have healthy conflict in a marriage? Is there a right way to treat your spouse in an argument and a wrong way?

Whether you are engaged, newly married, or have been married for decades, you'll find that this conversation and his book will transform your relationship.

Get Your Copy Here

Dr. Ron Welch (PsyD, Central Michigan University) is the author of The Controlling Husband and serves on the faculty of Denver Seminary. With 25 years of experience in clinical psychology, Welch has developed the Transformational Marriage™ approach, which helps couples through counselling, seminars, and publications. He and his wife, Jan, live in Colorado.

The term “covenant” isn’t a word that is used very often in todays society. We are familiar with words like contract or agreement. Covenant means something so much deeper than just these words.

In this episode, Bryan sits down with Dr Daniel Block to discuss his new book “Covenants”and discover the reality of Gods plan of redemption. Get your copy here.

Leading scholar Daniel Block helps students of the Bible understand the big picture of God’s covenants with humanity as they play out in both the Old and New Testaments.

After fifty years of teaching and preaching experience around the globe, Block brings a lifetime of study and reflection on the Old Testament and relationship with God to this comprehensive volume. The book focuses on God’s covenants as the means by which God has reached out to a fallen humanity. It examines the heart and history of God’s redemptive plan and shows why the covenants are essential for our understanding of the Bible.

Daniel I. Block (DPhil, University of Liverpool) is Gunther H. Knoedler Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He lectures and preaches around the world and is the author of numerous books, including For the Glory of God and commentaries on Deuteronomy, Judges–Ruth, and Ezekiel. Block has also been involved in the production of the New Living Translation of the Bible.

No one walks down the aisle with the hope that their marriage will die, but how can you find hope for healing if things happen beyond your control?

Ruth Erickson is the guest on our podcast this week, and she vulnerably shares about her journey of healing after her husband had an affair.

We talk about:

⁃ the value of laying strong foundations of personal identity and connection to the heart of God so that the choices of others do not shipwreck us

⁃ how to make space for the most painful of emotions, without getting stuck there

⁃ how reconciliation after adultery is possible but not inevitable

⁃ the critical steps of forgiveness in order to be free

You can find this episode over on our website, or subscribe to The Union Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

“I didn’t sign up for this!”
“I can’t do this anymore!”
“That’s it - I’m done!”

Ever said or thought these things? Or, are you feeling disconnected, like you’re drifting apart? Marriage is challenging at times. Especially when you don’t feel equipped to face the challenges. In this episode, Bryan and Bonnie sit down with Toni Nieuwhof to discuss her new book, “Before You Split: Find What You Really Want for the Future of Your Marriage”

Toni Nieuwhof is a family law mediator, former divorce attorney, author, speaker and co-host of the Smart Family Podcast. She has been married to her husband Carey for over 30 years, and live in the greater Toronto area.

Visit Toni's Website

Get Your Copy Of Before You Split

Follow on IG- @toninieuwhof

When you are dealing with an issue of lust, should you talk to your spouse about it? (And how?)

How can you overcome the past and get freedom in your mind?

How can you grow in intimacy with your husband or wife?

How do you face the pain of feeling betrayed by your spouse’s issue with porn?

These are all questions that we tackle in this refreshingly open conversation with Brendan and Jaclyn Weidner. We’re so grateful for their transparency about their past issues with us here on the Union Podcast, and we know you’ll get some help in sorting through some of your own.

Head over to Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Play to listen to Episode 28. If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of the upcoming episodes, and please do leave us a review or share, so that others will have an easier time finding us!

Comment below, and let us know what you learned!

Ready To Thrive Podcast w/ Jaclyn Weidner

It’s not all sunshine and roses, but there are some key things that we’ve learned that have made BIG differences and helped us weather storms and grow in our relationship.

Recorded the week of our wedding anniversary, we wanted to take some time to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned in our relationship.

Things like:

> not putting pressure on your spouse to make you happy all the time & getting needs met by God.

> recognizing that your marriage isn’t just about YOU, but is meant to be a reflection on earth of a divine mystery.

> having purposeful conversations and boundaries with your spouse in order to safeguard your future together.

Marriage can be challenging...scratch that, it is challenging. But it is so worth it!

In this podcast, Bryan & Bonnie Pue discuss the unique dynamics in the early years of marriage. They unpack the foundation of the powerful effect of the marriage covenant, as well as, ways to express expectations and communicate clearly.

Bryan and Bonnie Pue share some of their story of learning how to have healthy and beneficial conflict within marriage.