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If you allow it, the military career will take more than it gives. It can challenge the strongest military marriage and seduce military leaders into believing their career is more important than WHO they become. The Lifegiver podcast began as a way to encourage, inspire, and bring hope to leaders and military couples when they feel burned out and they’ve lost their way. For almost 20 years, I have served the military and veteran population as a counselor, speaker, author, and subject matter expert on military culture. Lifegiver offers discussions and interviews on personal and leadership development and ways to breathe life into your military marriage and home. Real stories, expert interviews, and honest conversation.
Episodes

Sunday Sep 01, 2019
A Marriage Check Up With Dr. Les Parrott
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
Dr. Les Parrot joins me for an episode that is all about how couples can use a tool like the Better Love Assessment to get a healthy snapshot or check up on their marriage. Dr. Parrott is a globally sought after marriage psychologist along with his wife, Leslie Parrott also a marriage therapist. Together, they have written several books and speak on how to improve your marriage communication, reduce conflict, improve your sex life, and much more. In this episode, Dr. Parrott shares more about the Better Love Assessment (found at www.betterlove.com) in pointing out the individual strengths in your marriage. Better Love can be a great tool for date night discussions, working on your marriage during a deployment or separation, and even ways to talk through topics that are normally hot topics. To find out more and subscribe to Dr. Parrott's resources, check out www.lesandleslie.com

Thursday Aug 15, 2019
The Impact of Family Readiness on Marriage
Thursday Aug 15, 2019
Thursday Aug 15, 2019
Matt joins me again for another episode where we talk about the impact of Family Readiness on the marriage. For years, decades even, the military has told families that their support makes the mission successful. Unfortunately, families are getting tired and are wondering at what cost. In this episode, Matt and I have an honest conversation on how families indeed play a pay in mission readiness but also how we can change our perspective to a more influential one that can change the trajectory of our entire family.

Sunday Aug 11, 2019
The Warrior with Blood on His Hands
Sunday Aug 11, 2019
Sunday Aug 11, 2019
Most of us know that there are stories of war in the Bible, but what does it say about the warriors? In this Sunday Special, we take a look at a specific warrior in the God's story and the impact of war on his life. We will address the tough topic of "What does it mean to have blood on your hands?" What does that say about you? Your marriage? When you are asked to be the good in the world, face evil, but to do so requires the willingness to take a life? Scripture actually addresses this and I'm excited to share with you what I've found.

Monday Jul 22, 2019
Forgiveness in Affair Recovery: God’s Design in Marriage
Monday Jul 22, 2019
Monday Jul 22, 2019
In this Sunday Special, we address the biggest faith question I get during affair recovery, which is how and when do I forgive? Of course this is a difficult question to answer depending on the damage that has been done. Join me as I walk with you through scripture that gives us a blueprint for forgiveness and hope for restoration. I address:
- What is God's purpose and design for marriage
- How and why the enemy wants to destroy your marriage
- What Jesus says about when to forgive, and
- How We are not called to repeatedly forgive without boundaries.
Sunday Special's on the Lifegiver Podcast are a chance for us to dive deeper into honest conversations regarding our faith and topics that come up in our marriage. In the last episode of the Lifegiver Podcast, I shared with you my strategy for affair recovery. If you haven't heard that episode, listen to it here:https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-5jwg4-b63b20

Monday Jul 15, 2019
Communicating Through Change/PCS
Monday Jul 15, 2019
Monday Jul 15, 2019
Join Matt and I on a Saturday afternoon over coffee where we talk about our recent PCS (relocation). We talk about how it affected each of us, our marriage, kids, and ideas fro how you can communicate through big changes your own family goes through. Referenced in this talk is a previous episode on Resiliency and Maslow's Ladder

Monday Jul 01, 2019
My Strategy for Affair Recovery: How to Move from Crisis to Intimacy Again
Monday Jul 01, 2019
Monday Jul 01, 2019
Betrayal, is unfortunately more common than you think- especially in the service culture. In this episode I share with you the strategy I use to help couples work through affair recovery. There are three phases and couples will certainly stall if not fail to recover their marriage if they miss important steps throughout the phases. Two people, if are both willing to work hard, can rebuild their marriage after an affair and go on to have a rich relationship.
Here are some of the resources mentioned throughout the episode:
My interview with Dr. Mike Sytsma
Here is also my podcast on "Sin in a Christian Marriage" Part 1 & Part 2
More Resources:
• Torn Asunder by Dave Carder. There is also a workbook available for this book. (faith based)
• Unfaithful: Hope and Healing After Infidelity by Gary & Mona Shriver (faith based)
• Secrets to Surviving Infidelity by Scott Haltzman
• After the Affair by Janis Spring
- Rebuilding Trust Video – Using the image of a “trust bucket”, Dr. Mike addresses rebuilding trust after a affair.
Setbacks in Marriage- The Podcast Episode
Women & the Tough Bible Verses– (Topic of Submission and gender roles in the Bible- Authentic Intimacy)
People Are More Important Than Marriage– Authentic Intimacy, When you shouldn’t fight for your marriage.
Sexual Intimacy and Post Affair with Mike Sytsma
How do Affairs Happen? New Life Church, Brady Boyd
Articles:
So You’ve Hit a Marriage Setback: 3 Steps
Military Marriage: When to Separate
Mike Sytsma- Betrayal & Affair Recovery (articles and video)
Protecting Your Marriage from an Affair
Books:
Mission Ready Marriage: My Life As An Active Duty Wife Claire Wood
Sacred Spaces: My Journey to the Heart of Military Marriage Corie Weathers

Saturday Jun 15, 2019
Addiction & Marriage Part 2
Saturday Jun 15, 2019
Saturday Jun 15, 2019
When a good friend approached me and asked why I had not addressed addiction and alcoholism on the podcast yet- I didn't have an answer. I could not believe this topic had not been covered yet. As Alyssa and I talked, she shared with me that she had searched everywhere for solid information on how to address alcohol addiction in her marriage. Ultimately, I invited her to courageously share her story. In this two part interview, Alyssa shares how alcohol in the service culture impacts so many marriages and families and how she approached her husband on his drinking.
There are many different ways that alcohol, pornography, or many other addictions can destroy your marriage. We won't be able to address addiction from all sides in this interview, however I am so proud of how Alyssa handled her situation. Alyssa does a fantastic job not only respecting her husband and marriage, but also modeling healthy boundaries, asking for change, and supporting her husband through his recovery.
If you are struggling with addiction or your spouse is, there is help out there. No couple should approach a situation like this alone. Counseling, the military ASAP program, and 12 Step Programs in your area can provide you the help you need to navigate the complexity of addiction and recovery.

Sunday Jun 09, 2019
Why Friendship is Still Worth It
Sunday Jun 09, 2019
Sunday Jun 09, 2019
In this Sunday Special, I talk with Megan Brown, the If Gathering Military Outreach Communicator- basically that means that she loves Jesus and loves to get people excited about it. I met Megan (officially) at the AFI Military Spouse of the Year Awards 2019, but I've been watching her for some time. Her personality is as colorful as she is! After hearing her lead a couple of morning devotionals, I knew I wanted to have her on the podcast.
In this episode, Megan shares the importance of friendship in this crazy military lifestyle as a "life or death" importance. Listen in as she shares how community and boundaries can breathe life into us from a biblical perspective.
Go here to find out more about If Gathering Military