Marriage: Thriving Through the Seasons

About The Podcast

When Steve Trader made the decision in his 40s to retire from a successful career with a global pharmaceutical corporation and go into ministry, he and his wife Barb found themselves tested in their ability to communicate, relate to one another, and deal with adversity.

In this podcast, Steve and Barb share what they’ve learned about surviving the different “seasons of marriage,” especially the hard ones—everything from career changes and “empty nesting” to divorce and major family tragedies—and managing the difficult transition from one season to the next. Find other couples you can pray with and confide in, they advise, and know when your spouse needs you to listen rather than solving every problem.

Show Notes

0:00—Intro

1:28—What does restoration mean to you?

2:35—A little about themselves and how they met

5:43—Communicating, and not being controlling, through major life changes

11:24—The value of praying/worshiping together and with other couples

14:12—The adjustment to being “empty nesters”

18:57—Keeping marriage fresh and putting up with irritations

24:00—Dealing with difficult “seasons” of marriage and the transition into new ones

29:59—The importance of having fun (and a funny memory from Barb)

32:17—Advice for single/recently divorced people on finding the right person

36:06—“Lightning round”/outro