Your body and your sexuality were designed by God and He called you good. As we continue this educational and celebratory series on your wonderful female body, today we are leaning in to better understand the female sexual response cycle, which starts with sexual desire. This may require a bit of awareness as you continue to recognize ways you can live more integrated. Growth requires intentionality, so in this episode we are intentionally focusing on sexual desire so that we might become more a...
Aug 21, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 166
Shame and feeling shut down or disconnected from sex can be a residue of purity culture many women carry. How can a God-honoring man help his wife flourish and heal from wrong beliefs and teaching? In this episode Francie is sharing how a husband can patiently love his wife toward more healing and freedom. A few topics we touch on include: training your eyes to only see her beauty, having patience to meet her where she is, going slowly as you learn together, blessing her body and encouraging her...
Aug 14, 2023•25 min•Season 3Ep. 165
Many of us were raised in the purity culture. As we have become wives, we are unpacking some unhealthy, unhelpful influences. In this episode we’ll discuss a few of the unhelpful lies and the heaviness of legalism that many of us have believed. Christian women aren’t sexual. Good girls don’t talk about sex. Thinking about sexual desire is a waste of time. Sex is for men and their pleasure. These falsehoods are rooted in lies from the enemy that have been with us for centuries. As we uproot the l...
Aug 07, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 164
Vagina. Clitoris. Vulva. Blushing or uncomfortable? Let’s talk about the layers of silent shame that impedes you from talking about your body comfortably. You’ll hear my personal journey (and recent growth in freedom) as we unpack getting more free, why it matters and how to take steps forward. You were designed to walk in freedom and joy, living integrated mind, body and spirit. Join this chat and gain insight to take one more small step toward more freedom. Resources Mentioned: Growing Desire ...
Jul 31, 2023•25 min•Season 3Ep. 163
Let’s lean in and glean wisdom from pioneers in sexual discipleship, Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner. The Penners offer both theologically sound and practical wisdom on sexuality, pleasure, desire and growing a thriving sex life throughout your marriage. In today’s conversation we talk about: Importance of education, understanding and communication Creating a marvelous sex life Intentionality and keeping your sex life alive through the seasons and stages of marriage Healing and growing from shame ...
Jul 24, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 162
While you may see your man as a tower of strength, do you know how to honor and even call forth his holy masculinity? The culture seems to be against our men, either pitting their masculinity as toxic or, even worse, placing them in competition or comparison with women. Challenge yourself to flourish in God’s unique role for you as a wife. Learn to come alongside your husband to honor his strength and even speak life and blessing over his sexuality and holy image bearing masculinity. Your journe...
Jul 17, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 161
In the beginning God created us male and female, with intention and purpose. Yet, more and more our culture seems to pit women against men, even to the point of not liking men and seeing their role as harmful. In this episode, we discuss the roots of toxic masculinity and the good news we can see in Biblical manhood (and womanhood) with esteemed scholar Nancy Pearcey, author of “The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes.” Our discussion includes: Goodness of God’s desig...
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 160
Let’s continue the conversation on foreplay with a chat to encourage and equip husbands. (Wives will be encouraged, too). Let’s continue to reframe foreplay and the unique beauty of masculinity and femininity. In this chat, you’ll be encouraged as we discuss: Being a man of strength, with unique strength to serve your bride. Becoming an expert of your wife Removing the duty perspective and helping your wife flourish Foreplay as an opportunity to go at the pace of her pleasure and treasure her fr...
Jun 26, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 159
What is foreplay and what purpose does it serve? In this discussion you’ll learn about the role of foreplay, but it may surprise you. Instead of seeing foreplay as a way to get ready for the main event, what if it were a time of relaxing into more pleasure and greater intimacy? You were made for deep connection and naked and unashamed intimacy. Let’s look at foreplay as a tool for connection through rest, relaxation and celebration of your feminine beauty. Related Episodes: Your Wonderful Female...
Jun 19, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 158
Welcome back for part two of the conversation with a licensed counselor and sex therapist Nancy Houston. Nancy offers wonderful insight and compassion into the profound connections between love, sex, and healing. In this episode we discuss: Permission given - God made you as a female to be sexual and your sexuality is beautifully designed Getting familiar with your desire and your female body Owning and expressing your want Communication and pursuing each other in marriage Foreplay and learning ...
Jun 12, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 157
In today's episode, we have rich conversations with a licensed counselor and sex therapist Nancy Houston. Nancy offers wonderful insight and compassion into the profound connections between love, sex, and healing. We discuss: The spiritual mystery and depth to our sexuality Emotional and soul connection in marriage How to keep sex on the “front burner” Power and beauty of the feminine body Identifying what’s informed your view of sex and understanding how you may be modeling your sex life accord...
Jun 05, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 156
Whatever season you currently find yourself in, this is a conversation not to be missed. The reality is, you will have seasons of abundance as well as refining seasons of trial and suffering. You’ll hear my honest perspective on and journey through suffering and God in the midst of it all, including: Intimacy resilience and building intimacy in all seasons. Challenges in life and how they can create tension and disconnection in marriage. Opportunities to lean into your marriage connection, espec...
May 29, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 155
Finding energy as a wife, while spinning all the plates of motherhood, can be a bit of a challenge. Switching gears from “tired mom” to feeling sexy doesn’t exactly just happen. Can you relate? Good news! In this episode we have some real talk about how to be intentional, cultivate the needs of your body and maybe even find some ideas to “get your groove back” in the bedroom. Let’s tap into more joy and enjoyment, because God created you with an incredible capacity for pleasure. Related Episodes...
May 22, 2023•19 min•Season 3Ep. 154
Sex is meant to point to something bigger, reflecting the goodness of a purposeful Creator. Our God is an intentional designer and His creation, including sex and sexuality, was designed to point to greater things. For centuries the church has disregarded the importance and meaning of the body and sex, yet this conversation helps us see there is a different way to see and celebrate the story of God. Topics discussed include: The union of man and woman point to a greater union with God, sex as a ...
May 15, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 153
Prepare to be encouraged by a mentoring session with Shaunti Feldhahn. We are diving into sex and sexuality with Shaunti, as she shares her insight and clinical understanding and perspective. Some of the topics we covered in this conversation include: Surprises that make all the difference. Why sexuality matters. A vision for intimacy. Affirming insecure places. Desire - types of desire and levels of desire. God’s beautiful gift of sexuality for women. About Shaunti Feldhahn: Shaunti received he...
May 08, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 152
God designed your body with intention, care and purpose. Yet, we often hyper-focus on the mind and the spirit, neglecting the importance of the body. In this episode we will discuss the importance of connecting to the body, because stress in the body can create dis-ease that ripples out to all areas of our life. Topics include: The brain body connection. Dis-ease in the body and the peace of God. Paying attention to and being aware of your body. Problems that can arise when we disregard the body...
May 01, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 151
What do I do if I have a higher drive than my husband? What should I do if my sex drive seems non-existent? Today’s episode is a fresh perspective and discussion as we unpack sexual desire and high and low libidos, which happens to be one of the most frequently asked questions. Education and understanding can lead to celebration, therefore let’s discuss the sexual response cycle, spontaneous desire vs. responsive desire and factors that contribute to seasons of higher/lower seasons of spontaneou...
Apr 24, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 150
A tender, honest conversation as Bonny shares her vulnerable testimony and healing journey through deep betrayal caused by pornography and sex addiction in her marriage. There is tremendous trauma and hurt in a marriage experiencing a death of trust. Bonny speaks into betrayal from a personal and clinical perspective, providing you with understanding, empathy and thoughtful steps to take toward healing for both partners. If betrayal has touched your life, know you are not alone. There is great h...
Apr 17, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 149
Getting on the same “spiritual page” with your husband can fall lower and lower on the to-do list, even though both of your hearts are pursuing connection and intimacy. Jodie Berndt is the mentor we all need on this topic. In this episode you’ll hear a wise and practical conversation as you think about building spiritual intimacy in a fresh and do-able way. Whether you are currently experiencing a roommate rut season or you long for more faith connection with your spouse, Jodie brings wisdom and...
Apr 10, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 148
It’s not uncommon to experience painful intercourse and it might even be related to a condition that should be addressed. In today’s episode we are talking about vaginismus and painful intercourse. You will hear about the mind, body, spirit connection, why we see painful intercourse more prevalently in Christian women and some practical thoughts and resources to help find solutions. God made your body wonderfully. You are not broken and you are certainly not alone. Full disclosure: This episode ...
Apr 03, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 147
God is a good Creator, full of peace, joy and celebration. The enemy is the author of chaos. Times like this can feel overwhelming. We can choose to see chaos and become afraid, living in fear and becoming paralyzed. Or, we can choose to see the power and beauty of God and learn to carry His banner of celebration. Let’s lean into the goodness of God and choose to walk in His peace, His joy and His celebration through shared language. That’s what Heaven in Your Home Family Music is all about. In ...
Mar 27, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 146
Your body is good, with value and purpose. Your gender is intentional and meaningful. Your sexuality is full of meaning and purpose. The story of God is written on your body. As you think about stewarding sexuality, walking in more freedom, the next step is to begin to impart the truth of celebration and joy into your children. We are called to be fruitful, multiply and take dominion. So, as we live out the goodness and freedom of God, becoming more healed, fruitfulness flows into the next gener...
Mar 20, 2023•34 min•Season 3Ep. 145
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25 In the parable of the talents, the ruler gave three different servants talents to manage while he was away. While we see the command was the same, we see three different heart postures, actions and results. Let’s dive into Genesis 1 and observe that our sexuality, our body, our gender and sex, pleasure and desire are gifts f...
Mar 13, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 144
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25 How have we as the church buried the gift of our body, our gender and our sexuality? As we continue our discussion of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, we observe the servant who buried the talent, hiding it in the ground, did so out of fear. This third servant believed a lie about the Master, therefore he buried wha...
Mar 06, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 146
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25 When you think about the parable of the talents your mind instantly gravitates toward stewarding your finances, your gifts, or even your health. But, have you ever thought about the faithfulness that might flow from stewarding your sexuality? We get to steward the gift of our sexuality, with purpose and intention over the co...
Feb 27, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 142
We look to our Creator and see that sex is part of His creation, made with meaning, purpose and beauty. As you personally reclaim what God created and called good, the next step is to be able to have conversations with your kids. There’s never been a more vital time for intentionality as we teach, lead and invest in our children's hearts and worldview. In today’s conversation, my guest Kristen Miele will break down some of the hard questions that can cause stress for caring parents. Gain the con...
Feb 20, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 141
Way better than anything Hollywood could ever portray, today’s guest Alexa PenaVega shares her vulnerable testimony of finding more in her marriage. How do you go from a wife who really doesn’t feel very excited about physical intimacy to finding celebration and joy? In this episode, Alexa and Francie chat about the fruitfulness that has flowed from pursuing oneness, their callings as mothers to disciple their children and be the best source for all things, including sex. Note: This episode endu...
Feb 13, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 140
All the things you wished you knew before you said I do. Whether you’re engaged, newlywed or find yourself in a mentoring relationship, this conversation will give you a fresh perspective on preparing for sex before you say, “I do.” Join this vulnerable chat as a welcome Bethany Beal, from the Girl Defined ministry and podcast. How should you prepare for your wedding night? What advice and resources are helpful (and how to know if it’s not)? What kinds of expectations should you set for the wedd...
Feb 06, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 139
“God takes our brokenness and turns it into our passion.” Joy Skarka With vulnerability and authenticity, Joy shares her story which includes sexual trauma that led to a struggle with pornography. As a girl struggling with porn, she felt isolation and carried tremendous shame. Yet, there is help and healing. And, we are never alone in our struggle. This episode is a rich discussion across many topics including sexuality, discipleship, singleness and pornography, with encouraging theology and an ...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 138
What’s okay for Christian marriage in the bedroom? Maybe that’s the wrong question. Married sex can be a playground, filled with creativity and adventure. In this episode, we’ll reframe the question and perhaps help you process and give yourself permission for a little bit of adventure and freedom in your marriage bed. God created you in a wonderful way and designed married intimacy as celebration. The bodies of a husband and wife are designed to fit together perfectly and there isn’t a mandate ...
Jan 23, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 137
