Team Us

Have you ever heard of the game “In So Many Words”? We play it to kick off this episode on communication. But while word games can be fun, sometimes communication in marriage is frustrating. We’ve all felt it! So, how do we navigate it? Listen in as we talk about communication killers that might be frustrating conversations. We also share three steps you can take when talking to your spouse is a challenge. 3 Steps to Take When Communication Is Frustrating Take a break Identify what really happened Try again Us Time Challenge  Google communication games for team-building. Pick one to play with your spouse. Links Mentioned in This Episode “5 Communication Killers and How to Avoid Them” (https://www.altaredmarriage.com/5-communication-killers-and-how-to-avoid-them/) Team Us Resources Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/) FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/) Connect with Ted and Ashleigh Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

On this episode, we originally planned to share with you safeguards you can put in place to protect your marriage. But, as Ted says, that’s been done—a lot! So instead, we turn the topic on its head and discuss what you can do to ruin your marriage. Listen in as we share four things you might be doing to hurt your relationship. You’ll hear why each of these is destructive and why we definitely don’t recommend doing them! 4 Ways You Can Ruin Your Marriage {We Don’t Recommend Them} Have close friends of the opposite sex Stop communicating and start burying issues Focus on the negative Stop connecting Us Time Challenge Focus on the positive in your spouse, and be sure to share with them what you see! Resources Mentioned in This Episode Loving Him Well: Practical Advice on Influencing Your Husband by Gary Thomas “Break Free from Temptation” message from Chad Moore at Sun Valley Community Church (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu9g-1yIaI&ab_channel=SunValleyCommunityChurch) Team Us Resources Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/) FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/) Connect with Ted and Ashleigh Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever had a Valentine’s Day go wrong? We have! During our first year as a married couple, we ended up fighting over what we now realize was just a big misunderstanding. We learned that how we respond to each other’s words and actions on Valentine’s Day and any day makes a difference in our relationship. Listen in as we share how that first Valentine’s Day went wrong and what we wish we’d known then that we know now. We also share three practical things you can do to rescue a day gone bad. 3 Ways to Rescue a Day Gone Wrong Check expectations. Believe the best. Extend grace. Us Time Challenge  Use this week’s challenge to help you avoid even having a Valentine’s Day gone wrong. Take some time to sit down and share expectations for the day. Come up with a plan on how to celebrate that you are both happy with. Team Us Resources  Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/) FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/) Connect with Ted and Ashleigh Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We’re about a month into the new year, and we’re back with brand-new episodes! Maybe your new year has started off strong. Or, like us, you’ve faced some challenges. Today, we’re talking about how you can team up not just for the new year, but for every minute, hour, day, week, and month of the year! Listen in as we share three practical ways you can walk in unity. We also talk about spiritual warfare in marriage, what that might look like, and share thoughts on how to navigate it hand-in-hand. 3 Ways to Team Up for a New Day, Week, Month, and Year Make peace with yesterday, last week, last month, last year, or whatever timeframe you need to. Decide to approach every day, week, month, and year with lightheartedness. Get on the same page, literally. Us Time Challenge Pick one of today’s ways to team up and try it this week. Team Us Resources Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/) FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/) Links Mentioned in This Episode “Is This a Spiritual Attack, or Is My Spouse Just a Jerk?” (https://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/is-this-a-spiritual-attack-or-is-my-spouse-just-a-jerk/) Connect with Ted and Ashleigh Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

If you love listening to "Team Us," we want to introduce you to another LifeAudio podcast we think you'll enjoy: "Faith Over Fear."   Scripture assures us that God does not want us to live enslaved to fear, weighed down by stress, and overpowered by personal weakness. Christ promised us joy, peace, and inexpressible freedom. He also promised to give us the power to experience each of those supernatural gifts. In this special episode of Faith Over Fear, prolific speaker Max Lucado shares a time when, attempting to carry his ministry in his own strength, the burden became nearly crippling and how he found fresh hope and strength through the Holy Spirit.   If you like what you hear and want to continue listening to more episodes, just search "Faith Over Fear" on your favorite podcast app, or click on any of the links below! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-over-fear/id1500408829  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5GCj0NnLVrkEqeSraSxJYx  LifeAudio: https://www.lifeaudio.com/faith-over-fear We will be back soon with a brand new episode of Team Us. Thanks for listening. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We’ve made a lot of stressful decisions together over the years. Some have related to job loss, challenges with our kids, financial pressures, and, most recently, our cross-country move. It would be easy for these decisions to pull us apart and turn us against each other instead of drawing us closer. That’s why we are always determined in advance to stay united. Perhaps you and your spouse are currently facing your own stressful decisions. Join us as we share three team-building strategies you can practice when faced with difficult choices. They’ll help you navigate stressful decisions together as a team!3 Ways to Navigate Stressful Decisions Together 1.    Remember that it’s “us,” not “you and me.”2.    Rather than focus on the stress, dream about the possibilities.3.    Try to come to full agreement before making a big decision. Us Time Challenge Pick a stressful decision you have to make and spend some time dreaming about the possibilities. Maybe even make a list of what good may come out of what you’re facing. Team Us Resources •    Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/)•    FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/)   Connect with Ted and Ashleigh •    Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) •    Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) •    Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor)  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

If you ask us why church is good for our marriage, Ted will most likely quip, “I met my wife at church. That was good for my marriage.” Wit aside, though, we take being an active member of our local church seriously. In the two decades since we first met, we’ve been purposeful as a couple in making regular church attendance and active participation a consistent part of our lives, and it’s benefited our relationship in many ways.We believe church can be good for your marriage too. Listen in as we start by sharing why going to church matters. We’ll then give you five reasons church attendance and involvement can help you and your spouse grow closer.5 Reasons Church Can Be Good for Your Marriage1. It provides shared experiences.2. It sparks conversation.3. It provides opportunities to serve together.4. It offers support and accountability.5. It fosters spiritual unity.Us Time ChallengeThis week, go to church together — whether it’s mid-week, small group, or Sunday morning — and notice specific ways it brings you closer together.Team Us Resources• Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/)• FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/) Connect with Ted and Ashleigh• Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What do conflict, birthdays, Nehemiah, and buried issues have in common? We talk about them all in this episode! As we’ve said before, conflict in marriage is inevitable. And for us, disagreements have never been about whether or not we’ll have them, but how we deal with them when we do. Listen in as we talk about practical ways to work together as a team to resolve disagreements. We’ll share how you learn to face conflict as allies, agree not to bury issues, and commit to respond rather than react.3 Ways to Work Together to Resolve Disagreements1. Face discouragements as allies.2. Agree not to bury issues.3. Commit to respond, not react.Us Time ChallengeDo a team-building activity together that has the potential to be frustrating at times. Maybe it’s an escape room or paddling a rowboat. Come up with something creative, fun, and relationship-strengthening!Team Us Resources• Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/)• FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/) Connect with Ted and Ashleigh• Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Some people might assume we’re some sort of communication experts because we both have master’s degrees in communication. But today we’re going to let you in on a not-so-secret truth. We aren’t. We studied communication because we knew we needed help. And, all these years later, we’re still learning. Join us as we share some tools, tips, and techniques we’ve discovered. Listen in as we talk about how putting them into practice has helped us better communicate like a team. Hopefully, they’ll do the same for you!4 Steps to Better Communicating as a Team1. Slow down.2. Listen well.3. Repeat often.4. Respond rather than react.Us Time ChallengePractice the four steps to better communicating as a team. Pick a moment where you might normally rush through communication, and instead, slow down, listen well, repeat often, and respond rather than react.Team Us Resources• Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/)• FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/) Connect with Ted and Ashleigh• Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many couples believe that the intense romantic love that brings them together will keep them together long-term. And, while it’s true that these in-love emotions are exhilarating and worth savoring, you need more than feelings for your marriage to go the distance. It has to be based on more.Listen in as we talk about marital culture shock and how obligation isn’t a dirty word. We share how it’s a true-to-our-promise commitment that serves as the best foundation for a healthy marriage and give you three things to remember when you don’t feel “in love.” The 4 Stages of Marital Culture Shock1. The Honeymoon Stage2. The Frustration Stage3. The Adjustment Stage4. The Acceptance Stage3 Things to Remember When You Don’t “Feel” In-Love1. You won’t break if you bend.2. Compatible couples have conflict.3. Bad habits take time to break.Us Time ChallengeFigure out an area you can bend in this week. Don’t share it with your spouse. Instead, put it into practice and see if your spouse notices.Team Us Resources• Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/)• FREE Team Us Study Guide (https://ashleighslater.com/team-us/free-team-us-study-guide/) Connect with Ted and Ashleigh• Website (https://ashleighslater.com/) • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashleighslater_author/) • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ashleighslaterauthor) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.