Episodes
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#143: How to Overcome Obstacles in Life with Faith
Scars. We all have them, whether they are the time we fell off our bike when we were young or the emotional ones we carry with us as an adult. Every scar has a story! On today’s show, we will hear from former NFL player Devon Still, and how his life has been a journey from one scar to the next.…
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#142: What I Learned about Perseverance and Trust from Case Keenum
How many of us struggle with trust? I know I do. Sometimes you just have to persevere. But it can still be hard to believe what you cannot see. Trust is something I have to work on daily. I am always up for a conversation that is going to inspire me to trust and persevere even when I don’t know…
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#141: 4 Things to Do When You’ve Failed
What is your lifelong dream? Is it to be the parent of a star athlete or have your own business? Whatever it is, having a dream energizes you (even on Monday mornings) as you passionately drive closer and closer to reaching it. Unfortunately, not all dreams happen. When a dream dies, it can be...
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#140: There’s More to the Song, “I Can Only Imagine”
Have you ever had a song that stuck with you? A song that resonated with you so much that you wanted to listen to it over and over again? “I Can Only Imagine” is that kind of song for millions of people, including myself. Whenever I have trials in life, whenever Susan has another heart surgery,...
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#139: The Star with DeVon Franklin
For centuries one story has touched the lives of people across the world. This holiday season you’re invited to discover the story of the first Christmas from an entirely new perspective, and today on our show we have DeVon Franklin, one of the executive producers of the new movie The Star in...
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#138: Every Man’s Bible with Tony Dungy
“The great thing about integrity is that it is truly no respecter of position or wealth or race or gender. It is not determined by shifting circumstances, cultural dynamics, or what you’ve previously achieved. From the moment you are born, you –and you alone-determine whether you will be a person...
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#137: 10 Questions to Ask Your Spouse Every Year
Good conversations lead to connection and intimacy. The best way to facilitate a good conversation is to ask great questions. Whether you feel like you know your spouse well or not, there are questions that will be helpful. The spouse who becomes an expert in the art of asking questions is the...
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#136: 5 Ways to Break Free from the Pornography Trap
Pornography is a beast that kills – kills the soul and ravages relationships. No one is immune to pornography. Everywhere you turn, it’s becoming more and more available. At the same time, men are becoming less and less aware of its harmful nature and its lasting impacts. It’s an addiction that...
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#135: Trust: The Key to Unlock Intimacy in Marriage
If someone were to ask you the question: What is the key to intimacy in marriage? What answers do you think you’ll receive? I can imagine a lot of words that might be racing through your mind. Sexual compatibility. Time. Romance. Open Communication. Compromise. Forgiveness. Kindness. All of those...
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#134: The New Dad’s Playbook with Benjamin Watson
NFL athlete and Super Bowl champion Benjamin Watson knows a thing or two about big games. But he says the biggest game in life—parenting, specifically fatherhood—is one for which there is no playbook. Watson shares, “I could find clearer direction for putting together a baby swing than for taking...
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#133: Is This the Root Cause of Your Marriage Problems?
What is the opposite of love? If you said hate, well, I hate to disagree with you, but I’m convinced that the opposite of love is really selfishness. And in marriage, selfishness often makes you the worst threat to your marriage and can become the root cause of your marriage problems. Discussion...
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#132: 4 Ways to Fight for Your Marriage
You and your spouse are allies, not enemies. We must fight for our marriage because we love. We must fight for who we love. We must make war to make love last in marriage. Make war against those things that could divide our union. Fight for those things that will protect and preserve our union....
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#131: You Married for Better, but What about for Worse?
When I got married…I didn’t expect conflict, financial pressures, or challenges with children. I always thought the tough part about marriage was finding the right girl. I thought that once I found her, being married was the easy part. When I said my vows I EXPECTED it would always be better. I...
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#130: Why You Need a Relationship Bucket List
Busyness is a thief that steals meaningful time and lasting memories. [Tweet This] Creating a relationship bucket list will be helpful; it will work in all phases of your life and all relationships. Being INTENTIONAL is the key to having a strong relationship bucket list. Today, Susan and I will...
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#129 Unfair Expectations You May Have of Your Spouse
Expectations: It’s a huge word in marriage and something that many couples, ourselves included, struggle over. We oftentimes have unfair and unrealistic expectations when we go into marriage or even throughout our marriage. When we were writing our two new books Lists to Love By for Busy Husbands...
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#128: 7 Must Do’s and Don’ts for Your Marriage
t’s been said that we should never say never in our marriage and we should never use the word always, because, usually, they are unhelpful in navigating through issues or through conflict. But today, we are going to talk about things you should always do in your marriage or that you should never…
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#127: 5 Things Husbands and Wives Wish the Other Knew
Today we have an exciting show because we are going to be talking about things that spouses wish the other knew. In List #8 of our newly released books, Lists to Love By for Busy Husbands and Lists to Love By for Busy Wives we have things wives wish husbands knew and husbands wish wives knew. We...
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#126: 7 Truths About Marriage
Susan and I recently released our new books, Lists to Love By for Busy Husbands and Lists to Love By for Busy Wives and we both felt it very necessary to have our first list in both of our books be about truths. For today’s podcast, we will share with you 7 truths about marriage that we have come...
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#125: 8 Things Parents Should Do for their Kids Every Day
When we initially think about what we should do for our kids every day, we think of things like help with homework, make their lunches, take them to school, but really it’s the relational things that they will remember. For today’s podcast, we will go much deeper with the things we should be…
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#124: Top 8 Habits to Break as a Family
There are lots of not-so-great choices families make once in a while with no major consequences. But when those choices become habits, you’ve got a problem. Such is the case with most of these 8 negative habits to kick. If you see them making regular appearances in your family’s life, act fast to...
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#123: What Not to Say to Your Spouse During a Fight
Toxic words poison, and sometimes even kill relationships. I confess there have been too many times when harsh, harmful words have come out of my mouth toward my wife, Susan. It grieves me. I’m continually working hard to choose my words wisely. In the midst of a disagreement, we have the power...
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#122: 4 Things To Do When Your Spouse is Feeling Down
This can be a challenge for both husbands and wives. When your spouse is feeling down, it’s hard to put yourself in their shoes. There used to be days where Susan would vent to me about an issue with one of our children and really needed my support. Instead of showing her that support, I felt I...
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#121: Impacting a Child’s Life – Mentoring, Fostering, Adopting
We are in the month of November and some may not realize that this month is National Adoption Month. National Adoption Month hits home for both Susan and I because we have two adopted children as part of our family and are so blessed to be their parents. On today’s show, we will be talking with...
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#120: 5 Manners You Must Teach Your Children
One of the hallmarks of this year’s presidential campaign has been plain rudeness on both sides, from the primaries to the conventions. We also see that lack of basic courtesies and manners on television, online, social media, and in life. Manners really have taken a back seat. Thankfully, as a...
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#119: Prickly Spouse? Prepare for the Porcupine Part 2
During last week’s podcast, we started discussing the trigger points of conflict that Susan and I have and how we try to disarm them. We will continue with a few more this week. Trigger points are those things that if not dealt with, they can cause conflict in marriage; but if you handle them the...
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#118: Prickly Spouse? Prepare for the Porcupine Part 1
In our 28 years of marriage, Susan and I have had our fair share of conflict. What causes marital conflict, you ask? Well, a root cause is our selfishness. It’s frustrating because it seems like a constant struggle that will always be there no matter how hard we try. Why? Because we are battling...
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#117: Celebrating Family and Fatherhood with Tony Dungy
It’s been almost 20 years, and it’s amazing what God has done with the organization of All Pro Dad. All Pro Dad is one program under Family First, the non-profit organization that provides parenting, marriage and relationship resources that help people love their family well, along with iMOM, the...
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#116: How to Raise Your Child to be a Leader
A leader is simply someone who has followers-followers they influence. Susan and I have tried to raise all 5 of our children to be leaders. We’ve taught them it’s not just what you do, it’s who you are at the core. Susan and I can recall countless times, especially when our kids were in high...
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#115: Anger: Face It, Find It, Figure it Out
Today we will be sharing with you a little bit about a very important topic that we all have faced and we are all trying to figure out, and that issue is anger. Why? Because anger has a way of sneaking up on us. Somehow small moments of frustration can quickly escalate into anger. But there’s…
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#114: 4 Secrets You Must Know About Your Spouse
For many years, our family went to the lake house of our close friends. We always did a lot of water skiing there. My parents were part of a water ski show when they were young, and I inherited their love for the sport. When it was my turn to ski, I always wanted Susan to go. My motive was not…
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#113: 4 Ways to Crush Comparison in Marriage
The topic we will be discussing today is increasingly becoming more of an issue in relationships and in marriages. A lot of it has to do with technology and this is what it is: comparison. If you feel like the marriage grass is greener on the other side when you look at other couples, it could be...
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#112: 4 Strategies to Help Solve Your Marriage Problems
Think back to when you first started to pursue your spouse. It required commitment, hard work, and imagination. If winning them over required that back then, why does it surprise us when neglect hurts our relationship after we walk down the aisle? They wouldn’t have married you if you took them…
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#111: 6 Things That Keep Couples Connected
Every husband and wife wants to feel connected with one another, but sometimes busyness, the daily grind, stress, and strain can get in the way and cause a feeling of NOT being connected. When that happens, “marriage drift” sometimes occurs and you drift farther and farther apart without even...
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#110: 5 Bad Behaviors Your Kids Must Conquer
As parents, we always wonder if we’re doing this thing called parenting right or doing everything we should. And what do you do when your child starts exhibiting some bad habits and behaviors at a very young age? Lying, cheating, showing disrespect are just a few bad behaviors parents deal with...
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#109: How to Overcome Loneliness in Marriage
Today’s topic is one that affects really every marriage if you’ve been married for any length of time. It’s about loneliness. As humans, we are not meant to be isolated. We all crave deep and lasting connections with other people. But we know it’s possible to feel alone in the middle of a crowd,...
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#108: Forgiveness: What It Is and What It Isn’t
So, let’s say that you’ve been wronged…wronged by your spouse, child, close friend or coworker. You thought you could count on them. You thought you could trust them. They let you down. It hurts. The pain runs deep inside you. What makes things worse, you didn’t deserve it. You didn’t deserve the...
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#107: 7 Things to Avoid When Fighting with Your Spouse
On today’s podcast, Susan and I are going to be talking about a topic that affects each and every one of us. Many couples we’ve talked to through the years, especially newlyweds, assume that arguing in marriage is bad, counterproductive, and to be avoided at all costs. In reality, conflict is...
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#106: 4 Ways Parents Discourage Their Kids
Over the years, Susan and I have learned that all 5 of our children, now all in their 20s, all need one thing and that’s encouragement. We have good intentions and try to help; and, as parents, we may think we’re encouraging our children, but it can actually feel like criticism to them. Sometimes...
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#105: 6 Ways to Push Your Spouse Away
It’s so easy to push away your spouse without even realizing it. On several occasions, I’ve pushed Susan away and created a distance between us with my critical and condescending words. And Susan would tell you that she’s pushed me away by texting and posting when I wanted her attention. So we…
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#104: 5 Things You Must Know About Your Spouse
How well do you really know your spouse? I don’t mean the color of their hair and eyes, or where they were born and went to school. That’s their biography, their exterior. But what about their inner life: thoughts and feelings, hopes and fears? Do you know them in a way that builds the...
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#103: 4 Things Kids of Divorce Wish They Could Say to Their Parents
Over the years, we have worked with teens and adult children of divorce who were raised in two homes. Many times, they literally wanted to shout, “STOP PUTTING ME IN THE MIDDLE!!!” Unfortunately, most kids never have the courage to speak up and share their voice on these matters. – Tammy Daughtry…
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#102: 8 Reasons Why Your Marriage May Be Better Than You Think
Too many couples don’t appreciate the good marriage they have because they are too focused on the perfect marriage they want. You could have a better marriage than you think. Susan and I have experienced this in our own marriage and have to continually remind ourselves of the good, and great, we...
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#101: 3 Things Your Spouse Should Expect from You
Expectations: They are a very important part of marriage and we all have them, don't we? Husbands and wives should be able to expect certain things from one another; there are nonnegotiable marriage expectations that should be the same for all spouses. These are much deeper than leaving your…
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#100: 6 Things You Should Stop Doing to Your Spouse in Public
When I wrote about the 7 things that husbands and wives should stop doing in their relationship awhile back, some spirited comments and conversations resulted. On today’s podcast, Susan and I want to address 6 things that you should stop doing in public—things that can harm your spouse and hurt...
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#99: 7 Things Teenagers Secretly Want You to Know
Susan and I have raised 5 children through the teen years. Teenagers are trying to figure out life…who am I? Where am I going? Do I have what it takes? Am I beautiful? Teens have a lot going on under the surface that they either haven’t identified, are afraid to say, or don’t know how to tell…
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#98: The 7 Rings of Marriage
Too many marriages end in divorce. One of the reasons for this is couples today are not prepared for all the good and bad that may happen in marriage. So are you prepared? On today’s podcast, Jackie and Stephana Bledsoe will be discussing with us three of the seven stages, or 7 Rings of…
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#97 How to Find Joy in the Daily Grind
Joy: We all want it, but few of us have it. Why? Because every day, people and circumstances overwhelm our lives and steal our joy. Things like fear, anxiety, jealousy, death, loneliness, and illness sneak in. These difficulties consume our thoughts and drain our energy until we’re left feeling...
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#96: Restoring Your Marriage Against the Odds
The difficulties we face in life have the power to break or strengthen our marriage…the choice is up to us. We can choose to harbor resentment and unforgiveness or we can choose to embrace love and restoration. It all comes down to one thing: if we have faith that our marriage is worth fighting...
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#95: My Pledge: Be a Better Elf This Christmas
Presents...snow...mistletoe...There's nothing better than the holiday season! Except when you throw in angry shoppers, long lines, and sleepless nights wrapping gifts. That's when the chaos has a way of overwhelming the cheer. And Christmas becomes more stressful than peaceful. But not this year!...
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#94: How to be Resilient in Your Marriage
To be resilient is to withstand hardship and recover readily. So how can you be resilient and stay strong when the storms of life hit—when communication is absent in marriage, when a spouse leaves, when a child rebels, when unemployment strikes, when a dream fails to come true? On today’s…
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About this show
The Family First Podcast with Mark Merrill