One Degree Marriage: a Christian Marriage Podcast

Nathaniel & Xan Sibley
  • 5.0 (129)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Weekly

A Christian marriage podcast for couples who want to grow. Hosted by Nathaniel and Xan Sibley. A thriving marriage doesn't happen by accident... it's built one intentional choice at a time. How do we stay connected when life feels busy and disconnected? What rhythms help us handle conflict with grace instead of frustration? How do we grow spiritually together? What does it look like to bring fun, intimacy, and purpose back into our marriage? On the One Degree Marriage Podcast, Nathaniel and Xan get real about the everyday struggles and joys of marriage. With biblical wisdom and practical tools, we'll help you take small, one-degree shifts that lead to lasting transformation in your relationship. Grab a seat on our cozy virtual couch and join the conversation. Then take one step today toward the Christ-centered, flourishing marriage you've been longing for. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Follow along on Instagram @onedegreemarriage!

  1. 7h ago

    Growing Spiritually Together (Even When You Feel Like You're the Only One Trying)

    Most of us know we should be growing spiritually. We even know we should be encouraging our spouse to do the same. But somewhere between good intentions and real life, it just… doesn't happen. We wait for the right season, the right Bible study, or for them to take the first step. In this episode, we get honest about our own inconsistencies: the prayer ruts, the accountability groups that faded after the babies came, the moments when the spirit is willing but the routine has quietly collapsed. And we walk through four simple, doable ways to pursue your own faith and gently invite your spouse along for the journey. This isn't about pressure or spiritual scorekeeping. It's about small, intentional shifts that create a marriage where faith is lived out loud, together. In this episode: Why starting with your own walk (not your spouse's) is the foundation everything else is built onThe difference between praying at a problem and praying specifically for your spouse's actual burdensHow to pursue spiritual growth even if your spouse isn't a believer, or is just in a hard seasonWhy what your spouse sees you doing quietly every morning matters more than almost anything you could sayThe one question upgrade that turns "how was your prayer meeting?" into a real conversationHow a weekly marriage meeting can become a no-pressure accountability rhythm for your faith life Resources we mention: Five-Year Prayer JournalOur Weekly Marriage Meeting framework Related episodes: How to Be a Godly Wife and Unequally Yoked Your one-degree shift this week: Pray for your spouse right now, specifically. Name a burden they're carrying. Ask God to soften both of your hearts. Then ask your spouse what they'd love for you to bring to the Lord on their behalf. If this episode gave you that little nudge you needed, share it with one couple in your life who's trying to grow. And if you haven't yet: subscribe, leave a review, and come find us at onedegreemarriage.com. We're so glad you're here.

    32 min

  2. Jun 22

    The Hidden Cost of Comparing Your Marriage to Others

    You scroll past an anniversary post or a friend's date night photo, and the thought slips in: why don't we have that? If that sounds familiar, comparison is quietly costing your marriage more than you realize. In this episode, we get honest about comparison in marriage and why it is such a sneaky threat to contentment. We talk about why social media makes comparing your marriage to other couples easier than any generation before us, how comparison breeds ungratefulness and ungratefulness breeds discontentment, and what the Garden of Eden's blame game reveals about why comparison is really a trust issue. Then we get practical: the real difference between toxic comparison and a healthy desire to grow, and how to curate what we follow so it builds our marriage instead of quietly tearing it down. In this episode: 02:15 The comparison most of us would never say out loud, but feel often06:33 What comparison actually looks like in marriage, from fitness to faith to finances08:50 Why social media makes comparison harder to escape than ever before11:12 The highlight reel nobody shows you, including one from our own life13:17 What Adam and Eve's blame game reveals about comparison and trust18:08 The real difference between comparison and a healthy desire to grow together22:47 This week's one degree shift for turning comparison into gratitude Resources mentioned: Genesis 3, and our Free Weekly Marriage Meeting Template, a simple rhythm for the "what do we want to cultivate" conversation we talk about here.

    28 min

  3. Jun 8

    The One Conversation Your Marriage Is Missing

    You're probably pretty good at the logistics. Who's getting the kids, who's making dinner, who remembered to call the plumber. But when's the last time you and your spouse slowed down long enough to ask: where are we actually going? In this episode, we're talking about the one conversation that tends to get skipped in even the healthiest marriages — casting a vision for your family. Not a financial roadmap or a five-year career plan, but the deeper stuff: What do we want our family to be known for? What culture are we building? Are we actually living out what we say we value? We get into why this conversation stays missing for most couples (spoiler: it's not laziness), what it actually looks like to sit down and do it, and we model it live with our own answers so you can hear how messy and real it can be. In this episode: Why even great marriages skip the vision conversation — and the three reasons it stays off the tableHow to start this conversation if your spouse isn't exactly jumping at the ideaThe one question that cuts to the heart of it: "If our marriage was in the same place in three years, how would you feel?"What a family mission statement actually is, and why we're changing ours after years of saying you should never change itFour vision-casting questions you can bring to a coffee shop, a playground, or your kitchen table this weekA live, unscripted demo of us answering every question ourselves The one degree shift: put something on the calendar. Even 20 minutes with a few intentional questions can start shifting the trajectory. Resources mentioned: Free Weekly Marriage Meeting Template: https://onedegreemarriage.com/meetingWeekly Marriage Meeting Journal: https://shop.onedegreemarriage.com/Daily Marriage Challenges: https://onedegreemarriage.com/challenge If this episode resonated, share it with one couple who you think needs this conversation. And subscribe so you never miss a one-degree shift. https://onedegreemarriage.com/podcast

    33 min

  4. Jun 1

    The Billy Graham Rule: Should Your Marriage Follow It?

    Every marriage needs guardrails. But does a rule about never being alone with someone of the opposite sex actually protect you, or just give you a false sense of security? In Episode 160, we tackle the Billy Graham Rule head-on: what it is, why it exists, and whether married couples actually need to follow it. We share our honest take while also making clear that "not following the rule" doesn't mean "not guarding your marriage." The real protection, we'd argue, comes from something a lot harder than a policy. Resources & Links: Free Weekly Marriage Meeting Template: https://onedegreemarriage.com/meetingDaily Marriage Challenges: https://onedegreemarriage.com/challengeWeekly Marriage Meeting Journal: https://shop.onedegreemarriage.com/ Share this episode with one couple who's navigating this conversation, then subscribe so you don't miss what's next.

    29 min

  5. May 25

    How to Protect Your Marriage in the Season of Young Kids

    You're doing the dishes, the diapers, and the 2 a.m. wake-ups—and somewhere in the middle of all of it, your marriage quietly slips to the back of the line. This episode is for every couple in the thick of the littles who still wants to choose each other. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on our own two-under-two season: a colicky second baby, COVID isolation, no family nearby, no meal train, and the constant low hum of "how are we going to get through today." RESOURCES: FREE WEEKLY MARRIAGE MEETING TEMPLATE DAILY MARRIAGE CHALLENGES

    35 min

  6. May 18

    158: Unequally Yoked: 6 Shifts When Your Spouse Doesn't Believe

    Some weeks the loneliest seat in the house is the one right next to your spouse. If you love Jesus and they don't (or they used to, and now it's complicated) this episode is for you. Whether your spouse is a non-believer or simply lukewarm in their faith, the conversation walks through six practical, hope-forward practices for staying steady... without slipping into bitterness, pride, or quiet compromise. In this episode: What "unequally yoked" really means — and why it can apply even when both of you say you're Christians (02:28)Why praying for your spouse and your own heart has to be a daily rhythm, not a one-time desperate ask (06:00)The micro-compromises that quietly erode your faith — and how to guard against them (07:13)How 1 Peter 3:1-2 reframes your everyday life as a witness without ever making you preachy (09:33)Why you need a few people in your corner who will tell you the hard truth in love (14:23)Taking ownership of discipling your kids when your spouse won't — the Eunice and Lois story (19:10)The danger of turning your spouse into an evangelism project and forgetting to actually love them (21:19) Resources & mentions: 1 Peter 3:1-2, 2 Timothy 1:5 (Eunice and Lois), Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. If this episode encouraged you, share it with one couple who needs to know they're not the only ones. Subscribe so you don't miss next week's conversation, and leave a review to help more couples find One Degree Marriage.

    28 min

  7. May 11

    157: 6 Things We Wish We Knew About Sex Before Marriage

    You said "I do," and then assumed sex would just figure itself out. For a lot of couples, it doesn't. And the silence around that can make you feel like you're the only one struggling. In this episode, we get honest about the first three years of our marriage, when sex felt more like a burden than a blessing, and what we wish someone had told us sooner. We unpack the lingering weight of purity culture, the lie that physical intimacy should "just come naturally," and the small shifts that slowly turned things around. Whether you're a newlywed, engaged and prepping for the marriage bed, or a long-married couple wanting to grow, this conversation offers a hopeful, faith-informed look at what healthy intimacy in a Christian marriage can actually look like, and how to start talking about it without shame. In this episode: Why "sex is good and from God" is easier to believe in theory than in your bodyThe lonely myth that intimacy should come naturally, and why it often doesn'tThe one mindset shift that takes sex from transactional to deeply connecting"Chore play" and why foreplay starts hours before the bedroomHow to actually talk about sex with your spouse (without it getting weird)Why growing together sexually is one of the most underrated gifts of marriageYour one-degree shift for this week FREE WEEKLY MARRIAGE MEETING TEMPLATE Mentioned in this episode: Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template Download the FREE Weekly Marriage Meeting Template at onedegreemarriage.com/meeting

    40 min

  8. May 4

    156: How to Communicate About Schedules in Marriage (Without Fighting)

    Ever been blindsided by something on your spouse's calendar — a meeting, a trip, a last-minute Cubs game — that you swear they never told you about? You're not alone. Most couples default to reactive scheduling, and it costs them more than they realize. In this episode: Why "I told you about this" fights almost always come down to expectations, not memoryThe two questions to ask every week — and why one alone isn't enoughHow setting expectations on the front end turned a hard solo-parenting day into one of the week's highlightsA real workout-morning example: how 30 seconds of communication prevents small frictionsWhy the calendar tool you pick matters less than you think — and the one feature that actually doesThe one-degree shift to start this week, even if you've never had a marriage meeting before If this episode hits home, share it with one couple who keeps getting caught off guard by their own week. Subscribe so you don't miss what's next, leave a quick review to help other couples find the show, and head to onedegreemarriage.com for tools to make your weekly marriage meeting actually stick.

    20 min
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About

A Christian marriage podcast for couples who want to grow. Hosted by Nathaniel and Xan Sibley. A thriving marriage doesn't happen by accident... it's built one intentional choice at a time. How do we stay connected when life feels busy and disconnected? What rhythms help us handle conflict with grace instead of frustration? How do we grow spiritually together? What does it look like to bring fun, intimacy, and purpose back into our marriage? On the One Degree Marriage Podcast, Nathaniel and Xan get real about the everyday struggles and joys of marriage. With biblical wisdom and practical tools, we'll help you take small, one-degree shifts that lead to lasting transformation in your relationship. Grab a seat on our cozy virtual couch and join the conversation. Then take one step today toward the Christ-centered, flourishing marriage you've been longing for. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Follow along on Instagram @onedegreemarriage!

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