Stronger with Andy Wood

Saddleback Church
  • 5.0 (39)
  • Christianity

Welcome to Stronger with Andy Wood. Life is heavy, and you were never meant to carry it on your own. Every week, Andy Wood, lead pastor of Saddleback Church, hosts honest conversations about building a stronger faith, family, and community. Each episode picks up where the weekend message leaves off, because there's always more to say than a weekend allows, and gets practical about living it out in your home and relationships. Real questions, real stories, and one next step you can take this week. New episodes every Monday, recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago ·  Bonus Video

    What If He Leaves?

    Andy and Stacie Wood on the night Stacie was scared Andy would leave, what he said back, and the one idea that has held their marriage for 23 years: it's a covenant, not a contract. This is a bonus episode, recorded live at Saddleback's marriage retreat. New here? Start with Episode 3, "Are You Married, or Just Roommates?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1U The first twelve minutes are their story: the first week of college, the year Andy spent as a cheerleader, the 18-month breakup, the summer he told her the only way she'd be part of the church he was going to plant was as his wife, and the email she ended with two words from a Nicolas Cage movie. Then the hard part: married at 21, broke, opposite personalities, and the season when home was so miserable Stacie asked what would happen if he left. From there, Andy and Stacie walk through why God calls marriage a covenant, how a covenant is different from a contract (the phone-plan story explains it), what "in sickness and in health" costs when sickness actually comes, the night Stacie locked the bedroom door and Andy quoted Scripture through it, why marriage was never meant to make you happy, and five commitments that make a covenant practical: receive your spouse as a sacred gift, put God at the center, close every side door and lock the back door, work on it instead of running from it, and love, cherish, and sacrifice for your spouse above all others. Including your kids. Whether you're newly married, decades in, or carrying a hard story into a second marriage, this one is for you. MORE FROM ANDY AND STACIE ON MARRIAGEEpisode 3, "Are You Married, or Just Roommates?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1UBonus: marriage hot takes on conflict, money, and in-laws: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q45wyFL5O6kThe weekend message, "Stronger Marriages": https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8 ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEKTell your spouse the sentence Andy asked the room to say: "You are the most important person on planet Earth to me." Then close one door. If there's a conversation, a friendship, or an account your spouse doesn't have access to, hand it over this week. And if it's been a hard season, say the three words from the end of the prayer: "You have my yes again." RESOURCES MENTIONEDThe Meaning of Marriage by Timothy KellerLet Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth ElliotThe Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren CHAPTERS0:00 Coming up0:54 Welcome: a bonus episode from the marriage retreat1:31 How Andy and Stacie met3:03 Andy the college cheerleader5:03 The breakup: 18 months6:09 Venezuela, Cambodia, and the ex-boyfriend7:28 "The only way you'll be a part of it is if you're my wife"9:06 Two weeks to pray10:04 The movie night that decided it12:19 "I choose us"12:53 Married at 21: the first five years13:32 Why marriage and family are the need of the hour15:11 Covenant: what sets a marriage apart16:20 Genesis 2: bone of my bones17:57 Matthew 19: Jesus reaffirms the design19:28 A biblical definition of marriage, and second chances21:50 Covenant is the language of God23:51 The cross is the picture of marriage25:35 The hardest season: "what if he left?"28:35 Contract vs. covenant: the phone-plan story29:52 Tim Keller: vows are a promise of future love30:19 Four differences between a contract and a covenant31:35 "In sickness and in health" is part of the vow34:18 The husband who stayed up all night for his sick wife36:11 The locked door37:14 The other side of covenant: "we better make it better"38:20 Marriage doesn't exist for your happiness39:02 Elisabeth Elliot: marriage is dynamic, not static40:19 Commitment 1: Receive your spouse as a sacred gift41:10 Get around a widow43:12 Commitment 2: Put God at the center43:41 Commitment 3: Close every side door, lock the back door45:03 "I will never have a meal alone with a woman"46:46 Text threads, passwords, and your location48:56 Commitment 4: Work on it, don't run from it49:37 Who apologizes first? Stay at the table51:38 Commitment 5: Love, cherish, and sacrifice above all others53:37 If you're hanging on by a thread54:41 A prayer over your marriage58:56 Thanks for joining us SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODEGenesis 2:22-24 · Matthew 19:4-6 · Malachi 2:14 · Ephesians 4:26 · Proverbs 19:11 · Ecclesiastes 7:2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAYEvery episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-MApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDwShow site: https://stronger.saddleback.com Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. This episode was recorded live at Saddleback's marriage retreat. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #StacieWood #Saddleback #Marriage

  2. 3d ago ·  Bonus Video

    Marriage Hot Takes: Conflict, Money, In-Laws

    Andy and Stacie Wood on the marriage questions that didn't fit in Episode 3: how to fight, what to do about money, phones at 9:30 at night, what a single person should look for, forgiveness, and in-laws. This is the bonus round. Watch Episode 3, "Are You Married, or Just Roommates?", first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1U Rapid fire, on a thirty-second clock Andy ignores: why your spouse is never the problem and what "stay at the table" means when you disagree. Die to yourself on the small stuff (go eat where your wife wants to eat). The class Andy and Stacie took at 21 that changed how they handle money. Why phones need tight boundaries inside the home. What to look for in a spouse: how they treat their family, the wake they leave behind them, and the football-stands test. What Andy and Stacie tell their kids when a couple they know gets divorced. Why forgiveness is not the same as trust, and the Corrie ten Boom story Andy can't tell in thirty seconds. And what to do when parents are too involved in their kids' marriage. Married, engaged, or single and paying attention, this one is for you. THE WEEKEND MESSAGEThis conversation started with "Stronger Marriages," taught by Andy and Stacie Wood: https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8 ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEKPick one hot take and run it for seven days. Phones down at 9:30. One meal where your spouse picks. One thing you've been holding onto that you forgive out loud. If you're single: look at the wake. Then send this to someone who needs the eleven minutes. RESOURCES MENTIONEDFinancial tools and resources at Saddleback: https://saddleback.com/sections/resources/financial-tools/ CHAPTERS0:00 Coming up0:39 Welcome to the first bonus episode1:01 Andy: best advice on conflict1:21 Stacie: what do you do when you disagree?2:12 Die to yourself: go where your wife wants to eat2:20 Andy: best advice on money in marriage3:03 Stacie: phones in marriage, yes or no?4:01 Andy: what should a single person look for in a spouse?5:30 The football-stands test5:48 Stacie: what do you tell your kids when people you know get divorced?6:56 Andy: how important is forgiveness in marriage?7:40 The Corrie ten Boom story8:51 "I don't think you understand hot takes"9:05 Stacie: when parents are too involved in their kids' marriage10:52 One last hot take10:59 Next week: Stronger Homes SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODEGenesis 2:24 · Luke 9:23 · Ephesians 4:31-32 · Hebrews 12:15 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAYEvery episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-MApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDwShow site: https://stronger.saddleback.com Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and every episode starts with what was taught that weekend. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #StacieWood #Saddleback #Marriage

  3. 5d ago ·  Video

    Are You Married, or Just Roommates?

    Andy and Stacie Wood on how a marriage drifts from lovers to roommates, what working on it actually looks like, and the conversation about sex and intimacy the church usually avoids. This conversation picks up where the weekend message left off. Watch "Stronger Marriages" first: https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8 In Episode 3 of Stronger, Andy and Stacie Wood sit down with Ariel Amaro the week they taught God's design for marriage, and they go where a Sunday message can't: the eight months they ran with no margin and the getaway that reset them, the weekly checkpoint and the shared calendar that keep a marriage current, what to do when the check engine light comes on, and why the difference between working in your marriage and working on it decides what year fifteen looks like. Then they go where most churches don't: why God designed sex for marriage and what gets in the way of it, what Stacie wishes someone had told her before her wedding, why "consistently kind, then very kind" is a better plan than the gas pedal, and what Stacie says to the wife whose husband is caught in pornography and won't get help. Married and drifting, married and fighting for it, or single and wondering what to hope for, this one is for you. BONUS EPISODE TUESDAYAndy and Stacie's hot takes on money, conflict, and how they work through disagreements. Coming Tuesday, October 6. ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEKIf you're married: pick one thing this week that works on your marriage instead of in it. A weekly checkpoint, a date, or the conversation you've been putting off. Put it on the calendar. If you're single: write down what you want your marriage to be before you're in one, and pray for the person you haven't met yet. Then send this to a couple who needs it. RESOURCES MENTIONEDCelebrate Recovery at Saddleback: https://saddleback.com/sections/get-care/celebrate-recovery/Saddleback Cares: https://saddleback.com/care/Female by Design podcast (Francie Winslow): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/female-by-design/id1493541368 CHAPTERS0:00 Coming up0:54 Welcome: God's design for marriage1:57 Episode three: Stronger Marriages2:19 The Thin Mints story4:12 What is marriage? Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19, Ephesians 56:46 Leaving, cleaving, and what isn't a marriage8:45 Living like roommates11:36 Working in your marriage vs. working on it12:18 Eight months with no margin: the getaway15:15 If your marriage were a car17:17 Maintenance: the weekly checkpoint, the shared calendar, date nights19:39 Getting away, two or three times a year21:31 When the check engine light comes on22:01 Keep it current: the four helpful lists25:10 Agreements26:50 "Can we schedule time to even have sex?"28:07 Why the church avoids talking about sex29:26 Stacie: "All I had heard was save it to marriage"32:15 Symptom and source: consistently kind, then very kind34:26 The gas pedal and the brakes36:22 Getting to the source38:39 When one spouse wants help and the other doesn't41:41 To the wife carrying the faith alone43:27 To the husband who feels like he's failing46:27 Stay at the table47:55 To the man with something under the surface50:43 Bonus episode Tuesday SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODEGenesis 2:24 · Matthew 19:4-6 · Ephesians 5:28-31 · 1 Peter 3:1-2 · James 5:16 · Matthew 5:29 · Colossians 3:5 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAYEvery episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-MApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDwShow site: https://stronger.saddleback.com Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and every episode starts with what was taught that weekend. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #StacieWood #Saddleback #Marriage

  4. Sep 28 ·  Video

    What Makes a Woman a Woman?

    Stacie Wood on what Proverbs 31 actually describes, and why it was never the 1950s housewife. Culture has two boxes for a woman, tradwife or girlboss, and God's design doesn't fit in either one. This conversation picks up where the weekend message left off. Watch "Stronger Women" first: https://youtu.be/EBL74YWPvdU In Episode 2 of Stronger, Stacie Wood sits down with Andy Wood and Ariel Amaro the week she preached God's design for women, and they go where a Sunday message can't: why Saddleback got kicked out of the SBC and what the church actually believes about women and leadership, what Stacie says when someone asks if she's a co-pastor, and what Proverbs 31 does to the 1950s housewife. Also in here: why men are now outpacing women in church attendance and what Stacie thinks is behind it, why a wife is a crown and not a competitor, what Stacie does when a room full of women starts roasting their husbands, the four years the Woods lived in a small apartment on one income, what would have happened if Andy had been the stay-at-home parent, and Mondays with Mom. Single, married, raising daughters, or the man trying to make room for the women around him, this one is for you. ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEKIf you're a woman: name one place where you've been living inside a box culture built instead of the design God gave you, and take one step out of it. If you're a man: name one woman around you whose gift you can make room for this week, and do it. Then send this to someone who's in the middle of this conversation. CHAPTERS0:00 Coming up0:47 Before we jump in1:28 Week two: Stronger Women2:58 Respond to Scripture, not culture: Jesus and women6:40 The correction, and the overcorrection8:03 Men are outpacing women in church9:08 Why women are leaving11:00 Headship, helper, and kicked out of the SBC twice13:32 Who's defining the boxes?16:19 "Are you a co-pastor?"17:31 How Stacie started teaching22:58 A wife is a crown25:06 When women roast their husbands28:00 The batting cage29:52 Working outside the home32:00 Tradwife, girlboss, and Proverbs 3135:24 Your kids are being raised by somebody38:05 Childcare costs and one income in the Bay Area40:49 "If we'd done stay-at-home dad..."43:19 Hope for the next generation: Titus 244:33 Mondays with Mom49:45 Stacie's mom and dad54:51 To the woman who was wounded57:00 Next week: Stronger Marriages SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODEMark 5:25-34 · John 4 · Proverbs 12:4 · Proverbs 14:1 · Proverbs 31:10-31 · Titus 2:3-5 · Psalm 40:2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAYEvery episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-MApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDwShow site: https://stronger.saddleback.com Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and every episode starts with what was taught that weekend. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #StacieWood #Saddleback

  5. Sep 21 ·  Video

    God Made Men to Protect. Media Is Making Them Punchlines.

    Nobody hands you a picture of what a man is. You pick it up from movies, sitcoms, and whatever your feed served you this morning. This conversation picks up where the weekend message left off. Watch "Stronger Men" first: https://youtu.be/VtW99uyEH7Q In the first episode of Stronger, Andy and Stacie Wood sit down with Ariel Amaro, open Genesis 1 and 2, and ask what God designed a man to be. They come back with four words and a man from Scripture for each one: Daniel, David, Joshua, and Joseph. Also in here: why Stacie lets Andy hold her hand at every crosswalk, why a noise downstairs at 2:30 a.m. is a theology question, what a study of 34 sitcoms found about TV dads, and why Jesus wept over a city before he flipped its tables. Single, married, raising sons, or married to one of these guys, this one is for you. ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEKLook at the four words: leader, lover, protector, provider. Name the one you're winning in. Name the one you want to grow in. Then say both out loud to someone who knows you well enough to tell you if you're right. CHAPTERS0:00 Coming up0:44 Before we jump in1:39 Why we started this podcast2:10 Why "Stronger"?3:34 Three men you'd download traits from6:32 Every answer came from a screen7:08 Genesis 1 and 2: the design11:59 Four words for a man13:48 Leader: Daniel and the open window17:59 Lover: David, poet and warrior22:01 Protector: Joshua and the noise at 2:30 a.m.24:55 Stacie on crossing the street29:37 Provider: Joseph feeds a nation34:16 When you're not living it37:36 How TV turned dad into the punchline42:22 Genesis 3: what got distorted46:08 Jesus, tough and tender48:56 Next week: Stronger Women51:38 One thing to do this week SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODEGenesis 1:27-28 · Genesis 2:15-18 · Daniel 6:10 · 2 Timothy 2:5 · 1 Corinthians 9:25 · Psalm 90:12 · 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 · Joshua 1:6-9 · Genesis 41 and 50 · 1 Timothy 5:8 · Genesis 3:16-19 · Luke 19:41-46 · Romans 5:8 The four words come from Andy's friend Josh McPherson, credited in the episode. NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAYEvery episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-MApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDwShow site: https://stronger.saddleback.com Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and every episode starts with what was taught that weekend. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #Saddleback

  6. Sep 19 ·  Video

    You Were Never Meant to Be Strong on Your Own

    There's always more to say than a weekend allows. Stronger with Andy Wood picks up where the weekend message leaves off, with honest conversations about faith, family, and everything you carry through the week. New episodes every Monday. Follow the show so the next one is waiting for you.

  7. Sep 17 ·  Video

    Stronger with Andy Wood (Trailer)

    Stronger with Andy Wood is a weekly podcast about building a stronger faith, family, and community. Every Monday, Andy Wood, lead pastor of Saddleback Church, picks up where the weekend message leaves off and gets practical about living it out in your home and relationships. Real questions, real stories, and one next step you can take this week. First episode drops Monday, September 21. Follow the show so it's waiting for you.

  • 2 Trailers
    5 Episodes

Trailers

5
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

Welcome to Stronger with Andy Wood. Life is heavy, and you were never meant to carry it on your own. Every week, Andy Wood, lead pastor of Saddleback Church, hosts honest conversations about building a stronger faith, family, and community. Each episode picks up where the weekend message leaves off, because there's always more to say than a weekend allows, and gets practical about living it out in your home and relationships. Real questions, real stories, and one next step you can take this week. New episodes every Monday, recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too.

Information

  • Creator
    Saddleback Church
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Saddleback Church
  • Show Website
    Stronger with Andy Wood

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