Real Love with Achley & Brandon

In this Episode, we go through a Devotion from the Kingdom Marriage Devotional by Tony Evans.  Listen in real time as we learn an important lesson about following God's instruction instead of our own.Like the Devotional? You can purchase your own copy here. 

Did 2019 hit you as hard as it hit us?Yeah... we know. But it's all good. 2020 is almost here!In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of one of our planning meetings, where we plot out our goals as individuals and as a unit. 2020 will be our best year yet!Be sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on any episodes.What are your 2020 goals? Hit us up on Social Media @reallovepodcast and let us know!

We're back!! And we've got a lot to catch you up on... We're in a new space, going through new challenges. Listen as we walk you through all the new stuff going on in our lives, and how we're showing each other love through it all.

Because you asked for it...

It's been a long time... But we're still here! Here's a quick update on where we've been, and when we'll be back.

We say these quotes all the time.. but where did they come from? Are they rooted in scripture, or just plain wrong?

We wrap up our Intimacy series with perhaps the most daunting challenge -- maintaining intimacy while doing our jobs as parents. While the seemingly noble thing to do as parents is to sacrifice it all for our children; if we don't do our best to maintain our closeness, we are ultimately doing them a disservice. In this episode, you'll learn how fulfilling our roles as parents the right way can make our marriages even stronger. Scripture References: Genesis 2:24 Ephesians 5:31-32, 6:1 & 4 Hebrews 12:4-12 Proverbs 23:13, 29:15 Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Romans 8:28 Resources Mentioned: Article: Types of Child Discipline Kingdom Marriage by Tony Evans A Lifelong Love by Gary Thomas

We're continuing our series on intimacy and closeness this week. But how do you maintain closeness when you're spending 8+ hours or more doing things your partner has no interest in? It can be hard to navigate Career changes in a marriage. In this episode, we give you practical items to discuss with each other, as well as tips to maintain closeness even when you're busy.

If there's anything with the potential to tear a couple apart, it's financial disagreements. In this episode, we talk about maintaining intimacy and closeness through your finances.

Your honeymoon doesn't have to end when you pack your bags and leave the vacation. You can maintain that closeness and intimacy throughout the life of your marriage, if you're willing to put in the work. Over the next few weeks, we'll be diving deep about how to maintain that intimacy and closeness in all you do. In the first part of this series, we're talking about the importance of dating your spouse. If you like the episode, please be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast provider. You can find us on all social media at @reallovepodcast, and learn more about us at http://reallovepodcast.com

What's it like to be married to an entrepreneur? In this episode, we share our stories, and tips to help you navigate the waters.

In Episode 14 we highlighted the importance of Transparency in relationships. But being 100% open and honest is much easier said than done. This week, we talk about the barriers to transparency, and how to deal with the fallout that may occur as you start to become more vulnerable. For full show notes and past episodes, visit http://reallovepodcast.com

As we learn to communicate with one another, our natural tendency is to hold back information that may show us in an unfavorable light. In this episode, we highlight the importance of being all the way real with your partner. Like the show? Be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can find us on all social media @reallovepodcast Support the show, listen to past episodes and learn more about us at http://reallovepodcast.com

With Father's Day coming up, Achley asks Brandon some tough questions about fatherhood. We got into some tough topics including the effects of growing up with an absent father, and how to overcome them in your own family life. Resources Mentioned: The Masculine Mandate by Richard Phillips

As humans, we all have an apparent need for external validation. Psychologist Abraham Maslow called it Love/Belonging on his famous hierarchy of needs. But what happens when we put an unfair amount of pressure on our spouse, children and friends to fill this need of validation for us? In this episode we talk about the dangers of looking outside of God to make us feel like we belong. Additional Resources: The Masculine Mandate by Richard Phillips Understanding the Purpose and Power of Women by Myles Munroe Understanding the Purpose and Power of Men by Myles Munroe Follow Us on Social Media @reallovepodcast Learn More, Contact Us and Support the show at http://www.reallovepodcast.com

Spiritual Unity is the most important part of any relationship. If you aren't united on one front, you open yourselves to a number of attacks from the enemy. Like a plane with one wing, you'll find yourself spinning in circles instead of progressing forward. But what does it mean to have Spiritual Unity? Does the fact that we're both Christians make us 'Equally Yoked?' In this episode, Brandon and Achley discuss their path to Spiritual Unity, and all the missteps they have taken along the way. Like the show? Be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can find us on all social media @reallovepodcast Support the show, listen to past episodes and learn more about us at http://reallovepodcast.com Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 7: 12-15 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 1 Peter 3: 1-2

Does loving God mean being perfect? How does God view his relationship with us? Does our behavior even matter? Over the years, we've had to ask ourselves these questions and more. On today's episode, we discuss how our view of love changed when we finally got to understand the nature of God, and just what it took to get there. Like the show? Be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can find us on all social media @reallovepodcast Support the show, listen to past episodes and learn more about us at http://reallovepodcast.com

Many Christians implore their children to abstain from sex until they are married... to which most answer (silently) "For what?!" Unfortunately, most of us never got an answer to our very valid question. Society bombards us with sexual imagery day in and day out. And for a long time, the church has been silent, leaving most of us reliant on what everyone else says about things. In this episode, we break down the importance of Sexual Purity by having the talk we wish someone would have had with us as teenagers. Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 Hebrews 13:4 Ephesians 5:3 Matthew 5:28 Like the show? Be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can find us on all social media @reallovepodcast Support the show, listen to past episodes and learn more about us at http://reallovepodcast.com

With Mother's Day coming up, Brandon interviews Achley about her experience as a mom. You'll hear about the challenges she went through as an unmarried mother, the evolution of her overall approach to motherhood, and tips for the other moms out there. Of course, we also pay tribute to our own mothers in this episode. Happy Mother's Day! If you like the show, please leave a rating and review in iTunes. You can follow us on all social media @reallovepodcast. Contact us, view past episodes and learn more about us at http://www.reallovepodcast.com Resources Mentioned: Victory Over the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson You can download the audiobook for FREE by signing up for a free trial of Audible at http://reallovepodcast.com/audible

What does true submission look like in the eyes of God? Why has society gotten it so wrong? If submission isn't an excuse for Men to mistreat the women around them, then what is it? More importantly, how do we walk it out in a meaningful way? If you like the show, please leave a rating and review in iTunes. You can follow us on all social media @reallovepodcast, and view past episodes and learn more about us at http://www.reallovepodcast.com

What happens when you finally find ways to effectively communicate, only to find out that you and your partner are on two different sides of an argument? In this episode, we talk about tackling conflicts head on, so that your differences can make you even stronger as a unit. If you like the show, please leave a rating and review in iTunes. You can follow us on all social media @reallovepodcast, and view past episodes and learn more about us at http://www.reallovepodcast.com

"Miscommunication leads to complication." -Lauryn Hill There's a reason all the experts (and even non-experts) say communication is key to sustaining a relationship. Not understanding the thoughts and feelings behind someone's words, actions and body language can cause great harm, both in and outside of romantic relationships. When you're in a relationship, it's your job to make sure your words can't be misconstrued, and to take extra steps to calm the situation when they are. In this episode, we talk about some of the barriers that stand in the way of effective communication, and the exercises we use to get around them. More Resources: The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman (listen for FREE on Audible at http://reallovepodcast.com/audible Support the show, listen to past episodes and learn more about us at http://reallovepodcast.com

What are the characteristics of real love? Using the popular passage from 1 Corinthians, we dive deep and recount stories of how some of those characteristics can be quite elusive. We also may have gone on a tangent or two... but you still love us. Right? **Scripture Reference: **1 Corinthians 13:4-7 You can listen to more episodes, support the show financially or even contact us with questions by visiting http://www.reallovepodcast.com

When we got married (5 years ago today), we thought we knew it all. In our minds, we were a power couple who couldn't be bothered with the 'growing pains' phase of marriage. Little did we know, we were in for the ride of our lives. In Part 3 of our premiere, you'll hear just how different marriage was from all our expectations, and how hard we had to fight to make sure we still liked each other at the end of the night. This episode is brought to you by Audible. You can sign up for a 30 day Free Trial (and download a free audiobook) by joining at http://www.reallovepodcast.com/audible. We recommend The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman as a first listen. For more episodes and to learn how you can support the show, visit http://www.reallovepodcast.com

Welcome to Real Love with Achley & Brandon! In this podcast, we want to explore what God's love looks like, and how we should apply it in our daily lives as spouses, family members, and friends. Before we get into the heavier topics, we want to give you a chance to get to know us. In this 3 part series, you'll learn more about who we are, what brought us together as a couple, and why we've invited you to embark on this journey with us. In part 2 of our 3-Episode Premiere, you'll hear how we met, started dating and ended up being married. You know... the mushy stuff.

Welcome to Real Love with Achley & Brandon! In this podcast, we want to explore what God's love looks like, and how we should apply it in our daily lives as spouses, family members, and friends. Before we get into the heavier topics, we want to give you a chance to get to know us. In this 3 part series, you'll learn more about who we are, what brought us together as a couple, and why we've invited you to embark on this journey with us. In part 1 of our 3-Episode Premiere, you'll get to know us a bit as individuals, as we ask each other questions from the Newlywed Game.

We're starting a podcast! As a young, Christian married couple, we want to explore what God's love looks like, and how we should apply it to our daily lives. To stay connected, please subscribe to the show! You can join our e-mail list at https://kdmr.us/reallovemailinglist Have questions you want answered on the show, E-mail reallovepodcast@gmail.com