What happens to a marriage when sickness doesn't pass quickly?

In this episode of Eden Restored, Dr. Stacy and Rhonda Spencer talk honestly about walking through prolonged illness in marriage–from upper respiratory infections and migraines to hospital rooms and COVID, fear, helplessness, and learning how to stay emotionally present when you can't fix what's wrong.

This conversation is about:

- "Through sickness and in health" beyond the wedding day

- Caregiving without resentment

- Feeling like a burden to your spouse

- Learning when presence matters more than solutions

- How compassion deepens intimacy over time

If you or your spouse are navigating illness, exhaustion, or long seasons that feel heavier than expected–this episode is for you.

Are you ready to take your Love, Marriage, and love life to the next level? Tune in to our Love and Marriage podcast to hear experts discuss all things relationship-related! Learn real secrets, tips, and tricks to help you feel the love. Join us Every Friday at 7pm. 💞 #LoveAndMarriage #love #marriage #relationship #marriage #marriedlife #marriagegoals #love #podcastwww.TheEdenCircle.comThe Eden Circle is an exclusive membership in the inner circle of Dr. Stacy L. Spencer and Rhonda Spencer. It is a select group of married couples who receive coaching concerning intimacy, communication, conflict resolution, spiritual guidance, and sexual healing.

Chapters

00:00 - 01:07: Open

01:07 - 02:20: Through Sickness and in Health

02:20 - 03:37: Caregiving in Marriage

03:37 - 04:18: "I'm Sick Again"

04:18 - 05:23: Helplessness vs. Frustration

05:23 - 06:53: Migraines, Illness, and Identity

06:53 - 07:29: Presence Matters More

07:29 - 08:58: COVID, Isolation, and Showing Up

08:58 - 09:53: Repentance, Growth, and Learning

09:53 - 11:09: Fixing vs. Being Present

11:09 - 12:52: Emotional Availability

12:52 - 14:04: Aging, Change, and Compassion

14:04 - 15:10: "Do You Need Anything?"

15:10 - 16:06: Emergency Room

16:06 - 17:49: Marriage as First Ministry

17:49 - 18:57: Can You Stand the Rain?

18:57 - 20:20: How Hard Seasons Strengthen Love

20:20 - 21:04: Going with the Rhythm

21:04 - 23:54: You're My Medicine

In this episode of Eden Restored, Dr. Stacy and Rhonda Spencer unpack a provocative verse from the Song of Songs: "Come blow on my garden." They explore why intimacy was never meant to be rushed, how women's bodies respond differently than men's, and how patience, presence, and intentionality turn sex into something healing, sacred, and deeply connecting for married and seriously dating couples.Are you ready to take your Love, Marriage, and love life to the next level? Tune in to our Love and Marriage podcast to hear experts discuss all things relationship-related! Learn real secrets, tips, and tricks to help you feel the love. Join us Every Friday at 7pm. 💞 #LoveAndMarriage #love #marriage #relationship #marriage #marriedlife #marriagegoals #love #podcastwww.TheEdenCircle.comThe Eden Circle is an exclusive membership in the inner circle of Dr. Stacy L. Spencer and Rhonda Spencer. It is a select group of married couples who receive coaching concerning intimacy, communication, conflict resolution, spiritual guidance, and sexual healing.Chapters00:00 – 00:46: Open00:46 – 01:26: Welcome01:26 – 02:22: What Song of Songs Is Really Talking About02:22 – 03:27: Why Women’s Bodies Need Time (Crock Pot vs. Ramen)03:27 – 04:09: What Rushing Does to the Nervous System04:09 – 05:05: “Blow on My Garden” Means Gentleness, Not Force05:05 – 06:02: Why the Whole Body Matters in Intimacy06:02 – 06:59: Intimacy Starts Long Before the Bedroom06:59 – 08:07: Taking Time Changes the Experience of Connection08:07 – 09:00: Myrrh, Healing, and the Body’s Design09:00 – 10:17: Why Women Don’t Need Products to Be “Pleasant”10:17 – 11:17: “You Are What You Eat”11:17 – 12:07: The Beauty of a Healthy, Natural Body12:07 – 13:03: Frankincense, Worship, and Sacred Sexuality13:03 – 13:57: Sex as a Spiritual, Covenant Act13:57 – 14:55: Setting the Stage for Intimacy14:55 – 15:50: Helping Her Relax 15:50 – 16:15: Intentionality Builds Desire16:15 – 17:18: Addressing the Discomfort Around Oral Sex17:18 – 18:13: Why Many Women “Go Along” Without Enjoyment18:13 – 19:10: Foreplay Is Not Optional — It’s Essential19:10 – 19:41: Not Every Moment Has to End in Climax19:41 – 20:13: Take Your Time — This Is the Point20:13 – 21:14: Eden Circle 21:14 – 22:33: Closing Blessing

Most marriages don't fall apart because of one big mistake. They break down through small, unnoticed habits.

In this episode of Eden Restored, we talk honestly about the "little foxes" that quietly damage intimacy: unresolved conflict, missed bids for connection, mismatched desire, stress and invisible labor, sexual shame, and small breaches of trust. Couples learn how to address them before they erode love, trust, and connection.

www.TheEdenCircle.com

The Eden Circle is an exclusive membership in the inner circle of Dr. Stacy L. Spencer and Rhonda Spencer. It is a select group of married couples who receive coaching concerning intimacy, communication, conflict resolution, spiritual guidance, and sexual healing.

Chapters

00:00 - 00:42 Open

00:42 - 02:10 What Scripture means by "the little foxes"

02:10 - 05:10 Fox 1: How conflict undermines safety

05:10 - 08:25 Family-of-origin conflict patterns & emotional sensitivity

08:25 - 11:10 Fox 2: Missed bids for connection (what we don't notice hurts)

11:10 - 12:05 Everyday examples of missed connection in marriage

12:05 - 14:55 Fox 3: Different levels of desire across seasons of life

14:55 - 16:58 Why mismatched desire isn't deficiency

16:58 - 19:28 Fox 4: Stress, fatigue, and invisible labor

19:28 - 22:56 Managing stress so it doesn't kill intimacy

22:56 - 25:10 Fox 5: Shame and silence around sexuality

25:10 - 26:32 Why couples stop talking honestly about sex

26:32 - 28:20 Fox 6: Micro-betrayals, secrecy, and eroded trust

28:20 - 29:12 Why trust disappears slowly, not suddenly

29:12 - 30:21 Close

Does intimacy have to fade as you get older? The Spencers break the myth that passion dies with age. In this episode, they talk honestly about “new bodies,” menopause, erectile changes, and why great midlife love is built on curiosity, communication, and the gift of slowness. They explore how intimacy evolves beyond performance into deeper connection—and how couples can keep learning each other through every season of marriage.

If you’re navigating sex after 50, menopause, emotional distance, or feeling stuck in routines, this episode gives practical, faith-based relationship advice to help you stay curious, stay teachable, and stay connected.

When life gets heavy, stress doesn't stay outside, it comes home. Many couples start treating each other like the problem, when the real battle is everything happening around them. In this honest episode, The Spencers unpack how stress, silence, emotional fatigue, and tone can turn good spouses into unintended casualties–and how to stop it before it damages the marriage.

You'll learn:

• Why stress makes couples short, cold, or withdrawn
• How to communicate when both people are tired or overwhelmed
• How to recognize misplaced anger
• The difference between cruelty, passive cruelty, and emotional laziness
• How to slow down, reconnect, and stop assuming your spouse is the enemy
• How spiritual and physical intimacy become tools for healing, not avoidance

If this episode helped you, share it with another couple going through a heavy season.

Are you ready to take your Love, Marriage, and love life to the next level? Tune in to our Love and Marriage podcast to hear experts discuss all things relationship-related! Learn real secrets, tips, and tricks to help you feel the love. Join us Every Friday at 7pm. 💞 #LoveAndMarriage #love #marriage #relationship #marriage #marriedlife #marriagegoals #love #podcast

⁠www.TheEdenCircle.com⁠

The Eden Circle is an exclusive membership in the inner circle of Dr. Stacy L. Spencer and Rhonda Spencer. It is a select group of married couples who receive coaching concerning intimacy, communication, conflict resolution, spiritual guidance, and sexual healing.

Unhealed family patterns can quietly sabotage your marriage; until you name them and break them. In this episode of Eden Restored, the Spencers walk couples through the real work of healing: recognizing emotional distance, breaking generational habits, and building intimacy through honest communication. Learn how to pause without shutting down, stay emotionally present, and choose covenant love over cultural habits.Are you ready to take your Love, Marriage, and love life to the next level? Tune in to our Love and Marriage podcast to hear experts discuss all things relationship-related! Learn real secrets, tips, and tricks to help you feel the love. Join us Every Friday at 7pm. 💞 #LoveAndMarriage #love #marriage #relationship #marriage #marriedlife #marriagegoals #love #podcastwww.TheEdenCircle.comThe Eden Circle is an exclusive membership in the inner circle of Dr. Stacy L. Spencer and Rhonda Spencer. It is a select group of married couples who receive coaching concerning intimacy, communication, conflict resolution, spiritual guidance, and sexual healing.

Healthy relationships don't just happen–they're built by two whole people who choose each other on purpose. In this episode of Eden Restored, the Spencers talk about how to have a healthy relationship without losing yourself. They share how couples can manage emotions, set boundaries, and stay grounded in faith while growing together. Learn how to balance love, individuality, and purpose, and why self-awareness is one of the most spiritual things you can bring to your relationship.Are you ready to take your Love, Marriage, and love life to the next level? Tune in to our Love and Marriage podcast to hear experts discuss all things relationship-related! Learn real secrets, tips, and tricks to help you feel the love. Join us Every Friday at 7pm. 💞 #LoveAndMarriage #love #marriage #relationship #marriage #marriedlife #marriagegoals #love #podcastwww.TheEdenCircle.comThe Eden Circle is an exclusive membership in the inner circle of Dr. Stacy L. Spencer and Rhonda Spencer. It is a select group of married couples who receive coaching concerning intimacy, communication, conflict resolution, spiritual guidance, and sexual healing.

You've been told things about sex and intimacy that just aren't true. In this episode of Eden Restored, The Spencers expose 5 toxic myths that many Christian couples carry into marriage, from "spontaneous sex is better" to "men always want it more."Through scripture, psychology, and real marriage experience, they unpack how miseducation has damaged intimacy and how couples can rediscover God's original design for pleasure, connection, and freedom.Are you ready to take your Love, Marriage, and love life to the next level? Tune in to our Love and Marriage podcast to hear experts discuss all things relationship-related! Learn real secrets, tips, and tricks to help you feel the love. Join us Every Friday at 7pm. 💞 #LoveAndMarriage #love #marriage #relationship #marriage #marriedlife #marriagegoals #love #podcastwww.TheEdenCircle.comThe Eden Circle is an exclusive membership in the inner circle of Dr. Stacy L. Spencer and Rhonda Spencer. It is a select group of married couples who receive coaching concerning intimacy, communication, conflict resolution, spiritual guidance, and sexual healing.