Intimate Covenant Podcast

What Science Reveals About Lifelong Intimacy

Send a textWe explore  findings from three recent scientific studies that show how flexible expectations, strong relationships, and emotional meaning shape a lifetime of sexual satisfaction in marriage. Bouchard KN, Cormier M, Huberman JS, Rosen NO. Sexual script flexibility and sexual well-being in long-term couples. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2023. Tavares IM, Rosen NO, Heiman JR, Nobre PJ. Longitudinal associations between relational and sexual well-being. Family Process. 2024. Henninger W, Heinz M, Taylor N. Love, Sex & Aging. Social Sciences. 2025.Warning: We cover necessary and important topics about the marriage relationship and sex. We use frank language without being crude or crass. Our approach is biblical and wholesome, but not intended for singles — especially not for children.Additional info:Ladies, make your voice and experience heard, take part in new sex research: The Lived Experience of Marital Sex: Women's Perspectives -- www.surveymonkey.com/r/QRWQPWKJoin us at the Intimate Covenant Annual Marriage Retreat -- details and registration: www.intimatecovenant.com/retreatRiverHills Retreat Marriage Enrichment Weekend -- Hayden, Alabama; April 18th. Register here: intimatecovenant/alabamaPlease support these companies that support Intimate Covenant:Married Dance — https://marrieddance.com/?aff=29 We’re a Christian-friendly, marriage-centered sex toy and marital aid store for couples that’s nudity-free.  Shop from this link for special savings and part of your purchase will support Intimate Covenant.  Coconu — http://www.coconu.com Coconu is committed to helping people lead healthier, happier lives by offering 100% safe and organic personal care products.  Your purchase helps support Intimate Covenant AND you get 15% OFF. Coupon Code: intimateconvenantDating Divas — https://thedatingdivas.myshopify.com?sca_ref=6278443.H6eWDeXGfx Strengthening marriages one date at a time. Shop from this link and your part of your purchase will help support Intimate Covenant. Check out their Sexy Subscription Boxes!Honoring Intimates — https://www.honoringintimates.com/?ref=INTIMATECOVENANT Modest and classy premium lingerie, model-free. Get 20% off and support Intimate Covenant with your purchase.Ginger & Peach — https://www.gingerandpeachlingerie.com/ Ginger & Peach lingerie is a Christian husband and wife owned brand bringing classy, model-free lingerie to the market. Get 10% off your order and support Intimate Covenant with code: “INTIMATECOVENANT"  To send your comments, questions and suggestions, go to our website: www.intimatecovenant.com/podcast and click on the button: “Contact the Podcast” for an ANONYMOUS submission form. Or, send an email: podcast@intimatecovenant.com   Thanks for sharing, rating, reviewing and subsSupport the show

The Conflicts of Pursuit, Response & Rejection

Send a textIn this episode, we share a few more segments from our live Q&A at the 2025 Annual Retreat; all of these had to do with the pursuer-responder dynamic. Specifically, we covered questions about:What is God teaching me through the pursuer-responder dynamic?Is compromise the answer to sexual desire discrepancy?What if, despite the sterotype, the husband doesn’t want sex?How should a wife deal with the role of reluctant dual-pursuer?Register at intimatecovenant.com/Alabama for the River Hills Retreat Marriage Enrichment Weekend in North Alabama.Registration for the 2026 Intimate Covenant Annual Marriage Retreat opens on February 14th. intimatecovenant.com/retreatWarning: We cover necessary and important topics about the marriage relationship and sex. We use frank language without being crude or crass. Our approach is biblical and wholesome, but not intended for singles — especially not for children.Please support these companies that support Intimate Covenant:Married Dance — https://marrieddance.com/?aff=29 We’re a Christian-friendly, marriage-centered sex toy and marital aid store for couples that’s nudity-free.  Shop from this link for special savings and part of your purchase will support Intimate Covenant.  Coconu — http://www.coconu.com Coconu is committed to helping people lead healthier, happier lives by offering 100% safe and organic personal care products.  Your purchase helps support Intimate Covenant AND you get 15% OFF. Coupon Code: intimateconvenantDating Divas — https://thedatingdivas.myshopify.com?sca_ref=6278443.H6eWDeXGfx Strengthening marriages one date at a time. Shop from this link and your part of your purchase will help support Intimate Covenant. Check out their Sexy Subscription Boxes!Honoring Intimates — https://www.honoringintimates.com/?ref=INTIMATECOVENANT Modest and classy premium lingerie, model-free. Get 20% off and support Intimate Covenant with your purchase.Ginger & Peach — https://www.gingerandpeachlingerie.com/ Ginger & Peach lingerie is a Christian husband and wife owned brand bringing classy, model-free lingerie to the market. Get 10% off your order and support Intimate Covenant with code: “INTIMATECOVENANT"  To send your comments, questions and suggestions, go to our website: www.intimatecovenant.com/podcast and click on the button: “Contact the Podcast” for an ANONYMOUS submission form. Or, send an email: podcast@intimatecovenant.com   Thanks for sharing, rating, reviewing and subscribing!  Cherishing,  Matt & JennJoin us at Patreon: www.patreon.com/intimatecovenant www.intimatecovenant.com Intimate Covenant | Matt & Jenn SchmidtSupport the show

Marriage Retreat Live Q&A - keeping secrets; defining virginity; aging; and more... [180]

Send a textWhat happens when a room full of couples asks the questions most people are afraid to say out loud? We lean into the hard stuff: purity culture hangovers, what “counts” as sex, how to tell the truth without breaking trust, and how aging bodies can still enjoy rich, connected intimacy. Recorded live at our Intimate Covenant Marriage Retreat, this candid Q&A blends biblical wisdom, practical tools, and warm honesty to help you move from silence and shame to clarity and closeness.Ready to invest in your marriage? Subscribe, share this episode with your spouse, and register for our September retreat when doors open on February 14th.Warning: We cover necessary and important topics about the marriage relationship and sex. We use frank language without being crude or crass. Our approach is biblical and wholesome, but not intended for singles — especially not for children.Please support these companies that support Intimate Covenant:Married Dance — https://marrieddance.com/?aff=29 We’re a Christian-friendly, marriage-centered sex toy and marital aid store for couples that’s nudity-free.  Shop from this link for special savings and part of your purchase will support Intimate Covenant.  Coconu — http://www.coconu.com Coconu is committed to helping people lead healthier, happier lives by offering 100% safe and organic personal care products.  Your purchase helps support Intimate Covenant AND you get 15% OFF. Coupon Code: intimateconvenantDate Your Spouse — https://shop.dateyourspouse.com/?sca_ref=6278443.H6eWDeXGfx Strengthening marriages one date at a time. Shop from this link and your part of your purchase will help support Intimate Covenant. Check out their Sexy Subscription Boxes!Honoring Intimates — https://www.honoringintimates.com/?ref=INTIMATECOVENANT Modest and classy premium lingerie, model-free. Get 20% off and support Intimate Covenant with your purchase.Ginger & Peach — https://www.gingerandpeachlingerie.com/ Ginger & Peach lingerie is a Christian husband and wife owned brand bringing classy, model-free lingerie to the market. Get 10% off your order and support Intimate Covenant with code: “INTIMATECOVENANT"  To send your comments, questions and suggestions, go to our website: www.intimatecovenant.com/podcast and click on the button: “Contact the Podcast” for an ANONYMOUS submission form. Or, send an email: podcast@intimatecovenant.com   Thanks for sharing, rating, reviewing and subscribing!    Cherishing,  Matt & JennPS — If you have been blessed by the message of this podcast, we would deeply appreciate your support by donating to our mission of spreading God’s plan for intimate marriage and holy sexuality.Join us at Patreon: www.patreon.com/intimatecovenantConsider a one-time gift: www.intimatecovenant.com/donate www.intimatecovenant.com Intimate Covenant | Matt & Jenn SchmSupport the show

Q&A - creating a community for porn recovery; unity despite differing passions; and more...[179]

Send a textToday we’re sharing some excerpts from our live Q&A session during a recent Marriage Day in Illinois. Listen to our responses to questions about:How to find unity of spiritual purpose when we have different passions?As a wife, how do I avoid nagging in my role to be a helpmeet?How can we create a community for porn recovery and support for betrayed spouses?Practically speaking, how do we pray together as a couple?How do I deal with with sexual dysfunction?Warning: This podcast covers necessary and important topics about the marriage relationship and sex. We use frank language without being crude or crass. Our approach is biblical and wholesome, but not intended for singles — especially not for children.Bring Intimate Covenant to your community! Book a Marriage Day in 2026—email: podcast@intimatecovenant.com. Please support these companies that support Intimate Covenant:Married Dance — https://marrieddance.com/?aff=29 We’re a Christian-friendly, marriage-centered sex toy and marital aid store for couples that’s nudity-free.  Shop from this link for special savings and part of your purchase will support Intimate Covenant.  Coconu — http://www.coconu.com Coconu is committed to helping people lead healthier, happier lives by offering 100% safe and organic personal care products.  Your purchase helps support Intimate Covenant AND you get 15% OFF. Coupon Code: intimateconvenantDate Your Spouse — https://shop.dateyourspouse.com/?sca_ref=6278443.H6eWDeXGfx Strengthening marriages one date at a time. Shop from this link and your part of your purchase will help support Intimate Covenant. Check out their Sexy Subscription Boxes!Honoring Intimates — https://www.honoringintimates.com/?ref=INTIMATECOVENANT Modest and classy premium lingerie, model-free. Get 20% off and support Intimate Covenant with your purchase.Ginger & Peach — https://www.gingerandpeachlingerie.com/ Ginger & Peach lingerie is a Christian husband and wife owned brand bringing classy, model-free lingerie to the market. Get 10% off your order and support Intimate Covenant with code: “INTIMATECOVENANT"  To send your comments, questions and suggestions, go to our website: www.intimatecovenant.com/podcast and click on the button: “Contact the Podcast” for an ANONYMOUS submission form. Or, send an email: podcast@intimatecovenant.com   Thanks for sharing, rating, reviewing and subscribing!    Cherishing,  Matt & JennPS — If you have been blessed by the message of this podcast, we would deeply appreciate your support by donating to our mission of spreading God’s plan for intimate marriage and holy sexuality.Join us at on Patreon: www.patreon.com/intimatecovenantConsider a one-time gift: www.intimatecovenant.com/donate www.intimatecovenant.com Intimate Covenant Support the show

Darwin, Freud, & Holy Sex -- Unmasking the Roots of Sexual Taboo in Christianity, part 3 [178]

Send a textWe trace how Darwin and Freud shaped cultural ideas about sex and how these philosophies have infiltrated even modern religion.Darwin and Freud both rejected a divine order of the universe or a spiritual guide for moral and ethical living. Their influences profoundly shape the course of modern philosophy and our current society.Many modern Christians have unwittingly adopted influences from Darwin and Freud into their own theology, especially in how we approach sexuality and sexual desire.We must reject the idea that sex is purely biological or that sex is in contrast to spirituality. The Bible teaches that sexuality is created by God with spiritual significance, purpose and importance.Warning: We cover necessary and important topics about the marriage relationship and sex. We use frank language without being crude or crass. Our approach is biblical and wholesome, but not intended for singles — especially not for children.Please support these companies that support Intimate Covenant:Married Dance — https://marrieddance.com/?aff=29 We’re a Christian-friendly, marriage-centered sex toy and marital aid store for couples that’s nudity-free.  Shop from this link for special savings and part of your purchase will support Intimate Covenant.  Coconu — http://www.coconu.com Coconu is committed to helping people lead healthier, happier lives by offering 100% safe and organic personal care products.  Your purchase helps support Intimate Covenant AND you get 15% OFF. Coupon Code: intimateconvenantDating Divas — https://thedatingdivas.myshopify.com?sca_ref=6278443.H6eWDeXGfx Strengthening marriages one date at a time. Shop from this link and your part of your purchase will help support Intimate Covenant. Check out their Sexy Subscription Boxes!Honoring Intimates — https://www.honoringintimates.com/?ref=INTIMATECOVENANT Modest and classy premium lingerie, model-free. Get 20% off and support Intimate Covenant with your purchase.Ginger & Peach — https://www.gingerandpeachlingerie.com/ Ginger & Peach lingerie is a Christian husband and wife owned brand bringing classy, model-free lingerie to the market. Get 10% off your order and support Intimate Covenant with code: “INTIMATECOVENANT"  To send your comments, questions and suggestions, go to our website: www.intimatecovenant.com/podcast and click on the button: “Contact the Podcast” for an ANONYMOUS submission form. Or, send an email: podcast@intimatecovenant.com   Thanks for sharing, rating, reviewing and subscribing!    Cherishing,  Matt & JennPS — If you have been blessed by the message of this podcast, we would deeply appreciate your support by donating to our mission of spreading God’s plan for intimate marriage and holy sexuality.Join us at Patreon: www.patreon.com/intimatecovenant www.intimatecovenant.com Intimate Covenant | Matt & JennSupport the show