Have you ever wondered what’s really going on behind those smiles? On today’s episode of Living the Grace Life, I’m joined by Joe and Tara Buchanan, co-hosts of the Behind Our Smiles podcast, who vulnerably share how God’s grace met them in the middle of a marriage most counselors would have said won't last, and how healing replaced heartbreak.

In our conversation, we explore:

• What happens when family systems collide
• Substitutes for grace in marriage, including self-sufficiency and unrealistic expectations
• Self-awareness opens the door to vulnerability and transformation
• Rhythms of grace that nurture connection and trust
• John 15 and what it means to truly abide in the source of grace

At the end of the day, grace invites us to wrestle with Joe and Tara's question "We all need fixing, and we all need God to transform us, but into whose image, and into what kind of person?"

Whether your marriage feels strong and life-giving or fragile and exhausting, today’s episode is an invitation to real grace for your real life--the kind that meets you behind the smiles and leads you toward deeper healing and hope.

"Grace is not going to flow when I'm still in my head counting.”

"The source of grace is the Vine. Maybe I haven't received grace from my husband recently, but I've received grace from the Lord and that's the starting point."

“It may not get better tomorrow or next week or next month. But in time, as you trust God, He will lay out the plan. He'll give you the next step. Not the next 10. But if we trust Him with one step at a time, He will lead. In time, we begin to see extraordinary advances in our marriage."

John 15

🌿Joe and Tara Buchanan on Behind Our Smiles podcast 🌿Jennifer and Craig Sakata on Behind Our Smiles, Episode 130 "I Just Wanna Hear the Heartbeat" 🌿Jennifer Sakata on Behind Our Smiles, Episode 155 "I'm a Verbal Processor" 🎶 Joe and Tara's go-to grace song Abide

Website: behindoursmiles.com Instagram: @joeandtara Facebook: @tarabme

Ep. 71 How to Live Deeply Loved | Bill and Kristi Gaultiere Ep. 40 Be Still and Be Loved | Michael John Cusick Ep. 39 God's Steadfast Love in Daily Life | Rachael Adams

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Do you believe you were meant to Live Deeply Loved? According to Bill and Kristi Gaultiere, “empathy is oxygen for the soul.” Learning how to live deeply loved begins with receiving and offering empathy in our most important relationships--with God, others, and ourselves.

In this episode of Living the Grace Life, Jennifer Sakata sits down with Bill and Kristi Gaultiere, founders of Soul Shepherding and authors of Deeply Loved, to explore how empathy leads to emotional healing, spiritual maturity, and deeper connection. We often settle for shallow relationships but this conversation shows us a better way forward.

Bill and Kristi unpack how empathy transforms the way we love, apologize, listen, and grow. You’ll learn how to move beyond surface-level interactions and experience the safety, belonging, and freedom God intends for your relationships.

In our conversation, we explore:

• The difference between true empathy and its counterfeits--coddling and self-pity
• Common barriers that make it hard to receive empathy
• The Four A's of empathy
• Why self-empathy is an expression of gratitude to God
• How we unintentionally interrupt empathy by jumping to encouragement
• The essential ingredients to offering a sincere, healing apology

As Bill and Kristi remind us: “Truth without empathy is harsh, but empathy without truth is inaccurate. Responsibility without empathy is drudgery, while empathy without responsibility is coddling.” Growth happens when empathy, truth, and responsibility work together.

Listen in and discover how to Live Deeply Loved, and extend that love to others in ways that transform your relationships and your soul.

"We need more than willpower. Empathy helps us go deeper.”

"Empathy plus truth plus responsibility equals growth."

“Empathy is oxygen for the soul."

1 Corinthians 15:10

🌿Bill & Kristi's Book Deeply Loved 🌿Soul Shepherding Retreat 🌿Soul Care Shepherding Spiritual Directors 🎶 Kristi's go-to grace song: The Steadfast Love of the Lord 🎶 Bill's go-to grace song: Psalm 16 by Shane and Shane

Website: soulshepherding.org Instagram: @soulshepherding Facebook: @soulshepherding

Ep. 40 Be Still and Be Loved | Michael John Cusick Ep. 39 God's Steadfast Love in Daily Life | Rachael Adams Ep. 30 Growing Secure Attachment with God | Summer Joy Gross

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“God’s grace is not flashy or loud; it quietly redeems what’s broken.” In this episode of Living the Grace Life, Bible teacher and author Mariel Davenport invites us into the story of Ruth — a tender, powerful picture of God’s pursuit, redemption, and grace when we have nothing to offer Him.

Once an atheist, Mariel shares how Scripture transformed her faith and how Ruth’s story reveals a God who draws near to the disqualified, the weary, and the empty-handed. Together, we explore how God’s grace meets us in ordinary faithfulness, how community shapes spiritual formation, and how Scripture becomes a living encounter with a pursuing God.

If you’ve ever wondered whether God could really be after you — especially in seasons of loss, doubt, or spiritual dryness — this conversation will remind you that grace is already moving toward you.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Feeling disqualified yet pursued by God anyway
• Grace in the story of Ruth and God's redemptive love
• How community shapes faith and spiritual growth
• Mariel's TEND method for meaningful Bible Study
• TENDing through Psalm 23 in seasons of uncertainty

If you’ve ever felt too far gone, empty-handed, or unsure where you belong with God, Mariel offers a gentle, hope-filled reminder: grace does its best work in unlikely places — and God is already moving toward you.

“God is after the heart of each one of us."

"We are all the ones who have nothing to offer God. But He pursues us and under His wings we come to take refuge."

"God's grace is not flashy or loud; it quietly redeems what's broken.”

The Book of Ruth

🌿Mariel Davenport's Bible Study Ruth: Finding Grace in the Unexpected 🌿TEND Method Guide 🌿Tending Together Online Community 🎶 Mariel's go-to grace song: How Can You Not by Leanna Crawford

Website: marieldavenport.com Instagram: @marieldavenport Facebook: @MarielDavenportAuthor

Ep. 69 How to Love Your Morning | Jennifer Dukes Lee Ep. 59 Chased by Grace | Crystal Mayo Ep. 51 The Grace Thread in Everyday Life | Eric Nevins

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