More than Roommates

In this episode of More Than Roommates, Derek, Gabrielle, and John Elmore to discuss what it looks like to walk faithfully with your spouse through mental illness. With biblical clarity, compassion, and practical wisdom, John shares how he and his wife Laura have navigated OCD, stigma, treatment, and the call to love your spouse as yourself even when it is difficult.

Discussion Questions:
1- When one of us is struggling emotionally or mentally, do we tend to fix, minimize, or walk alongside? How can we grow in being more present?
2- Are there areas where mental or emotional health struggles feel stigmatized or unspoken in our marriage?
3- How do we discern when to show compassion versus when to gently coach one another forward?
4- What fears do we carry about seeking outside help (therapy, medication, counseling)?

Resources:
ReGeneration Recovery Ministry

Parenting introduces new pressures at every stage, but it doesn’t have to pull your marriage apart. In this episode, the MTR Team walk through four major parenting seasons and share how couples can stay united, intentional, and More Than Roommates at every stage.

Discussion Questions:
1- Which parenting season are we currently in, and how is it impacting our marriage right now?
2- Do we feel like we’re truly on the same team—or unintentionally siding with our kids over one another?
3- How do our differences (personality, discipline style, love language) strengthen or strain our marriage?
4- What is one intentional habit we can reintroduce (or start) to protect our marriage in this season?

What if the difference between feeling like roommates and feeling deeply connected was as simple as dating your spouse again? In this episode, the team unpacks the powerful framework of DATE—Dialogue, Affection, Time, and Ephesians 5 (love and respect)—and how practicing it can transform your marriage in any season.

Discussion Questions:
1- Which part of DATE do we currently do best? Which one do we tend to neglect?
2- How has busyness, kids, or phones affected our dialogue?
3- How can I love or respect you more clearly this week—in how I say things, not just what I say?
4- What would one simple, realistic date look like in our current season?

Separation is often presented as a healthy solution when marriage feels hard—but is it really? In this episode, the More Than Roommates team explores what separation actually means, why it so often leads to divorce, when it may be necessary, and how couples can pursue healing and restoration with Biblical wisdom and community.

Discussion Questions:
1- Why do you think separation so often leads to divorce rather than healing?
2- How does selfishness subtly show up in your marriage during hard seasons?
3- What role does community currently play in helping you protect and strengthen your marriage?
4- How could you better “water your own grass” in this season?

Resources:
Episode 83 Divorce part 1
Episode 84 Divorce part 2
Episode 127 Healing from Sexual Abuse 
Watermark statement on marriage and divorce

Joy in marriage isn’t about perfect circumstances—it’s about a deep, Spirit-formed posture of the heart. In this episode, Derek, Gabrielle, and special guest Andrew Owen explore how biblical joy sustains marriages through hardship, disappointment, and everyday life, and how couples can actively choose joy together.

Discussion Questions:
1- When you think about your marriage right now, would you describe it as joyful? Why or why not?
2- How would you define the difference between joy and happiness in your relationship?
3- What currently tends to rob joy in your marriage (fear, anxiety, unmet expectations, bitterness)?
4- How can you better encourage one another daily so your hearts don’t become hardened?