Stronger with Andy Wood

About Stronger with Andy Wood

Welcome to Stronger with Andy Wood. Life is heavy, and you were never meant to carry it on your own. Every week, Andy Wood, lead pastor of Saddleback Church, hosts honest conversations about building a stronger faith, family, and community. Each episode picks up where the weekend message leaves off, because there's always more to say than a weekend allows, and gets practical about living it out in your home and relationships. Real questions, real stories, and one next step you can take this week. New episodes every Monday, recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too.

Publisher

Saddleback Church

Category

religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Sept 2026

Latest episode

11 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

10 of 13 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   11 Nov 2026TRANSCRIPT

   How Should Christians Think After the Midterms?

   Andy Wood and pastor Aaron Graham discuss how Christians can navigate political engagement and maintain faith amidst cultural shifts in this interview.

2. 

   9 Nov 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Boy Math, Girl Math, and God's Math

   Ariel Amaro interviews Andy and Stacie Wood about modern financial philosophies versus biblical principles for true wealth.

3. 

   2 Nov 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Stop Calling It Your Money

   Host Andy Wood and Stacie Wood discuss shifting perspectives on generosity and financial stewardship, revealing God's plan for abundance.

4. 

   26 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   How Andy and Stacie Wood Handle Money

   Ariel Amaro interviews Andy and Stacie Wood about their personal financial journey, revealing practical strategies for managing money and overcoming debt.

5. 

   19 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   How to Pass Your Faith to Your Kids and Grandkids

   Host Andy Wood and Stacie Wood interview author and speaker David Nasser about intentionally passing faith to the next generation and the power of encouragement.

6. 

   12 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   God Doesn't Do the Ideal. He Does the Impossible.

   Host Andy Wood and guest Stacie Wood discuss building a family vision and habits, sharing practical advice for navigating modern parenting challenges in this interview.

7. 

   7 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   What If He Leaves?

   Andy and Stacie Wood on the night Stacie was scared Andy would leave, what he said back, and the one idea that has held their marriage for 23 years: it's a covenant, not a contract. This is a bonus episode, recorded live at Saddleback's marriage retreat. New here? Start with Episode 3, "Are You Married, or Just Roommates?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1U) The first twelve minutes are their story: the first week of college, the year Andy spent as a cheerleader, the 18-month breakup, the summer he told her the only way she'd be part of the church he was going to plant was as his wife, and the email she ended with two words from a Nicolas Cage movie. Then the hard part: married at 21, broke, opposite personalities, and the season when home was so miserable Stacie asked what would happen if he left. From there, Andy and Stacie walk through why God calls marriage a covenant, how a covenant is different from a contract (the phone-plan story explains it), what "in sickness and in health" costs when sickness actually comes, the night Stacie locked the bedroom door and Andy quoted Scripture through it, why marriage was never meant to make you happy, and five commitments that make a covenant practical: receive your spouse as a sacred gift, put God at the center, close every side door and lock the back door, work on it instead of running from it, and love, cherish, and sacrifice for your spouse above all others. Including your kids. Whether you're newly married, decades in, or carrying a hard story into a second marriage, this one is for you. MORE FROM ANDY AND STACIE ON MARRIAGE Episode 3, "Are You Married, or Just Roommates?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1U) Bonus: marriage hot takes on conflict, money, and in-laws: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q45wyFL5O6k (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q45wyFL5O6k) The weekend message, "Stronger Marriages": https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8 (https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8) ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEK Tell your spouse the sentence Andy asked the room to say: "You are the most important person on planet Earth to me." Then close one door. If there's a conversation, a friendship, or an account your spouse doesn't have access to, hand it over this week. And if it's been a hard season, say the three words from the end of the prayer: "You have my yes again." RESOURCES MENTIONED The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren CHAPTERS 0:00 Coming up 0:54 Welcome: a bonus episode from the marriage retreat 1:31 How Andy and Stacie met 3:03 Andy the college cheerleader 5:03 The breakup: 18 months 6:09 Venezuela, Cambodia, and the ex-boyfriend 7:28 "The only way you'll be a part of it is if you're my wife" 9:06 Two weeks to pray 10:04 The movie night that decided it 12:19 "I choose us" 12:53 Married at 21: the first five years 13:32 Why marriage and family are the need of the hour 15:11 Covenant: what sets a marriage apart 16:20 Genesis 2: bone of my bones 17:57 Matthew 19: Jesus reaffirms the design 19:28 A biblical definition of marriage, and second chances 21:50 Covenant is the language of God 23:51 The cross is the picture of marriage 25:35 The hardest season: "what if he left?" 28:35 Contract vs. covenant: the phone-plan story 29:52 Tim Keller: vows are a promise of future love 30:19 Four differences between a contract and a covenant 31:35 "In sickness and in health" is part of the vow 34:18 The husband who stayed up all night for his sick wife 36:11 The locked door 37:14 The other side of covenant: "we better make it better" 38:20 Marriage doesn't exist for your happiness 39:02 Elisabeth Elliot: marriage is dynamic, not static 40:19 Commitment 1: Receive your spouse as a sacred gift 41:10 Get around a widow 43:12 Commitment 2: Put God at the center 43:41 Commitment 3: Close every side door, lock the back door 45:03 "I will never have a meal alone with a woman" 46:46 Text threads, passwords, and your location 48:56 Commitment 4: Work on it, don't run from it 49:37 Who apologizes first? Stay at the table 51:38 Commitment 5: Love, cherish, and sacrifice above all others 53:37 If you're hanging on by a thread 54:41 A prayer over your marriage 58:56 Thanks for joining us SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODE Genesis 2:22-24 · Matthew 19:4-6 · Malachi 2:14 · Ephesians 4:26 · Proverbs 19:11 · Ecclesiastes 7:2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY Every episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-M (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-M) Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219 (https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219) Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDw (https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDw) Show site: https://stronger.saddleback.com (https://stronger.saddleback.com) Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. This episode was recorded live at Saddleback's marriage retreat. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com (https://saddleback.com) You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #StacieWood #Saddleback #Marriage

8. 

   6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Marriage Hot Takes: Conflict, Money, In-Laws

   Andy and Stacie Wood on the marriage questions that didn't fit in Episode 3: how to fight, what to do about money, phones at 9:30 at night, what a single person should look for, forgiveness, and in-laws. This is the bonus round. Watch Episode 3, "Are You Married, or Just Roommates?", first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7Q2S5aq1U) Rapid fire, on a thirty-second clock Andy ignores: why your spouse is never the problem and what "stay at the table" means when you disagree. Die to yourself on the small stuff (go eat where your wife wants to eat). The class Andy and Stacie took at 21 that changed how they handle money. Why phones need tight boundaries inside the home. What to look for in a spouse: how they treat their family, the wake they leave behind them, and the football-stands test. What Andy and Stacie tell their kids when a couple they know gets divorced. Why forgiveness is not the same as trust, and the Corrie ten Boom story Andy can't tell in thirty seconds. And what to do when parents are too involved in their kids' marriage. Married, engaged, or single and paying attention, this one is for you. THE WEEKEND MESSAGE This conversation started with "Stronger Marriages," taught by Andy and Stacie Wood: https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8 (https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8) ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEK Pick one hot take and run it for seven days. Phones down at 9:30. One meal where your spouse picks. One thing you've been holding onto that you forgive out loud. If you're single: look at the wake. Then send this to someone who needs the eleven minutes. RESOURCES MENTIONED Financial tools and resources at Saddleback: https://saddleback.com/sections/resources/financial-tools/ (https://saddleback.com/sections/resources/financial-tools/) CHAPTERS 0:00 Coming up 0:39 Welcome to the first bonus episode 1:01 Andy: best advice on conflict 1:21 Stacie: what do you do when you disagree? 2:12 Die to yourself: go where your wife wants to eat 2:20 Andy: best advice on money in marriage 3:03 Stacie: phones in marriage, yes or no? 4:01 Andy: what should a single person look for in a spouse? 5:30 The football-stands test 5:48 Stacie: what do you tell your kids when people you know get divorced? 6:56 Andy: how important is forgiveness in marriage? 7:40 The Corrie ten Boom story 8:51 "I don't think you understand hot takes" 9:05 Stacie: when parents are too involved in their kids' marriage 10:52 One last hot take 10:59 Next week: Stronger Homes SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODE Genesis 2:24 · Luke 9:23 · Ephesians 4:31-32 · Hebrews 12:15 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY Every episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-M (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-M) Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219 (https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219) Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDw (https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDw) Show site: https://stronger.saddleback.com (https://stronger.saddleback.com) Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and every episode starts with what was taught that weekend. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com (https://saddleback.com) You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #StacieWood #Saddleback #Marriage

9. 

   5 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Are You Married, or Just Roommates?

   Andy and Stacie Wood on how a marriage drifts from lovers to roommates, what working on it actually looks like, and the conversation about sex and intimacy the church usually avoids. This conversation picks up where the weekend message left off. Watch "Stronger Marriages" first: https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8 (https://youtu.be/XFandtFb3A8) In Episode 3 of Stronger, Andy and Stacie Wood sit down with Ariel Amaro the week they taught God's design for marriage, and they go where a Sunday message can't: the eight months they ran with no margin and the getaway that reset them, the weekly checkpoint and the shared calendar that keep a marriage current, what to do when the check engine light comes on, and why the difference between working in your marriage and working on it decides what year fifteen looks like. Then they go where most churches don't: why God designed sex for marriage and what gets in the way of it, what Stacie wishes someone had told her before her wedding, why "consistently kind, then very kind" is a better plan than the gas pedal, and what Stacie says to the wife whose husband is caught in pornography and won't get help. Married and drifting, married and fighting for it, or single and wondering what to hope for, this one is for you. BONUS EPISODE TUESDAY Andy and Stacie's hot takes on money, conflict, and how they work through disagreements. Coming Tuesday, October 6. ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEK If you're married: pick one thing this week that works on your marriage instead of in it. A weekly checkpoint, a date, or the conversation you've been putting off. Put it on the calendar. If you're single: write down what you want your marriage to be before you're in one, and pray for the person you haven't met yet. Then send this to a couple who needs it. RESOURCES MENTIONED Celebrate Recovery at Saddleback: https://saddleback.com/sections/get-care/celebrate-recovery/ (https://saddleback.com/sections/get-care/celebrate-recovery/) Saddleback Cares: https://saddleback.com/care/ (https://saddleback.com/care/) Female by Design podcast (Francie Winslow): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/female-by-design/id1493541368 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/female-by-design/id1493541368) CHAPTERS 0:00 Coming up 0:54 Welcome: God's design for marriage 1:57 Episode three: Stronger Marriages 2:19 The Thin Mints story 4:12 What is marriage? Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19, Ephesians 5 6:46 Leaving, cleaving, and what isn't a marriage 8:45 Living like roommates 11:36 Working in your marriage vs. working on it 12:18 Eight months with no margin: the getaway 15:15 If your marriage were a car 17:17 Maintenance: the weekly checkpoint, the shared calendar, date nights 19:39 Getting away, two or three times a year 21:31 When the check engine light comes on 22:01 Keep it current: the four helpful lists 25:10 Agreements 26:50 "Can we schedule time to even have sex?" 28:07 Why the church avoids talking about sex 29:26 Stacie: "All I had heard was save it to marriage" 32:15 Symptom and source: consistently kind, then very kind 34:26 The gas pedal and the brakes 36:22 Getting to the source 38:39 When one spouse wants help and the other doesn't 41:41 To the wife carrying the faith alone 43:27 To the husband who feels like he's failing 46:27 Stay at the table 47:55 To the man with something under the surface 50:43 Bonus episode Tuesday SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODE Genesis 2:24 · Matthew 19:4-6 · Ephesians 5:28-31 · 1 Peter 3:1-2 · James 5:16 · Matthew 5:29 · Colossians 3:5 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY Every episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-M (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-M) Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219 (https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219) Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDw (https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDw) Show site: https://stronger.saddleback.com (https://stronger.saddleback.com) Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and every episode starts with what was taught that weekend. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com (https://saddleback.com) You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #StacieWood #Saddleback #Marriage

10. 

    28 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

    What Makes a Woman a Woman?

    Stacie Wood on what Proverbs 31 actually describes, and why it was never the 1950s housewife. Culture has two boxes for a woman, tradwife or girlboss, and God's design doesn't fit in either one. This conversation picks up where the weekend message left off. Watch "Stronger Women" first: https://youtu.be/EBL74YWPvdU (https://youtu.be/EBL74YWPvdU) In Episode 2 of Stronger, Stacie Wood sits down with Andy Wood and Ariel Amaro the week she preached God's design for women, and they go where a Sunday message can't: why Saddleback got kicked out of the SBC and what the church actually believes about women and leadership, what Stacie says when someone asks if she's a co-pastor, and what Proverbs 31 does to the 1950s housewife. Also in here: why men are now outpacing women in church attendance and what Stacie thinks is behind it, why a wife is a crown and not a competitor, what Stacie does when a room full of women starts roasting their husbands, the four years the Woods lived in a small apartment on one income, what would have happened if Andy had been the stay-at-home parent, and Mondays with Mom. Single, married, raising daughters, or the man trying to make room for the women around him, this one is for you. ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEK If you're a woman: name one place where you've been living inside a box culture built instead of the design God gave you, and take one step out of it. If you're a man: name one woman around you whose gift you can make room for this week, and do it. Then send this to someone who's in the middle of this conversation. CHAPTERS 0:00 Coming up 0:47 Before we jump in 1:28 Week two: Stronger Women 2:58 Respond to Scripture, not culture: Jesus and women 6:40 The correction, and the overcorrection 8:03 Men are outpacing women in church 9:08 Why women are leaving 11:00 Headship, helper, and kicked out of the SBC twice 13:32 Who's defining the boxes? 16:19 "Are you a co-pastor?" 17:31 How Stacie started teaching 22:58 A wife is a crown 25:06 When women roast their husbands 28:00 The batting cage 29:52 Working outside the home 32:00 Tradwife, girlboss, and Proverbs 31 35:24 Your kids are being raised by somebody 38:05 Childcare costs and one income in the Bay Area 40:49 "If we'd done stay-at-home dad..." 43:19 Hope for the next generation: Titus 2 44:33 Mondays with Mom 49:45 Stacie's mom and dad 54:51 To the woman who was wounded 57:00 Next week: Stronger Marriages SCRIPTURE IN THIS EPISODE Mark 5:25-34 · John 4 · Proverbs 12:4 · Proverbs 14:1 · Proverbs 31:10-31 · Titus 2:3-5 · Psalm 40:2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY Every episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-M (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvtcV3aqv-M) Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219 (https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6812944219) Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDw (https://open.spotify.com/show/0MhCJU9jhDFc89e5HwigDw) Show site: https://stronger.saddleback.com (https://stronger.saddleback.com) Stronger is recorded at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and every episode starts with what was taught that weekend. Wherever you're listening from, this is for you too. Find a campus or join online: https://saddleback.com (https://saddleback.com) You were never meant to be strong on your own. #StrongerWithAndyWood #AndyWood #StacieWood #Saddleback

11. 

    21 Sept 2026

    God Made Men to Protect. Media Is Making Them Punchlines.

    Host Andy Wood and Stacie Wood interview Ariel Amaro about God's design for men as leaders, lovers, protectors, and providers, drawing insights from Scripture.

12. 

    19 Sept 2026

    You Were Never Meant to Be Strong on Your Own

    Host Andy Wood interviews guests about faith and family, revealing that true strength comes from community, not isolation.

13. 

    17 Sept 2026

    Stronger with Andy Wood (Trailer)

    Andy Wood, lead pastor of Saddleback Church, explores practical ways to strengthen faith, family, and community in this new podcast.

Inside a recent episode

How Should Christians Think After the Midterms?

Published 11 Nov 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And so In this book, Unshakable Faith, I walk through seven lives that Christians are tempted to believe. Things like church is optional, things like our faith is just meant to be private to ourselves, that everything is to be rational, like something can't be true unless I first fully understand it first. […]

Who has been a guest on Stronger with Andy Wood

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Aaron Graham
• Stacie Wood
• Kurt Johnston
• Rachel Johnston
• David Nasser

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

41 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

24 ratings

Contact Stronger with Andy Wood

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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