15,695 Times: One Key to Love That Lasts a Lifetime

Making Sense of Faith with Adam Hamilton

In this deeply personal episode, Adam Hamilton pulls back the curtain on his 43-year marriage to LaVon, sharing the honest, sometimes messy reality of how faith has held them together when everything else might have pulled them apart. After recently officiating his youngest daughter's wedding, Adam reflects on what it really means to build a lasting relationship - not through rose-colored romanticism, but through prayer, intentionality, and the kind of commitment that shows up even when feelings fade. This isn't your typical marriage advice. It's a real, vulnerable conversation about the moments when attraction wanes, when other people could easily turn your head, and when the gap between who you married and who you're married to now feels impossibly wide. If you've ever wondered whether faith makes any practical difference in relationships, Adam's story - complete with late-night flower runs and 15,695 nightly prayers - offers compelling evidence that it does.

5 KEY INSIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

The Three-Step Rule That Saved Adam's Marriage

Adam describes those dangerous moments early in marriage when casual workplace friendships could have become something more. His solution? Recognizing when he was "three steps away" from destroying everything he cared about, and choosing to step back instead of forward.

Why Doing Comes Before Feeling

After hearing a prompting to buy LaVon flowers at 11 PM when he didn’t feel like it, Adam discovered a crucial truth: in dating, you do loving things because you feel love. In marriage, you often do loving things first, and the feelings follow.

The 70% Happiness Factor

Research shows that couples who pray together daily are 70% more likely to report being very happy in their marriages. Active religious participation reduces divorce rates by 30%. These aren't just numbers - they're Adam's lived experience.

What the First Wedding Teaches Us

Adam unpacks the Genesis story of Adam and Eve, revealing two Hebrew words that define marriage: ezer (helper/rescuer) and kenegdo (companion). You're not promising to always feel madly in love - you're promising to show up and do life together.

The Hand Print on Your Heart

Drawing from the musical Wicked, Adam shares how he sang "For Good" to LaVon, realizing that after 43 years, they've been changed by each other - reshaped, reformed, and ultimately made better through the commitment they made as teenagers.

This episode isn't just for people planning weddings or struggling in their marriages. It's for anyone wondering whether ancient faith has anything relevant to say about modern relationships. Adam's vulnerability about his own journey and daily disciplines offers a roadmap that's both practical and profound - showing us that love isn't just a feeling to chase, but a choice to make, again and again, for a lifetime.