Lights On with Carl Lentz

If you're a man trapped in a cycle of pornography and shame, email us at [email protected]

In this raw and practical episode of Lights On, Carl Lentz brings back Blaine Bartell for a conversation built for the man who has tried everything and still can't break free. Blaine, founder of House of Resurrection and a man who lost everything to 23 years of sexual addiction, breaks down the exact system that keeps men stuck: the addiction cycle of trigger, crave, cave, and payoff. But more importantly, he reveals the freedom cycle that saved his life and can save yours. Carl and Blaine dismantle the myth that willpower and accountability partners are enough, explain why advocacy and brotherhood heal what policing never could, and give you a step by step playbook you can start today. From the Swiss cheese method of stacking recovery layers to why you don't stop something by stopping something, this episode is a lifeline for any man ready to fight a broken system with a better one. Whether you struggle in silence, love someone who does, or pastor men who will never tell you the truth, this is your blueprint for building a life with nothing to hide.

Drawing from 23 years of marriage and their own journey through betrayal, rebuilding, and recovery, Carl and Laura created Lights On to bring light to the areas of life where we need it most.

Follow Carl at: https://www.instagram.com/carllentz/
Follow Blaine at: https://blainebartell.com/
House of Resurrection: https://houseofres.life

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Supported by Plana - https://plana.org/
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Want to submit questions? Email us at [email protected]

In this raw episode of Lights On, Carl and Laura dive into the difficult questions surrounding marital betrayal, emotional boundaries, and the road to healing. Should you tell your children about your marital struggles? Why do women cheat, and is the husband ever to blame? What actually defines an emotional affair, and how do you escape the "validation trap" before it destroys everything?

Drawing from their own journey through public betrayal and 23 years of marriage, Carl and Laura explore why "image protection" is often the greatest enemy of true healing. They challenge the societal narratives that make some affairs seem "understandable" while others are "predatory," and they expose the uncomfortable truth about why men and women often seek intimacy outside their marriage.

Whether you're a betrayed spouse trying to make sense of the chaos, or a partner realizing you’ve been "lonely together" for far too long, this episode offers a roadmap back to connection. Laura opens up about the power of self-worth that isn't dependent on a spouse's validation, and Carl delivers a hard truth for anyone trying to blamesharing their way out of a broken vow: atonement must come before explanation.

From the "nose-to-nose" challenge that exposes the distance between you, to the daily affirmations that rewire your brain for confidence, to the "sliding door moments" where affairs actually begin—this episode is for any couple ready to stop protecting a fake image and start building a real legacy.

Follow Carl at: https://www.instagram.com/carllentz/

Follow Laura at: https://www.instagram.com/lauralentz/

Supported by God Behind Bars https://godbehindbars.com

Supported by Plana https://plana.org/

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

01:15 Why Doesn't Laura Speak More?

03:08 Should We Tell Our Children About Marital Struggles?

09:56 God Behind Bars Partnership

10:29 Why Do Women Cheat?

14:15 The Brain’s Search for Control After Betrayal

20:49 The Validation Trap: Why Affairs Feel Like a Dream

23:08 Owning Your Own Validation

28:27 Affirmations: Rewiring Your Brain for Self-Worth

32:57 Atonement vs. Blamesharing

34:52 Society’s Narrative on Infidelity

37:44 Plana Partnership

38:18 Defining Emotional Affairs

41:11 The Danger of Being "Lonely Together"

46:54 How Well Do You Know Your Partner?

47:58 Closing and How to Contact Us
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If you're searching for peace and don't know where to start, email us at [email protected]

In this episode of Lights On, Carl Lentz sits down with longtime friend and author Tim Ross for a conversation that redefines everything you thought you knew about peace. Tim, host of The Basement podcast and author of the new book The Missing Peace, breaks down why peace is not the absence of problems but the quiet regulation of your nervous system that nothing external can shake. Carl and Tim unpack the difference between peacemaking and peacekeeping, why power without peace is chaos, and how to measure your growth by how fast you repair after getting rattled. Tim shares how childhood sexual abuse, growing up in gang territory in Englewood, California, and years of therapy led him to a revelation most people miss: you are not looking for peace, you are uncovering the peace that has been buried inside you all along. From the storm in Mark 4 to the stoning of Stephen, they hold up an ancient standard for what regulated faith actually looks like. Whether your peace is tied to your bank account, your marriage, your habits, or a substance you reach for when life gets loud, this episode will challenge you to stop chasing peace and start digging it out.

Drawing from 23 years of marriage and their own journey through betrayal, rebuilding, and recovery, Carl and Laura created Lights On to bring light to the areas of life where we need it most.

Follow Carl at: https://www.instagram.com/carllentz/
Follow Tim at: https://www.instagram.com/upsetthegram/
Pre-order The Missing Peace by Tim Ross: https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Peace-Together-Youre-Falling-ebook/dp/B0FYQRY6CR

The Basement Podcast - search "The Basement with Tim Ross" on Spotify

Supported by God Behind Bars - https://godbehindbars.com
Supported by Plana - https://plana.org/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Want to submit questions? Email us at [email protected]

Three listener questions. All of them about what betrayal actually does to a
person. Not just to the marriage. To the voice inside that kept saying
something is wrong.

A woman who spent years convincing herself she was the problem just found out
her husband has a gambling addiction and has been lying to her for years. Carl
and Laura break down the difference between intuition and anxiety, why
gaslighting trains you to distrust the nudge, and the three-step process for
rebuilding self-trust. Carl also delivers something every husband in recovery
needs to hear: full disclosure does not just help your wife. It restores her
confidence in herself.

A woman two years into dating a man she loves has discovered multiple lies
about his past. He is honest when confronted. Never before. Carl and Laura
explain why being honest when caught is not the same as being honest, and why
the question is never about his past. It is about his integrity under low
pressure. Because marriage does not reduce pressure. It multiplies it.

A woman three years past her husband's infidelity is still together, has done
the work, and still feels emotionally abandoned. Carl distinguishes remorse
from repair. One says I am sorry. The other says I can stay present in your
pain. Most men only know how to do one.

This episode will challenge anyone who believes that stopping the behavior
is the same thing as doing the work.

Follow Carl at: https://www.instagram.com/carllentz/
Follow Laura at: https://www.instagram.com/lauralentz/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get our new book Overcoming Infidelity: 10 Conversations to Help Heal the Hurt here:

- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668230496

- Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/overcoming-infidelity-carl-lentz/1149403061?ean=9781668230510

- Simon and Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/Overcoming-Infidelity/Carl-Lentz/9781668230510

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Want to submit questions? Email us at [email protected]
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A listener writes in about something she has never fully admitted before. She
was never physically attracted to her husband. She chose him because he loved
Jesus and she believed he would be a good husband and father. They have never
had a good sex life. And now, after his infidelity, the attraction is completely
gone and she does not know where to go from here.
Carl and Laura break down the two pillars that build genuine sexual attraction,
security and mystery, and explain exactly how infidelity destroys both. Carl
shares why your wife's nervous system is a direct mirror of your tone and
consistency over time. Laura walks through her four-question matrix for
identifying exactly why attraction is gone, because the reason determines the
path. From the difference between companionate love and erotic love, to why
admiration is the most underrated on-ramp to desire, this episode delivers the
kind of counsel most people cannot find anywhere else.
This episode will challenge anyone who has ever confused being a good person
with being a desirable partner.
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Follow Carl at: https://www.instagram.com/carllentz/
Follow Laura at: https://www.instagram.com/lauralentz/
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Supported by God Behind Bars - https://godbehindbars.com
Supported by Plana - https://plana.org/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.