All posts tagged Money

GCM “Finances” Video 4: Getting Out of Debt

by brad on May 24, 2013 in Church Resource with No comments

This video segment is one of five presentations in the “Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances” seminar. There will be four more seminars in this series covering the subjects: foundations, communication, decision making, and intimacy. As those presentations are ready they will be posted on this blog.

NOTE: Many people have asked how they can get a copy of the seminar notebook referenced in this verbal presentation. Summit members can pick up a copy of the notebook in the church office. For those outside the Summit family, you can request a copy from Amy LaBarr (alabarr@summitrdu.com), office administrator over counseling.

Approach to Debt and Savings Evaluation: Evaluation – Debt and Savings

Monthly Meal Calendar Template: Blank Monthly Meal Calendar

Memorize: Romans 13:7-8 (ESV), “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves has fulfilled the law.” As you memorize this passage reflect upon these key points:

  • “Pay… what is owed” – This is a trait that is to define Christians, even beyond their finances, and make us distinct.
  • “Taxes… revenue” – First this principle is applied to our financial lives; both civil and commercial responsibilities.
  • “Respect… honor” – Then it is applied to our relational lives; both authoritative and personal relationships.
  • “Owe no one anything” – Now the principle is removed from the future tense and made ever-present.
  • “Except to love” – The only debt we are to live in is to treat others like Christ treats us (Eph. 4:32).

 Teaching Notes

“One of the dangers of having a lot of money is that you may be quite satisfied with the kinds of happiness money can give and so fail to realize your need for God. If everything seems to come simply by signing checks, you may forget that you are at every moment totally dependent on God (p. 180).” C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

“Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body.” George Carlin (comedian).

“The man who never has money enough to pay his debts has too much of something else.” James Lendall Basford

“Yet in the American dream, where self reigns as king (or queen), we have a dangerous tendency to misunderstand, minimize, and even manipulate the gospel in order to accommodate our assumptions and our desires (p. 28).” David Platt in Radical

“We can be content with simplicity because the deepest, most satisfying delights God gives us through creation are free gifts from nature and from loving relationships with people. After your basic needs are met, accumulated money begins to diminish your capacity for these pleasures rather than increase them. Buying things contributes absolutely nothing to the heart’s capacity for joy (p. 162).” John Piper in Desiring God

“Laborsaving machines have turned out to be body-killing devices. Our affluence has allowed both mobility and isolation of the nuclear family, and as a result our divorce courts, our prisons and our mental institutions are flooded. In saving ourselves we have nearly lost ourselves (p. 815).” Ralph Winters in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement

“There are three levels of how to live with things: (1) you can steal to get; (2) you can work to get; (3) you can work to get in order to give (p. 172).” John Piper Desiring God

GCM “Finances” Video 5: Getting Into Saving

by brad on May 17, 2013 in Church Resource with No comments

This video segment is one of five presentations in the “Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances” seminar. There will be four more seminars in this series covering the subjects: foundations, communication, decision making, and intimacy. As those presentations are ready they will be posted on this blog.

NOTE: Many people have asked how they can get a copy of the seminar notebook referenced in this verbal presentation. Summit members can pick up a copy of the notebook in the church office. For those outside the Summit family, you can request a copy from Amy LaBarr (alabarr@summitrdu.com), office administrator over counseling.

GCM Communication Part 5 from Equip on Vimeo.

Memorize: I Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV), “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” As you memorize this passage reflect upon these key points:

  • “The rich” – By a global standard, even the poor in America are rich. We should view ourselves accordingly.
  • “Set their hopes” – The big issue of greed is not hoarding or cheating, but a false foundation of our hope.
  • “Provides… to enjoy” – God truly wants us to enjoy the blessings He has brought into our life.
  • “Be generous” – One of primary the joys of the blessings God gives should be to share those blessings with others.
  • “Truly life” – When we spend money we spend our life, so we should seek to get “true life” in return.

 Teaching Notes

“We will evaluate where true security and safety are found in this world, and in the end we will determine not to waste our lives on anything but uncompromising, unconditional abandonment to a gracious, loving Savior who invites us to take radical risk and promises us radical reward (p. 21).” David Platt in Radical

“Charity—giving to the poor—is an essential part of Christian morality… I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc… is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them (p. 81-82).” C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

“God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving (p. 73).” Randy Alcorn in The Treasure Principle

“If your treasures are on earth, that means each day brings you closer to losing your treasures (p. 40)… He who spends his life moving away from his treasures has reason to despair. He who spends his life moving toward his treasure has reason to rejoice (p. 43).” Randy Alcorn in The Treasure Principle

“As base a thing as money often is, it yet can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor; it can keep a missionary actively winning lost men in the light of the gospel and thus transmuted itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality (p. 107).” A.W. Tozer in Born After Midnight

“The reason the use of your money provides a good foundation for eternal life is not that generosity earns eternal life, but that it shows where your heart is. Generosity confirms that our hope is in God and not in ourselves or our money (p. 167).” John Piper Desiring God

GCM “Finances” Video 3: Creating a Budget You Will Actually Use

by brad on May 10, 2013 in Church Resource with 3 Comments

This video segment is one of five presentations in the “Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances” seminar. There will be four more seminars in this series covering the subjects: foundations, communication, decision making, and intimacy. As those presentations are ready they will be posted on this blog.

NOTE: Many people have asked how they can get a copy of the seminar notebook referenced in this verbal presentation. Summit members can pick up a copy of the notebook in the church office. For those outside the Summit family, you can request a copy from Amy LaBarr (alabarr@summitrdu.com), office administrator over counseling.

Monthly Operating Budget Template: GCMmonthlyBUDGET_TEMP

Budgeting Process Evaluation: Evaluation – Budgeting Process

Memorize: I Timothy 3:2-5 (ESV), “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children in submission, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?’” As you memorize this passage reflect upon these key points:

  • “Overseer” – While this passage speaks to pastors, it states these qualifications are to be applied first at home.
  • List – Notice how many things on this list can be, at least in part, tied to how we manage our finances.
  • “Sober-minded, self-controlled” – A budget allow us to be realistic and intentional with our money.
  • “Not quarrelsome” – A sign of spiritual maturity in marriage is the ability to talk about money without fighting.
  • “Manage… his household” – A budget is a tool that allows us to manage our home, which allows us to manage life.

Teaching Notes

“One of our central spiritual decisions is determining what is a reasonable amount to live on. Whatever that amount is—and it will legitimately vary from person to person—we shouldn’t hoard or spend in excess (p. 26).” Randy Alcorn in The Treasure Principle

“If you want to test a couple’s oneness in marriage, take a look at how they handle their finances (p. 185).” Dennis Rainey (editor) in Preparing for Marriage

“I never did anything worth doing by accident.” Plato

“The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our times, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is in being deceived into thinking a $100,000 salary must be accompanied by a $100,000 lifestyle. God has made us to be conduits of his grace. The danger is in thinking the conduits should be lined with gold. It shouldn’t. Copper will do (p. 172-173).” John Piper Desiring God

GCM “Finances” Video 2: What Is a Budget Anyway?

by brad on May 3, 2013 in Church Resource with No comments

This video segment is one of five presentations in the “Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances” seminar. There will be four more seminars in this series covering the subjects: foundations, communication, decision making, and intimacy. As those presentations are ready they will be posted on this blog.

NOTE: Many people have asked how they can get a copy of the seminar notebook referenced in this verbal presentation. Summit members can pick up a copy of the notebook in the church office. For those outside the Summit family, you can request a copy from Amy LaBarr (alabarr@summitrdu.com), office administrator over counseling.

Memorize: Matthew 619-21 (ESV), “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’” As you memorize this passage reflect upon these key points:

  • “Treasure” – This is more than “just money.” It includes whatever gives you a sense of security and identity.
  • “On earth” – If your treasure is earthly you are losing it or moving towards losing it every day; fear-based living.
  • “In heaven” – If your treasure is heavenly you are gaining it or moving towards having it daily; hope-based living.
  • “Moth… rust… thieves” – Add to this list the threats to your earthly treasures and hear them in Jesus’ words.
  • “Heart” – What we treasure shapes the core of our life: our heart (i.e., values, priorities, agenda, character, etc…).

 Teaching Notes

“In order for a couple to deal faithfully with the resources God has entrusted to their hands, they must adopt a shared mission in life… This will not tell you exactly where every penny ought to be spent, which couch to buy, or exactly where to live and what to eat, but it will orient your hearts toward God in your approach to life, and join you together in such a way that conversations about stewardship become a joy rather than a source of strife, (p. 189).” John Henderson in Catching Foxes

“Stewardship is the management of God’s resources for the accomplishment of God-given goals.” Ron Blue quoted in Dennis Rainey (editor) in Preparing for Marriage

“How a person handles his money reveals much about his character, his desires, his priorities and his relationship with God. Put two people together in marriage, and you can see that financial discussions are really spiritual discussions (p. 185).” Dennis Rainey (editor) in Preparing for Marriage

“Assuming a sensible standard of living represents another way we steward God’s creation well. Being wise with money and material things, I believe, is not very complicated. It is hard, but not complicated. It requires commitment to one very simple guideline: wisely spend less money than you possess (p. 197).” John Henderson in Catching Foxes

“In our quest for the extraordinary, we often overlook the importance of the ordinary, and I’m proposing that a radical lifestyle actually begins with an extraordinary commitment to ordinary practices that have marked Christians who have affected the world throughout history (p. 193).” David Platt in Radical

GCM “Finances” Video 1: Why Is Budgeting Hard?

by brad on April 26, 2013 in Church Resource with No comments

This video segment is one of five presentations in the “Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances” seminar. There will be four more seminars in this series covering the subjects: foundations, communication, decision making, and intimacy. As those presentations are ready they will be posted on this blog.

NOTE: Many people have asked how they can get a copy of the seminar notebook referenced in this verbal presentation. Summit members can pick up a copy of the notebook in the church office. For those outside the Summit family, you can request a copy from Amy LaBarr (alabarr@summitrdu.com), office administrator over counseling.

Gospel Centered Finances Part 1 from Equip on Vimeo.

Financial Beliefs and Character Evaluation: Evaluation – Financial Beliefs and Character

Memorize: 1Timothy 4:7-9; 6:8 (ESV), “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance… Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment’” As you memorize this passage reflect upon these key points:

  • “Timothy” – Paul was writing to a young man he was mentoring as he started his adult life and ministry.
  • “Silly myths” – Common sense about money from a debt-sick culture likely belong in this category.
  • “Train yourself” – This training begins with thinking rightly about the subjects in which we need to live godly.
  • “Present life” – Godliness has value for our current circumstances; it is not just about heaven.
  • “Contentment” – Contentment is a core virtue of godliness that has far-reaching implications for finances.

 Teaching Notes

“The problem isn’t primarily about money and budgeting. Money and budgets are simply the topics of dispute (p. 187).” John Henderson in Catching Foxes

“Because it is built on a lie (material things can make us happy), materialism can’t and doesn’t work. It leaves us empty, in debt, and addicted, while taking our time, attention, and energy away from the most important human relationship in all of life (p. 107).” Paul Tripp in What Did You Expect?

“We spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t know/like.” American Proverb

“Are you awake and free from the false messages of American merchandising? Or has the omnipresent economic lie deceived you so that the only sin you can imagine in relation to money is stealing (p. 164)?” John Piper in Desiring God

“It is remarkable that the writer [of Hebrews 13:4-5] puts money and the marriage bed side by side… The pursuit of power and pleasure mingle in these two areas as in no others (p. 129).” John Piper in This Momentary Marriage

The Glorious Family Meal Calendar

by brad on April 25, 2013 in Event Promotion with 2 Comments

This may not be the most flashy suggestion, but the marital and financial benefits far exceed the common expectations from planning your family dinners a month at a time and posting them in the kitchen (generic template: Blank Monthly Meal Calendar). Consider the following benefits of this exercise for your budget and marriage and consider how many areas of your marriage will be enhanced by this simple exercise.

  • Food is a major line item in any family budget. Other than mortgage / rent, food is the next largest expenditure in many families. A monthly meal calendar creates many ways to cut the cost of food while elevating the priority of having meals together.
  • Grocery shopping becomes easier and more economical. The grocery list is breakfast food, lunch food, and whatever you don’t have to fix that week’s dinners. Shopping is more efficient (which protects family time) and more economical (less food goes bad as you only buy what you need).
  • Having a meal calendar promotes the importance of having a family meal time. You give value and honor to the things you plan. You build a sense of expectation that this is something “we do” and enjoy. No longer does there have to be “a reason” to sit at the table together; now there has to be a reason not to.
  • Cooking becomes less stressful. Deciding what to fix and figuring out if you have the ingredients is usually the stressful part of dinner. A few minutes at the beginning of the month means no more freezing up at the pantry door and less relying on the “quickie” fall back option (i.e., usually frozen pizza or chicken nuggets).
  • Plan “leftovers” to save money and relieve stress on busy evenings. You usually know what nights things are too hectic to cook. Without a plan there is a tendency to either eat out or eat something unhealthy. With a little planning you can warm up something healthy.
  • Become intentional about when to eat out. Eating out is a wonderful treat, but should not be a way of life. As a way of life, eating out is bad stewardship.
  • With a meal calendar you will be forced to consider how many “date nights” you are setting aside each month. This is a great marital practice.
  • You will eat healthier. A lifestyle of preparing last minute meals doesn’t tend to be a healthy life. Eating more fruits and vegetables can create a significant savings in medical cost and time away from work.
  • You will eat a greater variety of foods and, therefore, enjoy time at home more. Part of the reason the culture neglects home is because we’ve allowed it to become mundane and repetitive. When we put a little planning into our home life we can be intentional about bringing variety into it. You can plan when you’re going to try that new recipe you’ve wanted to cook.
  • You will begin to view month as a whole. There are huge advantages to viewing this larger unit of time (month vs. week). By looking at the evenings you’re already scheduled to be out at the beginning of the month, you know the critical times to protect in order to ensure you don’t go large stretches without time together as a couple.
  • Reveals the opportunity for community. Meals are a natural time to get to know neighbors and people from small group. When meals are planned at the last minute it often feels like a “big deal” to have people over (if we think of fit at all). As you plan your meal calendar, you can look at when you would have people over and plan a meal that accommodates more people.
  • This is a quick and easy exercise after you do it the first month. After the first month you just update the evenings you have plans, add any new recipes you want to try, and juggle your favorites to fill in the rest. The few minutes it takes will be more than replaced with the time/money you save and the marital benefits.

This tool and explanation are an excerpt from:

Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances
Part One: April 20, 2013
Part Two: April 27, 2013
Times: 4:00 to 5:30 pm and 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Location: The Summit Church, Brier Creek South Venue
Address: 2415 Presidential Drive; Durham, NC 27703
Cost: Free
RSVP: Part One // Part Two

Marriage Evaluation: Approach to Debt and Saving

by brad on April 24, 2013 in Event Promotion with 5 Comments

Momentum is a gloriously dangerous thing. It can either propel you forward or cause you to crash. If you have made it this point in the process (not just the seminar), then you have created a lot of possibilities that will either greatly enhance or deter your personal, marital, and spiritual life. But either way, at this point something significant will happen.

While debt is a powerful negative force of slavery (Prov. 22:7), money is a powerful neutral force. Well-managed money does not necessarily equal a well-managed life. There are plenty of rich people who have intense mid-life crises and accomplish little of eternal significance with their assets. At the same time, there are many in the lower and middle socio-economic classes who live with great peace and impact the world for God in profound ways.

The point is this; a budget is a means to an end. We make a budget for the same reason we buy a plane ticket – to get somewhere. While the destination is usually clearer when you buy a plane ticket, the amount of movement (ticket-geographical; budget-character) is about the same. The goal of this chapter is to ensure that you experience both aspects of freedom (financial and spiritual) that God intends from implementing the financial wisdom Scripture prescribes.

This evaluations (Evaluation – Debt and Savings) is designed to help a couple assess whether their approach to debt and savings is aiding or interfering with their desire to have a gospel-centered marriage.

Several of the plumb lines from the third section of this seminar will include:

  • We must hate or fear debt more than we love or trust stuff.
  • If all we spend is our life, then debt is presuming upon days you are not guaranteed (James 4:13-17).
  • Debt is robbing tomorrow to artificially inflate today; expectations increase as opportunity decreases.
  • Debt is a form voluntary slavery (Prov. 22:7) and we are commanded by God to live free (Gal. 5:1-2).
  • Either we love God and love people and use money. Or we love money and use God and use people.
  • A financial plan is for our heart what braces are for our teeth.
  • We are most like God when we are giving.
  • Temporal investments generate fear; eternal investments generate peace.

Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances
Part One: April 20, 2013
Part Two: April 27, 2013
Times: 4:00 to 5:30 pm and 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Location: The Summit Church, Brier Creek South Venue
Address: 2415 Presidential Drive; Durham, NC 27703
Cost: Free
RSVP: Part One // Part Two

Marriage Evaluation: Budgeting Process

by brad on April 17, 2013 in Event Promotion with 16 Comments

In this section of the seminar we will take the journey from mere numbers on a piece of paper to a living document that directs your life towards your family mission and values. Embracing this distinction is the difference between something you will try-and-quit and a lifestyle change that you’ll embrace and advocate for others. The purpose of a budget is more than mere number-awareness, but spending your life on purpose for the distinct reasons God created you.

We are going to try to be highly practical and assume nothing. It takes an average of 3 months before these steps are smooth enough to only take 30 minutes per week, but they will get you to the place that you can run your home finances in less time than it takes to watch a sitcom.

Interspersed with the practical steps, comments will be made to continually re-orient you from mere number-crunching and document-surfing back how budgeting enables you to spend your life on purpose and enrich your marraige. Logistics are necessary for longevity, but logistics alone will not fuel our perseverance. While this chapter focuses on the practical, do not lose sight of the big picture that orients the “how to” back to the “why.”

This evaluation (Evaluation – Budgeting Process) is designed to help couples assess whether they have thought through what is necessary to have a family budget.

Several of the plumb lines from the second section of this seminar will include:

  • Knowing the truth about your finances gives freedom. Living in financial ignorance brings bondage.
  • The peace budgeting provides far exceeds the pleasure of watching a weekly sitcom.
  • You have to live life on purpose if you want to change the world for God’s glory.
  • The difference between vision and mere good intentions is implementation.

Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances
Part One: April 20, 2013
Part Two: April 27, 2013
Times: 4:00 to 5:30 pm and 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Location: The Summit Church, Brier Creek South Venue
Address: 2415 Presidential Drive; Durham, NC 27703
Cost: Free
RSVP: Part One // Part Two

Marriage Evaluation: Financial Beliefs and Character

by brad on April 10, 2013 in Event Promotion with 6 Comments

If budgeting were easy, then everyone would do it because the advantages are huge and irrefutable. In that sense budgeting is like exercise. During the first segment of this seminar there are two things you should do. First, take comfort that everything stated in this seminar will be taken into account in the materials ahead. The more you get convicted in this chapter, the more encouraged you should feel because you will know this material is written for you.

Second, talk with your spouse. This is another opportunity to learn about one another and create an atmosphere where it is safe to acknowledge your fears and weaknesses. It is easy to forget that how you talk about money is as important for protecting your marriage as what you decide. This is an opportunity to unplug these conversations from a triggering crisis and have them with a more neutral atmosphere.

This evaluation (Evaluation – Financial Beliefs and Character) is meant to help a couple assess whether shared beliefs about finances and their character create an environment that promotes marital unity and financial freedom. Before a budgeting tool can be effective, we must evaluate the two people who will be jointly using that tool.

Several of the plumb lines from the first section of this seminar will include:

  • When you master the #1 cause of marital division you will find that it can be the #1 cause of marital unity.
  • Everything that we have (i.e., money, time, ability, relationships) is a gift from God.
  • Trying to spend your way to security or happiness is a recipe for insecurity and despair.
  • If we cannot afford it, we do not deserve it.
  • When you spend money you are spending your life – the time you traded for that money.
  • Managing your money well is like getting a raise.
  • You will treat those closest to you like you treat your money.
  • God’s will fits in God’s provision.

In this first section you will learn to:

  • Identify the 20 most common challenges to managing marital finances well
  • Learn what a budget really is
  • Outline the important information you need to gather to have a long-term functional budget

Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances
Part One: April 20, 2013
Part Two: April 27, 2013
Times: 4:00 to 5:30 pm and 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Location: The Summit Church, Brier Creek South Venue
Address: 2415 Presidential Drive; Durham, NC 27703
Cost: Free
RSVP: Part One // Part Two

Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances

by brad on April 5, 2013 in Event Promotion with 3 Comments

Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions:

Why are money problems the number one cause of divorce? How do we maintain reasonable expectations for money in a debt-sick culture? How do two people manage their money together when it is hard enough to manage as a single person? Who should administrate the finances and how involved should the other person be? How do we learn self-control and contentment as a couple? How can “budget” become an exciting or, at least, pleasant word?

Imagine you’re on the Family Feud game show. The host comes to you and says, “We’ve surveyed 100 families and asked what they believe is a good idea, but still don’t do. Can you give us one of the top five answers?” There is a good chance if you answered, “Budgeting,” you would have the #1 answer.

There is no one who really believes, “You can neglect paying attention to your finances and expect everything to turn out fine. Spend what you want, when you want, try not to be excessive (but don’t define “excessive”), and you should be alright.” We would roll our eyes and laugh as we read this if it were not the reality in which so many people tried to live.

If want to gain the tools and process to (1) correct ineffective thinkging about money, (2) create a budget that you can administrate in less than 30 minutes per week, (3) learn how to communicate about financial decisions, (4) get out of debt, and (5) utilize your finances to shape your life to be more like Christ, then this event is for you.

Seminar:

Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage: Finances
Part One: April 20, 2013
Part Two: April 27, 2013
Times: 4:00 to 5:30 pm and 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Location: The Summit Church, Brier Creek South Venue
Address: 2415 Presidential Drive; Durham, NC 27703
Cost: Free
RSVP: Part One // Part Two

This seminar is one piece of a five part series of seminars (foundations, communication, finances, decision making, and intimacy) designed to facilitate mentoring relationships for married or engaged couples (one-on-one or in a group setting). Our goal in these seminars is to cover the key subjects that often hinder, but could greatly enhance, a couple’s ability to experience all that God intended marriage to be.

We believe that change that lasts happens in relationship. Private change tends to be short-lived change. Living things exposed to light grow. Living things kept in the dark wither. This is why we designed this series to encourage you to give your marriage the light of Christian community by studying these materials with others.

These materials are built upon a central premise – God gave us marriage so that we would know the gospel more clearly and more personally. It is the gospel that gives us joy. Marriage is meant to be a living picture of the gospel-relationship between God and His bride, the church. For this reason, we have two goals for you as you go through this study:

  1. That you would get know and enjoy your spouse in exciting, new, and profoundly deeper ways, so that…
  2. … you would get to know and enjoy God in exciting, new, and profoundly deeper ways.

This series of seminars is arranged around five topics that represent the most common challenges that face a marriage. While the challenges of each area are acknowledged, the tone of these seminars is optimistic. We believe that those things that cause the greatest pain when done wrongly bring the fullest joy when done according to God’s design.

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