“I promise to love you when it’s easy and when it’s an effort,” I said, beaming at my soon-to-be husband. As I repeated part of our wedding vows, a chuckle echoed from our family and friends. I’d heard my whole life that marriage takes work. At that moment, though, I couldn’t imagine loving James would ever require that much effort. After all, God said it was “not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18), so he made Eve for Adam. Marriage was God’s good gift to his image-bearers. Fifteen years later, I know two things are true. Sin’s curse didn’t change God’s purpose for marriage. Marriage is still God’s gift to us. But also, two sinners living one life for God’s glory won’t happen unintentionally. It takes work. Your Portion and Your Toil Recently as I was studying Ecclesiastes, I noticed Solomon acknowledged both these truths in one sentence: “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun” (Eccles. 9:9). Your spouse is part of [...]

Join us this Wednesday, November 2nd for a Q+A Workshop! On this episode, Somer + Michelle answer a couple questions like "what's the difference in sheltering our kids vs. protecting them?" We'll see you in the workshop on Wednesday!

I’ve always been a goal setter. Lately, though, I’ve been torn about how to set financial goals that don’t just point me toward making more money. If it’s wise for believers to set financial goals, how can we do that well? First of all, I get you. I’m goal oriented too. Years ago, I was in a career that was recognition driven, with no limit to the amount of money I could make. I often struggled with the same tension you’re feeling now. I still set goals, but as you hinted in your question, how I set goals looks different now. I hope these few principles are as helpful to you as they have been to me. 1. Set financial goals that grow your faith more than your bank account. When I used to brainstorm my goals, the typical list of life areas I desired to cover included career, finances, family, health, service, and faith. I realize now that I’d already made the mistake that caused the tension. By including my faith on the list, I somehow separated it from the other areas of life. But faith was never meant to be merely an addition to our lives. Faith [...]