Daniel and Rachel Llerena "In the sacred covenant of marriage, couples often encounter challenges that test their commitment, communication, and emotional resilience. One of the most pervasive challenges is the presence of shame. Shame can stem from past experiences, misunderstandings, or unmet expectations. However, the Bible offers timeless wisdom and guidance on combating shame within the marital bond, fostering deeper intimacy and healing. Let's explore some biblical principles for overcoming shame in marriage: Openness and Vulnerability Genesis 2:25, we learn that Adam and Eve were naked ..read more

Gray Foshee What hinders our relationship with God? Matthew 6:14-15 says “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you”. It is impossible to have a deep relationship and community with our heavenly Father when we hold onto unforgiveness. Let’s look at a 5 step process of unforgiveness that leads from anger to murder. “Murder, you say”. Yes, murder can be found in our hearts when we allow unforgiveness to take root in us. Anger Ephesians 4:26a tells us to “be angry ..read more

Roland Martinez Is your marriage normal?  What defines normal and what authority or assessment gets to determine what a great marriage is?  Marriage is a journey filled with thrilling moments and times of utter despair. Therefore, it’s important to look outside of yourself and each other to have a clear understanding of where you and your spouse stand as a couple. Let’s explore what we’ll call your baseline in marriage, and why the conversation matters. What is a baseline in marriage? We need to make sure we have a grasp of what that means. Your marriage baseline represents the ..read more

Shelly Foshee In March of 2023, my husband (Gray) and I (Shelly) attended a marriage retreat. Yes, marriage missionaries attend retreats and conferences. Every marriage needs to be investing into the gift God has given them in each other. We watched God move throughout the room, healing, redeeming and restoring. Daily Check Ins The organization that led this conference is called Live the Life. This conference was called “Adventures in Marriage”. This event is centered around communication. It starts with the importance of couples checking in with each other on a daily basis. Making sure to tha ..read more

Gio Llerena   Conversations There are so many different conversations that Suzy and I engage in everyday. For the most part they are easy. They are focused on pleasantries and tasks to be accomplished. But every so often, there are conversations that need to be leaned into and not avoided. These conversations can be difficult. Having difficult conversations is not fun. What we have found out is that it provides a better path to connection and healing in our marriage. We have learned a lot in our thirty years of marriage. We don’t have it all figured out and we know there is a lot more to ..read more

Marissa Pierce   Intro With the dreary winter days giving way to the warm, sunny days of spring, finalizing garden plans has begun. For the first few years of our marriage, we lived in an apartment. When we moved into a home with a backyard last year, the years worth of Pinterest pins and dreams for what I wanted my garden to look like were all pulled out. I soon discovered that gardening was much more complicated than I thought. The beautiful gardens seen online were much less achievable than I had hoped. There was a part of me that was so discouraged at times that I wanted to quit. It t ..read more

Will and Cindy Goff Our Song The year was 1963, “Beatlemania” was all the rage in pop culture. (Not unlike what we are observing today with Taylor Swift’s following of Swifties!) Will and I were in high school as the Beatles stormed America. It was predictable that many of the Beatles songs would be played at the “sock hops” that followed many of the football or basketball games at our high schools. Our Story Fast forward a few years, Will was 17 and I was 16 when we first met at a mutual friend’s home. There were four of us playing pool and ping pong that day. My girlfriend and I were enjoyin ..read more

Love endures while lessons are learned Marriage continues to be the cornerstone of our culture and society.  No matter what attacks the enemy devises to steal, kill, and ultimately attempt to destroy God’s original design. God’s plan of redemption is always in play.  There is no denying the rewards of living within the parameters God has established. Each decade of marriage going back to the 50’s evolves with the change in tides of the culture.  Our own experiences based on what decade we find ourselves, also experience an evolution. Let's explore some of those changes while rem ..read more

Roland and Tammy Martinez Brandon and Lauren Piner Our Story I (Tammy) knew the Lord had called me into ministry. I had no idea what that was going to look like. I just knew I wanted to go to a Christian college and major in Elementary Education to one day work in a Christian school. I had no idea this would include marriage…. But when I met Roland, I felt the Lord tell me He was the one. It's crazy, I am as indecisive as they come but it was so clear to me. We got married in 1994 and started teaching in the Christian school, where Roland attended from Kindergarten to 12th grade. It was full t ..read more

Our Times We grew up in the 70’s and 80’s. This placed us in the era of roe vs. wade. Michael Jackson and Diana Ross were center stage in the music realm. Cell phones came out in the mid 80’s, forever changing the way we communicate. What I remember most as I look over my years prior to marriage are the changes that took place in safety. As a child, I remember not having to lock our doors and riding my bike about two miles to school everyday. In high school and in early adulthood, all doors were locked and parents stayed with children at bus stops until they were picked up. The sense of safety ..read more