Happy Valentine's Day!

I am often asked how I can possibly work with my spouse every day.  Well, in my world, I can’t imagine it any other way and I’m not alone.  Here’s a story of our friends from the West Coast that are running a business together as a married couple. 

I get up every morning and pray to the Lord to be the best of what He wants me to be for the day. 

~ Dre Truitt, Office Pride Franchise Owner

Is it possible to have a business with your spouse without blowing up the marriage?  Is it possible to have a shared vision, where you both hear from the Lord and get the same message about starting a business?  Is it possible to actually build and improve your family and marriage with starting and running a franchise?  It ALL sounds impossible to me, but some are actually living it.

Dre and Karie Truitt, one of a hundred and thirty-four franchisees in 24 states for Office Pride knew that God needed them to “be still”, so they could hear His call on their lives.  And now they are doing their business “God’s way”.  To listen to their interview on the iWork4Him PowerPod click HERE.

“The beauty of being a business owner is the ability to live by our priorities. God first, then marriage, then kids, then work.” 

~ Karie Truitt

Priorities.  I love how clear Karie Truitt’s priorities are. I bet her life (personal and professional) is a lot easier than most people’s, even other people of faith. Being clear on our priorities makes decision-making clear, quick and easy.

Have you ever thought about if you’re REALLY living your priorities?  Are they God-aligned?

When’s the last time you stopped and did an inventory of WHERE you’re spending your time? 

Where we spend our time is the surest barometer of where our heart and priorities lie. Webster’s defines priorities as something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives.  As Christ followers, we’re given our priorities by our Lord, not the world. But are we living like it?

Are YOU disciplining and prioritizing yourself, and your work, in God’s direction today? 

Jeremiah 29:13 New International Version (NIV)

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

The Marriage Mentor

Marriage is tough. So tough that many couples give up. It can seem overwhelming, but it's a lifelong contract with your best friend. You are with your best friend on the good days and the bad days, and even the in-between days.

So, how do you stay together for a lifetime?

Here's one solution: Do marriage with a marriage mentor couple by your side.

Every marriage is greater with another couple walking alongside you. A couple that has been at it more years, made more mistakes, seen more rough times and more good times; seasoned married people.

Martha and I have had several couples come along side us over the last 32 years, all of them chronologically superior and married longer than us. About 13 years into our marriage we learned that even with the few years we had been married, we could invest in other couples too. It has been the secret sauce for us.

We had couples invest in us and we then invested in other couples.

This week we talked with Steve and Rhonda Stoppe about their brand new book The Marriage Mentor. This book is an amazing collection of just about everything we have ever said to another couple, in one volume of sheer wisdom. Reading this book is like having a virtual marriage mentor. You can listen to that show by clicking HERE.

Want an awesome marriage? Find a couple willing to invest in you and find a couple you can invest in. It works every time. Want to know why? It was designed by God. It's called community.

Make your marriage great. Invest in it today.

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Marriage Ministry is Marketplace Ministry

Contrary to popular opinion, which is worth just about two sea shells on the sea shore, I believe Marriage is the fabric of society. Now, marriage has been difficult since sin entered the world, but people always learned to love and adore their spouse, despite the difficulty. Prior to the late 1960's, Marriage held communities intact, allowed families to flourish, and kept kids in check through discipline. Since the destruction of marriage has been a focus of the enemy these last almost 50 years, (through the Women's Liberation Movement and the continued attach on manhood) our country has been spiraling downward. Suicide, Mass Murders, Depression, Joblessness, Hopelessness - have spun out of control.

What can we do about it?

What does this have to do with our ministry in our workplace?

I am glad you asked.

Did you know that the difficult questions like "why is this happening?" and "why does my life suck?", can be answered with one Word...Jesus. Jesus is the solution to all the world problems. True followers of Jesus can transform their part of the world each and every day. When someone finally surrenders their life to Jesus, it transforms their life, then their families, their neighborhoods, communities and so on. God created marriage to introduce Jesus to children. When a marriage destructs, kids are destroyed and kids start to question who God is and why He let their mom and dad split up.

You can make a difference. You are surrounded by hurting people at work, at home, and in your networks. They may be contemplating divorce, have gone through a divorce, or are the collateral damage of a divorce. Jesus Followers can love on those hurting around us and it will transform your workplace. Why? Because hurting people, hurt people. So, Loving people can work alongside hurting people and love them into relationship with Jesus. Check out Monday’s show from this week by clicking HERE - and the website - www.NationalMarriageWeekUSA.org - to learn more about the impacts of marriage on our society.

John 13:34-35

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Are You Ready?

Before I start with this weeks blog, let me mention this one significant thing -

Happy Birthday Martha!

You are the love of my life and I am sooooo blessed that our Father gave me a lifetime with you by my side. You are my best friend and I Love You!

This weeks Blog - Are YOU Ready?

Today is June 1st - the official start of the hurricane season. Too bad Alberto didn’t know that!  We all need to be prepared for hurricane season here in Florida and along the Gulf and Atlantic coast.  Just like we need to be prepared for what seems like the inevitable storm, we believe it’s good to be prepping for your marriage, too!

Martha and I dedicate much of our free time and extra resources to feeding into the lives of married couples.  Early in our marriage we learned: 

a marriage that isn’t being built up is likely falling apart

We are huge proponents of marriage mentoring, marriage retreats, and married couple small groups – because we need to be marriage preppers!  Marriage Preppers!? What in the world?   A marriage prepper is someone who is preparing their marriage for any and everything that could come against it. Even though they may still be shocked by the attack, a marriage prepper is ready because their marriage is steeped in prayer and bible study, with Christ at the center.   Since a marriage is a covenant between two sinners, you have to be prepared for anything. You see our marriage has an enemy and its not your spouse (Jon and Stacy Eldredge).  Marriage prepping is a thing.

Are you a prepper?

In case you want some help in prepping, you might want to consider this: Our 2019 Cruise your way to a better marriage is a great way to prep for the next season of your marriage!  Whether you are newlyweds or your marriage is well seasoned, we all need to keep our relationship fine-tuned and prepped. Consider joining us for next year’s cruise. 

Don’t forget to join the event on Facebook too, we try to post updates there!  https://www.facebook.com/events/2290522574507594/

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: To transform Christian-run businesses through mentoring Christian Business Owners (CBOs) by incorporating the servant leadership of Jesus Christ in their businesses, their home life and their walk with Christ.