Delta is the mathematical symbol for growth and change. The concept of change is not foreign to us. Right now, there are probably several things about yourself you’d like to change. But change also raises many questions: Why should I change? What needs to change? How do I go about changing? And why is change so difficult? This tool was developed for to help address those questions, and to help lead a small community of people toward lasting change, by discovering the transforming power of the Gospel.

You can check out the study here.

The first 5 years of our marriage, to be honest, have been really hard. Yes, there have been amazing times of joy and we have been richly blessed. But we’ve each gone through the ringer–emotionally, spiritually, and physically–and it seems like we have been living in survival mode for the past year. With my wife tending to 2 small children at home, and me with a demanding, high-stress job, it’s easy to fall into the rut of simply coexisting together as partners, rather than flourishing and delighting in each other as friends.

On top of that, we’ve stumbled through the first few weeks of 2012 with a lot of uncertainty. Financially things are very hard, and like many young families out there, we’re just trying to keep our heads above water… which isn’t exactly the best environment for cultivating a healthy marriage. But tonight everything changed. Tonight we made a vow to set a new course for our life together, to repent of our sins and trust Christ for change as He makes us into new spouses, redeeming our brokenness and rekindling our friendship. How and why?

Well, we just started walking through a new bible study called Real Marriage; it’s a sermon series, book, and DVD curriculum put together by Mark and Grace Driscoll and the folks at Mars Hill Church. And tonight we listened to the first sermon in the Real Marriage series, titled “New Marriage, Same Spouse”, and it was great. At the end of the sermon, Pastor Mark asks the men to vow that they would lead their family well, and work towards leaving a great gospel legacy for future generations. After the sermon, I took the vow, I prayed over my wife, and I served her Communion, and it was one of the most moving experiences we’ve ever had together as a couple. Praise God!

The creative team at Mars Hill made the vow into a poster that men can print out and place in their homes (see below). I look forward to reading it regularly, and asking the Holy Spirit to help me lead my family well as a husband and a dad. Lord willing, this will be a day we remember for the rest of our lives, the day when we surrendered our marriage to Jesus.

To learn more about the Real Marriage Campaign and access some helpful resources, click here.

The River West Daily Word Bible reading plan is a tool we’ve designed to help you get the most out of God’s Word each day. Based on a book-at-a-time plan from Discipleship Journal, these readings will take you through the entire Bible in a year at a pace that’s manageable. We hope that this tool will equip and encourage you to appreciate and experience God’s Word in a deeper way!