Money can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re not sure where to start—or how to talk about it with the person you share your life with. But having a plan can make all the difference. In this episode of our Tricky Topics series, we sit down with Jim, a financial advisor with 22 years of experience and a heart for the emotional side of money, to unpack why couples go silent when the conversation turns to finances. From generational money scripts and the shame of not knowing enough to the “freedom fence” of budgeting and teaching kids the joy of giving, Jim shares stories from decades of helping people build a plan and get on the same page. Whether you’re just starting out, drowning in debt, or realizing you don’t even know your partner’s salary (you’re not alone—43% of couples don’t!), this conversation is a warm, hopeful invitation to stop avoiding the topic and start talking. Because couples who talk about money can experience less anxiety, greater well-being, and stronger relationships.

—

Jim Danielson is a Financial Advisor and fiduciary helping busy professionals build financial confidence into their lives. He is a 22 year - experienced financial professional specializing in helping clients create a financial road map to invest their assets, enhance the quality of their lives, and realize personal and financial goals. A graduate of Purdue University, Jim holds his series 7 and series 66 financial licenses along with his life insurance license.

Focusing on

• personal financial road mapping,

• 401K to IRA rollover strategies,

• custom financial plans,

• retirement planning & cash flow analysis.

When not talking to and helping clients, Jim is an avid photographer, loves spending time and traveling with his wife and 2 daughters and is an active member of his faith community.

Find out more about Jim here: https://www.raymondjames.com/jimdanielson/

—

We invite you to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes! Stay tuned next week for the beginning of a new series on the fruits of the spirit.

—

With You in Marriage: A Family Systems Approach to a Healthy Relationship by David & Tara Van Dyke launches February 2! Please help us get the word out, and preorder the book on Amazon or at IVPress.com

If you’d like to bring a marriage workshop to your organization or church, reach out to us on our website, withuprojects.com

—

Produced by Zach Van Dyke

Thinking about the inevitability of death and the process of dying makes many people quite uncomfortable—but talking about it might help us face it with a little less fear and a little more openness. Our own personal stories with loss—from growing up in a funeral director’s home to walking through the deaths of both our fathers—set the stage for a conversation with Dr. Kim Rich, grief educator, death doula, and founder of Tomorrow Mourning. Kim helps us think beyond fear and euphemism to consider how we can prepare for the end of life with thoughtfulness and even beauty. We talk about navigating the logistics of a life that’s ending, supporting those who are grieving, creating a joyful and meaningful memorial, and why it’s never too early to write down your wishes—or even have a say in your own obituary.

—

Dr. Kimberly Rich is the owner of Tomorrow Mourning in Batavia, IL and serves as a grief educator, death doula, and end of life companion. Kim’s journey with grief started following the sudden loss of her mother in 2021. It was then that she first recognized the power of relationship in grief, and the ways that we can fail to support one another as end of life approaches.

Kimberly is a published writer and keynote speaker and finds great comfort in being in community with others. When she isn’t sleeping, (a favorite pastime!), or working she can be found reading, planning her next vacation, snacking on candy, stocking her free little library, and going on long walks throughout her hometown. Kim’s career focus is in end of life care and grief education and in addition to her doctoral degree she is a certified death doula. Kim is married with four adult children, three boys and one girl, and an elderly pup named Cowboy.

—

You can connect with Kimberly in these ways:

Website: (www.tomorrowmourningllc.com)

Facebook: Tomorrow-Mourning

Instagram: @tomorrowmourningllc

—

With You in Marriage: A Family Systems Approach to a Healthy Relationship by David & Tara Van Dyke launches February 2! Please help us get the word out, and preorder the book on Amazon or at IVPress.com

If you’d like to bring a marriage workshop to your organization or church, reach out to us on our website, withuprojects.com

—

Don’t miss next week’s tricky topic conversation about money with Jim Danielson!

—

Produced by Zach Van Dyke

Politics might be the ultimate dinner-table taboo—and if we’re honest, it’s a topic we rarely tackle! Our own personal stories with political events — from counter-protesting teacher strikes to experiencing a military coup overseas — set the stage for a conversation with Kaitlyn Schiess, political theology scholar and author of The Liturgy of Politics. Kaitlyn helps us think beyond elections and arguments to consider politics as the everyday work of how communities care for one another. Together, we talk about why politics feels so personal, how to have hard conversations without turning up the heat, and why the best place to start might look less like a debate and more like helping a neighbor in need.

—

Kaitlyn Schiess is a writer, theologian, and podcaster who helps Christians think well and live faithfully in a pluralistic world. She is the author of The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here (Brazos Press, 2023) and The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor (InterVarsity Press, 2020). Her writing has appeared in outlets including Christianity Today, The New York Times, Christ and Pop Culture, RELEVANT, and Sojourners. She is also a co-host of the Holy Post podcast and host of Curiously, Kaitlyn, both of which explore how Christians can navigate faith, culture, and life in a pluralistic world. Kaitlyn holds a ThM in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a doctorate in political theology at Duke Divinity School.

—

Interact with Kaitlyn’s resources:

• The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here

• The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor

• Holy Post podcast: holypost.com

• Website: kaitlynschiess.com

—

With You in Marriage: A Family Systems Approach to a Healthy Relationship by David & Tara Van Dyke launches February 2! Please help us get the word out, and preorder the book on Amazon or at IVPress.com

If you’d like to bring a marriage workshop to your organization or church, reach out to us on our website, withuprojects.com

—

Don’t miss next week’s podcast on the tricky topic of death & dying with Dr. Kimberly Rich

—

Produced by Zach Van Dyke

Why do we say “the birds and the bees” when we really mean developing bodies, sex, and reproduction? Maybe our euphemisms are a pretty good clue about just how awkward these conversations can be! In this episode, we’re joined by parent and teacher Jon Gabriele to explore why talking with our kids about sex can feel so tricky, whether avoiding the conversation makes it harder, and whether it’s ever too early to start. Jon shares what he’s learned teaching 4th and 5th graders through the Created by God program and offers practical ways to talk about anatomy, puberty, and sexuality in ways that are honest, positive, and developmentally appropriate.

—

Jon Gabriele has been teaching professionally at the elementary level for 37 years in both public and private school settings. He has enjoyed teaching the boys’ class of Created by God at Glen Ellyn Bible Church for close to 20 years. He and his wife, Glenna, have been married for 33 years and have five adult children, three daughters-in-law, and one granddaughter. He and Glenna are thankful for the invaluable support of their church family through the years and continue to enjoy serving in children’s ministries in hopes of passing on the blessings their whole family has received.

—

Created by God Program (per Glen Ellyn Bible Church website, gebible.org)

Every year we offer a 5-week biblically-based program designed to communicate to 4-5th graders that they were incredibly created by God for His purposes. Kids will understand what is happening to them physically, emotionally, and sexually as they begin maturing. The topics of human sexuality, values and relationships are approached in a frank, honest and Bible-based manner by qualified teachers.

—

Extra Resources:

• Learning About Sex Series (used in Created By God Class), published by Concordia Publishers

• God’s Design For Sex Series (4 books) by Stan Jones & Brenna Jones

• • The Story of Me (age 3-5)

  • Before I Was Born (age 5-8)

  • What’s the Big Deal? (age 8-12)

  • Facing the Facts (age 12-16)

• How and When to Tell Your Kids about Sex: A Lifelong Approach to Shaping Your Child’s Sexual Character by Stan Jones & Brenna Jones

• 10 Questions Kids Ask About Sex: Knowing What to Say, Guiding Them to Wise Decision, Giving Age-Appropriate Answers by Bill and Pam Farrell

• God Made All of Me by Justin & Lindsey Holcomb (ages 2-8)

—

With You in Marriage: A Family Systems Approach to a Healthy Relationship by David & Tara Van Dyke launches February 2! Please help us get the word out, and preorder the book on Amazon or at IVPress.com

If you’d like to bring a marriage workshop to your organization or church, reach out to us on our website, withuprojects.com

—

Don’t miss next week’s podcast conversation with Dr. Mark Yarhouse on gender & sexual identity.

—

Produced by Zach Van Dyke

Breaking up is hard to do—but sometimes the hardest part is knowing when it’s time to let go. Why do we avoid the conversation we know we need to have? In the first episode of our new Tricky Topics of Conversation series, we’re joined by Chris and Alisa Grace of Biola University’s Center for Marriage and Relationships to talk about the complicated world of breakups. From avoiding hurt feelings and awkward face-to-face conversations to fearing loneliness, we explore why ending a relationship can be so difficult, what it looks like to break up in a healthy way, and how to move forward after the hurt.

—

Dr. Chris and Alisa Grace met in 1986 when they were seated at the “singles” table at a friend’s wedding. He fell in love with her quick wit, she fell in love with his motorcycle, and (after selling the motorcycle to buy her engagement ring) they were married just a year later. Now, for more than 35 years, the Graces have been writing, teaching, and speaking nationally to thousands of couples, families, and college students on healthy, Christ-centered relationships. Together, they founded and direct the Center for Marriage and Relationships at Biola University, where Chris is also a social psychologist/full professor, and Alisa is an adjunct faculty member. They also co-host the popular podcast,The Art of Relationships. Chris and Alisa live in Southern California where they have three adult children married to fabulous spouses and four absolutely perfect grandchildren.

—

Extra Resources:

• The Art of Relationships Podcast with Chris & Alisa Grace

• Free Download: Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

• Biola University Center for Marriage & Relationships offers free relationship advice appointments, which can be booked by clicking our link here or by calling (562)392-4459.

• Dr. Chris Grace’s online course “The Art (and Science) of Relationships”

—

Now’s the time to preorder our book, With You in Marriage: A Family Systems Guide to a Healthy Relationship. Whether you’re engaged, newly married, celebrating decades together, or working through a challenging season, With You in Marriage provides depth and practical wisdom to strengthen your marriage in every season of your life together.

You can find it on Amazon, or anywhere you buy your books!

—

Produced by Zach Van Dyke

After a year-long break, we are so glad to be back—and there’s a lot to catch up on! In this season-opening episode, we share what’s been happening in our lives, what exciting projects we’ve been working on behind the scenes, and what’s ahead for the With U Podcast. Then get ready for a new series on tricky topics of conversation—the conversations that can be awkward, uncomfortable, or just plain hard to start. We’re glad you’re here for the next chapter!

—-

We’re happy to announce that our new book, With You in Marriage: A Family Systems Framework for a Healthy Relationship, will launch on February 2, 2027. It’s available for preorder now, so get your copy wherever books are sold!

—-

produced by Zach Van Dyke

🎄 A gift for the season from our family to yours.

In this special Christmas bonus episode, we invite you to step into the ancient story of hope fulfilled.

The Promise and the Gift is a Scripture-based Christmas reading that traces the story of Christ from the dawn of creation, through the words of the prophets, to the quiet wonder of a child born in Bethlehem. We'll walk through the promise of redemption, the long wait, and the moment when the Light entered the darkness—and the darkness could not overcome it.

The Messiah has come.
And His name is Jesus.

---

Scripture included:
John 1:1–5, Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 7:14; 9:2, 6–7, Micah 5:2, Luke 1–2, Matthew 1–2, John 3:16–18, John 1:14

---

Music by Clavier Clavier from Pixabay

Produced by Zach Van Dyke