Bringing Hope Home

Schaffer Ministries

Welcome to Bringing Hope Home with Bryce and Colette Schaffer! We're pastors, authors, and a couple who've been married for nearly 30 years, and we're here to help you build a peaceful, Christ-centered home. Each week, we dive into real talk about marriage, parenting, and family life from a biblical perspective. Whether you're newlyweds finding your way, parents in the thick of it, or a couple working to reconnect, we're bringing practical wisdom, honest conversations, and hope-filled encouragement straight to your earbuds. We believe your home can be your peaceful sanctuary - and we're here to help you create it, one episode at a time. Bring hope home to your life today!

  1. Aug 24

    Is There a Right Time to Get Married or Have Kids? Biblical Timing for Marriage & Family

    Send a question or topic you want to hear What's the "right" age to get married? To have kids? Research says 27, with three-plus years of dating — but pastors Bryce and Colette Schaffer aren't so sure a number tells the whole story. In this episode of Bringing Hope Home, Bryce and Colette (married 31 years, pastors for 20) tackle one of the most common questions couples bring to them: when is the right time for marriage, kids, or a major life step? They walk through six practical questions — emotional readiness, capacity for change, desire for growth, shifting responsibilities, and counting the cost — plus the one factor that matters more than any of them: God's timing. Pulling from their own story of marrying young and weathering plenty of critics along the way, Bryce and Colette share how leaning on Colossians 3:15 — being led by peace, not feelings or circumstances — has carried their marriage for three decades. Whether you're dating, engaged, newly married, or wondering if it's time to grow your family, this episode will help you trade the pressure of a timeline for the peace of God's plan. If this episode speaks to you, subscribe to Bringing Hope Home, share it with a friend, and take our free "How Healthy Is Your Marriage?" quiz to see where your marriage stands today. Ready to go deeper? Check out our Marriage Builders course, built to help you build your marriage on a firm foundation from the ground up. Bring hope home to your life today. Resources: Schafferministries.com How Healthy Is Your Marriage? Take the Quiz Follow us on Instagram Join our monthly newsletter Check out our books and products

  2. Aug 10

    Deepening Your Roots as a Couple: What Research Says About Connected Marriages

    Send a question or topic you want to hear Marriages don't drift apart overnight — they drift one disconnected day at a time. In this episode, Bryce and Colette Schaffer explore a 2024 Wheatley Institute study comparing high-connecting couples to low-connecting couples, revealing the specific habits and virtues that make the biggest difference in a marriage. Discover the four relationship habits — time together, acts of kindness, forgiveness, and relationship maintenance — along with the three marital virtues of commitment, other-centeredness, and compassion that set thriving marriages apart. Bryce and Colette get personal, sharing real stories from over 30 years of marriage, including lessons learned about sarcasm and communication, navigating seasons of low intimacy, sharing the load as a team, and why serving together in ministry deepened their own connection. If you're ready to deepen your roots as a couple — whether you're newly married or feeling distant after years together — this episode offers practical, Scripture-centered steps to help your marriage flourish through every season of life. Bryce and Colette Schaffer are pastors of New Hope Church in Timber Lake, SD, with over 20 years in ministry together. They are the creators of the Marriage Builders course and authors of several books on marriage and navigating life's hardest seasons through faith. Bring hope home to your life today. Resources: Schafferministries.com How Healthy Is Your Marriage? Take the Quiz Follow us on Instagram Join our monthly newsletter Check out our books and products

  3. Aug 3

    Biblical Masculinity & Femininity: God's Design for Men and Women in Marriage

    Send a question or topic you want to hear What does the Bible really say about being a godly man or a godly woman? In this episode, Pastors Bryce and Colette Schaffer take on one of the most talked-about topics in marriage and culture today: biblical masculinity and femininity. Using Galatians 3:28 as their starting point, they show why God's design for men and women was never about a hierarchy of worth, but about complementary roles rooted in love and purpose. They explore the Proverbs 31 woman and Lydia from Acts 16 as examples of biblical femininity — women who were wise, capable, business-minded, and deeply devoted to bringing Christ into their homes. Then Bryce shares what biblical masculinity looks like in light of Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter: sacrificial love, servant leadership, covering, and being a watchman for the family. Bryce and Colette also dig into what "submission" really means (hint: it's not what you think), and close with a powerful reminder of everything Jesus wasn't — weak, prideful, passive, emotionless, or isolated — as the model for how both men and women are called to live. If you've ever felt confused, frustrated, or even a little defensive about "gender roles" in marriage, this episode offers clarity, grace, and hope for your home. 🏠 Bring hope home to your life today. Resources: Schafferministries.com How Healthy Is Your Marriage? Take the Quiz Follow us on Instagram Join our monthly newsletter Check out our books and products

  4. Jul 6

    Having Fun on Purpose: Why Joy Belongs in Your Christian Marriage and Home

    Send a question or topic you want to hear After a month of learning how to fight fair, Bryce and Colette Schaffer pivot to a lighter — but just as important — topic: fun. In this episode of Bringing Hope Home, they explore why joy is a biblical mandate, not an afterthought, pointing to Nehemiah 8:10 ("the joy of the Lord is your strength") and Philippians 4:4 ("rejoice in the Lord always"). Drawing from 30 years of marriage and two decades of pastoring couples at every stage of life, Bryce and Colette share honest, funny stories about learning to loosen up, plus practical ideas for bringing more joy into your Christian home: family date nights, pizza and movie traditions, game nights, road trips, bonfires, and praying together as a family. They talk candidly about the temptation to stay in "survival mode" as parents, and how inviting God into the fun — not just the hard moments — shapes how kids see their faith. This episode is for any couple or family who wants their home to feel less like a to-do list and more like a peaceful, joy-filled sanctuary. Bringing Hope Home is hosted by Bryce and Colette Schaffer, pastors of New Hope Church in Timber Lake, SD, and creators of the Marriage Builders marriage course. New episodes weekly. Bring hope home to your life today. Resources: Schafferministries.com How Healthy Is Your Marriage? Take the Quiz Follow us on Instagram Join our monthly newsletter Check out our books and products

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Welcome to Bringing Hope Home with Bryce and Colette Schaffer! We're pastors, authors, and a couple who've been married for nearly 30 years, and we're here to help you build a peaceful, Christ-centered home. Each week, we dive into real talk about marriage, parenting, and family life from a biblical perspective. Whether you're newlyweds finding your way, parents in the thick of it, or a couple working to reconnect, we're bringing practical wisdom, honest conversations, and hope-filled encouragement straight to your earbuds. We believe your home can be your peaceful sanctuary - and we're here to help you create it, one episode at a time. Bring hope home to your life today!