"Before You Leave Home"

Are your children ready for the world?

A book to prepare your kids for a great life on their own.

"★★★★★"

"The section on Financial Challenges alone is worth picking up this book."

"This book is EXCELLENT!"

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Our Story

We’re David & Bernice Gudgel. Life has thrown a lot of big decisions at us. Maybe you can relate. Along the way – through good & bad experiences, the wisdom of others, and lots of prayer – we’ve learned lessons that we wish we would have known before. Now, we hope to help you make the best big decisions in life.

Bernice has a degree in Psychology and has focused much of her adult life on raising three kids (who turned out great!) and leading ministries in the church. Dave is a pastor who has a degree in Sociology, an M Div, and a D Min. He’s counseled over a thousand clients and hosted a weekday radio program.

Our Books

Before You Get Engaged
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Before You Live together
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Before You Leave Home
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Bible Storyboards
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Owner's Guide to Using Your Bible
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Where Death and Hope Meet
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Blog

Child in Cameroon Coloring Bible StoryBoards

You Gotta Love It When a Dream Becomes a Reality

September 17, 2016

Two years ago I got an idea that I thought was good. It came to me while hanging out in a Northern California coffee shop. At the time I thought the concept was God-given. But you never know with me. It could have been just another dream in a long stream of dreams that have hit me over the years. But this idea seemed different. Like it could really work. Maybe it could even help people all around the world. Whenever I get an idea that I think is good – and I usually think they’re all really good – the

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The Bible Was Written for You

A Simple, Practical Way to Read and Study the Bible

August 24, 2016

I believe God gave us the information that is in the Bible for two main reasons: So we can know the truth about who He is – and who we are – by understanding the history of God & man & this world. So we can know what it means to walk with Him and follow His ways. That’s what the Bible is all about. And though we can learn a lot from Bible scholars, God never intended for us to have to go to seminary before we could understand what the Bible is saying to us. It’s written for

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Three Things to Do the Next Time You’re Exhausted

July 6, 2016

If you’re like most people, you face times of physical exhaustion. I’m a card carrying member of that club. Life gets way too busy. Exhaustion happens. Often after an abundance of energy is spent on doing something good. Take for instance the prophet Elijah. God gave him the task of confronting the evil King Ahab. His assignment included a showdown on Mount Carmel with 450 prophets of Baal. If you want to read the full account, you can find it in 1 Kings 18:23-39. 450 against 1. Not great odds, but when God Almighty is on your side, one +

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Overwhelmed with Worries

Dealing with the Worries of Life in this World

June 15, 2016

In 1988, Bobby McFerrin wrote the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” His advice – in the face of life’s troubles, worrying just makes things worse. So… don’t worry, be happy. God has a similar opinion about worry. It’s found in Philippians 4:6-7. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Don’t worry. Be Happy. Those words are easy to say, but not

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Summer on the Beach

Take Some Time This Summer to Rest & Reflect

June 8, 2016

No matter what stage of life you are in, summer is a time when we are conditioned to think about slowing down. Even if it’s been a long long time since we were in school, we all remember that feeling of excitement on the last day of school, with the whole wonderful lazy summer ahead of us. Something inside us still tells us that summer should be the time to: Lay in a hammock under a shady tree reading a book Hang out at the beach or lake or river just playing Drink a glass of lemonade or sweet tea

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