Video of Our Marriage Testimony

Lisa... and John

What a blessing! As a pastor, I sat here watching this and rejoicing at the ministry of reconciliation lived out in your lives, your marriage and your family. The testimony you have given to Christ's work in your life, to God's forgiveness of each of you and for each other is powerful. May He use it to bring great glory to His name.

As a husband, I sat here and wept, both tears of sorrow for the ways I still take my wife and family for granted, for selfishly putting "job" ahead of my marriage & family, for neglecting the means of grace to build us all up together in Christ. I also wept tears of joy, the joy of thanksgiving of the 26+ years God has given Ann & me. I can only hope she might say, someday, that she's been married to her best friend and her hero.

Hey Kevin,
I appreciate both your comment and transparency.

It was challenging for me to figure out how to get this video posted. Thanks to my husband, it got done. And to me it seems to be just the perfect time as we celebrate the season of Thanksgiving.

May the Lord abundantly bless you and your family and your ministry.

I can't express how much this blessed me. I wept. And praise God for saving your marriage.

He obviously has beautiful plans for both of you.

And your little girl is darling! (I love that "what?" at the end from your son, too.)

Wonderful witness to the amazing grace of our Lord and Savior.

Thanks for sharing that.

His greatest blessings be with you.

This is beautiful!

Lisa,

Thanks to you and your husband for sharing your testimony. What a wonderful example of God's amazing grace! We might just assume that we're Christians for whatever reason, but we would never seek God if He didn't first seek us. How good of the Lord to pursue and arrest us and make us to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Jen, God is so merciful. When I reflect on all that Jon and I have been through, how far we have come, how much we have grown, how much more we have to grow, I realize how miserable my life was and could have ended up had it not been for His amazing grace.

Donsands, It is God's story to be told, not hidden. I pray it is shared from generation to generation as a testimony to our children and our children's children, and so on, of the transforming power of God.

Kim, Only He can make beauty from ashes.

Tim, Excellent truth that you wrote... and very well said. No, we have no desire nor ability to pursue God apart from His first seeking us. It is HIS work alone for which no man has the right to take the credit. Yes... "how good of the Lord to pursue and arrest us and make us to the praise of the glory of His grace."

May we walk worthy of this incomprehensible work of abounding, undeserved grace by fervently pursuing and practicing righteous living both inwardly and outwardly for His glory as we spread the Good News of Christ to the ends of the earth, even in our last breath.

What a blessing indeed! Praise the Lord that you are using what you have learned to try and help others...instead of covering your old shame.

My wife and I went through something very similar, though it was before we were married, and so we can certainly relate. We've often expressed a desire to try and help others who are going through this kind of trouble, so you guys stepping out there is definitely an encouragement to us.

May the Lord bless you all, keep you, and cause His face to shine upon you.

Nathan,
Honestly, it is easier not to be transparent like this. People that meet us now never would have guessed that we went through that. When Jon finished residency we moved to a different state and could have easily hidden that shame.
But then, why? Why miss the opportunity to display the obvious work of the Lord? It really was a struggle to be transparent about this. I do, however, praise God that that shame was transformed into something God continues to use to encourage others. In the midst of it all, I would have NEVER thought ... it was unimaginable really. But then, that's God. He uses broken vessels that He has mended through the work of His Son to display His glory. ...wow.

Thank you for your comment and I pray the Lord continues to bless your ministry and family abundantly.

Thanks so much for being vulnerable and sharing about how the Lord used this for His glory. My brother and his wife are currently separated and going through a very similar situation. I'll be forwarding this link to both of them. Thank you.

Hi Lisa. What a blessing your video is. My daughter and her husband divorced last year around Christmas. They have four young children. My daughter professed Christ, but sometimes I wonder if it was more of a facade, having grown up in a Christian home. She spent much of last year partying but now she is being stripped of all that she has in her life. She may lose her home, her ex-husband wants nothing to do with her, she has major regrets, and she is very depressed. I pray that God will use all of this to draw her to Himself. It is very hard to see her go through this. I hope to show her your video. Thanks for sharing it.

Thank you so much for posting this. My heart ached for you both as you told your story. And then I was filled with incredible love for my Father.

Lisa and Jon,
As parents, it was very painful to experience the separation with you and Jon.
We are forever grateful to a praying church in New London, Texas that prayed for you as well as wrote you mail. We live with Amazing Grace as we see the Spirit of the Lord working thru you and Jon. What courage to give a legacy with your video- that others may be reconciled to Him.
I thank God for bringing me into your life.
Carol

Hey Ginney, Candy and Carla, I am honored that you would take the time to write such encouraging comments. Truly the Lord is to be praised for what He has done. My heart breaks to hear of the people in your lives that are going through a separation. May they be stripped of their pride and humble themselves before the mighty hand of our faithful God and trust in His good purposes.

Carol.... is my step-mother. She married my father when I was a rebellious young teen and withstood much ... so much. And I am thankful for her commitment to my dad and to our Heavenly Father. She was one of those people that witnessed the entire separation and went through the pain with us. She would probably tell you that she had no hope for our marriage because of my hardened heart. She would also tell you what an immense joy it has been to also witness God's work in our marriage since our reconciliation.

I remember Carol and my dad telling people at their church to pray for us. I even remember getting letters from some of those people when my heart was still so hard. I read them all. Even though they made me angry... they made me think. That is why I believe people should be active in speaking the truth in love... because it makes a difference even if it doesn't seem like it.

Thank you for commenting... for being a friend, a sister in Christ... and for being such a wonderful wife to my dad.

Yay!! You finally figured out how to post it! Now you will need to teach me...

I have posted a link on my blog to the Youtube site - that is about as far as I can get, though. ;-)

Great testimony, friend.

Awesome, powerful stuff.

My wife and I have a very similar testimony.

My wife has moved out of our house and in with another man after five years of marriage. Right as we came through the struggle to the good this happens! It has been 7 months and I pray and pray and pray that she will return and that we reconcile. Do you think this is possible even if it's only me who seems willing to do so?

Yes "j", I do. Most importantly, may the Lord be glorified in your life and actions and words, no matter the outcome. The main thing you need to focus on is honoring the Lord and living in obedience to His knowable and applicable Word of Truth.

Praying for you right now.