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We had been married for 26.5 years when we realized something in our marriage needed to change.

Brian was a workaholic, working hard to feed eight mouths, while I was a “momaholic,” homeschooling all of our children. We loved God and loved our family, but our marriage wasn’t what either of us wanted it to be.

Interestingly, our journey toward a better marriage began when a friend asked me for help with hers.

I Googled marriage help and found Joel and Kathy Davisson’s ministry. I bought their first book and read it to make sure it lined up with the Bible. As I read, I realized that we needed this information too, so I bought the audiobook for Brian to listen to while he was drywalling.

Once Brian heard about the problems Joel and Kathy had experienced in their marriage, his reaction was basically, “I’m not like this guy.” He listened to the rest of the book with a pretty cocky attitude, announced that he had finished it and then...

Nothing happened for FOUR YEARS!

Then one night in October, we were lying in bed angry with each other, facing opposite walls. Brian couldn't understand why I was so unhappy. From his perspective, these should have been the best days of our lives. He had provided a beautiful home, our children were healthy, and he had worked hard to take care of our family.

I reminded him of something he often said about working in construction: you have to have the right tools.

I told him, “This ministry helps people who have dealt with affairs and other serious problems. Maybe they can help us with the bump in the rug that we continue to trip over.”

Brian asked if I wanted to attend one of their Marriage Intensives.

“YES.”

We planned to go in December, but December came and December went.

By January, I had reached my breaking point. I told Brian, “You just said this to shut me up. I will live in this house with you, but YOU WILL NEVER HAVE MY HEART AGAIN!”

That was the turning point.

Brian came to me and asked for my help booking the intensive. We sat down together, made the arrangements, and watched as God opened the doors. We received incredible rates for the trip, and then a previous customer offered Brian two huge jobs that paid for the intensive before we even arrived.

In January 2012, we traveled to Florida for our Marriage Intensive.

And we received our miracle.

God used the practical tools and principles of this ministry to transform our marriage. The changes were so significant that just one year later, Joel and Kathy asked us to begin helping moderate the Marriage Mentor Calls.

That was back in 2013, and we have been helping other couples ever since.

Where We Are Today

Today, we are celebrating 40 years of marriage. We have six children here on earth and one in heaven, nine grandchildren, and two more on the way.

We do ministry together. We work together. We play together. And most importantly, we genuinely enjoy spending time together.

God has been so faithful to us. He took a marriage that had been stuck for years and gave us the tools we needed to build something completely different.

Now, we have the privilege of helping other husbands and wives do the same.

We know firsthand that simply staying married isn't the same thing as having a happy marriage. Our desire is to help couples get beyond merely surviving and discover how wonderful marriage can become when you have the right tools and are willing to put them into practice.

We look forward to helping you build an outrageously happy marriage on this side of heaven.

If Brian and Charlotte can do this—SO CAN YOU!