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I still remember the day the police came and escorted my husband out of our home.

I remember feeling like I could breathe for the first time in what felt like forever. Of course I was sad, but that night, I slept so well.

Over the previous five years, we had already gone through four different marriage counselors. Each one eventually referred us to someone else who they thought might be able to help. After years of trying, it had all culminated in a separation. Not because that was what we wanted, but because it had become necessary.

During that first week apart, I remember telling our marriage counselor, “I just wish we could find someone who has been where we are and is now on the other side.”

We were two people who loved the Lord. We sought Him daily. We had even served together in ministry over the years. But behind closed doors, our marriage was a hot mess. It had become toxic, and I had reached the point where I couldn’t do it anymore.

My health was suffering. I was dealing with constant migraines and heart problems, and my cardiologist had begun talking to me about the possibility of a heart ablation. Something was going to break, and I knew it could no longer be me.

I was prepared to move on.

And then, that same week, two pink lines appeared on a pregnancy test.

I took three tests because I simply couldn’t believe it.

Around that time, our marriage counselor told me, “I heard about this couple someone told me about, Joel and Kathy Davisson. You should look at their marriage ministry website and reach out to them.”

Talk about divine intervention.

As I began reading their story, I discovered that Joel and Kathy were Christians who had served in ministry, yet their own marriage had experienced serious problems, including abuse. And get this, the same week Kathy was preparing to divorce Joel, she discovered she was pregnant too!

Their story felt remarkably familiar. God had answered prayer.

During that time, God also told me two things:

1. No one is beyond hope.
2. God is in the business of resurrecting the dead, including a dead marriage!
   

So I clung to those words.

But I also told my husband very clearly that I would never go back to how things were in our marriage. If there was going to be any possibility of rebuilding our marriage, things had to change.

I asked him to begin attending the weekly Marriage Mentor Calls, enroll in an anger-management course, read Joel and Kathy’s books, and sign us up for their 5-Day Marriage Intensive in Florida.

Praise God, he took it seriously.

Within just one month of consistently doing those things, the changes were significant enough that he was able to move back home. But that was only the beginning of what God would do in our marriage.

From Surviving to Thriving

Today, we have been married for 20 years, have five beautiful children whom we homeschool, and I am incredibly thankful to say that God has restored the years the locusts had eaten.

Our marriage today looks nothing like the marriage we once had.

Sometimes we joke that we’re like two teenagers in love. We’re always holding hands and love being together. My husband is my best friend. I no longer feel as though I’m carrying everything by myself. We are a team.

He cooks me breakfast in the mornings, writes me love notes, surprises me with flowers, and takes me on dates. Our home, which was once filled with loud arguments, tension, and fear is now peaceful, joyful, and fun.

We just needed to get in front of the right information, correct interpretation of scripture, and practical tools to have the marriage God intended.

And looking back, we can see that God was writing this story long before we understood it.

Why We Do What We Do

We met and married while we were still in college. Even back then, we believed God had spoken to us about one day being used to help marriages.

We just had no idea about the journey He would take us through first.

2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

That’s what we believe God has called us to do.

We know what it feels like to love God and still have a marriage that is falling apart. We know what it feels like to wonder whether you’ve tried everything. We know what separation feels like. We know what it is to wonder whether your marriage is simply too broken to repair.

But we also know what it’s like to come out on the other side.

For the past five years, we have had the privilege of being part of this marriage ministry and helping other couples. Then God opened the door for us to create the Man of Her Dreams / Woman of His! Workbook.

Our prayer is that this workbook, the Marriage Mentor Calls, and the resources offered through this ministry will allow us to extend to other couples some of the same comfort, hope, and practical help that was extended to us when our own marriage desperately needed it.

We don’t want couples simply to stay married.

We want to help couples experience happy, healthy, thriving marriages that honor and glorify God.

And if you’re reading this while wondering whether there is still hope for yours, we want you to know:

We’ve been there. And we believe no marriage is beyond hope. God is in the business of resurrecting the dead, including a dead marriage!

You don’t have to figure out your next step alone. Whether you’re ready to begin working through the workbook or need someone to talk to about what’s happening in your marriage, we’re here for you.