I distinctly remember it. It was 1998, Keith's 2nd semester at Southeastern University, when God decided to introduce us to our life mission. CRAZY! You see, we had been married 4 1/2 years. The first 3 years could best be described as HELL...seriously. Year 4 got a little better as we began to come together with one focus (finding the right college for Keith to pursue his call to ministry). The problem - we were on opposite schedules, depended on our own families for everything and never built our relationship beyond the I Love You, Let's Get Married stage. We did however both love the Lord with all our hearts and agreed theologically in all the important areas. Basically, we agreed spiritually, financially, and politically. Reducing a huge amount of the stress many young married couples face. We also agreed that "Divorce" was not an option and not even in our vocabulary. Our marriage was not a contract, but a covenant with God and each other - it was fully binding and unbreakable. That was the glue that kept us together. It was that understanding alone that allowed us to reach the point in our marriage that God could begin to reveal his plan to us. A plan we knew, from the day we met, he had for us. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)
So, back to 1998 (I'll fill in the blanks another time with a blog about the rest of our story). Keith would come home from classes and we would sit down to talk about his day. Yes, for the record, I deserve an honorary degree : ) We were learning so much and loved to talk things through. Our paradigms were challenged on a daily basis and we, being in such agreement theologically, chose to challenge a great deal of the information being presented. One of Keith's professors required him to read a book called Victory Over the Darkness, by Neil Anderson. It is a book about discovering your identity in Christ and the freedom that results. We decided to read the book together and it challenged us to the core. We were sure the book was wrong...life in Christ couldn't possibly be that simple. We began to challenge the book point for point directly with scripture. Wow! It was truth. We were amazed. We began to adopt that truth into our lives and walk out what we had learned. OUR LIVES WERE TRANSFORMED!
Questions began to swirl around in our heads...How could it be that we were raised in the church (Preacher's kid and church Elder's kid) and had somehow missed, even among great teachings on the Grace of God, this life changing truth? How many other's were struggling through their Christian existance with no idea about the freedom they have in Christ or what that statement even means? What could we do about it? Could we change the world around us? Would others experience the same life change we had?
Our response - Yes, we can make a difference. We can make sure that everyone God allows our lives to touch, hears this good news of the gospel. This Vision took hold in our hearts and our family mission was solidified. We set out to introduce others to their identity in Christ and the incredible freedom that accompanies this understanding. "...to testify to the Gospel of God's Grace." (Acts 20:24b) This mission has become more and more ingrained in our lives over the years.
