Hello. Welcome.
Hello.
Welcome last year single community. We're so glad that you're here joining us tonight for our month is a June edition of our love story. I'm so excited to have our love stories that are here with us tonight.
For those of you who don't know my husband. This is Pastor Brian is what we call him around here, but he is my husband and just super blessed to have him joining us again for this love story edition and we have Penelope and Henry newlyweds just married April 5 super exciting.
And then we also have Diane and John who were also just married recently. Sorry, I got to look at the date May 25. So we have two newlywed couples with us tonight. So, you know, one of the things I was thinking as I was praying for you all before we got on is just we've had a lot of people talking about discouragement.
And I just want you to know that if that's where you're at like we understand, but we don't want you to stay there. And so I hope tonight that as we touch on different aspects of their stories that out of it, you will hear that even when they felt discouraged.
They kept showing up. They kept coming. They kept going back to the Lord for healing as far as the two ladies that are from our community. I haven't met their spouses yet. So I'm excited to get to know these guys a little bit tonight, but they just kept coming and trusting the Lord and not giving up on what God promised them.
And so I just wanted to start tonight off with that, like whether you're a male or female in this community, the enemy is always going to try to convince you that God isn't going to come through for you. But if you will resist those lies, no matter what comes your way and stay focused on what is God saying to you personally, I believe he's going to continue to encourage you and love you all the way through every step of the way to meet your spirit mate.
So again, so glad that you're joining us. We're thrilled to have you as a part of our last year single community. I'm going to basically kick off tonight with Penelope and Henry first. We'll have them individually share their stories as far as like how did God work in them and heal them?
Like what was a little bit of their story before they met? And then what was the little bit of that journey like from both of their perspectives after meeting each other? And then we'll come over to John and Diane and have them do the same thing. And then from there, we'll do kind of a round robin. So as I hear more of your all stories, which some of it I already know, but sometimes we just lean into Holy Spirit to pull out aspects of what you share as well so that the community can grow and just be encouraged through your story.
So Penelope and Henry, hello. Welcome. We're so glad that you're here. I'm going to go ahead and pass it over to you to share a little bit of your story with us.
Hey, everybody. We're excited to be here. So I have been a part of the community for over two years. And, you know, I had heard that Jackie had written that book, married in, what was it? Married in one year or 12 months or less or something like that. And I was like, yeah, that's what I'm going to do. That did not happen for me.
So I, for some reason, thought that, you know, that was my timeframe. But when that passed, I continued to pray and ask the Lord to help me, you know, find my spirit mate. And so I have just to give you a little bit of backstory. I was married for 22 years.
My first husband passed away and we had three boys together. And then a year after that, I met a guy and we were married for three years total. And there was some abuse in that relationship. And so we divorced. And so about two years ago, a little over two years ago, my good friend Heather told me about this community.
She goes, what do you think? And we were looking at the videos and stuff. And the week prior to that, the Lord spoke the words to me, divine appointment. And so I watched a couple of Jackie's videos just to see what was going to happen and see what it was about. And she mentioned the words divine appointment.
So I was like, Oh, I think I'm going to spend the money on this. So I was, I'm, I tell you, I told so many people about this program because God has done so many amazing things for me in this program. There was so much healing, especially right up front. I've experienced, I'm still experiencing healing, even in our relationship.
Cause you know, Jackie says hurt in relationship, healed in relationship. So that's happening now for me. I'm still healing.
using the revealing for healing worksheet that she gives us and that's been golden for me and so if
you haven't used it yet please do because it's brought so much frustration for me especially
for triggers and things like that from my past relationships of being I've been cheated on
and then some other thing abuse as well so very helpful for that so that's a little bit about
my backstory you want to tell a little bit of yours as well yeah mine's similar but totally
different in that sense I had been being married to Penelope this is my third time and my first
marriage was 25 years and disintegrated terribly in a divorce where I'm ostracized from my children
and you know there was a terrible situation and it was excruciatingly painful
uh you know because of the way the circumstances uh developed and and I spent
several years basically just alone and and kind of working through my life and trying to
to rebuild things because it had been so shattered and then as I have said before
I met a girl of my dreams and we were married within two and a half years
she passed away almost two years ago and and I was bereft and you know my heart was upended
um all during that period of time uh I'm I'm I had you know as a as a young Christian
I'm learning about things and I'm studying and reading and and acquiring under understanding and
and and uh applying the scriptures in different ways more and more and more and then uh
you know when when my second wife was failing so quickly uh and and then passed away very suddenly
it was a very uh spiritual moment even as I and the extended family of 16 were crammed in the
hospital bedroom and were praying her into the next life it was it was profound and since then
uh you know the it's indescribable what I what was going on in my heart but I I grew in my faith
and felt um I was humbled by so many things and um you know all this there was a lot of different
things going on in my own personality uh and then right after the one-year anniversary of her death
I inadvertently bumped into Penelope at an event that I didn't want to go to
and I had been resisting on going to this event for several months and
we almost like bumped into each other in a social setting and I asked if she wanted to sit at our
table or or a table for 10 with nobody sitting at it and I didn't I mean I didn't even see her
I just saw her walking by I was like would you like to join us uh and she did and
let's back up just a little bit from there so um I I have some prophetic gifts and I talked to
Bethany about this earlier and there's been so many times where I thought God said something
and I totally missed it and I've gone out with a lot of guys and continue relationships with guys
that I shouldn't have continued relationships with and I totally missed what God was saying
and one of the things that happened recently for me um last summer I had been praying and fasting
and I was getting ready to go on a missions trip um with the youth from my church and this was last
July and I um wasn't even really thinking about a guy at the time but two days before the missions
trip a friend of mine reached out to me and she said hey Penelope God spoke your name to me this
morning and he said your future husband is coming soon and I was
Like, oh, wow, great, that's awesome.
You know, but then I was like, you know,
I've been thinking about this for a couple of years.
So I'm just gonna put this on the shelf.
I'm gonna wait to see what happens, you know,
because my prophetic words aren't always accurate.
Maybe this isn't accurate.
So, but two days later,
we're riding on the missions trip to Tennessee
and the conversation in the car had quieted down
and I start thinking about what she said.
And I know that sometimes coming soon to us
is different than coming soon to God.
So I asked God, I said, so soon,
what does that mean to you?
What does coming soon mean to you?
And I looked out the driver's window
and I saw this huge billboard sign that said,
coming soon fall 2024.
And I was like, what?
And I was like, okay.
I mean, big things happen when I fast and pray
before missions trips,
but that was a really big sign, literally.
So I was like, okay.
So I pull out my phone and I'm looking like,
when's fall of this year?
And this was July.
So I was like, fall starts September 22nd.
So Lord, do you mean September, October,
November, December?
Like I'm having this conversation in my head with him.
And so the whole missions trip,
I keep hearing the songs September by Earth, Wind and Fire
over and over, like different settings.
I keep hearing the song.
It's a very significant song to me and my late husband
for different reasons.
We won't go into that.
But I was like, okay, I think God may be saying September,
but you know, still I'm just like, okay, we'll see.
And cause I didn't want to like jump into anything
cause I've done it in the past and I've made many mistakes.
So my friend who was also a widow,
she's a ballroom dancer and a writer like me.
She texted me while I was on the missions trip
and she said, Penelope, the song September,
it keeps playing over and over.
I think God's trying to say something.
And I was like, oh my gosh.
So I'm getting, you know, one from one friend
and I'm getting from another friend.
And so these were outside sources,
not just seeing a vision myself.
And that's the difference between
what I've done in the past.
Like I went out with a guy one time
because I had a dream and a vision
and they lined up with, you know,
his circumstances lined up with my dream and vision.
But I think God was in the past just telling me
what was going to happen
versus this is who you're supposed to be with.
And so I just jumped on it thinking,
oh, this is who I'm supposed to be with, you know?
And then, you know, there were red flags
and I was ignoring them.
And so anyway, but this, I was like taking my time.
I was like, okay, we'll see, we'll see, we'll see.
So last summer for him,
you want to tell a little bit about your last summer,
getting to your dance class?
Yeah, so I had several years ago,
10 years ago, a friend of mine,
he was single, I was single.
We thought we would just take on some new skills.
So let's go and learn some dance.
Let's learn how to dance.
We started learning swing, swing dancing, West Coast swing.
And so we did that for a few years.
I got married to my late wife, Sherry.
And we, after a while, stopped doing that.
And I hadn't been back for eight years.
And so during the year after she passed,
around this time, you know, it's going on,
you know, 10 months after she passed
and I'm tired of watching the paint dry in the house
and I work out of the home.
It's like, sometimes I wouldn't even start my car
for five days.
I'm like, I got to get a life.
I got to, you know, I got to do something about this.
And so let's go back.
And he was back in a situation where he was single.
And so let's go back dancing.
And as soon as we got there,
they're like, oh, there's this great event in September.
And I'm like, I already heard about it a long time ago.
And I'm not, I don't want to go.
I knew that from this time until the end of August,
it's going to be the memory points
of emergency room visits at four in the morning
with my late wife and doctor's appointments
and terrible, terrible, worse, worse kind of circumstances.
And as I was going through that the first time,
I was reliving some of those moments.
It was hard.
And, but then we would go on Tuesday night to dance
and they'd tell me about this thing.
I don't want to do it.
Leave me alone.
Stop talking about it.
Stop bothering me.
I like, you know, getting abrupt with people, you know
and they're just being exuberant.
And then they decided.
It's an amazing event.
phasing 1,000 dancers from all over the world.
I've never done something that, you know,
I'm not that good, you know,
and it's like a little bit over my head.
And then they're like,
oh, so the leaders of the group are all excited
because they're gonna draw two names out of the hat.
And draw-
God has a way.
And, you know, I'm not from a world of understanding
and anticipating prophetic gifts.
And I just, you know, I'm dealing with the moments
that we have to have discernment of what to do,
what not to do.
And I just felt overwhelmed.
I didn't want to do it.
And they drew my name out of the hat.
And I tried to get-
He was the fourth, the fourth name that was drawn out.
So everybody else put their name back in the hat
for one reason or another.
But they got a ticket.
I'm gonna do that too.
Put my name back in the hat.
Well, my buddy was in the back of the room,
raising his hand and say, hey, what about me?
I'll give it away.
And I'm arguing with the organizers
and him in front of 45 people.
Anyway, all right, I'll take the darn ticket.
And so I'm miffed.
I am beside myself.
I didn't want to go, what's going on?
And then as we would drive in together to that event,
that's those lessons.
And he says on the way home,
hey, if you wanted to go, I'll buy my own ticket.
You gotta be kidding me.
All right, so we go Thursday night.
We go on Friday.
And some of the songs are tearing my heart out
because my late wife and I love to dance.
And it was really rough.
It had been a rough year.
Crucible is the word that's come to mind lately.
And so he decides we're not gonna drive together
the next day.
He wants to spend the night at a hotel and stay local
so that he can just pop out of bed and be ready to go.
And I'm like, nah, I'm not doing it.
I was in the no, no, no program.
So I went home and then the next day,
I know I have to go back on Saturday.
Did they freeze for you all as well?
Oh, there we go.
Okay, you froze when you were saying
you went to go back on Saturday, I think.
I went to go back on, yeah, thank you.
I went to go back on Saturday,
but it was after I had done all the chores
that I could think of doing,
like including cleaning the toilet and really important.
And so I get there around 4.30, four o'clock, whatever.
And there was starting a new series of dance classes.
They're an hour long.
There's 100 or 150 people.
They're playing good music.
You're rotating partners every minute.
And so it's, you know, by eight o'clock,
you know, 7.30, eight o'clock after I had shifted
and I'm enjoying myself, I'm letting it out a little bit.
And as we're walking through the concourse
of the lobby of the hotel, I hear somebody behind me
tell someone else behind me about a wine and cheese event
that's 50 feet in front of me.
And it's by invitation only.
Well, I was feeling a little plucky.
So let me see if I can get myself invited.
And I walked in and I saw someone I knew.
I went over and talked to them.
He said, hey, I'm going to sit over here.
There's wine over there with muffins
and crackers and cookies, get what you want.
I'll meet you over here.
And when I get over there, there's this lady standing
in front of the white wine.
The red wine is to her right at the end of the table.
And, but she's not moving.
She's shifting back and forth.
So-
I was trying to decide if I was going to take
some gluten-free bread or not,
because I didn't want to take somebody's gluten-free bread.
And I'm like, I don't know what to do.
Hard decisions to be made.
And I just, I reached around her,
grabbed a glass of red wine and went to go sit down.
Moments later, she is walking beside me.
And I go over to the tables
and I look at the first full table and I'm like,
I don't know any of these people.
I don't want to sit with anybody I don't know.
But you know, I'm at an event to meet people, of course,
and I'm chickening out at this point.
to sit with these people. Now I'm going to go sit at this table by myself on the other side
and hope my friends will come join me. And I'm thinking, why? And there's no lady that I know
will ever want to sit at a table by herself, especially a big table like that. So I, and I
don't even know what she looked like. I mean, I know she's short, but, but you know, that's okay.
Which our height differences, we should mention I'm 5'4 and he's 6'5. And that was one of the
things I took off my long list of things that we were supposed to, you know, cause Jackie's so
short in the list. I had like 20 and that, and then I had four. So being tall was one of the
things I took off the list, but God bonused me with that. So I'm thankful. Yeah, I know.
So Jordan, the list is, that's kind of funny. I hadn't heard it like that.
Short list. Anyway, so he sits down and recognizes, I said, you don't have a seat,
or you want to join us? And she, and I think I don't even look at him cause he's over on this
side and I'm thinking somebody's hitting on me. So I kind of freak out and freeze and I say,
sure. And I turn around and sit down and stare at my food. And I don't even look at him because I
don't know who it is. I thought she's pretty any stranger. It's like, well, okay, fine. Have a
seat. And then, so this guy across from me notices me from another event and he starts talking to me
and I say, oh yeah, I remember you. We danced together. And so we start talking and then he
asks me what I do. And then he turns and looks at Henry who's on my right. And he says, Henry,
are you still in real estate? And I went, oh, he's kind of cute. And the Lord had prompted me
that morning that today was the day. And so I, you know, I was kind of expecting. So the fact
that I saw he was kind of cute, you know what Jackie says, you know, not necessarily the hottest
guys on the list, but you know, if they're, you know, at least, you know, in the category,
but as Bethany says, they get more and more attractive the more that you hang out with them.
Right. He's so handsome, isn't he? So anyway, I, so I started talking to him and asking him
questions. And at one point I asked him a question and he had to respond.
My late wife and I, and then I lost my voice for about 45 seconds and I'm trying not to lose my
composure. And I sluttered something out about something and she, you know, tried to like,
okay, it's okay. And I said to her that, no, I'm not, I'm not embarrassed. I'm not ashamed. I have
to, I have to live out my emotions. I can't squelch them. And that was a big green flag.
And, and shortly thereafter, she said, well, I understand I've been a widow almost 10 years
and my story is the rabbit hole opened up, the trap door opened up and the rabbit hole
sucked us in and we danced till 3.30 in the morning. I know. So we're going to share real
quick about our first date because God just tied everything together to confirm things for us.
But I gave him my number at 3.30 in the morning. I promised myself. Without asking.
He didn't have to ask for it. That's right. And he said, he'd like to see me again. I said,
would you like my number? So, but the next day we decided to go to Arboretum, which was in town
because he's ended up staying the night in the hotel with his friend. He didn't want to stay in.
And the funny thing about this event is a four day event. He and his friend both promised each
other no chicks. No chicks. No chicks. And I'm like, no problem. That's the furthest thing from
my mind. I'm still grieving my life. Still suffering from the one year mark. So we go,
we meet at the Raleigh Arboretum the next day and he brings blue hydrangeas to match my eyes
and some snacks. And I was like, this is, you know, he did a good job doing for our first date
and he brought some Prosecco. Yeah. And yeah, thumbs up. And so we walk into the Arboretum
and we round this corner.
and he sees a hawk flying overhead.
And I associate my late husband with hawks.
And this thing was doing strange maneuvers,
just going up and down.
That's not how they typically fly.
You know, they're either gonna come in for landing,
take off where they're soaring.
And this thing was doing this.
That's really strange.
So the hawk lands on an arbor
and I decided I'm not gonna talk to him
about the association for me,
because it's our first date.
And so I tried to take some pictures
just for the memory and I can't get the hawk
because he turns its head and looks at me
and then turns it back away and it's back is to us.
So I mentioned it to him and he goes around
and takes around the front and takes pictures of the hawk.
And the hawk just sits there for the longest time.
And Henry comes back over to me where I'm standing
and there's a bush in front of us
and an unusual butterfly that I've never seen before
is flying around getting nectar
from the flowers on the bush.
And he says to me, his late wife's name is Sherry,
because Sherry's family associates her
with this type of butterfly.
It's a black swallowtail.
It's all black with blue dots on its lower tail.
Yeah, and then of course I start tearing up
because I realized about the hawk and the butterfly.
And I say, well, I associate Patrick with hawks.
And then he looks at me, he goes, are you okay?
Because the emotions are starting to feel
the Lord working through it.
And I said, yeah.
And so then we went on to have our little snacks
and talk some more.
And we find out we have some mutual friends.
These friends of ours taught his late wife.
This is intense.
His late wife and him dance lessons.
They taught me and my late husband dance lessons.
And then when we went to an event this past January
and they taught us some dance lessons together.
And it's just like a full circle moment.
And so he calls her the day after our first date
and he says, Pam, you'll never guess who I met.
Are there any red flags?
So he was asking about me and red flags.
She goes, no, I love Penelope.
So we've had some amazing God moments
that God's just lined up for us.
I love this.
This has been incredible.
Man, I love just even hearing
just all the different aspects
of how God was intricately involved
in both of your stories individually.
So powerfully.
And then leading you all to each other.
And even in that, like all the ways that God was showing up
in the small moments of y'all meeting.
And just the intentionality.
I wanna pull this out for the community.
The intentionality of getting out of comfort zones,
doing sometimes what you don't wanna do,
listening for what is the Lord saying to you.
I just think it's a really amazing story
representing all of those aspects.
And then just with what y'all went through
with losing former spouses
and how God let them be there with you on that day.
I just, I think that's incredible and powerful.
And so I'm so grateful
that you shared that part of your story.
We're gonna come back.
We're gonna have you answer some more questions
but I'm gonna come over to John and Diane.
And you all feel free to share whatever you want
about, again, before you met each other,
kind of what was God doing.
Diane, for you, even if it's before the heartwork
but in the heartwork.
But John, we know that you may have different aspects
of how God was healing you.
But doing all of that stuff
and then how God brought you together.
And again, anything that you all wanna share
from your stories, backstory and all of that
to encourage our members
just about all the different ways God can show up
in the before, in between and after.
Yeah.
Can you hear me?
Okay.
Yep.
So-
Hey, Bethany, you gotta put the great stories at the end,
not, you know, how do we follow that?
Oh, you're gonna do great.
You're gonna do great.
I love that story.
Thanks, Penelope and Henry.
That's amazing.
All those God winks.
So I'm gonna start in the summer of 2023.
God gave me a verse and I felt like it was Isaiah 43, 19.
And it said, see, I am doing a new thing.
Now it springs up.
Do you not perceive it?
I'm making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
And I also, my husband suddenly passed away
in October of 2021.
So I've been widowed three and a half years now.
And in the beginning of 2024,
so this was probably five, six months
after that verse struck me.
And I knew that-
was for me and I clung to it with hope because I, I did want to find love again.
I just didn't believe that it could happen for me.
Um, I had a wonderful marriage of 27 years.
We were together one week shy of 30.
And, um, he went on a hunting trip in Western North Dakota and had a
massive heart attack at the age of 49.
So I have two boys.
Um, one is 20 now and the other one is 10.
And so it was quite, quite a shock.
And there were many things that he would do, um, around the house that I had no
clue how to do, including paying my bills, but anyways, um, so that
verse was very special to me.
And in the beginning of 2024, so January, I learned that my job was, um, coming to
an end and I was actually really excited about it because it was sucking the life
out of me and I decided that was the year that I wanted to find love.
Um, I, I was ready to start dating again.
I had no clue how to do that after 30 years of not dating and online dating.
I just, it was a very confusing and overwhelming.
And so, um, but I found Jackie in May of last year.
So it's been a little bit over a year and I signed up May 12th.
I took part in her last year, single challenge.
And I said, I'm not going to sign up for this, but I'm going
to see what it's all about.
Like I was pretty sure I was not going to invest in, um, this opportunity
and I was just blown away.
I did all the challenges and I thought Jackie is anointed for matchmaking.
Like I need to learn how to do this the right way.
And, um, and so I did, I joined and, um, we were married a little
bit after your May 25th.
So, um, that's pretty cool.
But anyway, I live in Naperville, Illinois, and I wrote some notes.
So I'm just kind of following where I left off here.
Um,
okay, so
Oh, great.
Um, sorry.
Um, okay.
So I, the heart work was really transformational for me and, you know,
in the first 30 days, they advise you not to date.
And so I was seeing somebody and then I decided, um, to really follow through
with what Bethany and, um, and the team was telling me.
And so I took that time.
I bought the book, um, which was awesome.
And I read through it all and I did all the heart heartwork, but there were
times where it was just too much.
Um, you know, I knew I had wounds that needed healing and I still do in some
ways, but, um, I, I guess I just hadn't confronted them and talk to God about
them in the ways that the heart work was laid out.
So it was really great to, um, I got an upgrade in my mindset because I
believe two things that weren't true.
And one of them was no one else could love me the way I love myself.
And so I just, I just, I just, I just, I just, I just, I just, I just
was no one else could love me.
I thought Rob was the only one that would be able to love me.
Cause I feel sometimes like I'm a mess and I'm too much.
And number two, even if someone did love me, could I even ask God to bless
me with another wonderful marriage?
I just felt like there's so many people that are looking for their spirit mate.
I had one and part of my story is being a widow.
And can I even, um, ask God to, to give me another love that
would last the rest of my life.
So I'm an achiever and I love working through the curriculum and the different.
Levels of classes and checking them off and completing them, um, with the love
story accelerator in the past sessions.
So I really committed to showing up consistently, especially to the
supernatural Saturdays and the special events they would have with the group
coaching, and I learned so much from just listening to what others experiences
were and the questions they were asking.
And it was interesting because I remember kind of tuning out when they
talked about long distance, cause I just had decided that that was not going to be
for me, I couldn't do that with a 10 year old.
Um, and so when I would go out and dates, I probably dated about seven
or eight people in this process.
And if it didn't work out, you know, I'd pick up my, myself from the
bootstraps and go back to supernatural Saturdays discouraged.
And I always left lighter and hopeful and just hearing everyone else's love
stories and how God was blessing them.
Um, really helped me hold belief for, for me and my story that was yet to show up.
Um, so I learned so much from everyone.
Um, uh, let's see.
So I started the program in may and then in October.
Actually, I just found my notes yesterday on October 5th, Jackie had a session launching
the new Hebrew year, which I didn't even know was a thing, which was the year 5785.
And she explained, oh, I left out a little part, okay, well, let me back up a little
bit.
So what I appreciated most about Jackie's program, it's all amazing, but there were
parts where you did identify what you were looking for.
And in the dating process, I found what I wasn't looking for.
And so I just kept coming back to that list and refining it and shortening it and identifying
my non-negotiables.
And I did have one date before the program that I wish I would have known to look for
the three Ms.
So you want someone who's masculine, marriage minded, and mature.
And just filtering it through that lens, along with your non-negotiables, just helps you
get to who you're supposed to be with faster, I think.
And believing that God will guide you in that process, too.
So that was really helpful.
So we met on the Our Time app for 50 and over.
And Dan actually reached out to me on July 24th, and I ignored him.
I just got back from Europe, so I was really overwhelmed with getting back into the swing
of things.
And I saw that he was two hours away in Milwaukee, and I'm like, nope, can't do it.
So I decided just to not to respond.
And he reached out again exactly two months later on September 24th.
And I was very curt.
I just said, don't you think you live too far away?
Of course, he can't hear my voice when I type that.
But he wrote me this long book, and he said, well, if it's the right person, he's really
it was a book, you know, if it's the right person, I'm willing to travel.
And I said, well, I have a 10 year old, I'm not easily able to get up there, you know,
very often.
And he's like, no problem.
I'll come to you.
But then I said, he wanted to go on a date right away.
And I said, gosh, that's a four hour round trip.
What if there's what if that's a waste of time?
We don't have a connection.
So I heard Jackie in my back of my mind saying, ask for a video date.
So I'll have him explain how that made him feel.
But we did we got on a video date.
And I was surprised because afterwards, I said, it was about 45 minutes, I said, you're
much more handsome than your pictures.
And he said, well, I couldn't take a selfie to save my life.
And I'm not going to steal your polo thing, but um, yeah, so I was intrigued.
And I asked for one more video date.
And then we the day we went out was the same day of the Hebrew New Year training on October
5.
So that is really special to us.
And that's one reason why we picked to get married on 525 25.
Because five means God's grace, and the two is partnering.
So that's really special.
Yeah, and so and it wasn't after the first date, I wasn't like, oh, I just really want
to see him again.
I was intrigued, and we had a good time, but I just don't really know how I felt.
And so, you know, it's a yes until it's a no.
So you follow that process and trust it.
And I'm so glad that I did.
And yeah, so I wrote down from my notes on the Hebrew New Year.
5785 is hey, hey, put your mouth in agreement with the Lord.
Take action.
Be behold, get ready for a time of manifestation, be full of hope and expectation.
Because obedience leads to breakthrough 2025 is the year of redemption.
And that really struck my heart because I know I knew God was about to redeem my story
of being a widow.
It's a year of redemption and a year of favor from the Lord.
And it's still that year, right, until October.
So that's exciting.
So we got engaged on April 2nd.
We took the Symbus class in February, and we were married on 525, and we had a beach
ceremony in Cancun last week on 611 as well.
So the coolest thing, though, is do you know that John means God's grace?
So that's really awesome, too.
I love those God winks.
And the other thing that was really funny, because I have a thing for numbers.
So we came home.
So basically, he still lives in Milwaukee, I still live here, and then we spend about
half the week together because he has to go into work for three days a week.
So it's hard, but we're managing it and it's working pretty well.
Easier now that Ty's out of school,
so we can go up there and spend more time with him.
But we came home one time,
I don't know where we were at,
and I happened to look at my address and like,
huh, 3428, and the 428 is his birthday,
and there's three of us now with my son because my oldest is at college.
So anyway, I'm like,
aww, that was so cool, God.
Yeah, there's been a lot of Godwings.
When I met Diane, I wasn't sure I knew what a Godwing was,
but now she's pointing them out.
I'm like, oh, my story is a little bit different,
I think, because I didn't take the classes and
the first exposure to any of this was the semester class we took.
But I have a 23-year-old daughter and a divorce for probably almost 20 years.
Since then, I had two significant relationships,
10 plus years and six plus years.
It was interesting as I reflected on some of the questions
that Brittany had prompted us to address.
Made me think, we talked about marriage,
but it just never happened for one reason or another.
But I guess what led me to her was after the divorce,
I went to a therapist.
That was almost 20 years ago.
So for a man to do that,
that was interesting.
But I thought it was helpful just to talk to someone, try to analyze it.
I guess what led me to that more,
because at that time, both my parents were passed.
So stepping back further,
maybe some of the reasons that the marriage didn't work,
as we met probably a week before my dad had passed,
and I was probably in it for the, not the relationship.
I mean, we connected on so many different levels,
but it was probably still healing for that.
But when my mom passed at 13,
my dad was not retired yet,
and he worked in Illinois.
I went to school down here and I lived down here for 10 plus years.
So that's why for me,
the distance wasn't really a thing.
But when my dad got sick,
I moved back and bought his house,
and that's eventually where he passed.
But I was very independent.
I think going through those two relationships,
I think that's how God led me to Diane,
and maybe why those relationships didn't work,
because it really allowed me to grow and mature emotionally,
and I think I'm pretty mature regardless.
But growing up very independent,
and I always did things for myself.
No one else was right.
I was always right,
and over those other relationships,
I've just listened a lot more,
and I'm not even sure I knew what empathetic was back then.
But I thought I could control everything,
and everything had to be in a certain way,
a certain order, and now if it's meant to be, it'll happen.
I think those relationships really taught me,
because they were pretty long-term.
One of them, we lived together.
We were trying to blend a family.
She had two kids,
and I had my daughter,
and you just learn what you really need,
and what you really desire out of a relationship.
So I thought that was,
despite Diane's story and all that,
that all the God-winks and stuff that she points out,
that it was very easy for me to see relatively soon
that she checked every box.
Apparently, it's a thing that I met a lot on her list,
or all things, but I'm like, there's a list?
But, yeah, I think I lost track.
I didn't prepare.
I just drove two hours to get down here,
and I'm still, you know, I didn't get a chance to go.
You're doing great.
No.
You're doing great, John, yeah.
So, yeah, I think if there's a lesson
to pass along to everybody,
it's, you know, it might be obvious to you guys,
but sometimes you just got to let go,
and let God just work his magic.
And, you know, I wasn't,
she gives me the business about the profile pictures.
I'm like, well, yeah, I wasn't really serious on the app.
You know, I'm like,
It tried other apps at some point
and I put a lot of effort into it,
but it was disappointment after disappointment
after disappointment for one reason or another.
And that's why, you know, when she wanted the video chat,
I'm like, well, this is new.
I'm like, what?
You know, I just was, it was a foreign concept to me,
even though I'm in technology and we do it all day.
I'm like, wait, I gotta,
I felt like it was a pre-screening thing or something.
I'm like, and I wore a blue polo
and apparently that's what, that just did it for her.
So I have 20 of them now.
That's great, John.
Keep, keep filling the closet with those polos, man.
But yeah, so I lost my train of thought, but yeah.
And that's, that's why I was, you know, all about,
you know, it's so hard to, you know,
you're up against a checklist
and you got to do this and that.
And for me, it was like, what I found best is,
I think it's with her, like,
I think it's some of the concepts.
I didn't take the class,
so I don't understand all those concepts,
but it's not a no until it's a no or whatever.
But I think it indirectly without, you know,
that background and all that is that's why I was like,
well, yeah, let's just go out on a first date.
You don't know until you know,
and four hours is a small amount of time, you know,
for the drive there and back for, you know,
a lifetime of happiness.
You got to, you know, yeah, you just,
I was open to a lot of things and, you know,
obviously Illinois is not unfamiliar to me.
And I'm like, well, you know, don't worry about it.
I'll come to you.
It's not a big deal.
So, sorry.
So I would say, you know, just persevere.
Don't give up.
It's out there and, you know, I'm here.
I am 56 and didn't, you know,
had two long-term relationships, didn't work out.
And, you know, just got to keep going
and just know what you want and figure that out
and take time to heal yourself.
Yeah.
And that's so good.
And I want to pull out something that they,
that John actually said,
even though Diane mentioned his photos,
something that John said to me,
ladies, make sure you heard what he said.
He was still wanted to find someone,
but there was so much disappointment
that when he put his photo on the app,
he was kind of like, eh, you know, just put up whatever.
At least that's how I'm interpreting what he's saying.
And the reason I'm bringing that out
is because so many people pass over people
that are really great people
because their photos aren't hot.
Okay.
And so ladies, I just want to encourage all of you.
Let's look at the quality of the person.
I'm not saying you can't, you know,
like you have to pick someone
that you're not attracted to at all,
but what is God saying about that person?
I remember, I remember actually,
I had seen Brian's photo and I hadn't swiped on it.
And then he sent me a message.
And then I said to my friend, should I respond?
I put my smolder photos up too.
He did.
He had a dog in one of his photos
and that actually was, it drew me in because I love dogs,
but he was handsome too.
But just, I just want you to know,
like sometimes you just got to get to know the person
and be open-minded and not, again,
not have this massive long list that you literally,
like that person can't even get their foot
in the door with you.
Now, obviously if somebody is just not healthy,
that's not what we're talking about right now.
But because I see so much of the coaching
that goes on in our groups,
I know how many women are like,
why didn't he care about, or put up a better photo?
Or, you know, remember that those that are in our program,
female and male, you're getting coaching
that other people aren't getting, okay?
We really coach you all on,
hey, think about this, about your photos.
And we did the profiles, a dating profile thing
and the dating resume, whatever we called it.
And, you know, the quality of things that we're teaching,
not everybody's getting that.
And so I'm not saying you have to pick someone
that's not healthy, but what I am saying is expand,
expand what you're open to as far as,
hey, like this guy's talking about
some really amazing things on his profile.
Maybe his pictures aren't the pictures of him.
Get to know him, you know, or whatever.
I'm just kind of using that as an example.
But I loved that you guys talked about that.
And one of the other things that really stood out to me,
Diane, is when you shared about the lies
that you were believing,
because when I even asked you yesterday,
you said the one, but then you went deeper into it tonight.
You said to me that, you know,
you didn't know if someone could love you again.
And that's what you had said.
But tonight you said, because you felt like you were a mess and that you were
too much and that that's where in your mind, the enemy was lying to you,
that only Rob could love you.
And so I just want to say to everyone that is here listening to this tonight
or in replay that, you know, when it's God leading you to your spirit mate,
your spirit mate has been prepared for you.
I remember the first time just being afraid.
I would love for you to share about this, not maybe the content of the story,
but there was an aspect of my testimony that I was afraid to share with Brian
because my former husband, like when I told him it was just a nightmare, it was
terrible. Do you remember when I was like, I got to tell you something, that
conversation, like, can you tell everyone just kind of how that unfolded and
maybe how you responded?
Because I think that's helpful for them to hear as well.
When someone's sharing a part of their story that might feel heavy a little
bit.
Yeah, no, I thought it was great when she said she wanted to share something
because from my previous experience, I wasn't completely accepted for who I
was, my passions.
I always had to put me aside so that I could focus on her in my previous
relationship. So one of the big things that we talked about is just being
ourself. So when she shared that, you know, for me, it was just like, this is
great. I get to know who she is and, you know, inside and out, you know, even
deeper things, because part of the relationship and the dating is like what
you're signing up for in the sense who the person really is and not pretending
to be someone. So I felt really honored by that.
And it was just open and was thankful that it wasn't like a body buried in the
backyard or something that would have been awkward.
But we get nobody to it.
We worked through it and it was it was great.
So, yeah. And I appreciate every member thinking, oh, this is great.
So I'm getting to know who she really is and that she's open and willing to
share those deep things with me, too.
And I will say we were at a point in our relationship already that I knew he was
a trustworthy person.
OK, even though I felt nervous to share, he had shown himself those three M's for
sure. Total like gifts of the spirit, fruits of the spirit, just he was solid.
And so I knew that I could trust him.
And so that's why I ventured out to tell him.
And so I just, again, trying to pull out some concepts so that you all continue to
feel hope in your journey, that you're not too much for your spirit mate.
I believe it 100 percent that God will prepare you, though God will prepare them
and he'll bring the two of you all together.
Same thing, Penelope and Henry, like their stories, like if you're listening to the
depths of things that these couples have been through, as well as many of you know,
like Brian and I stories, you know.
God was preparing us the whole way, even in, you know, when I went through divorce,
he went through divorce and prior relationships.
And so, oh, Jennifer, no, at the time that I was sharing that with Brian, I was not
married. We were not married.
We were actually.
Probably about a month and a half dating, and you're still in Kentucky.
Yeah, I think it was very early on, but he was just showing me all the signs of
trustworthy, so I was paying very close attention to his character, not just his
words, but his character, his actions.
And so super important to be listening for those things, watching for those things.
I also wanted to come back to Diane just really quick.
You know, as you mentioned the distance, I think this is important for everyone to
hear as well.
Diane just was kind of like, no, it's too far, you know, almost to the point that she
may not like in that moment.
Obviously, she didn't move forward and wouldn't have even given him an open door.
But John, way to go, John.
You kept pursuing and communicated clearly what he wanted.
Yeah, we got off topic a little bit.
I want to lose it before you get too far, but I do a poor job when I'm not prepared.
But I think the point why I brought up those other two relationships and what I
learned from them is because when we used the word, it struck me like I think it was
a third sentence in my vow.
I felt that I said something to the fact that I felt that God has been preparing me
for for this day to to be with her too.
I forgot what I said, but.
Yeah, so, yeah, I thought that was a good good point to bring up.
I love it.
And I'm glad you brought up the fruit, too, because it was I know that I was supposed
to share this, so thank you for reminding me.
I was at youth night last night and I'm starting to volunteer and they were talking about look for the fruit, you know, look for God at work.
And I'm like, yes, I remember Jackie say look for the fruit.
And but the funny thing is, John's still pretty young in his relationship with the Lord.
So when I said, I see all the fruit of the Spirit in you.
And he's like, what's that?
So I get to share what that was.
And I just thought that was so, so unique.
There's, yeah, there's, I'm so glad that he writes, he wrote books to me in the beginning because I got to see his heart and shame on me for just looking at the pictures first, because that's what I was used to like.
I instantly knew I was attracted to Rob.
You are, I love you.
And Penelope, I noticed that when you said something about Henry being attractive or not attractive, but you were in front of the wine line.
I don't know if anyone's picked that up.
Did you?
Yeah.
No, I mean I had, you know, one glass.
I, I turned and looked at him and I was like, Oh, he's kind of cute but then like throughout the night I was noticing how attractive he was.
But up till the time she actually looked at me after she had been talking to the guy at the table with us for 10 minutes and like walling me off.
Every now and then she would say something, and I would try to contribute to the conversation but I felt like I was talking to a wall, because she was just she had me shut out.
And I mean when, when I said would you like to have a seat. She didn't turn towards me towards the chair, she went counterclockwise around behind me and like was like, you know, shielding yourself and I was like well this is odd behavior.
So we broke through.
So I love this, and let's segue because we want to kind of toggle back and forth now and I love that john actually kind of went to Penelope I thought that was so neat so if y'all, you know, we can kind of all kind of cycle back and forth together.
What is one thing, since God brought you all together as couples.
That is a piece of now john you shared one thing but feel free to share another piece of advice that you would give to those that are still single they're looking for, you know, their spirit mate.
Some of them are discouraged.
Some of them are tired of being on the apps all of that kind of stuff like what's something that you would just say to help them kind of get through and encourage them tonight.
Was that directed at me.
Yes.
Anyone, anyone.
I.
I don't know if I have anything different. I mean, I wasn't the only one that brought up some stuff there was, there were some others but for me I think it was the biggest thing about, you know, you could go out on a date, and you, one of you has a good time and
Is he going to call or is she going to call or, you know, but it you know it takes a two way street so when you find that connections really special.
So I would say again just don't give up. I mean, be strong be persevere I think and that's what I was trying to tie it all together is sometimes you just gotta let God do his work, and, you know, that's what I was also trying to drive home like I was such a control
Well if I, if I look this way if I dress a certain way and all this stuff and now I'm like more casual you know I would, I'm in financial service I was super high and other stuff matters it's about the connection and the connections out there.
You know the relationship would be doomed I mean I knew that from the two longer term relationships right. There was a connection there but it was it was more superficial maybe not it was a little deeper than that but, you know, you'll know when you know, and just
don't give up, because when you find it, it's all worth it, no matter how much time goes by. So we're going to like live the last half of our life, or a good half.
In that same spirit I think so. I think to just trust the process that they teach because it works you see so many that are getting engaged and married and, and everyone that doesn't work out.
Because he's holding out his best for you. You know there were, there was a guy that I met at the beginning of 2024 and I thought that we would end up together and now that I look back and I can't help but compare I'm like, I'm so glad that didn't work out.
He didn't meet one of my non negotiables, and I grieved that for a month or two, even though we were only together for a month, and it was, I just, I can't thank God enough.
for helping me wait. And I don't think I would have been ready for John had I not gone through
those seven or eight other people. And, you know, it's like practice, I'm practicing dating.
And every time I would learn something that I did or did not want. And the last thing I learned
before I met him, was I wanted a man who was okay with me talking about my late husband when I needed
to, or I'm being understanding of those anniversaries and things like that. And that and
I had prayed so hard. I'm like, Lord, it's going to be three years. Can you please send someone
before that anniversary? I don't want to be alone. And that's not like, probably from the right
place. But I just had that feeling. And we met October 5, and the anniversary was October 25.
And he sent me like we just saw each other for three weeks, he sent me the coolest little gift
with a candle that I could put a picture on of Rob. And we I took that with my son. And we had
dinner together that night. Because we were together that week. But I knew it was Yeah,
it was a Oh, I mean, who does that? Right? Like he was so thoughtful. And I had gotten sick before
and he sent me like, a little gift in the mail. And so yeah, it's really sweet.
He pursued me and I wanted to be pursued. Other guys did not pursue me like that.
I love that.
Not for all some people, we have to coach a lot of people about that, because it's not always
common sense for people. But I love even the intentionality there, john. So again, kudos to
you on that. And Diane, just the reminder for our community, trust the process, listen to the
coaching. And y'all, I'm not just saying that because I coach in here. But genuinely, I also
had to listen to the coaching, I had to listen to Jackie telling me to get back on the apps and to
be willing to date someone that was further away. I said, as many of y'all know, I said,
I was never moving. And God had other plans. Now we're all the way in Florida, way far away for my
girls. But see all even in that God was preparing me for all of that and preparing us. So really
awesome. So Penelope and Henry, how about you all? What's what's some advice or your thoughts for
encouragement? Well, john mentioned about following or allowing God to do his work.
And I'm going to put a point on that and say lean into your suffering. Don't shrink from it. Don't
try to mute it, or follow into distractions or numbing yourself, which can happen so easily.
But you've got to feel all the feelings and and deal deal with your own heart and your own thoughts.
And, and in that sense, you got to be humble, love yourself, but be humble. And don't shirk.
The don't shirk the training that God has you in.
Because that's really what it is.
I wanted to piggyback on what Diane said, you know, to continue, you know, going on dates and
discovering what you do like and what you don't like about, you know, the people that you go out
with. I felt like with each guy that I went out with that person had more and more character
traits that I liked. And so I felt like I kept getting closer and closer to my spirit mate.
And also, I kept real, I realized that if I had not found my spirit mate yet, I wasn't ready yet.
And so I continued to ask God, what do I need to work on for myself? And one of the things that I
noticed, probably a year before I met Henry, was I had some ladies at work that were bullying me.
And I couldn't understand why it was happening. And so I asked God, I was like, why does this keep
happening? You know, and I kept praying about it. And he said, it's because you don't like yourself.
And I'm like, you know, I didn't understand all of it. But then I started realizing, you know,
the negative thoughts I was having about myself. And so I started with some positive confession.
And so I started doing that. And I started noticing some changes at work. And these ladies are like
super nice to me now. And so God totally changed the situation. But the guys were rejecting me,
and I was rejecting myself. And so God was preparing me for what was going to happen next.
And so I started doing that. And I started noticing some changes at work. And these ladies
were preparing me for what was going to happen next. And so I started noticing some changes at work.
me for Henry, you know, a year ago, two years ago, you know, to get to the point that we're at now.
And so I started noticing some changes at work. And so I started noticing some changes at work.
So I want to encourage you to keep working on yourself and keep going on dates and
don't ignore the red flags like I did.
So good. Did y'all catch that? She was struggling to like herself or have value.
And so there were times she was rejecting herself. And because of that, other people around her,
not just men, but even at work, there was rejection and other things going on there.
And so, you know, when we are not showing up in our value and our God-given identity
and the fullness of that, it absolutely is going to impact every area of our lives,
including our relationships. And so if y'all are attracting people, it's not your fault.
Okay. That you're attracting people that are rejecting you, but there's something on the
inside that needs healing. So I want to encourage you, if that's something you resonate with,
that you'll just take some time and really ask the Lord if there's areas where you're still just
not valuing yourself the way that he does. Okay. And that you'll ask him to show you how he sees
you and live into that value and that truth. I love all these. And then one of the things
I wanted to ask you all to share as well, like what's one thing you've learned about yourself?
So Penelope, what's something you've learned about yourself? And we'll go through every person.
Since you came into your relationship with Henry, so for you all vice versa,
what is something you learned about yourself through being with your spirit mate?
That's what I'm asking. One of the things that I didn't believe about myself in my last marriage
was that I was enough. And I had a moment with Henry that I was not feeling that, and he is
really good with his words. And that's something that's important for me is to hear calming and
positive and peaceful words. But he talked about money and having a bag of change. And when he said
the words that I don't remember everything that he said, but when he said what he said,
it just like brought healing to me to see that I was enough and I was enough for him.
And so God began restoring a place in my heart because I didn't feel like I was enough. And now
I see that I am. I love that. That's so good. Henry, how about you?
I'm trying to remember the question. I'm sorry. Oh, that's okay. What's a way that you personally
have grown since God brought you and Penelope together?
I don't know if I can pinpoint anything.
But I will say, you know, during the pandemic, the church that I was attending folded
and then we were locked down. And I was basically a home caretaker for the next several years and
had become very isolated. And then when I met Penelope, she's engaged with her church. And so
basically, she drew me out of my shell. We had done some personality tests. And I was shocked
to discover I was 57% introvert, which I always didn't ever think of myself as an introvert. But
the circumstances of life, I think, really have changed and shaped me. And I've told Penelope that
I'm a different person than who I was four years ago. And then I have to qualify that I'm standing
who I am now. I'm standing on the shoulders of that person. But that person is not me. I'm
so different in ways. Through the experience of caretaking to the degree that I did and
and then trying to manage all the extended family issues
and keep everybody from losing it or just whatever,
you know, being in a mess.
And so, I don't know if that answers the question, but.
It did.
And yes, I'm sorry.
And so, she specifically,
she drew me to her church,
which I have learned to love and appreciate.
And we might have some tremendous things
that we might be considering in the future
in church leadership.
That's so powerful.
That's a huge change.
Yeah.
And I love that you use the words,
she drew you out of the shell that you were in at that time.
And again, I just wanna, you know, like Jackie says,
like even when she coaches on love seats,
that some stuff that she's saying for that person
that is in that love seat is for them.
You can't take that and pin it
on everybody's love story, right?
So, we have to keep that in mind
as we're hearing everything.
And so, what it makes me think of,
and that's why I'm bringing this up,
is that, you know, we do wanna encourage you all
to be with people that have friends, they have community,
but the reality is, is that sometimes life happens
and seasons change.
And like when I met Brian,
he was pastoring in churches
like that he had just kind of been placed in,
but a lot of his friends were in California
because he used to live there,
but he didn't live there anymore.
And so, you can't always put that stamp on everything,
right?
And so, like when Henry's saying, you know,
he'd gone through all this stuff.
And so, meeting Penelope and them being together,
it's drawn him back into community through Penelope.
And so, I guess what I'm trying to say
is that some of you all, you're meeting good guys,
but you're so focused on they don't have friends
or they don't have community.
And let's look at the whole of the story
before just writing that person off.
And again, if they're not a healthy person,
that's totally different.
But, you know, is there a reason
that they don't have a lot of friends right now
that they hang out with?
Is there a reason they're not like really ingrained
in a church community and family?
And so, let's just be open to getting to know more, okay?
All right, John and Diane, tell us,
what's something that like each one of you,
where have you grown since you met each other?
Apparently, I'm going first,
but I so had the luxury of time here to think about this,
because at first I was gonna say,
I'm not, you know, I couldn't really pinpoint it,
but I would say it's community, right?
Another thing that I learned about is in my relationships,
things that I do just normal and day-to-day,
she's appreciative.
She says, thank you.
She says, whatever.
And I'm like, well, that's just what you do.
You open the door for, you know, a lady and all that.
Another thing that I learned or whatever is,
and she brought it up tonight when she said,
or I mean, it was in that same vein,
that same thread about how could someone love her?
You know, I think there was a couple of times
I caught her saying, you know, things to the effect of,
you know, I don't know what, I can't remember what it is,
but it's just, you know, she's,
she sometimes doesn't have the confidence that she should.
You know, when I dated others and I'm like,
she's more put together than she thinks she is.
She's, you know, she's just amazing.
So, you know, just, you know, that was just unique
for me to hear that someone could feel like that
and not know how amazing she is.
So, and, you know, I think part of it was just learning,
you know, all that she's been through too.
So I think just, you know, understanding that too
was something I learned.
Something happened.
Sorry, someone was just unmuted.
Make sure y'all are muting when you come in, okay?
Thanks, John.
That was really good.
And one of the things there, which is interesting,
because we talked about value tonight, you know,
and seeing the true value of who we are.
So Diane, I would love to hear, what do you think?
think about the growth that you've experienced since meeting John?
Well, like Henry said, John's really good with his words and he just is always thoughtful about
and careful about what he says, intentional. And, you know, if we've had something happen
that upsets me, my reaction is to just be silent and not say anything because I'm afraid of being
rejected. And so I've been this way my whole life. And so he draws me out and he's like,
let's talk about it, you know? And so that's new for me to not be afraid to share how I'm feeling
and knowing that he's not going to go anywhere. And he's just got a peaceful way about him. I
can't even imagine ever there being a time where he would raise his voice like that's just not
his personality or character. So there's this peacefulness about it. And so I'm getting more
able to communicate when something's bothering me or sharing why I feel a certain way, you know,
and sometimes I'm off my rocker and he tells me so. That's okay because he does it in a very
kind way. So I'm learning and growing with him. Brian and I are going to share as well,
but the reason I asked you all this question, asked our couples and for our community to hear
is because I want everyone to understand that heartwork continues after you meet your spirit
mate. It's so important. I don't want you all to feel like you have to have arrived and you have
to be perfect before your spirit mate comes into your life. I can tell you, we've been married
almost three years and man, I'm still healing and growing all the time. I think for me,
one of the biggest things, I'm very similar to Diane actually. I have never felt more safe in
my life. And so I feel like I've learned another whole level of God's protection and love and
safety through Brian. Brian is someone that he's literally my best friend. Like I could tell him
anything. And even like I had a really rough day yesterday and I just felt disappointed in myself,
honestly. And he just let me be myself and he was supportive and he loved me in the middle of it.
And there's just, it's so freeing. And so I never had that either before. I actually was in an
abusive marriage before. And even with the girl's dad, he was very condensed. How do you say it?
Condensing? I'm saying it wrong. I don't know how to say it. Yeah. Condescending. Thank you.
And so I just would pull back a lot and not be who I really am even in the good things
sometimes. And so just appreciate that about being in relationship with Brian. What do you think?
I think for me, we had similar situations. I was kind of unhealthy situation in my last marriage
too, where basically I was told that I was kind of always the problem. So I was the bad communicator
and I was the bad conflict, bad with conflict resolution. So sometimes you come out of that.
One of the great things about coming into a healthy relationship is that you get a healing
process through a lot of those things too, because sometimes you start believing the things that
people say about you. So one of the things, a lot of things I've been learning is why, well,
I actually am a good communicator. And she's really affirmed that she's been great and encouraging.
I think I've gained more confidence and more of my abilities as well. Also, learning too that I
I am a decent conflict resolutor. I think you made that word up. Good at conflict resolution,
but all that to say like part of the healing process, as Bethany was saying,
as now that we're together, we're married, that's part of the healing journey. We're kind of
unwriting, unraveling lies and things we've been told and kind of learning that more of the truth
because we are in a healthy, safe place. And, and so my confidence level, I feel is just really
shot up because of that. And she's been great and affirming and supportive. And even when I have my
crazy ideas, I have a lot of ideas. She's quick to shoot down the bad ones, which is great because
it helps me filter. But then she's for the good one, she's super supportive, encouraging, and
helping me pursue those. So, yeah. Yeah. So you all, just to kind of expand on that,
I'm married to a visionary and I work for a master visionary, Jackie Dorman. So y'all,
I get it on both sides. And sometimes I got to shoot down the ideas, even though I love them
for both of those amazing people. But when I shoot them down, I don't mean it in the way
that it's not good, but maybe we just can't do it right now. But.
Yeah, so this is the fun things, you know, I want you all to see that, that, you know,
pursuing God's plan for you may not always be easy.
But remember, Jackie says it's worth it.
And then one of the other things I forgot, I circled and I want to go back to when Henry
was sharing, I loved when he said lean into the suffering.
Don't try to mute it.
Don't shrink the training that God has you in and you all we say it all the time.
You got to feel the feels so that God can heal the feels.
So if you have been dating on the apps, trying to meet someone and you're feeling, you know,
frustrated or disappointment, maybe you just went through a breakup.
I want to encourage you to feel the feels so that God can heal the feels.
Don't give up.
Don't stop going, but allow yourself to feel what's happening.
But in that feeling, really ask God good questions.
Remember, that's what you learned in the heart work.
God, what are you trying to reveal to me in this moment?
God, you know, come and meet me here.
Help me to see what I can't see.
Remember to keep asking him that, you know, as you keep moving, as you keep improving
on the inner healing areas that he's showing you.
And so I really appreciate John and Diane and Penelope and Henry for everything you've
shared for your stories.
You know, one of the other things I thought earlier, John was like, man, how do we follow
that story?
And one of the things I think is really amazing about tonight is you all, God shows up and
bringing people together in all kinds of ways.
Some like it's all supernatural.
Okay.
So I want to emphasize that it's all supernatural because God is working in it.
Some people will hear, you know, signs and things like that.
They will, they will hear things from the Lord and that will be a part of their story.
But for other people, it's the daily consistency and pursuit.
I mean, Penelope and Henry had that too, but I just want you all to see both are powerful.
They're both powerful.
And it's really amazing to see what God is doing in your lives as two new couples in
our community.
We're so excited about that.
And for those of you that are, you know, here watching again with us live or in replay,
we love you.
We're praying for you.
We believe for your love story.
When you, when you're struggling to believe, borrow from our belief, but just keep believing.
Don't give up on yourself and don't give up on what God has promised you.
So we love you.
Let me pray for us tonight as we close.
Father, thank you so much for God, the truth of who you are, that you're a good father
who gives good things to your children, to your sons and your daughters, God, that you're
always working.
Even when we can't see it, you're working.
And we thank you, Jesus, for sitting at the right hand of the father, even right now interceding
for every person that's a part of this last year, single community, the single individuals
that are looking for their spirit mates, our married couples, people that are engaged.
God, we thank you for your hedge of protection around each one of them.
And I pray that you would breathe hope and life and truth into every one of them, that
they would hear what your spirit is saying louder than any voice of the enemy.
And when discouraged comes in, God, we thank you that you would just come in and really
raise up a standard against the enemy on their behalf.
We thank you, God, that, yes, Lord, that you would give every person that's here, that
hears this prayer, the gift of faith to believe for more, to believe, God, that not only can
they trust you through your word, but God, that they can trust in the fullness of your
plans and your promises for them.
How you originally created them to be, that that's what you're always leading them towards,
the fullness of that person.
So Lord, we thank you for more revealings, for healing happening where they're needed.
We thank you, God, for, yes, Lord, just stirring up our hunger and thirst for your righteousness,
for your word, to know you more, God.
And we thank you that, again, those that are looking and walking towards their spirit mates
every day, we thank you, God, that you would highlight their spirit mate to them.
And you would also highlight them to their spirit mates.
We thank you for kingdom families and marriages that you're raising up through this movement.
We thank you for Jackie and David.
We ask you to minister to them and their family, God, meet every need that they have.
And then some, God, we thank you even while Jackie is on the Esther Experience, God, with
some of the people from our community, God, we ask for a double portion being poured out
on them, that which they could not even contain it.
So Lord, we just thank you for your goodness, for your faithfulness, for all of our team
members and volunteers, that you would continue to bless, minister, heal Teresa, God, raise
her up, Lord, heal her lungs and make her completely whole.
In Jesus name, amen.
We love you all.
We thank you again, Penelope, Henry, John, and Diane, thank you for being here and sharing
your stories.
If you didn't see it, it's okay.
In the chat. People are very encouraged and super grateful for everything that you shared. I hope everyone has a great night tonight.
Can I share a Bible verse to end
While you're praying.
100 some some 8411 says for the Lord God is a son and shield the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing. Does he withhold from those who walk up rightly so he's out there, ladies. She's out there, man.
Yes, no.
Amen.
Yes, he withhold. I love it. Thank you, Diane. Good night, everyone. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. I