As a blogger, I’m never sure of the impact my short riffs and rants actually have. Every once in awhile I’ll get an email or run into someone who has been challenged or inspired by something I’ve posted and that’s always a good dose of encouragement to keep up the work and emotional labor of blogging.
A few days ago one of my former co-workers at Park Community Church called me to tell me about the unlikely journey a couple had made to Park and it was all because of my blog. I was blown away by the story and reached out to them and asked if I could share it. To say I was humbled is an understatement. Read and you’ll understand why.
Several months ago, a friend of mine on Facebook posted a link to your blog post about a different kind of Christian demonstration at the gay pride parade. I was touched and quickly forwarded it on to my husband who was also very touched. Having read Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, we had always loved his story of the “Confession Booth”, and knew that that was the kind of Christianity we wanted to be a part of, so to read this story was very encouraging to know that these Christians really existed!
Another few months had gone by and I was unable to sleep one Saturday night, so I started checking out some of the apps on my iPod. I opened up the Catalyst app and found another one of your articles titled No One Cares About Your Church. I found myself agreeing with all of the points you made and thought “I need to find out what church this guy is from!” The next morning I was excitedly telling my husband about the article and how the church was in Chicago (a city we love!), and he was quick to respond, “Let’s get ready and go this morning!” So we did. Once we got there, I think our whole family instantly knew that finally we had found our church home!
People are always surprised to hear that we drive an hour and a half one way to go to church. We are often asked, “Don’t they have churches in Lake Geneva?” We use the drive to engage in good conversations. We try to use our time in the city wisely and often pack extra lunches and leave early and hit as many exit ramps as possible before and after church, handing out food to someone in need. We have a heart for the city of Chicago and love how Park reaches out to see the city for Christ.
Now, this is where the story gets personal. A year and a half ago, I found out that my husband had struggled with a lifelong pornography addiction. I was devastated, to say the least. He was exposed at a very young age and had been unable to get out of its powerful snare although it was something he desperately wanted to be rid of and went to great lengths to protect me from. So when I say I had no idea, I truly didn’t have any idea that he had this double life. In dealing with this we reached out to several churches in our area but were discouraged at the counsel we received. Through God’s grace, my husband has been able to make great strides in dealing with this addiction even without the help of a church.
A little more than a month ago, he confessed that he had had an affair several years ago that stemmed from his pornography addiction. It was something I had strongly suspected but continually tried to push out of my mind during the past several years. After this painful disclosure, we turned to Park and my husband set up a meeting with one of the pastors. After the first meeting we immediately felt hopeful that we had finally found Biblical help. To my surprise, the pastor ended our session saying “I’m just going to say something…” and he proceeded to say that after what we’d told him that he didn’t believe my husband had ever truly become a Christian because of all the secrets and things he’d been hiding. He also said that either it had never taken root with me or that it had and I’d walked away from God. Wow, I was blown away and immediately thought my husband would be devastated. The pastor walked out of the room to give us a moment and my husband looked at me and said, “I’ve known that for a while now.”
When the pastor came back in, my husband thanked him for being bold enough to call him out on that, because he longs to have men in his life that WILL call him out when necessary. That night we both prayed to receive and fully accept Christ as Lord and Savior in the pastor’s office at Park overlooking the Chicago skyline.
A few weekends later we were able to attend Park’s marriage retreat where we had some wonderful conversations, talked about some difficult but necessary things, and have learned so much about confession, grace, repentance and forgiveness. We have been encouraged and committed to our marriage from the very beginning but what’s happened as a result of attending Park has made us even more hopeful that what was meant for evil, God can and WILL use for good. We feel like not only will we make it through this, we will be better than ever, and that someday I might even thank God for allowing this in our lives. We ended the retreat sharing Communion as a couple and I’ll never forget the impact that had. It was the first time I felt like I truly understood the significance of Communion and the price God paid to forgive my sins, just as I was being asked to forgive the sins of my husband and examine my own heart and seek forgiveness for my own failings as well. After we took Communion, my husband grabbed my hand and prayed as we both wept and he asked God for a new beginning for us. We truly feel like what happened at the retreat connected us on a spiritual level and in new ways that were never possible before until we were both willing to put God first in our lives and marriage. While we still have a long journey ahead of us, I feel confident that with God’s grace and with the supportive community at Park, God will use all of this for His glory.
The impact that Park has had on our lives has been truly life changing. We’ll always be so thankful that the pastorwas willing to call us out during that first meeting. And we’ll always be thankful for your blog and way that it led us to Park. We truly feel like the adventure is just beginning. I don’t feel like it was coincidence or by accident how everything has happened.
First, I want to thank this family for having the courage to share this story. It’s remarkable to see the journey God has led them on and it’s humbling to hear how they found their ways to Park and ultimately, back to Christ through two blog entries of mine. I’m so thrilled to hear how they have not only come to know Christ but are in the process of building a stronger, honest and Christ-centered marriage. I’m thrilled they’ve connected with Park and are able to begin to share their story and their journey.
I don’t share this to pat myself on the back but simply to express to the rest of you out there that you have no idea who will be impacted by the words you share. Our online presence can play an important role in the lives of people we don’t even know, helping them find their way back to God. This story serves as a reminder for me of why I do what I do. Beyond sharing ideas, insights, conference notes, and the occasional rants, I hope to create content that inspires the church to communicate more effectively with the ultimate goal of seeing people connect with Christ. That’s what it’s all about. And, in a crazy way, sometimes as in the example of this story, God can use your stories to help people find their place in His Story.
Keep sharing. Keep writing. Keep connecting. You never know who is on the other side of the screen or the journey God has them on. Fight the resistance. Post content that scares you. Be honest. Be authentic. Be willing to take some risks and speak the truth with love and grace, not compromising the message but with a humble heart to help people see the Church and Jesus differently.
