A dead marriage. A struggle with alcohol that took their peace and stability. And the choice whether to forgive what many find unforgivable. Jimi and Barb Stuart’s marriage was coming apart at the seams just six years ago. But at the point where many marriage stories end, Jimi and Barb’s story has only just begun.
Watermark Blogs
Stories of Life Change.
The Only Way to Live
“My definition of hell on earth is living with one foot in the world, and the other with Christ. I know, because I lived that way for so long.” – Allen Hankins.
Together Again
Posted by Ann Piper on September 28, 2009 | Filed under: Brokenness,Marriage,Prayer,Recovery,ReEngage —
When Denise Renken married in ’78, she thought it would last forever. But the relationship crumbled under financial stress and infidelity just four years later. Denise remarried in ’83, certain it would be different. But past hurts and her husband’s extramarital affairs led to divorce in 2000. The man Denise married in ’01 was radically different from previous marriages. He loved the Lord and eagerly invested in the health of their marriage. Which is astonishing knowing Denise’s husband, David, is the same man she divorced twice and married three times.
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Lost and Found
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wished for a father. A dad who would be there to care for me, hang out and show me what being a real man was all about.
I was raised in a single parent home in Las Vegas. My mom was a Black Jack dealer for 24 years, which meant my sister and I were home alone most evenings. My dad wasn’t in the picture, and at an early age I was told he died in a car crash – a story I began to question as a teenager. Men came in and out of my mom’s life, and five different boyfriends lived with our family when I was a kid. A couple of them tried to be father figures to me, but didn’t stick around. Another beat my mom so badly she was hospitalized. All of this left me feeling hurt, confused and alone. When my mom’s last marriage failed and I saw another “dad” walk away, the pain was so intense that I didn’t want to live any more. Those feelings were eating me alive, so I turned to women, drugs, drinking, stealing and anything else to numb my pain. (more…)
