Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Dr. Ty-Ron & Bobbie Douglas
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000078
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00:01 Do you want to hear some secrets
00:02 to finding and keeping a great mate? 00:04 Well, stay tuned to meet an amazing couple 00:07 that's dedicated to each other and to God... 00:10 My name is Yvonne Lewis and you're watching 00:12 Urban Report. 00:35 Hello and welcome to Urban Report. 00:38 While at Oakwood University's Pell Conference 00:41 I met a wonderful couple with a very interesting story... 00:45 Let me introduce them to you... 00:47 Welcome to Urban Report Dr. Ty-Ron and Bobbie Douglas 00:51 Yeah... Thank you for having us... 00:54 It's so great to have you here because you guys... 00:57 as I've told you in the private conversations 01:00 you really epitomize what we're trying to convey 01:04 with Dare to Dream and that is 01:06 to support the family... to show what love really is... 01:11 so, I want our viewers to know who are Bobbie and Ty... 01:16 I know that you're Dr. Ty but may I call you Ty? 01:18 All right... that's fine... Okay good... 01:19 Tell us a little bit about your background... 01:23 let's start with Bobbie... Well, I'm from Bermuda 01:28 and I am a mom, of course, of two handsome boys 01:34 I know, I met them... they are... 01:36 and I actually teach the youngest one at home right now 01:40 he's five... and that's... 01:43 that's what I do... 01:45 so you are... a stay-at-home mom... really 01:48 Yeah... and you are homeschooling 01:50 Yes... your younger son... 01:52 Your older son... is he... 01:53 he's a student at Oakwood University. 01:56 Oh, okay... that's awesome 01:58 awesome... what about you Dr. Ty? 02:00 I'm actually a Professor of Educational, 02:02 Leadership and Policy Analysis at a public research university. 02:05 Wow, that's a heavy-duty title.. In fact, I have a class tonight. 02:10 Really? Oh wow... Yeah... 02:12 Oh, that sounds amazing... okay so, we got to know... 02:15 how did you guys meet? give us this... because... 02:18 I love like... "how people met stories" 02:20 tell us how you met... 02:22 There's a lot of context to that we've known each other 02:26 for a number of years... my wife... she mentioned that 02:30 she's a stay-at-home mom... but she's an amazing wife, 02:34 and an amazing woman... and I actually knew that 02:36 previously because she was married previously 02:39 and I knew her then and her first husband 02:42 quite well... and so, we met through mutual friendships 02:46 at Church and our lives sort of intersected 02:50 as friends in the past... and then, you know, 02:53 as the story sort of unfolds after that... 02:56 into a relationship that is so amazing... 02:58 Yes, yes... Bobbie, you knew Ty... years ago... 03:03 tell us about... your journey... 03:06 because you have an interesting journey... 03:09 tell us about... that journey... 03:13 Well I... I was... like he said... 03:16 I was married before... 03:17 I got... well, where do I begin? 03:23 just as a child... coming along 03:27 I was a pretty little girl... I was told by a lot of people 03:31 but at the same time... I had a lot of, like, predators, 03:35 if you will... always saying, "You're so pretty and 03:38 you're going to be this and that... " 03:39 inappropriate things were said 03:41 to me... at times... Were you molested? 03:43 No, I wasn't molested... I nearly... I could have been... 03:48 I escaped... if you will.. once, someone... and... 03:53 thank God for that... I prayed, I was raised... 03:57 I was taken to Sabbath School, I went to Christian Schools... 04:00 so, I knew how to pray and I learned to pray 04:02 very young... and that's amazing... 04:06 because I could have been turned off from men... 04:08 as a child... but instead... I wasn't... 04:12 and... so yeah... I got married... 04:15 Well, before you tell us that 04:16 you got married... tell us how you met 04:19 your first husband because I found that 04:21 to be very interesting... That's very interesting... 04:23 well, I was in high school 04:25 and he was my History teacher in high school 04:29 Wow... Now, when I was in the 04:34 younger grades... he actually attended the same school as me 04:37 so then he went abroad and then he came back... to teach 04:40 so that was interesting... you know, it was like, 04:42 "Hey, you were in school with us... " 04:45 So, he wasn't that much older than you... 04:47 No, he wasn't... that much... Okay... 04:49 So, yeah, and so towards the end... like my senior year... 04:54 I was like... I had a crush on him and what not... 04:57 and then, once I graduated... we started dating and 05:00 it just turned into... we got married... 05:03 So, you got married... and you were married 05:06 for how long? 05:08 Almost 11 years... it was like a month... 05:12 that we almost made it to eleven years... 05:17 Tell us what happened... Well, I had prayed for him 05:22 when I was young and so we were having 05:24 a wonderful marriage... people used to comment about 05:28 that even... he was a Godly man 05:30 he became the Vice-Principal of the School where he was at... 05:34 and he was an Elder in the Church... 05:36 and so we were having a great marriage... 05:40 we had a son... Jaylen... 05:42 and I think that idea... I must say, 05:45 that I started to get just comfortable... 05:47 you know, I was happy and not so much... 05:50 probably not meaning to praying as much 05:52 and got comfortable... he was very... like I said... 05:56 dedicated and he had a close spiritual walk with Christ... 05:59 and then one day... out of the blue... 06:02 he just got sick... he was vomiting... 06:04 and I hadn't seen him vomit ever... 06:06 I never... and then that just turned into a long... 06:11 I would say... maybe two years maybe... 06:14 we just went to the hospital 06:15 we went abroad... 06:16 we sent him abroad and found out he had colon cancer... 06:19 and that was just devastating... 06:21 I mean... he wasn't a person that would smoke or drink... 06:25 he came up in the Church as well 06:26 and he didn't eat meat and he was playing sports 06:30 and... so it just came out of the blue... 06:32 and it was devastating... So what, wow, so, 06:38 so you met... you already knew him because you had gone 06:42 to school with him... then he was your history teacher 06:46 Hmmm... hmmm... and then you guys got married... 06:48 you ended up dating... and got married... 06:51 had a great marriage... Yeah... 06:52 and then... from nowhere... he was very spiritual 06:57 but you're telling us that you got too comfortable 07:01 you began to get a little complacent... 07:04 Yes... so he had a very spiritual walk 07:07 and yours was just kind of lukewarm maybe at that time? 07:11 Yeah, yeah... I would say that. So, when this illness hit... 07:15 did this bring you closer to God 07:18 or did it pull you away from God? 07:20 Oh no... closer... definitely, I, you know, 07:22 I wanted to straighten up immediately... 07:24 I was like, "Okay God, you got my attention," 07:26 Hmmm... you know, "I see what this is... 07:28 I'm not going to make it on his coattail... 07:32 I'm going to have to have my own relationship... " 07:34 Hmmm... and so, yeah, that definitely 07:37 brought me closer... yeah... 07:39 And where were you during this time, 07:43 when he was ill and... what were you doing with your life? 07:47 During that time... I was actually in University... 07:50 and so, we had sort of lost touch... 07:52 the interesting context of this story is that... 07:55 it's a sort of a Ruth-and-Boaz-type thing 07:58 he was actually an older cousin of mine... 08:00 Ah... and... and in some ways 08:02 a mentor and a friend... so we spent a lot of time 08:04 together... talking about life and marriage and those things... 08:07 with them at their house... 08:08 and so, you know, I was in school and like everyone else 08:12 just wrestling with the reality that someone that we really love 08:16 could potentially die... and so, I remember, September 11 08:19 you know, being in the University and hearing about the 08:24 prognosis and just having to accept 08:26 that it was possible... he may pass... 08:29 and so, Bobbie and I had sort of lost contact 08:32 because she was doing what she does 08:33 and that's be a great wife, 08:35 she was very supportive of him, you know, around the clock, 08:38 supported him, encouraging, taking care of him, 08:41 even up unto the day he passed... 08:43 she was there with him... and so, understandably 08:46 we didn't get to talk as much during that time... 08:48 but we always had a great friendship 08:50 just strictly healthy, platonic, there was never anything 08:53 inappropriate... you know... we would... and we still... 08:56 even to this day we look at each other... 08:57 and we're like... "Do you know what I am?" 08:59 We do... I mean, it was amazing... 09:01 yeah, so that's where I was... 09:02 at the time... I had, you know, 09:04 my own relationships and things going on... in my life... 09:06 and so, you know, I was somewhat disconnected... 09:09 but still connected... but I was in the United States 09:11 and they were in Bermuda at that time... 09:14 Hmmm... hmmm... so, he got very ill... 09:17 he was ill for... did you said two years... 09:19 Yeah... it would say it was 2... And then, tell us how things 09:22 spiraled from there... Well, it actually happened 09:27 around September the 11th... the incident... 09:30 we were in Boston... and he had a tumor removed there 09:34 so, that was helpful... he sort of came around 09:37 if you will... a bit... he went back to work 09:40 for a little while... and then... months later... 09:44 he started feeling unwell again, so we took him to a few 09:50 of these health places... Hmmm... hmmm... 09:53 where they treat the natural way... 09:56 and he just got progressively worse... 10:00 and I had believed that God was going to heal him... 10:06 I believed it with all of my heart... 10:08 and... somehow I believe 10:11 God allowed me to believe that... 10:12 because... that's what kept me.. keeping him positive... 10:17 if I had believed that he was going to die... 10:19 I think I would have fallen apart much earlier... 10:21 Hmmm... and I wouldn't have been able 10:23 to do what I did... 10:24 Hmmm... hmmm... I just, you know, constantly 10:26 thought that he was going to be healed... 10:28 and that's how I took care of him... 10:30 And you know Bobbie... that's a really good point 10:32 because... many times... and I've heard it 10:36 over and over again... we really pray for healing 10:39 we really believe that God would heal... 10:42 and God can heal... but sometimes He chooses 10:45 not to heal... then... we know that the ultimate 10:49 healing for the believer... is in heaven... 10:52 Hmmm... hmmm... but sometimes... 10:54 God intervenes and heals... here 10:57 and sometimes He says, "No" and so, it's not a measure of 11:03 a lack of faith on your part or... some... 11:05 we want the viewers to understand that 11:08 that sometimes you have someone that you're praying for 11:12 and God allows them to go to sleep... 11:15 and you don't understand why... but that's where your faith 11:19 comes in... because that's where you have to accept 11:22 the sovereignty of God and know that 11:25 He allowed this for a reason... Absolutely... 11:29 and your husband was ready... Yes... 11:32 by the grace of God... to go... 11:33 Yes... ... he was a spiritual man 11:35 and he was your friend, your cousin... 11:37 Absolutely... as well... so that's interesting 11:40 to me too... because you guys have him in common... 11:43 Absolutely... absolutely... so you could really support 11:47 her hurting... innocently... It was interesting because 11:52 when we reconnected... I, ironically... 11:54 there was a sort of a Moses and Joshua 11:56 sort of transition that took place 11:58 because the first year that he wasn't at the school 12:02 that he taught at... where he was the Vice-Principal for... 12:04 the first time he wasn't there in 20 years 12:05 was my first year being a teacher in that school 12:08 Oh... and so there was this vacuum 12:10 where this giant of a man who had led out on the campus 12:13 wasn't there anymore... and here you have this 12:15 young buck coming on campus and having to fill a role... 12:18 a role that I didn't ask for but it was a role that God was 12:21 preparing me for... in my interactions with him... 12:23 he and I never stood on the campus at the same time 12:25 we had maybe... we talked about a lot of things in life 12:28 but we talked about education... maybe once... 12:30 and he just said... he had a... 12:31 he called me "Ty's sphere " or Ty's Berger" 12:33 it was just funny, he had a nickname for everybody 12:35 and he said, "Ty, listen, you know, 12:37 have a few rules... and whatever rules you have, 12:40 you know, be consistent and be fair... 12:41 and that was pretty much it... I mean, we didn't have a chance 12:43 to really talk about a whole lot of... 12:45 it was, as if, I remember asking him... 12:46 "What do you think is going to happen 12:47 in certain things in life... " because he was really sick 12:49 at the time... he said... "Ty Berger... I can't... 12:52 I can't tell you what's going to happen... " 12:54 and it was, as if, I remember that moment... 12:55 thinking... you know... my teacher... if you will 12:57 my mentor... if you will... has taught me his last lesson... 13:00 Hmmm... hmmm... and it was time to grow up... 13:02 and so... when I came home... that October he passed... 13:05 you know, I was a teacher at the school... 13:09 and I remember going to see Bobbie... 13:11 we were just talking... and I remember saying to her 13:15 it was... ironically... I said to her... you know 13:18 I said, "Well, who is to say 13:20 that God can't... give you another great marriage... " 13:22 I was... like I said... I had my own life going on... 13:24 I had other relationships... 13:26 Right... you weren't even talking about myself... 13:28 I wasn't even talking about myself... 13:29 but I guess the innocence of faith 13:31 I just said, "Listen, if God can do it for you before... 13:33 why can't He do it again?" maybe God heard that 13:36 and said, "Okay, Son... you got enough to believe that.. 13:38 well then... " He must be laughing... 13:40 God has a sense of humor... 13:41 I believe... I do too... 13:42 and we just... so I just encouraged her with that... 13:45 and it was just great to sit and actually talk... 13:48 but there was still nothing... you know, like I said, 13:51 the Lord was having to deal with me in my own spiritual walk... 13:54 here I am, I'm a teacher in an Adventist institution 13:57 and still trying to come to my own mature relationship 14:01 with Christ... telling young people 14:02 about a God that I scarcely knew Hmmm... 14:04 and being forced to have to make some changes 14:06 in my life... and so, God was leading me 14:09 in my own journey as He was also transitioning 14:11 Bobbie in a very difficult season in her life... 14:13 and we were just friends... through it... 14:15 Isn't it interesting how God grows us... 14:18 you know, He sees us where we are... 14:20 Hmmm... hmmm... and He loves us... where we are 14:23 Absolutely... but He doesn't leave us 14:25 where we are... so He just brings us up, up, up, 14:29 Yeah... and the enemy brings us 14:32 down, down, down... so, if we follow God's plan 14:36 we're going to grow... if we follow the enemy's plan 14:39 we're going to go down... so, you were being groomed 14:42 I believe, you weren't ready, Hmmm... hmmm... 14:45 it was too soon... Bobbie had to heal and all that 14:48 and you weren't ready because your spiritual walk 14:50 wasn't where you needed for it to be... 14:53 Absolutely... or where God needed for it to be 14:56 before you could take on... you know, a family... 14:59 Right... yeah... So, how did you two... hook up? 15:02 Well, you want to start, baby... 15:05 Well... I can say... I mean... I had no intentions 15:09 of doing it again, I felt... 15:11 I almost felt punished 15:14 and said, "Okay God, you must be punishing me... " 15:17 I did everything right, you know... when I was young... 15:22 I said, "I'm not going to have any kids before I get married" 15:24 I don't want to party and do all those things... 15:27 because I want to be... you know, keep myself as nice... 15:30 for my husband... and then you give me a husband 15:32 and then you take him... you've taken him away... " 15:35 and I just felt like, "That's it I will never do it again. " 15:37 Were you angry with God a bit? 15:39 I can't say that I was angry, disappointed... 15:44 but I can't say I was ever angry... 15:46 you know what I mean... because... I... I... God is... 15:48 no, I was never angry... and my then-husband... 15:53 I used to go and say, "Do you want to be healed?" 15:56 and he said, "I just want to be saved... " 15:58 you know... he said things like... 16:01 I said, "You know... 16:02 he would say "Well, why not me?" 16:04 I'd say, "Why would God do this?" 16:05 he'd say, "Well, why not me... who else" 16:07 Hmmm... hmmm... and I felt like... "Wow... 16:11 that's good but that's not where I'm at... " you know... 16:14 Yeah... yeah... so, I had no intentions... 16:17 so, when Ty said that to me... 16:19 I always said, "Oh, please... please... 16:21 that's not going to happen... 16:23 I'm never going to do this again... " you know... 16:25 So how did we hook up? 16:26 I remember a day she came by... 16:31 to visit... so he passed in 2003 and it was early in 2004 16:37 and she came by... she called me... 16:39 and I was watering my grandmother's plants 16:42 I was actually staying with my grandmother at the time... 16:44 and I think that impressed her or something... 16:48 I remember her saying... after the fact... right... 16:50 I needed to come and see a man who waters his 16:52 grandmother's plants... but it was just for fun... 16:54 she just came and hanged out and talked 16:56 and I had... it's interesting 16:58 you know... I don't know why... 17:00 I mean... but on that day... I had on a tank top 17:02 you know, I don't think I did any push-ups before she came 17:06 but... I can't explain why I thought a tank top was 17:08 was appropriate attire... you know... I mean... 17:11 perhaps... she was single now and I had no intentions but 17:15 I must admit... that day... you know... it was just... 17:18 she says... it sounded like I was interviewing her 17:21 but I guess... I was in my own transitions... 17:25 and... I remember she saw that my name was 17:28 Oshea on the envelope... my middle name... 17:30 is... one of my middle names is Oshea... 17:33 which is... now I know it... 17:35 it is also the original name of Joshua... which is interesting 17:38 Ah... and so... we began to become 17:40 friends and hang out... and, I think, it was almost as if 17:43 the Lord removed the scales off our eyes 17:46 and we saw each other in a different light 17:47 than we had previously seen each other... 17:50 That day... Not that day... 17:52 well, that day was the beginning of... sort of... I think... 17:55 you know... it was just... it was different... 17:57 it was different... but as it progressed 17:59 and then soon thereafter... the relationship began 18:01 to transition but it was difficult... 18:03 because now you're talking about 18:04 you know... in a small community 18:06 I'm working in the environment where he used to work... 18:08 you're talking about the family dynamics... 18:11 it got really, really intense... Yeah... 18:13 you know... and so... for me... there were many people... 18:15 were saying "You're a professor... " 18:17 I wasn't a professor... I was a teacher at the time... 18:19 "You should probably be looking at this type of person or... " 18:23 there were individuals who had a lot of opinions 18:24 about what we should or shouldn't do... 18:26 and suddenly... because of his stature... 18:28 and because of the great guy and man that he was... 18:30 there were many who didn't want her to move on 18:32 Hmmm... Hmmm... and certainly not move on 18:34 with Ty... Hmmm... 18:36 because, you know, it was just... I mean... 18:39 it was very difficult... 18:40 there were many who felt like... "Hey, who can fill his shoes" 18:42 and that wasn't my intention... and there was never 18:44 any type of pressure... that she put on anyone... 18:46 Right... but there were also many people 18:47 who were also struggling to heal... and to move forward 18:50 and in so doing... I think they wanted to keep 18:52 her stuck... and that's not how I wanted it... 18:56 Their position on her... Exactly... exactly... 18:58 so we had to make some difficult decisions and it got tough... 19:00 I mean... a lot of my personal relationships... 19:02 life changed... in fact... God used those dynamics to bring 19:05 about my conversion experience because I got to a place 19:07 where I was alone... I had to cry out to God... 19:12 I'm saying "God, what do... " like... "Where are you?" 19:14 "this is huge... " Hmmm... 19:16 "You're talking about marrying someone... 19:18 you're talking about father of a 9-year-old... 19:20 you're talking about... " all the different things... 19:22 I mean... I had... some picket-fence dreams there 19:23 and it wasn't... the dream wasn't to take on 19:26 anybody else's child... Hmmm... hmmm... 19:27 and I remember God saying to me explicitly... 19:29 "How dare you?" Hmmm... 19:31 because in my own journey... I was adopted by my dad... 19:35 my mom's husband... who was my dad... 19:37 who took me in at 2- years-old... 19:39 Okay... what we're talking about 19:40 it's so amazing... like a ministry... 19:42 it's a marriage but it's so much bigger... 19:44 you know I'm the son of an amazing woman 19:46 who got pregnant with me while she was in University 19:49 and at 19-years-old... she found herself 19:52 in an abortion clinic... and thinking to do the unthinkable.. 19:55 Yes... but she said that she felt a 19:57 flutter in her stomach and knew she couldn't do it... 19:59 Hmmm... hmmm... so we're talking about destiny.. 20:02 which is so amazing... like... speaking of marriage... 20:04 we're excited about life... because we know... 20:06 that we're here by design... so we share our testimony... 20:08 we need people to know that God is amazing... 20:10 Yes... and so that she came home... 20:12 to the school and the church members and other 20:15 individuals... you know... how we used to do... 20:17 sometimes we would bless the kids 20:19 who were born outside of wedlock after the service... 20:21 Yes... there was a mother who, you know 20:22 she was dis-fellowshipped... it was a whole lot of stuff 20:25 that took place... but I also had a dad... 20:27 who came into my life and took me on... as his own... 20:29 Hmmm... hmmm... and so it was as if... 20:31 God repeated that cycle and said, 20:33 "Now, I need you to do that for somebody else... " 20:35 Wow... and just amazing because... 20:37 when you think about... 20:38 and I know that there are many other individuals out there 20:40 who do this... to take on someone else's child 20:42 and to embrace them as your own, I believe that I'm an answer to 20:49 a dying man's prayer... I knew my cousin... 20:52 and I knew that he prayed for his son... 20:54 our son... and so... one of the greatest privileges 20:56 that I have in this life is to be able to point 20:58 to a young man whom I love, but I also loved his father 21:01 my greatest desire... I can't wait... 21:03 to get to heaven... and to be able to deliver him 21:05 to his father and to say, "We're here... " 21:09 Come on now... that is so, so beautiful... 21:12 really... because... in a world... like ours... 21:17 where fatherlessness... is such a big deal... 21:21 Absolutely... to know that... 21:23 you just dropped so much... 21:25 interesting, good stuff... on it to know that your mom 21:29 held on to you... in the midst of the scorn 21:33 and ridicule because she felt that life in her... 21:37 and then... to know that God sent a man... 21:41 to you... to be a dad to you... and then sent you... 21:45 to Jaylen... to be a dad to him... 21:48 Yeah... because God puts the lonely 21:51 in families... Yeah... yeah... Hmmm... Hmmm... 21:53 so... He made sure that, you know, 21:55 that your first husband's prayer was answered... 22:00 Hmmm... hmmm... Yeah... 22:01 because that's another thing... 22:02 and that's another beautiful thing about God... 22:05 that... I've seen this at... the prayers of the righteous 22:09 even though they go to sleep, He honors those prayers... 22:13 He doesn't forget them... just because they're sleeping 22:16 He doesn't forget them... That's right... 22:17 so how beautiful is that... so you... God said to you... 22:23 "How dare you... do this...?" 22:25 and that was an awakening for you... wasn't it... 22:27 Absolutely... it was... it still wasn't sufficient 22:30 you know... you're talking about a big decision... 22:32 and I'll say this... there's a lot of bad information 22:35 out there about marriage... or even how to find a spouse... 22:38 Hmmm... hmmm... we got information from 22:39 individuals who said... "Why listen.. God's up high 22:41 and you're the one that's got to live with the person, 22:43 so you have to choose... " and I thought... 22:44 "Hmmm... it doesn't sound right" 22:46 Hmmm... I remember reading Adventists 22:48 Home from cover to cover and my cousin... 22:50 he did that as well... and I remember him telling us 22:52 about that and... you know... but... 22:55 Bobbie has an amazing connection with God... 22:57 and she prays often 22:59 and so... even for those who are out there who are wondering 23:01 how do you find and keep a great man... I believe, that prayer... 23:04 and how to find and keep a great woman... 23:06 because I mean... it's a two-way street. 23:07 That's right... It's about praying and asking 23:10 God specifically, "Lord, who did you create 23:12 for me... from the foundation of the earth?" 23:13 there are many people out there who believe you can find many 23:16 other people to suit your fancy 23:18 and God can work with another Plan... 23:19 that's fine... but for me... I wanted Plan A 23:22 I don't want Plan B or C or D... Come on... 23:23 I didn't want any alternatives.. 23:25 I want it like... "when you created me Lord... " 23:27 Yes... "I want the woman that you 23:29 thought for me... when you created me... " 23:30 Come on... and now... what makes that 23:32 so deep... is that she was that for... my cousin 23:35 but God so amazed me... 23:38 He can recreate and then make her over for me... 23:41 Yes... come one... now... Oh, I'm loving this... 23:45 I'm loving this... and that's what is so amazing... 23:48 so amazing like many of the books say 23:50 "How to find and keep a great man... " 23:52 anything that's great comes from God 23:54 Yes... God is so amazing... 23:55 and so she had an amazing connection with God 23:57 through prayer and I remember her getting a little bit 24:00 frustrated waiting for me to try to figure out what I 24:02 was going to do... you know... 24:04 like.. I was vacillating between many different opinions... 24:06 Ah ha... and circumstances... 24:07 and I'll let her tell you about that... and she... 24:09 God confirmed some things that sort of really 24:12 just took us to another level... 24:13 And tell us... and we're down to like 2 minutes 24:16 which is crazy... so... Oh wow... well, that whole 24:18 "God will tell you who the person is... " 24:20 like he said... I found out that he was Oshea... 24:24 and I loved it... and I just said... 24:25 "Okay, that's my name... I'm going to call him Oshea 24:29 from here on out... and then... 24:30 like he said... when we were getting towards the end 24:33 sort of... decision to be together finally came... 24:36 one day... I was at home and had my Bible and 24:40 my Sabbath School lesson out and he was abroad... 24:43 and I said, "You know what Lord... this is it... 24:46 this is the deal here... I need you to... " 24:48 because I had signs all along the way... 24:51 but this was it... I said, "Lord, I need you 24:53 to tell me for sure... because if this is not right... 24:57 you know what... I'll still serve you... 24:59 that's where I'm at... I'll still be with you... 25:01 I'll say, okay, I made a mistake... this is not... 25:04 I'll accept whatever you say at this point... " 25:07 and I'm telling you 25:09 he just said, "You know just open up the Word... " 25:12 and I opened it up... and it was in Numbers... 25:15 and it said... 25:16 "Oshea, son of Nun... 25:20 his name was changed to Joshua... " 25:22 Moses had changed it... 25:24 or something like that... I said, "Oshea" 25:26 I said... "This is it... " it was just Oshea... 25:29 it said Oshea... I said, "I'd never seen 25:32 Oshea in the Bible in my life... " 25:34 Right... and I called him... 25:37 and I said, "You get yourself home... 25:39 You're my husband... " You are my husband... 25:41 let's go... All right... 25:43 And the amazing thing is... that... she had been asked 25:45 to read the story of Joshua a lot around that time... 25:48 somebody had asked her to read the Scripture reading 25:49 and it was Joshua 1... and so there was a lot of 25:51 discussion over Joshua... but what neither of us knew 25:54 the connection between the name Joshua and Oshea 25:56 until that confirmation... 25:57 it was difficult to sort of fight against that... 25:59 it was aww... wow... okay... 26:02 What can you say against that right... 26:04 We can't argue with that... Oh... praise the Lord 26:06 so, summarize... what makes a good marriage 26:11 what makes for a good marriage? I believe that God is love 26:15 and I believe that love comes from God... 26:17 what makes a good... a great marriage... 26:18 a so-amazing marriage is... two individuals who are 26:22 pursuing Christ together... and I believe 26:24 that He then brings the oneness between them... 26:26 I believe that a great marriage is... 26:28 is people giving 100... 100... 26:29 you know a lot of people talk about 50... 50... 26:31 we don't agree with that... 100... 100... 26:34 Yeah and making it a priority... you know... 26:37 my wife is an amazing student of marriage... 26:39 Hmmm... you know, I think it's important 26:41 to observe... those around you, those older than you, 26:44 and see... you know... picking the good characteristics 26:47 that you see in different spaces neither of us saw the 26:50 the marriage that we desired... 26:51 when we were growing up... in one place... 26:53 we saw pieces... and I think we've been blessed 26:55 to be able to allow God to amalgamate the best 26:58 that we've seen... and He's done something amazing... 27:00 that we can experience that on a daily basis... 27:02 And now you have... a ministry... 27:04 tell us what your ministry is. 27:06 Yeah, the ministry is called 27:07 So Amazing Life Ministries... 27:09 and it's a multi-faceted ministry 27:11 and incorporates obviously marriage ministry... 27:13 I think a lot of times, people think that marriage is 27:15 just for... to be talked about by older individuals... 27:18 but how do you choose and find a great husband or wife... 27:21 can it be cool... can it be sexy... 27:24 can you dress nicely... can you... I mean... 27:26 can you enjoy each other... you know... 27:28 we want to change the face of marriage and choose it again 27:30 because it's just not for the world, 27:32 marriage was created by God and it's something that 27:34 He wants to also get us to embrace 27:36 as amazing again... it also incorporates 27:38 some of the educational pieces you know... 27:40 speaking to men... to women... 27:42 I bring in a lot of my research that I do with men... 27:44 I love my academic records also in the area... 27:47 so it's a multi-faceted mission our sons are involved 27:49 we have two amazing sons 27:51 we're just grateful for what God is doing in Jaylen's life... 27:53 and then we have a 5-year-old who will soon be 6... 27:56 he loves music... and so it's just a multi-faceted 27:58 family ministry... That's awesome... 28:00 Thank you so much for being with us... 28:02 and thank you... join us next time... 28:04 it wouldn't be the same without you... |
Revised 2015-02-12