Terri Lynne-Corbett: God’s Love Never Lets Go

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Hey friends, welcome to the Her God Story podcast,

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where you will always hear a powerful story to

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encourage and inspire you in your walk with the

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Lord. I'm your host, Jodie Chiricosta, ministry

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leader at Somebody Cares America and international

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author and traveler on this incredible journey

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of faith. Jeremiah 31 .3 in the NIV records the

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Lord saying, I have loved you with an everlasting

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love. I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

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That verse reminds us all that no matter where

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we've been or what we've done, God's love never

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lets go. His kindness keeps reaching for us,

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redeeming, restoring, and drawing us back to

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Himself. Maybe you've had moments when you felt

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like you've blown it with God. When regret, failure,

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even shame make you wonder if He could ever use

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you or even love you again. Many of us have wondered

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that, but here's the truth. God's love never

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give us up and his promises never fail. Maybe

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you don't believe that, but I know you hope it's

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true. Corey Ten Boone, who survived the horrors

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of Auschwitz during World War II and saw God's

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amazing love from many angles, once said, never

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be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known

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God. When we can't see what's ahead, we can still

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trust the heart of the one who holds our future.

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God's plans aren't undone by our mistakes. He

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specializes in redeeming what's been broken.

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That same redeeming love is what we see every

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day through somebody care outreaches, especially

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through the widow and orphan fund. Around the

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world, women and children who've lost so much

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are discovering that God has not forgotten them.

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like poverty -stricken widows in rural Kenya

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who recently received help starting businesses

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so they can support themselves. In the midst

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of hardship and even grief, God is meeting them

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with comfort, provision, and renewed hope, often

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through caring friends like you, who choose to

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be His hands and heart in action. God does that

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for them, and He does that for us. As Elizabeth

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Elliott reminds us, God's story never ends with

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ashes. Hope isn't gone. It's reborn in his presence.

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He turns mourning into joy and brings beauty

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out of what once seemed beyond repair. My guest

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today, Terri Lynn Corbett, knows that truth firsthand.

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She's an author, speaker, and licensed minister

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whose journey of redemption shows how far God's

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grace will reach to rescue and rebuild a life.

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Out of her own story of broken relationships,

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rejection, and restoration, Terri met the healing

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love of Jesus. the one who became her true husband

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and restorer. Through Where's My Husband Ministries

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and her books, including Declaring Your Soul

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to Believe and Your Enemy to Leave, she now helps

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women break free from shame, rediscover their

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worth, and walk in the hope of God's promises.

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If you've ever wondered whether God could still

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love you, still use you, or still bring beauty

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from your ashes, Terry's story will remind you

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he absolutely can. So settle in. Open your heart.

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Let your faith rise. The God who began your story

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isn't finished with it yet, and you can be sure

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he is at work to bring beauty and hope. Welcome,

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Terri. Thank you, Jodi. It's an honor to be with

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you today. Well, Terri, every story starts somewhere,

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and often our early experiences leave lasting

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marks on how we see ourselves. So before we jump

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into how God later brought healing and restoration,

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let's look back for a moment. What were your

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early years like and how did those experiences

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shape the way you thought about yourself and

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even your sense of worth? Very good question.

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Thank you Jody. So I grew up the youngest of

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four daughters and my three sisters were from

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my mother's first marriage. grew up. We had lots

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of family vacations together. We did lots of

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fun things together. We're involved in things

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at school, but there was a lot missing. We did

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not have, you know, long talks as a family. We

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didn't talk about morals. There was a lot of

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alcohol in my family, unfortunately, way too

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much. A lot of fighting. I tried desperately

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to get the approval of my dad and just could

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never seem to do it. We didn't have any daddy

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-daughter dances or anything like that at school.

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Those are things that I craved, but I could never

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seem to get the attention of my dad. So early

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on, I think I was really just drawn to more of

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promiscuity, the attention of other kids at school

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that were troublemakers. boys. Anywhere I could

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get attention. It was negative attention but

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it was still for me attention. Early on I remember

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one time we had a boat and we often would go

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to Catalina Island. Often my parents were drinking

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with friends and having a good time. We were

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out in the in the channel there and After a long

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afternoon of drinking, my father decided for

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some reason, unexpectedly, that it was time to

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have a swimming lesson. So my father just picked

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me up and threw me off of the back of the boat

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in the canal. I did not know how to swim. I was

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thrashing around. I thought for sure I was going

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to drown. Then shortly after, my dad jumped in

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and saved me. It was a pretty awful, unexpected

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deal. I felt very scared. I felt very unprotected.

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My parents were continuing to drink for the afternoon,

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and I think that was the day they came up with

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some nicknames for me. There were three of them.

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and one was Terry the Terrible, Rotten, and Honoree,

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probably because I wasn't too happy for the rest

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of the day. So that was kind of a kingpin point

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to my life that I can look back and say, wow,

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I felt very unprotected. I felt unworthy. I was

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scared. And so that kind of set me on a course

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of looking for love in all the wrong directions.

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At age 14, I met a boy who was five years older

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than me. We dated, I got pregnant. I told my

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father, who told me at the time, that I would

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definitely be getting an abortion. Otherwise,

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I would not be able to stay at home with them,

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that I would have to find another place to live.

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I did my best to listen to my friends who were

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telling me it was not a baby. It was a blob of

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tissue that I would be better off. I was too

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young to be a mom. Went ahead with the abortion.

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After the abortion, I became getting... more

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and more angry, was blaming God but didn't really

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know who he was at the time, just my thoughts

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of him were not good. My boyfriend introduced

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me to drugs and alcohol at the time, so I was

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getting angrier and angrier. And shortly thereafter,

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about a year or two later, still with my boyfriend,

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we were kind of up and down because of the drugs

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and alcohol, I got pregnant again. and he denied

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that the child was mine. My parents supported

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my decision to keep the child. So I was able

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to stay with them. They helped me get on my feet

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so that I could get out on my own. And that was

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a good time. That was a very, very good time.

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but I still struggled with my self -worth at

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that time. The rejection of my father, the rejection

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of my boyfriend, the anger, the drugs and alcohol,

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I was not in a good place. And around that time

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in your late teens, maybe even early twenties,

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one of your sisters came to know Christ and began

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sharing her faith with you. Of course, you were

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pretty upset at God, but how did you respond?

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And ultimately, How did that impact you? So Jodi,

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at that time, when my sister came to me, I was

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in my darkest hour, if you will, or I should

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say it was getting to that point. I was raising

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my son on my own. I was living in an apartment

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with two girlfriends who also had babies about

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the same age as my son. I was continuing to do

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drugs and alcohol. I was working, but I was a

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functioning person with Just no identity and

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a lot of anger. So if it wasn't for my job I

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probably wouldn't have made it but my sister

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who gave herself or who gave her life to the

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Lord came to my apartment this day and she said

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You know, I want to tell you about Jesus, Terry,

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and I kind of rolled my eyes and I was like,

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oh boy, here we go. And I didn't really want

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to hear what she had to say about God, but she

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invited me to a Christian concert that night

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at a local college that was close by. I just

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said, you know what? Why not? If anything else,

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the music's probably going to be good. So I went

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ahead and went to the concert with her. heard

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the worship music, heard a gospel message, and

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then the Holy Spirit got a hold of me at the

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altar call. Jodi still brings tears to my eyes

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that moment. I can tell you like it was yesterday.

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I could not get down to the football field fast

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enough to give my life to the Lord. I said to

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him, I said, I don't even believe in you. I don't

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even know if you're real. But if you are, would

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you? Could you do something with this wretched

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life of mine? Because I didn't like myself. I

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knew what I was doing. I did not like who I had

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become. I felt filthy, unworthy. Just I was at

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my wits end. The Holy Spirit got a hold of me.

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I was literally walking on clouds for probably

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a good six months afterwards. I was evangelizing

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everybody I knew. The Lord and I were tight,

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I thought. kind of went from there. So did you

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get connected into a Christian community at that

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point or how were you growing in the Lord? I

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really did not have a connection with the church

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at that time. Shortly before this, my brother,

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who was in his 20s, was shot and killed unexpectedly.

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with a double barrel shotgun by a thief who came

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into one of the stores that he was working at

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very early in the morning. And we were just beginning

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to attend a church, Calvary Chapel, out there

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in California. I was starting to grow in the

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Lord, but I did not have any deep connections

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in the church. the pastor, the youth pastor.

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He was more involved with my parents who were

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trying to get close to the Lord at the time,

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but I did not have the depth that I needed nor

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the support. So it was difficult for me to have

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anything to lean on. at that time. I just felt

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like I was on my own. So you were juggling so

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much. You were working, raising a baby or raising,

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he was three by then, right? Your son was three,

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longing for that stability, still searching for

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security. You knew Christ, but you really weren't

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in a fellowship where you were growing in him.

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So then you met a man who seemed to have it all

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together. Handsome, successful, supposedly went

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to church. seem like an answer to prayer, right?

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All your heart's desire, but... soon after you

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discovered that things weren't all as they appeared.

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So what happened? My sister, the one that brought

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me to the Lord, I trusted her immensely and I

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kind of felt like she was my only connection

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to any wisdom really at that point. My parents

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were trying to get close to the Lord and we were

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all baptized as a family when my brother was

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shot and killed. but my parents were not somebody

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I could really lean on. So my sister was kind

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of the one that I turned to. She was looking

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for my best interest and of course the best interests

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of my son at the time. She said, look, I want

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you to meet this guy that my husband works with.

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And I think that you'll like him. I think he's

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a good guy. He seems like somebody you... you

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could lean on that you guys have some things

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in common and he loves the Lord and I think he

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would be a good dad. He wants children. I told

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him about you and he's very excited to meet you.

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So we met. On the outside, yes Jody, he looked

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like he was the perfect man. Like the Lord was

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opening that door for me. So I wasn't particularly

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attracted to him. I didn't feel a lot of love

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feelings for him, but really at that time the

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only thing that was important to me was finding

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a husband that would take care of me and my son,

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to be honest with you. So shortly into the relationship

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there were signs of abuse. He would stay out

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late at night, come home in the morning. A couple

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of times he came home he had I could smell cologne

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on him. There was blood on a shirt one night

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when he came home. He said that he got into a

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fight with somebody at a bar. There was sexual

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abuse and physical abuse. And it started gradually,

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but it just kept getting worse and worse. And

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you were married to him at this point, right?

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Oh yes, we were married. Yeah, we got married

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not too long, I would say probably about three

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or four months after we met. We had the support

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of our families. Everything seemed to be going

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well. We were going to church, yet he was extremely

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jealous. He was an alcoholic. He liked to drink

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a lot. Then I found out that he was connected

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to the mafia. He also liked to do drugs, so we

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would often do drugs together. Not when we had

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the kids, the kids were with grandparents. So

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this went on for about three, four years, and

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then he started being abusive to my sons. So

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at that point, I realized that if I stayed with

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this man, somebody was gonna get killed because

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it was that violent. I went ahead and filed for

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a divorce. He ended up getting custody, primary

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custody of our child because he was connected

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to the mafia and he made a lot of money dealing

00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:03.419
drugs. So at that point, We divorced, I stayed

00:16:03.419 --> 00:16:07.759
local, continued with my job, but also went back

00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:11.279
into more drugs and alcohol. So after everything

00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.519
that happened, that just must have been a lot

00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:17.740
to process emotionally, spiritually, physically,

00:16:18.059 --> 00:16:20.740
practically. How did you begin to even deal with

00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:22.620
the aftermath and start picking up the pieces?

00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:27.059
Because I mean, you had your older son, but your

00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:29.799
younger son was still in the care of his abusive

00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:34.299
father. Yes, I just was going down a very dark,

00:16:34.379 --> 00:16:39.539
dark hole. I began to get an I don't care attitude

00:16:39.539 --> 00:16:44.240
and just began to really abuse myself with drugs

00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.899
and alcohol and relationships. I met a military

00:16:47.899 --> 00:16:52.200
man at a bar one weekend. He basically just said

00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:55.690
to me, hey, why don't we get married? I mean,

00:16:55.789 --> 00:16:59.230
if it doesn't work, you know, we can just get

00:16:59.230 --> 00:17:03.070
a divorce. And honestly, Jodi, in my numbness,

00:17:03.330 --> 00:17:06.910
I said, sure, why not? I just didn't care at

00:17:06.910 --> 00:17:12.740
that point about anything. Honestly, that time

00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:16.259
is a bit of a blur for me. So if I jump around

00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:19.579
a little bit, it's because I only remember certain

00:17:19.579 --> 00:17:21.980
bullet points of what was going on at that time,

00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:25.319
except for what God was doing. This was really

00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:30.019
affecting how I felt about myself, my self -worth.

00:17:30.140 --> 00:17:34.619
I just didn't feel like I could do anything right.

00:17:35.589 --> 00:17:37.670
Then a friend of mine came to me and she said,

00:17:37.789 --> 00:17:42.049
look, I've got this opportunity to work in a

00:17:42.049 --> 00:17:46.009
hospital and set up their warehouse system, their

00:17:46.009 --> 00:17:49.509
central supply system. And I'd really like to

00:17:49.509 --> 00:17:53.789
bring you aboard with your skill level with IT

00:17:53.789 --> 00:17:59.529
and operations and management and my warehousing

00:17:59.529 --> 00:18:02.430
and inventory experience. So I said, great. So

00:18:02.430 --> 00:18:06.720
we started this two year long contract working

00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:10.680
for a hospital in town and things were going

00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:14.779
really well. I was feeling very good about myself

00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:18.099
and it was my job to hire the staff that would

00:18:18.099 --> 00:18:22.700
work in the inventory there. One afternoon I

00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:27.400
was feeling very very good about myself and one

00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:30.440
of the young men that came in for an interview

00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:37.460
I hired him right away. We connected almost immediately.

00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:44.019
He fell in love with my son and we began a relationship.

00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:46.859
So I guess you could say that I was a bit of

00:18:46.859 --> 00:18:50.299
a cougar at that time since he was 12 years younger

00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:54.059
than me. I sort of resolved it in my heart, Jodi,

00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:57.460
that I felt like I had been taken advantage of

00:18:57.460 --> 00:19:02.880
so many times by men. It was time for me to get

00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:06.039
control of my own life. So the military man that

00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:08.740
you married, I mean, you divorced him pretty

00:19:08.740 --> 00:19:11.410
quickly. Because you realize that was not the

00:19:11.410 --> 00:19:14.049
relationship for you correct that was that was

00:19:14.049 --> 00:19:18.250
said not quite a six month marriage with both

00:19:18.250 --> 00:19:22.710
realize that that was a blip a mistake that and

00:19:22.710 --> 00:19:26.390
then of course he had gone off to another tour

00:19:26.390 --> 00:19:30.410
somewhere so we had to do the divorce all remotely

00:19:30.410 --> 00:19:34.329
and. He was in agreement. We were divorced before

00:19:34.329 --> 00:19:37.910
we even got married. Yeah. So this new young

00:19:37.910 --> 00:19:41.170
man that you started seeing finally seems like

00:19:41.170 --> 00:19:43.549
life was turning around and things were looking

00:19:43.549 --> 00:19:45.950
up. There was some hope again. You had a good

00:19:45.950 --> 00:19:49.170
job. So tell me about those years. How was God

00:19:49.170 --> 00:19:54.089
working in your life during that time and what

00:19:54.089 --> 00:19:57.279
happened in that relationship? He at the time

00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:02.279
was the love of my life. I was very hopeful about

00:20:02.279 --> 00:20:06.579
life going forward. I was very excited about

00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:13.039
having a new name again and he just loved my

00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:15.380
children. He loved me, would have done anything

00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:20.019
for me. He was Catholic and of course I was Christian

00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:25.460
and he basically just said I will lead my Catholicism

00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:29.759
and become a Christian for you. I want to raise

00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:34.519
the boys. I want to serve God with you. We moved

00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:37.539
to Seattle, Washington. We found a wonderful

00:20:37.539 --> 00:20:40.900
church out there that we just grew in leaps and

00:20:40.900 --> 00:20:45.160
bounds. The congregation came around us and supported

00:20:45.160 --> 00:20:49.049
us, gave us a beautiful wedding. We became very

00:20:49.049 --> 00:20:54.769
quickly involved in ministry. So we started working

00:20:54.769 --> 00:20:59.109
with the youth and we fell just right in love

00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:04.650
with them. We started a band. We started an evangelistic

00:21:04.650 --> 00:21:09.309
team where we went out into the community sharing

00:21:09.309 --> 00:21:13.740
the love of Jesus and evangelizing and seeing

00:21:13.740 --> 00:21:16.259
people give their lives to the Lord. So there

00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:20.019
was a lot of spiritual fruit during that time,

00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:24.779
Jodi, a lot of prophetic words spoken over both

00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:28.819
of us, but oftentimes just over me individually.

00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:32.779
I remember one particular time we were evangelizing

00:21:32.779 --> 00:21:36.200
a junior high school in our community. We were

00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:40.240
sharing the Lord with them, just playing some

00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:44.089
basketball with them. Somehow I came down and

00:21:44.089 --> 00:21:49.049
got my foot in a hole, broke my ankle, literally

00:21:49.049 --> 00:21:54.049
on the basketball court, and I was crying and

00:21:54.049 --> 00:21:57.750
in a lot of pain, and my husband, this young

00:21:57.750 --> 00:22:01.000
man, came over and prayed for me and he says

00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:03.480
you guys I want you to come over right now we're

00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:06.539
gonna pray the power of God over my wife right

00:22:06.539 --> 00:22:10.960
now and you're gonna see God heal her right here

00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:14.839
right now we started praying and sure enough

00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:18.640
Jody the Lord healed my ankle right there on

00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:22.279
the spot on the basketball court and even when

00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:26.339
I was even I was shocked I had experienced a

00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:31.480
few healings this was pretty and so make a long

00:22:31.480 --> 00:22:35.460
story short we were able to lead seven of those

00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:38.599
youth to the Lord right then and there and they

00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:41.299
came to church became part of our youth group

00:22:41.299 --> 00:22:44.680
and really truly it was just a wonderful time

00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:47.480
and the Lord I thought okay this is it this is

00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:52.119
this is what God meant all along and we wanted

00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:59.589
to pastor church. We had ideas of doing great

00:22:59.589 --> 00:23:03.250
things for the Lord. Unfortunately, my husband

00:23:03.250 --> 00:23:05.730
at the time, because of the age difference, it

00:23:05.730 --> 00:23:09.890
was very difficult for him to take on the responsibilities

00:23:09.890 --> 00:23:13.490
of that marriage. Financially, just everything.

00:23:13.789 --> 00:23:17.910
He really struggled. He had some addictions,

00:23:17.910 --> 00:23:22.210
which I won't go into right now, but he was unwilling

00:23:22.210 --> 00:23:26.470
to address those issues and his heart, somewhere

00:23:26.470 --> 00:23:29.309
along the line, had kind of started moving away.

00:23:29.390 --> 00:23:33.609
I think he was feeling the age difference. At

00:23:33.609 --> 00:23:38.410
that point, we realized that There was no going

00:23:38.410 --> 00:23:41.809
back. We had tried everything to heal our marriage.

00:23:42.710 --> 00:23:45.809
We moved away to Texas for a little while for

00:23:45.809 --> 00:23:49.769
a job transfer for him. And during that time,

00:23:50.130 --> 00:23:54.269
there were difficulties with other women coming

00:23:54.269 --> 00:23:57.390
to me and saying that he was not the man that

00:23:57.390 --> 00:24:02.089
I thought he was. I left Texas, came back to

00:24:02.089 --> 00:24:06.950
Washington. Sometime After that, he came back

00:24:06.950 --> 00:24:10.930
to Washington. We tried to give our marriage

00:24:10.930 --> 00:24:14.690
a go, but too much time and events had passed

00:24:14.690 --> 00:24:18.809
and there was no commitment at that point. We

00:24:18.809 --> 00:24:23.890
divorced and that was probably the toughest time

00:24:23.890 --> 00:24:27.890
for me because I truly thought this was going

00:24:27.890 --> 00:24:33.150
to be it. And the rejection, the devastation

00:24:33.150 --> 00:24:38.450
of the divorce just again set me into a space

00:24:38.450 --> 00:24:41.809
and time of numbness and not being able to make

00:24:41.809 --> 00:24:46.849
good decisions at all. So I decided to leave

00:24:46.849 --> 00:24:49.650
Washington and come back to California where

00:24:49.650 --> 00:24:54.390
my family was. Another lost broken relationship,

00:24:55.250 --> 00:24:57.230
kind of the death of some ministry dreams as

00:24:57.230 --> 00:25:01.039
well. really can be discouraging, you know, loss

00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:04.160
upon loss upon loss, loss of a church family,

00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:07.339
so many, so much loss, but even in that season,

00:25:08.059 --> 00:25:11.240
God's hand was clearly guiding you. But of course,

00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:13.819
like so many of us, there are still areas where

00:25:13.819 --> 00:25:16.460
we want to take control. We think we can do it

00:25:16.460 --> 00:25:19.440
our own way. So tell us about that time. What

00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:21.500
was God doing in your heart and how did that

00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:26.160
turn out? Just before leaving, The state of Washington

00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:30.380
in in my grieving Swallowing the rejection of

00:25:30.380 --> 00:25:34.460
this of my husband at the time The Lord gave

00:25:34.460 --> 00:25:39.500
me a scripture Jody. I felt that the Lord had

00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:44.940
come and sat down next to me and Told me how

00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:48.019
much he loved me and that's through a scripture

00:25:48.019 --> 00:25:55.059
out of Isaiah chapter 54 verses 4 through 8 Fear

00:25:55.059 --> 00:26:00.960
not. For you will not be ashamed, neither will

00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:05.740
you be confounded. For you will not be put to

00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:09.940
shame. For you will forget the shame of your

00:26:09.940 --> 00:26:14.180
youth. And you shall not remember the reproach

00:26:14.180 --> 00:26:19.079
of your widowhood anymore. For your maker is

00:26:19.079 --> 00:26:23.279
your husband. The Lord of hosts is his name.

00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:28.119
and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the

00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:32.160
God of the whole earth, shall he be called. For

00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:36.779
the Lord has called you as a woman forsaken and

00:26:36.779 --> 00:26:41.819
grieved in spirit and a wife of youth. When you

00:26:41.819 --> 00:26:46.619
were refused, saith God, for a small moment have

00:26:46.619 --> 00:26:50.000
I forsaken you, but with great mercies will I

00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.980
gather you in a little wrath. I hid my face from

00:26:53.980 --> 00:26:58.460
you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness

00:26:58.460 --> 00:27:02.380
will I have mercy on you, says the Lord, your

00:27:02.380 --> 00:27:07.740
Redeemer. I felt that the Lord was telling me,

00:27:08.200 --> 00:27:11.420
it's okay. I still love you. I'm your husband.

00:27:11.900 --> 00:27:14.440
It's going to be okay. Just keep your eyes on

00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:18.880
me. And I had hope in the midst of total devastation.

00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:24.940
So I got a job, moved fairly close to my parents

00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:29.519
in California. And because I didn't have the

00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:34.480
depth with the Lord, I was still craving the

00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:39.920
love and acceptance of a human, a man. And so

00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:43.000
immediately within three months, I got on Match

00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:49.119
.com, met a guy who was a pilot. He was a foodie.

00:27:49.299 --> 00:27:52.710
He was a Christian. was also a graphic designer

00:27:52.710 --> 00:27:55.609
for Hollywood. So he had been doing Hollywood

00:27:55.609 --> 00:27:58.329
movies for a real long time. Pretty much immediately

00:27:58.329 --> 00:28:03.109
whisked me off my feet. I was very busy flying

00:28:03.109 --> 00:28:06.890
around Southern California and cooking and learning

00:28:06.890 --> 00:28:10.910
about food and... being involved in the church

00:28:10.910 --> 00:28:13.710
that he was attending at the time. What I didn't

00:28:13.710 --> 00:28:17.710
know, and I found out shortly within six months

00:28:17.710 --> 00:28:21.829
of the marriage was he was a schizophrenic and

00:28:21.829 --> 00:28:26.190
a severe alcoholic. So that kind of crept up

00:28:26.190 --> 00:28:28.829
little by little. Basically, he said the same

00:28:28.829 --> 00:28:32.329
thing to me, Jody, that the military guy said,

00:28:32.670 --> 00:28:35.329
he just said, hey, why don't we just get married

00:28:35.329 --> 00:28:37.500
if it doesn't work? We'll just get a divorce.

00:28:38.359 --> 00:28:42.380
And I got suckered right into it one more time.

00:28:42.700 --> 00:28:46.740
I was so numb, I didn't wear a traditional wedding

00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:52.480
dress. I wore a red dress for that wedding. And

00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:57.759
I was so numb and so brazen that I just didn't

00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:00.619
care. One really great thing came out of that,

00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:02.720
Jodi, and what the Lord has shown me through

00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:06.900
all of this is In order for me to heal, I needed

00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:11.000
to go back to each marriage and find the positive,

00:29:11.579 --> 00:29:16.019
the good things, mostly about the Lord. But what

00:29:16.019 --> 00:29:18.619
happened in that marriage to be able to move

00:29:18.619 --> 00:29:21.000
forward in my healing? So this is what I've done

00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:25.140
during that time. I attended a codependency class,

00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:28.319
codependency and manipulation that the church

00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:32.359
was offering at that time. It was an eight -week

00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:37.279
course and I was having regular panic attacks.

00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:42.319
I was on anti -depressants. I was really struggling

00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:45.519
in my mind to keep it together. This class, and

00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:48.119
we attended together, this class really opened

00:29:48.119 --> 00:29:53.480
my eyes to how I was functioning. So negative

00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:57.859
patterns of thinking, rejection, triggers, all

00:29:57.859 --> 00:30:00.559
of this. And these are things that I write about

00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:05.140
in my books. That class really helped me realize

00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:08.940
that I needed to make some changes desperately,

00:30:09.059 --> 00:30:13.079
and I needed to put the Lord first. We were married

00:30:13.079 --> 00:30:17.440
a year and a half, and he came to me and he said,

00:30:17.619 --> 00:30:21.329
Terry, I'm really sorry, but... we need to get

00:30:21.329 --> 00:30:24.470
a divorce. You and I are very broken people.

00:30:24.569 --> 00:30:27.450
You are far beyond broken more than I thought

00:30:27.450 --> 00:30:30.109
you were. And I'm just going to go ahead and

00:30:30.109 --> 00:30:33.170
give you $5 ,000. I'll help you get into a new

00:30:33.170 --> 00:30:37.410
place, but we need to go our separate ways. So

00:30:37.410 --> 00:30:39.990
he kicked me out to the living room. I was kind

00:30:39.990 --> 00:30:43.369
of a mess. I was drinking all the time. I was

00:30:43.369 --> 00:30:47.529
on antidepressants and I quit my job because

00:30:47.529 --> 00:30:51.220
I couldn't work. That's how mentally far gone

00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:54.579
I was. Rejection can push us to such hard places

00:30:54.579 --> 00:30:57.980
emotionally, spiritually. You know, you said

00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:00.539
your reaction, you were just messy. Tell us,

00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:03.240
you know, what happened after that? How did you

00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:06.079
see? now that God hadn't stopped working in your

00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:10.920
story. So yes, He indeed was always working in

00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:15.039
my story. And at this point, I realized because

00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:18.400
I was living fairly close to where my sister

00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:22.660
who brought me to the Lord at the time, I thought,

00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:26.319
you know, I need to just go talk to her and see

00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:28.619
if I can stay with her for a short period of

00:31:28.619 --> 00:31:33.869
time. And so unfortunately, I had already had

00:31:33.869 --> 00:31:36.730
a whole bottle of wine. I drank a whole bottle

00:31:36.730 --> 00:31:40.710
of wine by myself. And then I made the very poor

00:31:40.710 --> 00:31:44.630
decision to get into my car and drive to her

00:31:44.630 --> 00:31:47.490
house, which was literally not even 10 minutes.

00:31:47.509 --> 00:31:50.210
It was so close. I was going to take the side

00:31:50.210 --> 00:31:52.910
streets, but I decided to get up on the freeway.

00:31:53.049 --> 00:31:57.750
So I did. I got up on the freeway and Jodi somehow

00:31:58.119 --> 00:32:02.740
I ended up on the on -ramp. I was supposed to

00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:06.579
be on the off -ramp, getting off on the next

00:32:06.579 --> 00:32:11.079
exit, but somehow I had crossed over the freeway

00:32:11.079 --> 00:32:18.359
onto the on -ramp and blacked out. And when I

00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:23.950
woke up, it was dark, it was raining, and Honest

00:32:23.950 --> 00:32:27.690
to God. I don't know how other than just the

00:32:27.690 --> 00:32:33.309
Lord transporting me from that place To the off

00:32:33.309 --> 00:32:36.630
-ramp and I was able to get off of the freeway

00:32:36.630 --> 00:32:40.309
with a broken axle Which I probably got as I

00:32:40.309 --> 00:32:44.009
had crossed over the freeway came down parked

00:32:44.009 --> 00:32:47.789
immediately under the overpass and called my

00:32:47.789 --> 00:32:53.589
sister and she immediately came got me she took

00:32:53.589 --> 00:32:55.849
full control she said just go get in the back

00:32:55.849 --> 00:32:59.390
of my car I will take care of all of this don't

00:32:59.390 --> 00:33:02.930
say anything just wait for me and somehow she

00:33:02.930 --> 00:33:07.450
worked it all out so no police was involved no

00:33:07.450 --> 00:33:12.269
accident report was done nothing she let me stay

00:33:12.269 --> 00:33:17.349
with her for a month or so during that time I

00:33:17.349 --> 00:33:19.769
stayed in her garage and I remember going to

00:33:19.769 --> 00:33:22.769
the Lord and saying, Lord, why are you letting

00:33:22.769 --> 00:33:26.289
me go through all of this? Why don't you just

00:33:26.289 --> 00:33:30.470
take me home? I can't do this. I can't make good

00:33:30.470 --> 00:33:34.529
decisions. I'm an alcoholic. I don't love myself.

00:33:34.750 --> 00:33:37.089
Nobody loves me. It's got to be me. It's got

00:33:37.089 --> 00:33:39.630
to be my fault. I don't know what else to do.

00:33:39.630 --> 00:33:42.930
I said, but if you want me to be single, why

00:33:42.930 --> 00:33:45.849
are you not giving me the strength to do that?

00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:48.539
And I said, but I don't want to be single. I

00:33:48.539 --> 00:33:52.259
want a man, a good man in my life, one that loves

00:33:52.259 --> 00:33:56.279
you, old fashioned, somebody like my dad, you

00:33:56.279 --> 00:33:58.140
know, the good things that I remember about my

00:33:58.140 --> 00:34:01.420
dad. I started going to my sister's church at

00:34:01.420 --> 00:34:04.960
that time. I was seeing a counselor. I was still

00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:09.820
on antidepressants, trying to keep the Lord close,

00:34:10.059 --> 00:34:13.920
trying to make good decisions. And I said, I'm

00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:15.699
going to get up and I'm going to go to church

00:34:15.699 --> 00:34:18.039
and I'm not going to let anything get in my way.

00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:23.340
I don't ever want to date again. Lord, I'm scared

00:34:23.340 --> 00:34:28.039
to death to do anything. One Sunday at my sister's

00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:33.159
church, I came in. I decided to wear a mumu and

00:34:33.159 --> 00:34:37.599
some sandals. I didn't want to bring on any attraction.

00:34:38.030 --> 00:34:42.110
to any male at all. I was trying so hard, you

00:34:42.110 --> 00:34:45.869
know, not to do that. One of the ushers came

00:34:45.869 --> 00:34:48.570
and I was late, of course, and he just happened

00:34:48.570 --> 00:34:51.050
to say, well, I have a seat right here next to

00:34:51.050 --> 00:34:53.849
me. I sat next to him. There was no attraction

00:34:53.849 --> 00:34:57.690
whatsoever on my part. At that time, I just felt

00:34:57.690 --> 00:34:59.929
like the Lord was just saying, just stay here,

00:34:59.969 --> 00:35:03.090
Terry. Don't do anything. Just one day at a time.

00:35:04.469 --> 00:35:09.800
The pastor was I felt the sermon was lukewarm.

00:35:09.880 --> 00:35:13.880
He was overweight and sweating. And I just wanted

00:35:13.880 --> 00:35:16.420
to get up and leave. And the Lord said, no, just

00:35:16.420 --> 00:35:18.900
sit right here. I've got something for you. Just

00:35:18.900 --> 00:35:22.760
wait. So after the service, this couple came

00:35:22.760 --> 00:35:25.719
up to me and invited me over for lunch to their

00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:30.880
house. And I said, yes. So on the way out, the

00:35:30.880 --> 00:35:33.719
usher that I was sitting next to came up to me

00:35:33.719 --> 00:35:35.679
and he handed me his business card and he said

00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:40.059
look I'm a financial guru of some sort if you

00:35:40.059 --> 00:35:44.059
have any problems with your finances or anything

00:35:44.059 --> 00:35:46.380
give me a call and I'm like yeah right that's

00:35:46.380 --> 00:35:50.599
never gonna happen. So anyway I went and had

00:35:50.599 --> 00:35:54.739
lunch with this couple and they began to share

00:35:54.739 --> 00:35:58.460
with me their story and they both had a history

00:35:58.460 --> 00:36:02.780
similar to mine. But they found each other later

00:36:02.780 --> 00:36:05.860
on in life and it was a beautiful story, Jody.

00:36:06.500 --> 00:36:09.920
So it was sort of just God's way of saying, look,

00:36:10.159 --> 00:36:12.980
this is where your life is at, Terry, but I haven't

00:36:12.980 --> 00:36:16.940
left you and I'm still right here and I'm still

00:36:16.940 --> 00:36:20.380
working. So just keep breathing. Keep moving

00:36:20.380 --> 00:36:22.719
forward. You made that decision to put God first.

00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:25.159
Yes. So at that point, a couple of weeks later,

00:36:25.179 --> 00:36:29.260
I was trying to get my finances in order. I remembered

00:36:29.260 --> 00:36:32.019
this usher. I called him up and said, you know,

00:36:32.019 --> 00:36:34.820
I could really use your services to help me get

00:36:34.820 --> 00:36:38.000
my finances in order, get my credit cleaned up.

00:36:38.719 --> 00:36:45.280
And so we met for a business appointment. And

00:36:45.280 --> 00:36:48.579
it turned out that when we were finished with

00:36:48.579 --> 00:36:50.880
the appointment, he said, why don't we sit and

00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:53.199
have a bite to eat? Because it was at a restaurant.

00:36:53.710 --> 00:36:56.230
And we did. Somehow we got onto the subject of

00:36:56.230 --> 00:36:59.210
marriage and we had our placemats in front of

00:36:59.210 --> 00:37:03.369
us and we wrote down our ideal marriage. And

00:37:03.369 --> 00:37:07.349
top of the list was that the other person would

00:37:07.349 --> 00:37:10.110
love the Lord and that the Lord would be number

00:37:10.110 --> 00:37:13.650
one in their lives. We decided at that point

00:37:13.650 --> 00:37:16.730
that we might just start a friendship. So that's

00:37:16.730 --> 00:37:20.449
what we did. We started a friendship. We became

00:37:20.449 --> 00:37:25.579
romantically involved. We very fast, very quick.

00:37:25.760 --> 00:37:29.619
Three months later we decided to get married

00:37:29.619 --> 00:37:34.019
and we started a business together. We started

00:37:34.019 --> 00:37:38.400
going to church and everything seemed to kind

00:37:38.400 --> 00:37:42.960
of be falling into place. He had also been married

00:37:42.960 --> 00:37:49.710
four times also. So he also had a past. But we

00:37:49.710 --> 00:37:52.989
decided that we were going to try to help each

00:37:52.989 --> 00:37:56.909
other work through these things. It's unfortunate,

00:37:56.909 --> 00:38:02.070
but it wasn't long. It was about nine years into

00:38:02.070 --> 00:38:05.650
our marriage that we just couldn't rise above

00:38:05.650 --> 00:38:09.969
our own baggage, both of us. So that was a difficult

00:38:09.969 --> 00:38:18.230
time and we decided to get a divorce. close in

00:38:18.230 --> 00:38:21.650
proximity. The Lord said to me, and this is what

00:38:21.650 --> 00:38:23.869
I always tell people when I'm giving this testimony,

00:38:24.210 --> 00:38:26.769
the Lord said, all right, Terry, you over here,

00:38:27.010 --> 00:38:30.349
Wayne, you over here. That was my husband's name,

00:38:30.349 --> 00:38:34.110
Wayne. And so for two years, we were divorced.

00:38:34.409 --> 00:38:37.090
That was when I started putting the Lord first

00:38:37.090 --> 00:38:40.050
during that divorce. During that time, during

00:38:40.050 --> 00:38:43.530
those two years, the Lord brought you kind of

00:38:43.530 --> 00:38:50.710
into a freeing an intensive time when He freed

00:38:50.710 --> 00:38:53.389
you from some of the baggage from your past.

00:38:53.690 --> 00:38:56.570
Share about that and how that really changed

00:38:56.570 --> 00:38:59.369
your life and perspective. Yeah, so that was

00:38:59.369 --> 00:39:02.230
the kicker, Jodi. It was right during that time,

00:39:02.230 --> 00:39:06.050
during that two -year time that we were divorced

00:39:06.050 --> 00:39:11.190
that I truly did finally put the Lord first.

00:39:12.170 --> 00:39:17.489
And actually it was very freeing because He was

00:39:17.489 --> 00:39:21.809
my everything. He was my husband at the time.

00:39:21.909 --> 00:39:24.909
He provided for me. I asked for a good job. I

00:39:24.909 --> 00:39:28.550
asked for a good place to live and ended up renting

00:39:28.550 --> 00:39:32.130
a room with a European woman who was a chiropractor

00:39:32.130 --> 00:39:37.010
in town. She had a dog. I had a dog. And her

00:39:37.010 --> 00:39:40.329
neighbor was also a single woman. And so they

00:39:40.329 --> 00:39:43.329
kind of gathered around me and just became my

00:39:43.329 --> 00:39:45.550
girlfriends, but they were more like my older

00:39:45.550 --> 00:39:48.590
sister almost. You know, whenever I had a tough

00:39:48.590 --> 00:39:52.670
time, they were right there. We would go shopping

00:39:52.670 --> 00:39:56.329
or go to an event in town or it was just the

00:39:56.329 --> 00:40:00.670
support that I needed, Jodi. It was a quiet time

00:40:00.670 --> 00:40:04.150
between me and the Lord. I was walking through

00:40:04.150 --> 00:40:07.389
town and I saw a sign that said Pregnancy Center.

00:40:07.789 --> 00:40:09.929
And I thought, ooh, Pregnancy Center. What is

00:40:09.929 --> 00:40:13.449
that? And so I just walked in with my dog and

00:40:13.449 --> 00:40:16.789
the executive director was sitting there. I introduced

00:40:16.789 --> 00:40:20.309
myself and I said, I'm new to town and I'm looking

00:40:20.309 --> 00:40:22.909
for work. Do you have any openings? And she said,

00:40:23.389 --> 00:40:27.730
I just happen to have an opening. And I told

00:40:27.730 --> 00:40:31.969
her my background. And we sort of fell in love

00:40:31.969 --> 00:40:35.570
right then and there. She and I and my dog and

00:40:35.570 --> 00:40:39.889
we just, the Lord just knit our hearts so fast.

00:40:40.050 --> 00:40:43.010
It was just such a miracle. So she started me

00:40:43.010 --> 00:40:46.429
out at about 12 hours a week. I ended up being

00:40:46.429 --> 00:40:49.989
there four years and it was wonderful, Jody,

00:40:50.289 --> 00:40:55.949
because I brought all of my experience into this

00:40:55.949 --> 00:41:00.230
job. So I did everything. I was the operations.

00:41:00.750 --> 00:41:04.090
I helped put together all of their IT, all of

00:41:04.090 --> 00:41:07.090
their computers, their networking, all of their

00:41:07.090 --> 00:41:12.369
curriculum. And I was also their at risk. client

00:41:12.369 --> 00:41:16.449
advocate. So women who would come in that were

00:41:16.449 --> 00:41:20.469
abusing drugs or they had been abused or they

00:41:20.469 --> 00:41:23.829
were having trouble just with their own identity,

00:41:24.329 --> 00:41:27.269
just very troubled women they gave to me because

00:41:27.269 --> 00:41:32.409
I had that experience in my own life. Then my

00:41:32.409 --> 00:41:34.670
executive director came to me and she said, Terry,

00:41:34.809 --> 00:41:38.230
you need to take this this course. It's called

00:41:38.230 --> 00:41:42.929
Surrendering the Secret. And it is an eight week

00:41:42.929 --> 00:41:46.949
abortion recovery Bible study because I had had

00:41:46.949 --> 00:41:50.690
an abortion. And she knew that I told her that.

00:41:50.949 --> 00:41:54.960
And she said, You need to do this before you

00:41:54.960 --> 00:41:57.960
can go any further with your your advancement

00:41:57.960 --> 00:42:00.780
here at the pregnancy center So to make a long

00:42:00.780 --> 00:42:04.300
story short that was the beginning of the healing

00:42:04.300 --> 00:42:08.960
For me very deep healing on the first night of

00:42:08.960 --> 00:42:11.699
the Bible study. I had a panic attack while I

00:42:11.699 --> 00:42:15.059
was driving there I had to turn around, I went

00:42:15.059 --> 00:42:20.059
back home, and got back in my car, drove halfway

00:42:20.059 --> 00:42:23.840
there again, still having a panic attack, drove

00:42:23.840 --> 00:42:26.880
back home, and then drove to the Bible study.

00:42:26.960 --> 00:42:29.320
So there was this back and forth for the first

00:42:29.320 --> 00:42:33.079
about three nights of the Bible study because

00:42:33.079 --> 00:42:37.940
I was facing things, Jodi. I was facing things.

00:42:38.039 --> 00:42:43.000
I was facing the truth. awful truth that I had

00:42:43.000 --> 00:42:48.460
murdered my child. That was tough. I didn't realize

00:42:48.460 --> 00:42:53.420
just how angry I was and that was a great big

00:42:53.420 --> 00:42:59.199
puzzle piece to why. So I went through the study

00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:02.119
really just connected with my daughter the Lord

00:43:02.280 --> 00:43:06.059
told me that the child was a girl, gave me her

00:43:06.059 --> 00:43:10.039
name. Her name is Penelope. I'm able to, so I

00:43:10.039 --> 00:43:13.340
was able to put that right in my mind. I knew

00:43:13.340 --> 00:43:16.960
I was forgiven by her and the Lord. So like I

00:43:16.960 --> 00:43:21.019
said, I was there four years and then my parents

00:43:21.019 --> 00:43:26.219
began to have difficulty with aging. One of them

00:43:26.219 --> 00:43:32.119
was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. And I had reconnected

00:43:32.119 --> 00:43:36.000
with Wayne during that time, just on phone calls.

00:43:36.059 --> 00:43:40.139
We had to deal with some insurance stuff and

00:43:40.139 --> 00:43:43.599
straggling ends, things that we had to finish

00:43:43.599 --> 00:43:47.599
up. And at that time, we started having some

00:43:47.599 --> 00:43:50.260
conversations that were, I don't know, more like

00:43:50.260 --> 00:43:52.340
brothers and sisters in Christ. He had found

00:43:52.340 --> 00:43:56.880
a church that he... was really putting himself

00:43:56.880 --> 00:43:59.980
into his relationship with the Lord was getting

00:43:59.980 --> 00:44:04.320
stronger and he said hey why don't I come see

00:44:04.320 --> 00:44:07.000
you why don't we just get together and have some

00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:10.039
lunch and we can get all this taken care of all

00:44:10.039 --> 00:44:13.139
at once so we did that and that was kind of the

00:44:13.139 --> 00:44:17.289
beginning of a new relationship with him. You

00:44:17.289 --> 00:44:20.769
had walked through five failed marriages, but

00:44:20.769 --> 00:44:23.489
you finally had found that affirmation and identity

00:44:23.489 --> 00:44:25.809
you were searching for, not in another person,

00:44:25.869 --> 00:44:28.869
but in God, when you were able to forgive yourself

00:44:28.869 --> 00:44:31.510
and receive God's forgiveness for the sins of

00:44:31.510 --> 00:44:34.610
your past. How did that really change your life

00:44:34.610 --> 00:44:37.070
and your relationships? It was, I don't want

00:44:37.070 --> 00:44:42.280
to say an instant freedom, but it was... I knew

00:44:42.280 --> 00:44:45.780
that something had changed drastically. I no

00:44:45.780 --> 00:44:49.840
longer needed the approval, the validation of

00:44:49.840 --> 00:44:54.199
another human being. I didn't need it anymore

00:44:54.199 --> 00:44:58.230
because I knew who I was in Christ. The Lord

00:44:58.230 --> 00:45:01.789
was making himself so real to me, Jody, in all

00:45:01.789 --> 00:45:07.690
of my circumstances. And I had ministry. I found

00:45:07.690 --> 00:45:12.809
a great church. I was able to be sort of the

00:45:12.809 --> 00:45:16.610
representative for the Pregnancy Center in our

00:45:16.610 --> 00:45:19.690
community. I was ready for whatever the Lord

00:45:19.690 --> 00:45:23.900
had for me next. I felt very confident, but in

00:45:23.900 --> 00:45:28.059
Him. I just knew who I was in Christ for the

00:45:28.059 --> 00:45:32.059
first time ever in my life. You know, whenever

00:45:32.059 --> 00:45:37.519
I would get married again. I was excited about

00:45:37.519 --> 00:45:41.260
my new name and I would literally, Jody, write

00:45:41.260 --> 00:45:45.420
it down on paper just this new last name and

00:45:45.420 --> 00:45:48.599
I was so excited about it. But what the Lord

00:45:48.599 --> 00:45:52.280
showed me during that time of not having Wayne

00:45:52.280 --> 00:45:55.940
in my life showed me that he was my husband.

00:45:56.019 --> 00:46:01.260
He reminded me out of Revelation chapter 2 verse

00:46:01.260 --> 00:46:05.059
17 and I'm just going to go ahead and read that

00:46:05.059 --> 00:46:10.139
real quick it just says he that has an ear let

00:46:10.139 --> 00:46:14.500
him hear what the spirit says unto the churches

00:46:14.500 --> 00:46:18.460
to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the

00:46:18.460 --> 00:46:22.500
hidden manna and I will give him a white stone

00:46:22.500 --> 00:46:29.320
and the stone a new name written, which no man

00:46:29.320 --> 00:46:34.639
knows except the one that receives it. The Lord

00:46:34.639 --> 00:46:42.139
showed me that my identity is in Him, not in

00:46:42.139 --> 00:46:46.480
anything. that goes on in this life. So the devastation

00:46:46.480 --> 00:46:50.440
of five failed marriages, the image stamps, the

00:46:50.440 --> 00:46:54.019
memories, all of that, just sort of took a back

00:46:54.019 --> 00:46:57.460
seat and I just very confidently trusted that

00:46:57.460 --> 00:47:01.820
God was doing something. At that point, I said,

00:47:01.940 --> 00:47:04.880
Lord, whatever you want, just keep me right here

00:47:04.880 --> 00:47:08.630
growing in you. And I knew he loved me. Jodi,

00:47:08.630 --> 00:47:11.690
I knew who I was in Christ and God was doing

00:47:11.690 --> 00:47:15.010
something in my relationship with Wayne at the

00:47:15.010 --> 00:47:17.469
time. So you and Wayne actually ended up getting

00:47:17.469 --> 00:47:20.030
remarried and that was what now 10 years ago?

00:47:20.449 --> 00:47:25.250
Yeah, so we actually remarried in 2014. So we

00:47:25.250 --> 00:47:28.289
were divorced not quite two years and during

00:47:28.289 --> 00:47:31.789
that time we just we fell in love in a different

00:47:31.789 --> 00:47:35.190
way. So it was more of an unconditional love.

00:47:35.349 --> 00:47:40.440
We had sort of a pity a compassion on each other

00:47:40.440 --> 00:47:43.679
because we realized how broken we were and how

00:47:43.679 --> 00:47:47.159
human we were but it made it so much easier to

00:47:47.159 --> 00:47:50.000
accept each other and to love each other because

00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:54.440
Christ was the center of our relationship so

00:47:54.440 --> 00:47:57.780
at that point we decided that we were ready I

00:47:57.780 --> 00:48:00.659
mean we waited I don't know three or four months

00:48:00.659 --> 00:48:05.079
before we we remarried, but our church, we had

00:48:05.079 --> 00:48:09.440
new pastors that were missionaries in Fiji, and

00:48:09.440 --> 00:48:13.099
they counseled us before we remarried. We had

00:48:13.099 --> 00:48:16.659
a traditional church wedding, which I never had

00:48:16.659 --> 00:48:20.099
before. It was wonderful. My family came alongside

00:48:20.099 --> 00:48:22.800
of us, all of our friends at the Pregnancy Center,

00:48:22.860 --> 00:48:27.159
they gave us a beautiful wedding, and it really

00:48:27.159 --> 00:48:31.980
has been a wonderful journey. of serving the

00:48:31.980 --> 00:48:36.099
Lord together with my brother in Christ. So I

00:48:36.099 --> 00:48:40.400
stopped looking to him or any other human for

00:48:40.400 --> 00:48:43.760
validation. I knew who I was. I knew the prophetic

00:48:43.760 --> 00:48:46.519
words that had been spoken over me. Nothing was

00:48:46.519 --> 00:48:51.849
wasted. So I decided to get my story down on

00:48:51.849 --> 00:48:54.429
paper. The Lord told me, you're going to do it.

00:48:55.690 --> 00:48:58.570
So it took me five years to get that story down

00:48:58.570 --> 00:49:02.789
on paper, but we did it. And we're still together,

00:49:03.170 --> 00:49:05.730
Wayne and I, and we're working on 20 years now.

00:49:06.449 --> 00:49:10.170
And it has been quite a journey. You know, sometimes

00:49:10.170 --> 00:49:12.809
it's up and down. But I tell you, Jody, the Lord

00:49:12.809 --> 00:49:14.829
just gets me through everything. Well, through

00:49:14.829 --> 00:49:17.090
all those cycles, all those broken relationships.

00:49:17.769 --> 00:49:20.809
and the constant redeeming love of God that met

00:49:20.809 --> 00:49:24.150
you each time. Tell me what's the biggest lesson

00:49:24.150 --> 00:49:27.289
he taught you along the way. He is always there.

00:49:27.949 --> 00:49:32.849
He is always faithful to me when my husbands

00:49:32.849 --> 00:49:37.809
weren't. He taught me that his love is constant

00:49:37.809 --> 00:49:44.070
and it's, Jodi, beyond any kind of human love.

00:49:44.460 --> 00:49:47.380
that you can never experience because you can

00:49:47.380 --> 00:49:51.300
have great relationships but somewhere along

00:49:51.300 --> 00:49:55.079
the line a human is going to let you down and

00:49:55.079 --> 00:50:00.940
he showed me that he was going to take care of

00:50:00.940 --> 00:50:07.199
me work out my those gifts those ministries that

00:50:07.199 --> 00:50:09.619
words that were spoken over me years and years

00:50:09.619 --> 00:50:14.650
ago he had not forgotten about He had not forgotten.

00:50:15.309 --> 00:50:19.010
Those were still yes and amen. And he was going

00:50:19.010 --> 00:50:22.550
to work that out. So I was very confident. I

00:50:22.550 --> 00:50:25.750
was confident in the Lord. It doesn't mean that

00:50:25.750 --> 00:50:32.469
I don't sin time to time. I have bad attitudes.

00:50:32.570 --> 00:50:37.210
I get mad. And my husband too, and our pride

00:50:37.210 --> 00:50:41.460
gets in the way. It's very different now because

00:50:41.460 --> 00:50:46.059
the Lord is number one. I'm confident that He

00:50:46.059 --> 00:50:49.860
is never going to leave me or forsake me. That's

00:50:49.860 --> 00:50:54.000
what I learned. And I know it. I'm very confident

00:50:54.000 --> 00:50:56.219
of that. When you realize marriage is not about

00:50:56.219 --> 00:50:58.980
what my spouse is going to give to me, really

00:50:58.980 --> 00:51:01.559
any relationship, not just marriage, but it's

00:51:01.559 --> 00:51:04.559
about how can I represent Christ to the other

00:51:04.559 --> 00:51:08.599
person? It changes our whole paradigm. It changes

00:51:08.570 --> 00:51:11.210
our ability to, you know, it gives us a freedom

00:51:11.210 --> 00:51:14.610
to forgive. It gives us the ability to not be

00:51:14.610 --> 00:51:18.769
offended. You know, not that we're ever gonna

00:51:18.769 --> 00:51:22.650
be, you know, doormats, but when we're exhibiting

00:51:22.650 --> 00:51:24.730
Christ to the other person, and that's our primary

00:51:24.730 --> 00:51:30.030
goal, it changes everything. Terry, I love to

00:51:30.030 --> 00:51:33.400
ask all my guests at the end. of our interview

00:51:33.400 --> 00:51:36.619
what woman of the bible has really inspired encouraged

00:51:36.619 --> 00:51:40.940
or taught you something meaningful i was the

00:51:40.940 --> 00:51:44.300
samaritan woman so the samaritan woman the woman

00:51:44.300 --> 00:51:49.150
at the well this This is yet another story that

00:51:49.150 --> 00:51:52.489
the Lord showed me because You know feeling guilt

00:51:52.489 --> 00:51:56.570
shame and all of that for my past Feeling you

00:51:56.570 --> 00:51:59.969
know we we we have these feelings and emotions

00:51:59.969 --> 00:52:03.949
especially as women That were just you know we

00:52:03.949 --> 00:52:06.349
run off with you know like the movie squirrel

00:52:06.349 --> 00:52:09.650
You know we're just we're off. You know by our

00:52:09.650 --> 00:52:12.289
feelings and our emotions so fast, but the Lord

00:52:12.289 --> 00:52:15.659
showed me about his conversation with the Samaritan

00:52:15.659 --> 00:52:19.039
woman. So he took the time to talk with her,

00:52:19.159 --> 00:52:22.719
which is a miracle in itself. He knew full well

00:52:22.719 --> 00:52:26.099
what she had done in her life. He knew that she

00:52:26.099 --> 00:52:29.699
had been married five times, but he never shamed

00:52:29.699 --> 00:52:32.880
her. And she took the initiative right away to

00:52:32.880 --> 00:52:37.059
ask him why he was even asking her for a drink

00:52:37.059 --> 00:52:41.599
of water when culturally at those times it was

00:52:41.599 --> 00:52:45.679
unacceptable. Talk about bold, but Jesus, he

00:52:45.679 --> 00:52:49.699
showed me he was God himself. He could have shamed

00:52:49.699 --> 00:52:54.260
her just for her boldness, but he didn't. Instead,

00:52:54.280 --> 00:52:57.440
he took the time to tell her about the gift of

00:52:57.440 --> 00:53:01.920
eternal life. That's compassion. It really freed

00:53:01.920 --> 00:53:04.760
me up to come boldly before the throne of grace

00:53:04.760 --> 00:53:08.860
when I was struggling with things. He just continued

00:53:08.860 --> 00:53:12.059
to have this matter -of -fact conversation with

00:53:12.059 --> 00:53:15.940
her, and he stuck to the facts of salvation.

00:53:17.699 --> 00:53:21.519
And then she immediately left and began evangelizing

00:53:21.519 --> 00:53:24.820
her town, her community. How awesome is that?

00:53:24.940 --> 00:53:28.300
Jesus knew exactly what she was going to do,

00:53:28.579 --> 00:53:31.960
and he took the time to let her know the truth.

00:53:32.280 --> 00:53:36.679
Well, Jesus did the same for me. He does that

00:53:36.679 --> 00:53:40.960
for all of us, Jodi. You know, God, he wants

00:53:40.960 --> 00:53:45.059
to use us. He wants to touch other people's lives

00:53:45.059 --> 00:53:50.599
through our experiences. He knows who we are.

00:53:51.219 --> 00:53:55.000
He knows what we're all about. He knows our upbringing,

00:53:56.039 --> 00:53:59.639
our shame, our guilt, our hurt. He doesn't miss

00:53:59.639 --> 00:54:03.670
anything, and yet he laid his life down. For

00:54:03.670 --> 00:54:09.130
us and he's not ashamed of us in any way And

00:54:09.130 --> 00:54:11.369
here's a scripture that he gave me during that

00:54:11.369 --> 00:54:14.150
time of showing me about the Samaritan woman

00:54:14.150 --> 00:54:19.730
out of 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 27 But

00:54:19.730 --> 00:54:24.550
God has chosen the foolish things of the world

00:54:24.550 --> 00:54:30.070
to confound the wise and God has chosen the weak

00:54:30.360 --> 00:54:35.440
things of the world to confound the things which

00:54:35.440 --> 00:54:39.800
are mighty. I think that society at the time

00:54:39.800 --> 00:54:42.860
of the Samaritan woman, she was shunned for her

00:54:42.860 --> 00:54:46.179
past. People today do. I mean, there are times

00:54:46.179 --> 00:54:48.679
when I share my story and people are, you can

00:54:48.679 --> 00:54:51.719
just feel it. You can just kind of feel that,

00:54:52.480 --> 00:54:55.739
oh, you know, why you were married five times.

00:54:56.039 --> 00:55:02.219
So, but Jesus doesn't. He doesn't. He beckons

00:55:02.219 --> 00:55:05.800
us to come to him with all of our baggage. And

00:55:05.800 --> 00:55:10.260
if we're willing, he shows us his love, his power,

00:55:11.300 --> 00:55:15.059
our identity in him. And that's what I hold on

00:55:15.059 --> 00:55:17.760
to, Jody, on a moment -by -moment daily basis.

00:55:18.079 --> 00:55:19.980
Well, Terri, thank you so much for sharing your

00:55:19.980 --> 00:55:22.619
journey with such honesty and courage today,

00:55:22.619 --> 00:55:24.880
because you're right. People love to shame when

00:55:24.880 --> 00:55:27.059
they don't understand what we've gone through,

00:55:27.059 --> 00:55:29.239
but God is the one who takes away our shame.

00:55:29.739 --> 00:55:32.199
And you know really your story is such a powerful,

00:55:32.199 --> 00:55:34.579
powerful reminder that no matter how many twists

00:55:34.579 --> 00:55:37.800
and turns our lives take, God's redeeming love

00:55:37.800 --> 00:55:42.260
never ever ever ever lets go. What the enemy

00:55:42.260 --> 00:55:45.360
means for destruction, God can restore, bringing

00:55:45.360 --> 00:55:48.860
beauty from ashes and hope from heartbreak. Friend,

00:55:48.880 --> 00:55:51.159
maybe you can relate to parts of Terry's story.

00:55:51.179 --> 00:55:53.699
Perhaps you've made choices you regret or you've

00:55:53.699 --> 00:55:56.659
endured rejection that's left you feeling unworthy

00:55:56.659 --> 00:55:59.440
or forgotten. We'll hear this truth from Isaiah.

00:55:59.630 --> 00:56:03.570
54 5 for your maker is your husband the lord

00:56:03.570 --> 00:56:07.250
almighty is his name the holy one of israel is

00:56:07.250 --> 00:56:12.010
your redeemer you are not abandoned you are deeply

00:56:12.010 --> 00:56:14.969
loved by the one who calls you his own terry

00:56:14.969 --> 00:56:16.969
before we close would you take a moment pray

00:56:16.969 --> 00:56:19.670
for our listening friends dear heavenly father

00:56:19.670 --> 00:56:23.190
we just come before you in jesus name lord we

00:56:23.190 --> 00:56:26.829
are So grateful you said wherever two or more

00:56:26.829 --> 00:56:29.650
are gathered together in your name, you are right

00:56:29.650 --> 00:56:33.210
there in the midst of them. So Lord, I just lift

00:56:33.210 --> 00:56:37.400
up. all of Jodi's listeners, you know every single

00:56:37.400 --> 00:56:40.400
person, man or woman, that's listening to this

00:56:40.400 --> 00:56:44.159
message. Lord, you know every hair on their head.

00:56:44.300 --> 00:56:47.679
You formed them in their mother's womb. Your

00:56:47.679 --> 00:56:52.539
love never fails. So Father, I ask for your healing

00:56:52.539 --> 00:56:57.019
touch, just like that healing balm, Lord, that

00:56:57.019 --> 00:57:01.019
ran over the priests' heads down into their beards,

00:57:01.199 --> 00:57:05.329
Lord, that you would to send redemption, healing,

00:57:05.690 --> 00:57:09.329
and grace. I thank you, Lord, that we can come

00:57:09.329 --> 00:57:13.030
running boldly before the throne of grace and

00:57:13.030 --> 00:57:18.320
that you give us new mercies every morning. breath

00:57:18.320 --> 00:57:22.400
in our lungs. So be encouraged in Jesus' name.

00:57:22.599 --> 00:57:25.960
I thank you for precious fruit and healing that

00:57:25.960 --> 00:57:29.079
remains and calling those things that aren't

00:57:29.079 --> 00:57:33.659
just as Moses did. So healing, redemption, and

00:57:33.659 --> 00:57:37.219
hope for the future, for all of you in Jesus'

00:57:37.420 --> 00:57:41.619
name. Amen. Amen. As we close, I want to speak

00:57:41.619 --> 00:57:44.760
this blessing over you based on Isaiah 61 3 and

00:57:44.760 --> 00:57:48.739
Psalm 30 verses 11 and 12. May the Lord turn

00:57:48.739 --> 00:57:51.960
your mourning into dancing and clothe you with

00:57:51.960 --> 00:57:55.460
his joy. May he exchange your ashes for beauty,

00:57:55.719 --> 00:57:59.039
your sorrow for gladness, your despair for songs

00:57:59.039 --> 00:58:02.219
of praise. May his healing presence restore your

00:58:02.219 --> 00:58:04.920
heart, renew your hope, and remind you that his

00:58:04.920 --> 00:58:08.139
love never fails. If you want Terry's full story,

00:58:08.260 --> 00:58:10.280
I encourage you to get a copy of her book. There's

00:58:10.280 --> 00:58:13.079
a link in our show notes. And friend, just as

00:58:13.079 --> 00:58:15.199
God redeemed Terry's life, he wants to redeem

00:58:15.199 --> 00:58:18.300
yours. and the lives of others, too. And through

00:58:18.300 --> 00:58:20.360
the widow and orphan fund, you can be part of

00:58:20.360 --> 00:58:22.360
sharing that same hope around the world. From

00:58:22.360 --> 00:58:24.860
Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and right here in

00:58:24.860 --> 00:58:27.619
the United States, widows are experiencing God's

00:58:27.619 --> 00:58:29.480
comfort and provision because people like you

00:58:29.480 --> 00:58:32.019
have chosen to give. If you'd like to join in,

00:58:32.219 --> 00:58:34.719
visit hergodstory .org and click on help now.

00:58:35.059 --> 00:58:38.000
And yes, we even accept cryptocurrency. Hey,

00:58:38.000 --> 00:58:39.900
remember, you don't have to walk through this

00:58:39.900 --> 00:58:42.940
journey alone. If you need prayer, call or text

00:58:42.940 --> 00:58:48.280
our 24 -7 prayer. line at 855 -459 -CARE, or

00:58:48.280 --> 00:58:50.719
email us at prayer at somebodycares .org. We

00:58:50.719 --> 00:58:53.019
would be honored to stand with you. While you're

00:58:53.019 --> 00:58:55.059
at our website, you can also download a free

00:58:55.059 --> 00:58:57.920
six -week devotional on Women of the Bible. It's

00:58:57.920 --> 00:59:00.059
a wonderful way to grow in your faith and be

00:59:00.059 --> 00:59:02.000
encouraged through the stories of women God has

00:59:02.000 --> 00:59:05.719
transformed by His grace. Until next time, remember

00:59:05.719 --> 00:59:08.380
God is still writing your story and the final

00:59:08.380 --> 00:59:11.739
word. is always hope. Her God Story is a ministry

00:59:11.739 --> 00:59:13.960
of Somebody Cares America and International.

00:59:14.320 --> 00:59:16.539
To find out more about or support the ministry,

00:59:16.820 --> 00:59:18.480
go to somebodycares .org.