October 10, 2023 • 36 mins
Celebrate with me, your host, Angelic Gibson, as we toast to twenty years of successfully blending families. Who would have thought that my husband and our four lovely daughters would orchestrate a surprise twenty-year celebration in a rented mountain castle, complete with a chef and staff to serve us? This heartwarming episode is a testament to our journey as a blended family, with joys, triumphs, and challenges that have shaped us into who we are today.
Navigating the waters of being a blended family didn't come without its trials. Our approach has always been putting love first, acknowledging the strength of prayer, and understanding the power of words. From making no distinctions between biological and non-biological children to the pure joy of Christmas, we've recognized the value of shared experiences, common goals, and united love.
We've found the secret to a thriving blended marriage - prioritizing God, our marriage, and then the children. It might sound simple, but maintaining this order has been vital. It's been a voyage of bonding during family vacations, growing together during devotions, and keeping each other accountable during date nights. Away from distractions, we've created an environment of understanding, love, and trust.
Family friction is inevitable, and we've not only embraced it but learned from it. Our mantra, 'hug it out until you can turn it into laughter,' has fostered a sense of unity across our family. It's been an exciting journey, one that has taught us about God's mercy, love, prayer, and the strength of words. We've stayed true to our order, keeping God first, then our marriage, and then the children. Tune in to our latest episode, and let's spur each other on in God's way. We're excited to hear how you plan to apply these lessons to your own family.
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Episode Transcript
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Angelic Gibson (00:02):
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of
Grow where God reveals our way.
I'm Angelic Gibson, your host,and I can't wait to explore the
vast riches of God's Word withyou.
So don't forget to subscribeand stay tuned for upcoming
episodes packed with biblicalteachings, inspirational stories
and a fresh perspective on theworld around us.
Now let's get started on thisbeautiful journey.
(00:24):
May God bless you abundantly.
Hello, amazing listeners,thanks for tuning back into Grow
, where God reveals our way.
I first want to say thank youso much for tuning in and
listening to the very firstepisode of Grow, which was
launched in early September.
During the episode, I wentthrough the importance of
(00:47):
understanding spiritual markersin our life.
What are the intersectionswhere you can clearly see God
showing up in your life andreally making sure you're moving
onto his path?
One of those spiritual markersfor me was my family, and so the
Lord blesses people through theblessing of marriage, through
(01:09):
the blessing of children.
Whether we're physical parents,you know, truly giving birth or
adopting children, or we'respiritual mothers and fathers of
the people around us, god isall about family, and that's why
he has his church.
We're all to be a part of hisfamily, his bride, known as the
church.
(01:29):
So today I really want to clickinto my family.
Why?
Because the feedback that Ireceived from the first episode
of Grow was really remarkable.
How much interest andencouragement you all provided
me back into the spiritualmarkers I shared in your
interest to learn more about myfamily.
(01:50):
Some of the feedback wasconnected to the fact that my
family is a blended family.
Several of you out there whohave listened to Grow thus far
are in a similar situation andyou're really looking for tools
and encouragement and insightsinto how God showed up in our
family and brought us together.
(02:10):
And even if you're not ablended family, you find
yourself in a traditional family.
There's always things that wecan learn from each other to
encourage each other and spur uson in this race that we are
running for the Lord.
So that's what I'm going to dotoday I'm going into click my
family, and what's really neatabout my family is my husband
(02:31):
and I, John, we just celebratedour 20th wedding anniversary on
September 28.
It's absolutely incredible Justto know that when we started,
we started off on this journeyalmost 22 years ago, when we met
each other, we started datingand we had this big mountain to
(02:52):
climb if we were going to makeit.
I was entering into ourrelationship with three children
of my own.
I had two daughters and a son,and John had two daughters of
his own.
So at that point in time, wehad five children that we were
going to have to figure out.
How do we unite, how do weblend and how do we actually
(03:14):
make a family out of thesedifferent pieces that we're
going to start to come together?
And that's what we did.
I can't unpack 20 years today,but I'm certainly going to give
you some insights.
And, beyond our five childrenthat we had to knit and bring
together, we were blessed and wewere able to have a child of
(03:35):
our own, john.
John, we call him, and he iswhat is hours together.
So it's truly a yours, mine andours blended together in
celebration of being togetherfor 22 years and being married
for now 20.
Praise the Lord.
(03:55):
So I'm going to start off withwell, how did we actually ring
in the 20th year of our marriage?
My husband, the gifted, blessedman that he is, he has been
working since the beginning ofthe year, in Cahoots with our
four daughters, to plan amagical weekend away, nearing
(04:17):
you know when we would get toSeptember.
So they started all the wayback in January 2023.
And they have been plotting andplanning what could be a
magical weekend to really justhonor God, honor our family and
just celebrate what God has donein and through our family.
And I'm going to tell you ifit's 10 out of 10, you know,
(04:38):
being a home run, they got 20out of 10.
I mean, it was a grand slam.
They won the World Series foranniversary weekends.
So what was it?
Well, I'll just say that myhusband knows that I favor
things like castles and magicalexperiences.
I'm kind of caught up in the airof Downton Abbey.
(04:58):
Yes, for those of you who knowwhat that show is and you love
it, you're kindred to my heart.
For those who don't know whatDownton Abbey is, well, it's
time that you go find andexplore, because it is for
everyone.
It's a beautiful show and inthat show it really highlights
(05:18):
the culture of early 1900, justthe turn of the centuries, where
there used to be thesebeautiful family estates and you
would have the castles and youwould have the butlers and the
chef staff and the people caringfor the land and caring for the
house and it just had thisreally cool connected community
(05:42):
feel on the estate.
I liken it to the Biltmoreestate that we have here in
Asheville, north Carolina.
It's just incredibly beautiful.
The architecture, thetechnology to build these homes
was just incredible and I'm justfascinated with that era and
how people lived.
But what I really like about itis just the connected community
.
(06:02):
And so my husband.
He rented a castle in themountains here in the
Appalachian Mountains and hebrought in a dear friend who's
also a chef and he had some help.
But we were waited on, we werecooked for and we got to stay on
this incredible grounds thatwere just breathtaking, and my
(06:24):
entire family came in, which isa feed in itself.
There's 14 of us now.
So of the five children that webrought into this marriage one
that we had together, that's atotal of six children.
Three of them are now marriedand we also have three
grandchildren.
So our family is rapidlygrowing and we all just showed
(06:47):
up.
It was supposed to be a surprisewink, wink.
I kind of knew we were comingtogether, but I had no idea to
the degree of which the thoughtand care that they all put into
just picking the right place forus to stay.
That gave us ample space toreally just connect and be
together, just to take in God'sbeauty of the mountains and then
(07:07):
just to be loved and servedwith incredible food and drink
and just incredible conversation.
Not only that, he brought inone of our dear friends who is a
master photographer, and shecaptured the moments.
So here we are in the beautifulmountains, surrounded by the
family that we love, just again,just connecting, celebrating,
(07:32):
and it was filled with richdialogue Just some of the things
that were beautiful touches.
On the weekend, our childrenreally just honored John and I
so well.
They went the extra step anddid special touches.
They made probably a 20-footbanner that included our wedding
(07:52):
picture on one side, a morerecent picture of us on the
other side, and in the middle ofit it said Happy 20 years.
It was just a beautiful touchjust to hang up and look at
where we started and where we'reat today.
Not only that Uber CreativeChildren.
They took all of our familyvideos that we curated over the
(08:14):
years and they picked out someof their most fond memories of
their upbringing and theyclipped it all together and then
they interwoven own their owntestimonies into the video.
So, for example, the ones thatare now married.
It's their three daughters whoare married and their three
(08:36):
husbands.
They really talked about whatthey, what do they take from my
marriage with John you know ourmarriage and how do they model
those things into their ownmarriage.
So what do they really respectand love about our marriage and
what are the things that they doinside their own marriage to
make sure that they're girded upand strengthened?
(08:57):
And then they took some of thehighlights from their childhood,
things that were reallyimportant to them as far as how
did we parent them and what werethose nuggets that they were
going to take back and reallymake sure it's embedded in the
way that they parent.
And then those who aren't yetmarried they're, you know,
(09:19):
seeking who their spouse will be.
They still really justhighlighted what they loved
about our marriage, what theyloved about our childhood and
what they hoped for their ownfamily.
So it was really just thisincredible video that they
stitched together to reallyhonor and celebrate the love
that John and I have for eachother and how we have been
(09:41):
intentional, with the Lord'shelp, to interweave God's way
into a blended family, which isincredibly hard to do, and I'm
gonna talk a little bit moreabout all that goodness in a
little bit.
But one of the things that wasjust really, really special
about that weekend too is whenwe sat around the dinner table
(10:04):
on a Saturday night.
We really went around the tableand just honored each other and
our spouses, and so, for thoseof us who are married, around
the dinner table we just stoppedand paused and we had each one
of our children and their spouseshare what they just loved
about the other person.
(10:24):
And then those who aren't yetmarried, they really shared
about what they were hoping andpraying for for their future
spouse.
And it was just this heartfeltmoment where John and I just got
to listen to the spiritualmaturity of our children, the
hearts that they have for eachother and, really, the fruit
(10:47):
that God has produced in andthrough our marriage that has
now touched the next generation,and it is just overwhelming and
incredibly beautiful and it's agift from God to be able to see
that fruit, you know, reallyblossom before your eyes.
So I give God glory for that,because it's all His wisdom and
his love and his compassion andmercy that has been in my heart
(11:10):
and John's heart to lead ourfamily so well and it's not
perfect.
So I just painted thisbeautiful weekend of celebrating
20 years of marriage.
You don't get to that kind offruit without the adversity and
the trials and the tribulationsand the tough conversations and
the nights where you fight notto go to bed angry and you can,
(11:33):
you know, tuck away in a closetand cry and just really you
fight for your family.
And when you fight for yourfamily, knowing that God is at
the forefront and you're reallyfighting to serve him and give
him honor for what he's givenyou, the fruit will come.
I encourage you in that.
So how did we get to 20 years oflife while blending this, this
(11:58):
family?
There's so many things I couldtalk about, but I'm just gonna
unpack a couple of them todayand I'm gonna start with a lot
of Jesus and a lot of HolySpirit.
Again, I just said you have tofight for this.
You have to fight for what youwant.
You have to remember why youcame together to begin with, and
it's whether what you're goingto do, and it's whether whether
(12:19):
you're blended or you're in atraditional family or you're
just now, you know, starting todate someone.
You got to fight for therelationship because you do have
an adversary out there who doesnot want you to succeed.
He comes in to kill, still indestroy, but God's promise is
that he comes to give life andgive it abundantly.
And so one of the things that,when we think about, the
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afflictions or the hurt that weimpose upon each other in a
relationship, it's so importantthat God's mercy covers us first
and foremost, and if we trulyknow that truth, it allows our
heart to be softened, to extendmercy to the other person.
So one of the life verses thatwas steadfast in our marriage
Over the years, and still is, isLamentations 3: 22- 23.
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The steadfast love of the Lordnever ceases.
His mercies never come to anend.
They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness.
So that's it.
If we understand that God'slove is steadfast and his
mercies never come to an end andthey're new every morning, that
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is the strength that we need to, you know, fight through the
adversity that every familyfaces To get to the faithfulness
and the fruit of the Lord.
The other thing that I would sayis absolutely just, so
incredibly important, is that wehave to pray.
We have to pray together, youknow, as a husband and wife, we
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have to pray together as afamily.
That means bringing yourchildren in and around the
dinner table or putting them inthe living room.
Many nights we would gather inour family room and we would
just pray together and soteaching your kids to pray,
praying with them, prayingtogether as husband and wife,
just really putting your dreams,your desires, your burdens, all
(14:12):
of it, the good, the bad, theugly, putting it all before the
Lord and just leaving it at hisfeet and trusting him with it.
That is the weapon thatprotects the family.
Prayer is everything, and withthat, I think it's so critically
important, John and I.
This is something that weunited on early on in our
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relationship and, although youknow, nothing is ever done in
perfection, it's progress.
Each and every day you make achoice to keep taking the step
forward toward the directionthat you want.
One of them is the power ofwords.
You know it says that thetongue has the power of life and
death, and those who love itwill eat its fruit.
(14:54):
So every word that comes off ofour mouth has the power to
speak life or death.
And that, really, how does thisplay out in a family?
Well, it's.
How do you speak to your spouse?
How do you speak to yourchildren?
Are you speaking love and lifeover them, or are you speaking
out your manifestation of a fearor anger?
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And whatever we release fromthe tongue, it actually becomes
our reality.
And so just something simple inour beautifully blended family,
is we really steered clear fromwords that drew lines of
division in a biological sense.
So we never wanted our kids tofeel that one was more important
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than the other, than the other,based on a biological DNA line,
and so we were very intentionalnot to use words like
stepchildren, stepparents.
We didn't.
You know, I never took on therole, as you know, mom, if you
will, to the two daughters ofJohn's that I inherited, but I
(16:02):
would never, you know, refer tomy mom myself as a stepmom.
I was a parental figure intheir life who loves them very
much, and I'm going to fight forthem to, you know, be protected
in love, just like I wouldfight and care for those that I,
you know, had a biologicalconnection to.
And the other thing was themindset of John and I holding
(16:23):
each other accountable to, "werewe being fair?
It says in Romans 2 (16:27):
11, that God does not show favoritism,
and so if we show favoritismbased on bloodlines, we are not
in the will of God and so everyday, we would hold ourselves
accountable.
Do we really show up in thatsituation, that conversation,
with favoritism or bent towards,you know, the children that
were biologically connected toourselves?
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Or did we fight past the humannature of want to show
favoritism but actually honorGod by not choosing to side with
our flesh and loving beyond thesituation of biology?
And so, again, words matter,choices matter, really holding
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yourself accountable.
Are you being fair and lovingacross biological lines?
Those are the hard questions,the hard situations that we had
to face on a daily basis, andyou know we have to even guard
against it today.
And our children are adultchildren.
The youngest are, you know, ourbaby boy that we had together
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is 19 and our eldest is 29.
So it's 10 years of children inbetween.
They're all adulting and westill we love them and we fight
for them every day.
But it's certain, certainlyimportant to make sure that
we're being fair and equalacross the board.
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Funny story, just to give youan idea of what this kind of
look like in our household.
We are a family that lovesChristmas.
I don't do a lot of shopping orgifting throughout the year,
and so I really like to save upthroughout the year and then
really take inventory of whatare the needs that my children
have, you know, food, shelter,clothing.
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If you think about it that waynot the wants of the world, but
what clothes did they need?
What shoes did they need ontheir feet?
Did they need anything specialfor school?
I really saved up what I wantedto get them and made it all
come together at Christmas.
So we enjoyed beautiful bigChristmas celebrations with
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gifts and things like that, andwe really did it more and we
still do it today Because welove Jesus and we want to honor
him and we want to celebrate hisbirth.
And part of my love language isgiving gifts and I just love to
do on my children with gifts andwhen we first got together,
john and I, he used to reallyanalyze what are the gifts and
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I'm just going to, you know,make it simple.
So I have a now 29 year olddaughter and he has a 29 year
old daughter.
So when we're coming togetherthese two little girls were
seven at the time and when wewere early on at Christmas
seasons, I did all the shoppingand John would scrutinize what
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did I buy Felicia, which wouldbe his firstborn, and what did I
buy Carissa, my firstborn, andhe would look at every gift and
he would say, oh, this one'sbetter than that one.
And the funny thing about it ishis taste was always more
aligned to Carissa's, myfirstborn daughter, and my taste
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was always aligned to Felicia's, his firstborn daughter.
And so when he would look atthe gifts, he would think that
the gifts that I, you know,bought Carissa were better and
that they therefore should go tohis daughter, felicia.
So was I playing favorites?
But at the end of the day, youknow, I was really intentional
to buy for their style and theirinterest, if you will.
(20:06):
But I can't tell you thearguments that we would get into
over the silliest things of thegift that I bought, one, you
know, really should have gone tothe other one because we had a
preference that we liked theother gift more.
But at the end of the day, thekids loved everything they ever
got.
So those.
It sounds so silly when youreflect back on it.
Thank God we're past that stateof thank God.
(20:26):
We're past that stage, well,past that stage now.
But I can't tell you thecountless arguments and
opportunity for tension thatwould arise over gift giving,
and it was.
You know the motive, for youknow from the gift giver myself
was truly pure at the time, butthere was an insecurity there
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and a need to protect that wouldrise up and we would have to
again go into prayer, have civilconversations, really fight
through it and get to a placewhere we could truly trust each
other and know that the otherperson's motive was pure of
heart.
But it took a lot of time toget there and prayer was a huge
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source of comfort and you knowthe shield, if you will, the
protection that we needed towork through those things.
I've already really touched onthis.
But the other critical elementto really the fruit that we have
found in our 20 years worth ofmarriage is really prioritizing
God first, then us, then ourchildren.
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And I would say oftentimes,whether you're blended or not,
it's really easy to start to putthe kids first.
So it's backwards kids, thenmarriage, then God.
And I would say the tendencythat I've experienced in a
blended marriage, there's evengreater tendencies to want to
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put the kids first because ofthe guilt that you're carrying
from previous relationships intoyour new marriage.
Well, my kids deserve to befirst, because they're hurt or
they might have broken pieces intheir hearts that need mending.
So I need to overcompensate andthe kids can start to become
first.
Well, I will say that is.
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That is playing in Satan'splayground, and so, early on, we
made a commitment to each otherand we fought for this
commitment every day.
Our family would be orderedaccording to how God created it
in the Bible, which is him first.
Love the Lord, your God, withall your heart, mind and soul,
and love your neighbor asyourself.
And neighbor starts withhusband, children and then
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community.
And so how did this?
How did we live this out?
What did it look like?
Well, we did devotions together.
So, john and I, you wouldfrequently find us on a Saturday
, sunday morning getting upearly and reading the Bible
together, journaling together,praying together and really
dreaming together, really takingstock.
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And where are we at today inour marriage and where do we
want to be in five years fromnow as a couple?
Where do we want to be in 10years, 15 years, 20 years, 30
years, like legacy planning?
We have done that since the daywe came together.
We've always really put a lotof care into how we communicate
to each other and how we investWords, we speak, life into our
(23:24):
marriage.
So dreaming together inpartnership with God is so
important, and not only that.
Time is everything you say.
Follow the money.
You're going to find someinteresting things.
Whether it's serving good orevil, well, same thing.
Follow time.
Where do you spend your time?
Because that's where yourpriority is, and so we would, at
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a minimum, john and I would goon one date per week where we
would leave the kids with acaregiver and we would invest in
our marriage, and oftentimes,when we would be going through
seasons of more stress, we wouldactually increase date nights
to twice a week, because that'show important we thought our
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time together was.
If our tank is not filled inour marriage, then we won't have
an overflow for our children,and that's obviously so
critically important.
Some of the things that we jokeabout today and our kids know
this.
On Saturday mornings, as Imentioned, we'd get up and do
devotions together.
We also love coffee, and so ourquiet time reading the Bible
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and praying would include a lotof coffee, and if there was
coffee in hand, that was asignal to our children.
This is a do not disturb zone.
That means mom and dad are busy, you know, working on us
individually, working on uscorporately, as a couple, and
you cannot come in until thecoffee is empty.
And, man, they would get sofrustrated they're like is the
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coffee over yet?
Is the coffee over yet?
But today they love it becauseit's a testament to just the
strength of the relationshipthat they were witnessing
without even understanding whatwas really going on in the
moment.
And those are some of thenuggets that they're also
incorporating into their ownmarriages today, where they
really want to date each other,pour into each other, just
(25:12):
really put each other first, sothey have the overflow to their
own children.
It's just so important.
And when you have the overflowto the children, this is what it
starts to look like, at leastfor us anyway.
You know I already told youthat Christmas was epic in our
house.
We love Jesus and we like tocelebrate big.
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But the other thing that we wereintentional on doing was family
vacations, whether it be a tripto a local beach or years where
we could afford, you know,something more extravagant.
We invested in our family, welooked at it as an investment,
and so we would save, we wouldput the money in, because that's
where we create our best daysand our legacy moments really
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just investing in the family.
Our family dinners wouldinclude self free zones where we
would allow phones at the table.
We would go around and justlove each other and honor each
other, calling out what's thefruit in your sibling, sitting
to your right or your left, thatyou just really admire, it,
just really affirm, you know,affirm everyone around the
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dining table so important.
One thing that I loved so muchand I'd like to say that my kids
loved it too is we would do kiddinner night, and what that
looked like is that, you know,they would rotate and each kid
would get to select what didthey want to make for the family
, and then they would do a threecourse meal.
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It had to be an appetizerdinner and then a little dessert
dessert and then after dinner,they got to pick out what lesson
did they want to learn from theBible, and then I would teach
it to them, and so it was just areally cool way to get the kids
connected to responsibility,getting them to connected to how
do they serve and love theirfamily, and then how do we learn
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and grow together through God'sword.
Those were some of my favoritedays as well.
And then, just you know,cutting back and having fun.
We've typically always had aswimming pool in our backyard we
were blessed to, we've beenblessed to have a place to swim
and so we would be in the pool,or we've had access to water so
we'd be in the lake or the ocean.
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But we just love pool and lakedays.
It's just some of our favoritetimes, and that's always filled
with playing games and justmaking fun of each other in a
loving way and being silly.
So many good memories just totalk about and on that
anniversary weekend we literallyjust talked for two days on all
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those beautiful memories thatwe have shared over 20 years of
just being a family.
It's just incredible.
And the last thing that I wouldjust say is one thing that John
and I have always been prettyintentional on is not sweeping
things under the carpet, havingan ear and a heart to listen and
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not shying away from leaninginto the friction.
And so oftentimes you knowthere would be undercurrents of
friction in the house and youcan choose to ignore it or you
can sit people down and say, hey, let's, let's really dive into
what's really going on andclicking into the hearts of.
What are the kids processing?
Where do they need help?
Where do I need help as a wifeand vice versa.
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What does he need from me?
Is this, you know, what does heneed, as my husband, from me?
I just really be intentional tostop, pause and are we having
the real conversation and notletting things manifest and
build?
When the kids would get in afight, I would literally stop,
pause and make them hug it outuntil they could turn the
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laughter and then, once theywere at a place of no longer
being, you know, infused withanger, we could actually talk
about what happened to beginwith and just not letting it lie
.
So those are just some of thefun things and just some of the
points of investment that wehave made into our marriage that
(29:12):
, from my perspective, at a30,000 foot view, have proven to
be fruitful throughout theyears and is really the result
we have today a family of 14 andgrowing.
I truly trust one day, to all mychildren listening out there, I
will have 24 grandchildren plus.
That's what I'm praying for.
So you got to keep being busyout there getting married and
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having those babies, but familyis everything.
This is the legacy God says ifyou love him with all your heart
, mind and soul and serve himand keep his commands, he will
bless you for a thousandgenerations.
And that's what I claim everysingle day over my family is
that we will be blessed for athousand generations.
We don't have to be atraditional family to receive
that blessing.
God brought John and I togetherand therefore he is the one who
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needed our family together asone body, and so we stand firm
in it every day and we willcontinue to fight the good
battle for our family, becausethey're worth it.
So what can you take away fromtoday?
I'll just leave you with a few.
But know your spouse, know your, know the person that you're in
relationship with him.
Keep them as a priority, datethem, listen to them, cry with
(30:20):
them and love them.
It's a partnership.
Same thing with your family.
Know your family, know yourkids, invest in them.
Don't let any of the division ofthe world come in to separate
you.
The world, the enemy, wants tocome in and divide you, but God
wants to unite us.
You know, I'm reminded of John17, where Jesus is going to the
(30:42):
cross and his only final prayerto the Father which I think is
absolutely mind blowing and itjust warms my heart when I think
about it is he said Father, asI am in you and you are in me,
let them be in me and I in you,so and I in them, so the world
will believe that you sent me.
(31:03):
And I'm paraphrasing there alittle bit, but the notion is is
, as Jesus is united in theFather and the Father's united
in him, jesus wants us to beunited in him, so then he can be
united in us.
Unity is the very thing thatkeeps the enemy out.
It keeps us strong as a body.
So fight for your family, fightfor your spouse.
(31:24):
Don't let division come in.
Read the Bible together, praytogether, they say.
People who pray together sticktogether.
Don't make your children youridols.
Keep your keep.
God is the one that you worship.
And then thank God for theblessings that he's given you,
which would be your spouse andyour children.
Have fun together.
Speak life over each other inevery single way.
(31:46):
Let no idle word escape yourmouth.
It's like God says guard yourmouth.
It's the pathway of wisdom.
And really think aboutgenerational legacy building.
Where do you want to be in 20years with your family?
What's the next 20 going tolook like when you're gone?
What do you want your legacy tobe in your family?
And just know that the Lord isgoing to set you up to be
(32:07):
blessed to, to bless you andyour lineage for a thousand
generations.
So I hope you enjoyed thisepisode of grow.
God reveals our way.
Just wanted to listen to yourfeedback and respond by clicking
into the spiritual marker of myfamily.
I hope that this has given youencouragement or just little
(32:29):
nuggets that you can apply toyour own life, that God may
continue to reveal your way withhim.
If you haven't had a chance tofollow us on social media,
please do so.
We are handle on Instagram andFacebook is at God reveals our
way and on Twitter it's at Godreveals our W.
(32:52):
Why there's no a in it?
But drop us a comment.
How you're enjoying this, thispodcast, thus far?
We would love to hear from you.
I would also love to hear howyou're going to apply what you
heard or learned today into yourown family.
You know God says that we haveto keep sharing, so we are
(33:14):
encouraged in his way to spureach other on, and so when I
know when I see your comments orI get your messages, they they
are an encouragement to me aswell.
So let's keep this conversationtwo way and we'll keep having
fun together.
I do want to set up a littleteaser for what's coming next.
My other spiritual marker thatI shared was my career.
(33:37):
God's done a lot of work in andthrough my career, and so I'm
going to bring you a little bitof an episode on what does it
look like to bring faith intothe marketplace, and then,
followed by that episode, willbe a guest.
A guest I brought in, a reallypowerful guest.
I'm not going to tell you whatit is, but it's a powerful
(33:58):
leader in the marketplace.
He's just an inspiration tothousands really around the
globe, and he was graciousenough to accept an invitation
to be on this podcast.
So he will be coming soon andhe is not going to be let out of
the bag for another episode.
So stay tuned.
(34:19):
Got to keep, keep you on yourtoes so you come back and listen
.
But thank you all for joining metoday and I just want to leave
with a prayer of blessings overyou.
So, heavenly Father, we justthank you for this time that
you've given us to today to forme just to stop, pause and share
what you've put on my heartwhen it comes to family and what
(34:40):
you've taught me over the years.
It's certainly not exhaustive,but definitely some of the
highlights, nuggets of wisdomthat you've deposited into my
heart and John's heart as we'veengaged our marriage and our
children, and I just thank youfor the gift of family.
I thank you for the gift ofmarriage, lord.
It is truly just a beautifuldesign that you, the Creator,
(35:01):
created, and I thank you thatthose who are under my listening
ear are being encouraged rightnow through the power of your
spirit and that anything thatyou wanted them to glean from
today, that the deposits havemade, have been made into their
hearts, lord, and that you'regoing to continue to do the
(35:21):
tending of those seeds that havebeen deposited.
Lord, I thank you that you areblessing all those that are
listening and that what you haveestablished, no man can
deconstruct.
So I just send out a blessingover all those who have tuned in
and, lord, we just love you, wethank you, we give you all the
(35:42):
glory in Jesus' name, amen.
Thank you for joining us on thisepisode of Grow where God
reveals our way.
We hope you found inspiration,wisdom and encouragement as we
continue on this faith filledjourney together.
We invite you to subscribe toGrow so you never miss an
episode.
Stay tuned for more biblicalteachings, heartfelt testimonies
(36:03):
and insights that will nourishyour spirit and deepen your
relationship with God.
We appreciate your support andparticipation in this podcast.
Until next time, may you growin faith, love and knowledge of
his divine plan.
May God bless you abundantly.
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of
Grow where God reveals our way.
I'm Angelic Gibson, your host,and I can't wait to explore the
vast riches of God's Word withyou.
So don't forget to subscribeand stay tuned for upcoming
episodes packed with biblicalteachings, inspirational stories
and a fresh perspective on theworld around us.
Now let's get started on thisbeautiful journey.
(00:24):
May God bless you abundantly.
Hello, amazing listeners,thanks for tuning back into Grow
, where God reveals our way.
I first want to say thank youso much for tuning in and
listening to the very firstepisode of Grow, which was
launched in early September.
During the episode, I wentthrough the importance of
(00:47):
understanding spiritual markersin our life.
What are the intersectionswhere you can clearly see God
showing up in your life andreally making sure you're moving
onto his path?
One of those spiritual markersfor me was my family, and so the
Lord blesses people through theblessing of marriage, through
(01:09):
the blessing of children.
Whether we're physical parents,you know, truly giving birth or
adopting children, or we'respiritual mothers and fathers of
the people around us, god isall about family, and that's why
he has his church.
We're all to be a part of hisfamily, his bride, known as the
church.
(01:29):
So today I really want to clickinto my family.
Why?
Because the feedback that Ireceived from the first episode
of Grow was really remarkable.
How much interest andencouragement you all provided
me back into the spiritualmarkers I shared in your
interest to learn more about myfamily.
(01:50):
Some of the feedback wasconnected to the fact that my
family is a blended family.
Several of you out there whohave listened to Grow thus far
are in a similar situation andyou're really looking for tools
and encouragement and insightsinto how God showed up in our
family and brought us together.
(02:10):
And even if you're not ablended family, you find
yourself in a traditional family.
There's always things that wecan learn from each other to
encourage each other and spur uson in this race that we are
running for the Lord.
So that's what I'm going to dotoday I'm going into click my
family, and what's really neatabout my family is my husband
(02:31):
and I, John, we just celebratedour 20th wedding anniversary on
September 28.
It's absolutely incredible Justto know that when we started,
we started off on this journeyalmost 22 years ago, when we met
each other, we started datingand we had this big mountain to
(02:52):
climb if we were going to makeit.
I was entering into ourrelationship with three children
of my own.
I had two daughters and a son,and John had two daughters of
his own.
So at that point in time, wehad five children that we were
going to have to figure out.
How do we unite, how do weblend and how do we actually
(03:14):
make a family out of thesedifferent pieces that we're
going to start to come together?
And that's what we did.
I can't unpack 20 years today,but I'm certainly going to give
you some insights.
And, beyond our five childrenthat we had to knit and bring
together, we were blessed and wewere able to have a child of
(03:35):
our own, john.
John, we call him, and he iswhat is hours together.
So it's truly a yours, mine andours blended together in
celebration of being togetherfor 22 years and being married
for now 20.
Praise the Lord.
(03:55):
So I'm going to start off withwell, how did we actually ring
in the 20th year of our marriage?
My husband, the gifted, blessedman that he is, he has been
working since the beginning ofthe year, in Cahoots with our
four daughters, to plan amagical weekend away, nearing
(04:17):
you know when we would get toSeptember.
So they started all the wayback in January 2023.
And they have been plotting andplanning what could be a
magical weekend to really justhonor God, honor our family and
just celebrate what God has donein and through our family.
And I'm going to tell you ifit's 10 out of 10, you know,
(04:38):
being a home run, they got 20out of 10.
I mean, it was a grand slam.
They won the World Series foranniversary weekends.
So what was it?
Well, I'll just say that myhusband knows that I favor
things like castles and magicalexperiences.
I'm kind of caught up in the airof Downton Abbey.
(04:58):
Yes, for those of you who knowwhat that show is and you love
it, you're kindred to my heart.
For those who don't know whatDownton Abbey is, well, it's
time that you go find andexplore, because it is for
everyone.
It's a beautiful show and inthat show it really highlights
(05:18):
the culture of early 1900, justthe turn of the centuries, where
there used to be thesebeautiful family estates and you
would have the castles and youwould have the butlers and the
chef staff and the people caringfor the land and caring for the
house and it just had thisreally cool connected community
(05:42):
feel on the estate.
I liken it to the Biltmoreestate that we have here in
Asheville, north Carolina.
It's just incredibly beautiful.
The architecture, thetechnology to build these homes
was just incredible and I'm justfascinated with that era and
how people lived.
But what I really like about itis just the connected community
.
(06:02):
And so my husband.
He rented a castle in themountains here in the
Appalachian Mountains and hebrought in a dear friend who's
also a chef and he had some help.
But we were waited on, we werecooked for and we got to stay on
this incredible grounds thatwere just breathtaking, and my
(06:24):
entire family came in, which isa feed in itself.
There's 14 of us now.
So of the five children that webrought into this marriage one
that we had together, that's atotal of six children.
Three of them are now marriedand we also have three
grandchildren.
So our family is rapidlygrowing and we all just showed
(06:47):
up.
It was supposed to be a surprisewink, wink.
I kind of knew we were comingtogether, but I had no idea to
the degree of which the thoughtand care that they all put into
just picking the right place forus to stay.
That gave us ample space toreally just connect and be
together, just to take in God'sbeauty of the mountains and then
(07:07):
just to be loved and servedwith incredible food and drink
and just incredible conversation.
Not only that, he brought inone of our dear friends who is a
master photographer, and shecaptured the moments.
So here we are in the beautifulmountains, surrounded by the
family that we love, just again,just connecting, celebrating,
(07:32):
and it was filled with richdialogue Just some of the things
that were beautiful touches.
On the weekend, our childrenreally just honored John and I
so well.
They went the extra step anddid special touches.
They made probably a 20-footbanner that included our wedding
(07:52):
picture on one side, a morerecent picture of us on the
other side, and in the middle ofit it said Happy 20 years.
It was just a beautiful touchjust to hang up and look at
where we started and where we'reat today.
Not only that Uber CreativeChildren.
They took all of our familyvideos that we curated over the
(08:14):
years and they picked out someof their most fond memories of
their upbringing and theyclipped it all together and then
they interwoven own their owntestimonies into the video.
So, for example, the ones thatare now married.
It's their three daughters whoare married and their three
(08:36):
husbands.
They really talked about whatthey, what do they take from my
marriage with John you know ourmarriage and how do they model
those things into their ownmarriage.
So what do they really respectand love about our marriage and
what are the things that they doinside their own marriage to
make sure that they're girded upand strengthened?
(08:57):
And then they took some of thehighlights from their childhood,
things that were reallyimportant to them as far as how
did we parent them and what werethose nuggets that they were
going to take back and reallymake sure it's embedded in the
way that they parent.
And then those who aren't yetmarried they're, you know,
(09:19):
seeking who their spouse will be.
They still really justhighlighted what they loved
about our marriage, what theyloved about our childhood and
what they hoped for their ownfamily.
So it was really just thisincredible video that they
stitched together to reallyhonor and celebrate the love
that John and I have for eachother and how we have been
(09:41):
intentional, with the Lord'shelp, to interweave God's way
into a blended family, which isincredibly hard to do, and I'm
gonna talk a little bit moreabout all that goodness in a
little bit.
But one of the things that wasjust really, really special
about that weekend too is whenwe sat around the dinner table
(10:04):
on a Saturday night.
We really went around the tableand just honored each other and
our spouses, and so, for thoseof us who are married, around
the dinner table we just stoppedand paused and we had each one
of our children and their spouseshare what they just loved
about the other person.
(10:24):
And then those who aren't yetmarried, they really shared
about what they were hoping andpraying for for their future
spouse.
And it was just this heartfeltmoment where John and I just got
to listen to the spiritualmaturity of our children, the
hearts that they have for eachother and, really, the fruit
(10:47):
that God has produced in andthrough our marriage that has
now touched the next generation,and it is just overwhelming and
incredibly beautiful and it's agift from God to be able to see
that fruit, you know, reallyblossom before your eyes.
So I give God glory for that,because it's all His wisdom and
his love and his compassion andmercy that has been in my heart
(11:10):
and John's heart to lead ourfamily so well and it's not
perfect.
So I just painted thisbeautiful weekend of celebrating
20 years of marriage.
You don't get to that kind offruit without the adversity and
the trials and the tribulationsand the tough conversations and
the nights where you fight notto go to bed angry and you can,
(11:33):
you know, tuck away in a closetand cry and just really you
fight for your family.
And when you fight for yourfamily, knowing that God is at
the forefront and you're reallyfighting to serve him and give
him honor for what he's givenyou, the fruit will come.
I encourage you in that.
So how did we get to 20 years oflife while blending this, this
(11:58):
family?
There's so many things I couldtalk about, but I'm just gonna
unpack a couple of them todayand I'm gonna start with a lot
of Jesus and a lot of HolySpirit.
Again, I just said you have tofight for this.
You have to fight for what youwant.
You have to remember why youcame together to begin with, and
it's whether what you're goingto do, and it's whether whether
(12:19):
you're blended or you're in atraditional family or you're
just now, you know, starting todate someone.
You got to fight for therelationship because you do have
an adversary out there who doesnot want you to succeed.
He comes in to kill, still indestroy, but God's promise is
that he comes to give life andgive it abundantly.
And so one of the things that,when we think about, the
(12:40):
afflictions or the hurt that weimpose upon each other in a
relationship, it's so importantthat God's mercy covers us first
and foremost, and if we trulyknow that truth, it allows our
heart to be softened, to extendmercy to the other person.
So one of the life verses thatwas steadfast in our marriage
Over the years, and still is, isLamentations 3: 22- 23.
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The steadfast love of the Lordnever ceases.
His mercies never come to anend.
They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness.
So that's it.
If we understand that God'slove is steadfast and his
mercies never come to an end andthey're new every morning, that
(13:25):
is the strength that we need to, you know, fight through the
adversity that every familyfaces To get to the faithfulness
and the fruit of the Lord.
The other thing that I would sayis absolutely just, so
incredibly important, is that wehave to pray.
We have to pray together, youknow, as a husband and wife, we
(13:47):
have to pray together as afamily.
That means bringing yourchildren in and around the
dinner table or putting them inthe living room.
Many nights we would gather inour family room and we would
just pray together and soteaching your kids to pray,
praying with them, prayingtogether as husband and wife,
just really putting your dreams,your desires, your burdens, all
(14:12):
of it, the good, the bad, theugly, putting it all before the
Lord and just leaving it at hisfeet and trusting him with it.
That is the weapon thatprotects the family.
Prayer is everything, and withthat, I think it's so critically
important, John and I.
This is something that weunited on early on in our
(14:33):
relationship and, although youknow, nothing is ever done in
perfection, it's progress.
Each and every day you make achoice to keep taking the step
forward toward the directionthat you want.
One of them is the power ofwords.
You know it says that thetongue has the power of life and
death, and those who love itwill eat its fruit.
(14:54):
So every word that comes off ofour mouth has the power to
speak life or death.
And that, really, how does thisplay out in a family?
Well, it's.
How do you speak to your spouse?
How do you speak to yourchildren?
Are you speaking love and lifeover them, or are you speaking
out your manifestation of a fearor anger?
(15:17):
And whatever we release fromthe tongue, it actually becomes
our reality.
And so just something simple inour beautifully blended family,
is we really steered clear fromwords that drew lines of
division in a biological sense.
So we never wanted our kids tofeel that one was more important
(15:39):
than the other, than the other,based on a biological DNA line,
and so we were very intentionalnot to use words like
stepchildren, stepparents.
We didn't.
You know, I never took on therole, as you know, mom, if you
will, to the two daughters ofJohn's that I inherited, but I
(16:02):
would never, you know, refer tomy mom myself as a stepmom.
I was a parental figure intheir life who loves them very
much, and I'm going to fight forthem to, you know, be protected
in love, just like I wouldfight and care for those that I,
you know, had a biologicalconnection to.
And the other thing was themindset of John and I holding
(16:23):
each other accountable to, "werewe being fair?
It says in Romans 2 (16:27):
11, that God does not show favoritism,
and so if we show favoritismbased on bloodlines, we are not
in the will of God and so everyday, we would hold ourselves
accountable.
Do we really show up in thatsituation, that conversation,
with favoritism or bent towards,you know, the children that
were biologically connected toourselves?
(16:49):
Or did we fight past the humannature of want to show
favoritism but actually honorGod by not choosing to side with
our flesh and loving beyond thesituation of biology?
And so, again, words matter,choices matter, really holding
(17:09):
yourself accountable.
Are you being fair and lovingacross biological lines?
Those are the hard questions,the hard situations that we had
to face on a daily basis, andyou know we have to even guard
against it today.
And our children are adultchildren.
The youngest are, you know, ourbaby boy that we had together
(17:30):
is 19 and our eldest is 29.
So it's 10 years of children inbetween.
They're all adulting and westill we love them and we fight
for them every day.
But it's certain, certainlyimportant to make sure that
we're being fair and equalacross the board.
(17:51):
Funny story, just to give youan idea of what this kind of
look like in our household.
We are a family that lovesChristmas.
I don't do a lot of shopping orgifting throughout the year,
and so I really like to save upthroughout the year and then
really take inventory of whatare the needs that my children
have, you know, food, shelter,clothing.
(18:13):
If you think about it that waynot the wants of the world, but
what clothes did they need?
What shoes did they need ontheir feet?
Did they need anything specialfor school?
I really saved up what I wantedto get them and made it all
come together at Christmas.
So we enjoyed beautiful bigChristmas celebrations with
(18:34):
gifts and things like that, andwe really did it more and we
still do it today Because welove Jesus and we want to honor
him and we want to celebrate hisbirth.
And part of my love language isgiving gifts and I just love to
do on my children with gifts andwhen we first got together,
john and I, he used to reallyanalyze what are the gifts and
(18:56):
I'm just going to, you know,make it simple.
So I have a now 29 year olddaughter and he has a 29 year
old daughter.
So when we're coming togetherthese two little girls were
seven at the time and when wewere early on at Christmas
seasons, I did all the shoppingand John would scrutinize what
(19:20):
did I buy Felicia, which wouldbe his firstborn, and what did I
buy Carissa, my firstborn, andhe would look at every gift and
he would say, oh, this one'sbetter than that one.
And the funny thing about it ishis taste was always more
aligned to Carissa's, myfirstborn daughter, and my taste
(19:42):
was always aligned to Felicia's, his firstborn daughter.
And so when he would look atthe gifts, he would think that
the gifts that I, you know,bought Carissa were better and
that they therefore should go tohis daughter, felicia.
So was I playing favorites?
But at the end of the day, youknow, I was really intentional
to buy for their style and theirinterest, if you will.
(20:06):
But I can't tell you thearguments that we would get into
over the silliest things of thegift that I bought, one, you
know, really should have gone tothe other one because we had a
preference that we liked theother gift more.
But at the end of the day, thekids loved everything they ever
got.
So those.
It sounds so silly when youreflect back on it.
Thank God we're past that stateof thank God.
(20:26):
We're past that stage, well,past that stage now.
But I can't tell you thecountless arguments and
opportunity for tension thatwould arise over gift giving,
and it was.
You know the motive, for youknow from the gift giver myself
was truly pure at the time, butthere was an insecurity there
(20:47):
and a need to protect that wouldrise up and we would have to
again go into prayer, have civilconversations, really fight
through it and get to a placewhere we could truly trust each
other and know that the otherperson's motive was pure of
heart.
But it took a lot of time toget there and prayer was a huge
(21:10):
source of comfort and you knowthe shield, if you will, the
protection that we needed towork through those things.
I've already really touched onthis.
But the other critical elementto really the fruit that we have
found in our 20 years worth ofmarriage is really prioritizing
God first, then us, then ourchildren.
(21:33):
And I would say oftentimes,whether you're blended or not,
it's really easy to start to putthe kids first.
So it's backwards kids, thenmarriage, then God.
And I would say the tendencythat I've experienced in a
blended marriage, there's evengreater tendencies to want to
(21:54):
put the kids first because ofthe guilt that you're carrying
from previous relationships intoyour new marriage.
Well, my kids deserve to befirst, because they're hurt or
they might have broken pieces intheir hearts that need mending.
So I need to overcompensate andthe kids can start to become
first.
Well, I will say that is.
(22:15):
That is playing in Satan'splayground, and so, early on, we
made a commitment to each otherand we fought for this
commitment every day.
Our family would be orderedaccording to how God created it
in the Bible, which is him first.
Love the Lord, your God, withall your heart, mind and soul,
and love your neighbor asyourself.
And neighbor starts withhusband, children and then
(22:39):
community.
And so how did this?
How did we live this out?
What did it look like?
Well, we did devotions together.
So, john and I, you wouldfrequently find us on a Saturday
, sunday morning getting upearly and reading the Bible
together, journaling together,praying together and really
dreaming together, really takingstock.
(23:00):
And where are we at today inour marriage and where do we
want to be in five years fromnow as a couple?
Where do we want to be in 10years, 15 years, 20 years, 30
years, like legacy planning?
We have done that since the daywe came together.
We've always really put a lotof care into how we communicate
to each other and how we investWords, we speak, life into our
(23:24):
marriage.
So dreaming together inpartnership with God is so
important, and not only that.
Time is everything you say.
Follow the money.
You're going to find someinteresting things.
Whether it's serving good orevil, well, same thing.
Follow time.
Where do you spend your time?
Because that's where yourpriority is, and so we would, at
(23:46):
a minimum, john and I would goon one date per week where we
would leave the kids with acaregiver and we would invest in
our marriage, and oftentimes,when we would be going through
seasons of more stress, we wouldactually increase date nights
to twice a week, because that'show important we thought our
(24:08):
time together was.
If our tank is not filled inour marriage, then we won't have
an overflow for our children,and that's obviously so
critically important.
Some of the things that we jokeabout today and our kids know
this.
On Saturday mornings, as Imentioned, we'd get up and do
devotions together.
We also love coffee, and so ourquiet time reading the Bible
(24:29):
and praying would include a lotof coffee, and if there was
coffee in hand, that was asignal to our children.
This is a do not disturb zone.
That means mom and dad are busy, you know, working on us
individually, working on uscorporately, as a couple, and
you cannot come in until thecoffee is empty.
And, man, they would get sofrustrated they're like is the
(24:50):
coffee over yet?
Is the coffee over yet?
But today they love it becauseit's a testament to just the
strength of the relationshipthat they were witnessing
without even understanding whatwas really going on in the
moment.
And those are some of thenuggets that they're also
incorporating into their ownmarriages today, where they
really want to date each other,pour into each other, just
(25:12):
really put each other first, sothey have the overflow to their
own children.
It's just so important.
And when you have the overflowto the children, this is what it
starts to look like, at leastfor us anyway.
You know I already told youthat Christmas was epic in our
house.
We love Jesus and we like tocelebrate big.
(25:32):
But the other thing that we wereintentional on doing was family
vacations, whether it be a tripto a local beach or years where
we could afford, you know,something more extravagant.
We invested in our family, welooked at it as an investment,
and so we would save, we wouldput the money in, because that's
where we create our best daysand our legacy moments really
(25:55):
just investing in the family.
Our family dinners wouldinclude self free zones where we
would allow phones at the table.
We would go around and justlove each other and honor each
other, calling out what's thefruit in your sibling, sitting
to your right or your left, thatyou just really admire, it,
just really affirm, you know,affirm everyone around the
(26:18):
dining table so important.
One thing that I loved so muchand I'd like to say that my kids
loved it too is we would do kiddinner night, and what that
looked like is that, you know,they would rotate and each kid
would get to select what didthey want to make for the family
, and then they would do a threecourse meal.
(26:40):
It had to be an appetizerdinner and then a little dessert
dessert and then after dinner,they got to pick out what lesson
did they want to learn from theBible, and then I would teach
it to them, and so it was just areally cool way to get the kids
connected to responsibility,getting them to connected to how
do they serve and love theirfamily, and then how do we learn
(27:02):
and grow together through God'sword.
Those were some of my favoritedays as well.
And then, just you know,cutting back and having fun.
We've typically always had aswimming pool in our backyard we
were blessed to, we've beenblessed to have a place to swim
and so we would be in the pool,or we've had access to water so
we'd be in the lake or the ocean.
(27:23):
But we just love pool and lakedays.
It's just some of our favoritetimes, and that's always filled
with playing games and justmaking fun of each other in a
loving way and being silly.
So many good memories just totalk about and on that
anniversary weekend we literallyjust talked for two days on all
(27:44):
those beautiful memories thatwe have shared over 20 years of
just being a family.
It's just incredible.
And the last thing that I wouldjust say is one thing that John
and I have always been prettyintentional on is not sweeping
things under the carpet, havingan ear and a heart to listen and
(28:07):
not shying away from leaninginto the friction.
And so oftentimes you knowthere would be undercurrents of
friction in the house and youcan choose to ignore it or you
can sit people down and say, hey, let's, let's really dive into
what's really going on andclicking into the hearts of.
What are the kids processing?
Where do they need help?
Where do I need help as a wifeand vice versa.
(28:30):
What does he need from me?
Is this, you know, what does heneed, as my husband, from me?
I just really be intentional tostop, pause and are we having
the real conversation and notletting things manifest and
build?
When the kids would get in afight, I would literally stop,
pause and make them hug it outuntil they could turn the
(28:51):
laughter and then, once theywere at a place of no longer
being, you know, infused withanger, we could actually talk
about what happened to beginwith and just not letting it lie
.
So those are just some of thefun things and just some of the
points of investment that wehave made into our marriage that
(29:12):
, from my perspective, at a30,000 foot view, have proven to
be fruitful throughout theyears and is really the result
we have today a family of 14 andgrowing.
I truly trust one day, to all mychildren listening out there, I
will have 24 grandchildren plus.
That's what I'm praying for.
So you got to keep being busyout there getting married and
(29:33):
having those babies, but familyis everything.
This is the legacy God says ifyou love him with all your heart
, mind and soul and serve himand keep his commands, he will
bless you for a thousandgenerations.
And that's what I claim everysingle day over my family is
that we will be blessed for athousand generations.
We don't have to be atraditional family to receive
that blessing.
God brought John and I togetherand therefore he is the one who
(29:57):
needed our family together asone body, and so we stand firm
in it every day and we willcontinue to fight the good
battle for our family, becausethey're worth it.
So what can you take away fromtoday?
I'll just leave you with a few.
But know your spouse, know your, know the person that you're in
relationship with him.
Keep them as a priority, datethem, listen to them, cry with
(30:20):
them and love them.
It's a partnership.
Same thing with your family.
Know your family, know yourkids, invest in them.
Don't let any of the division ofthe world come in to separate
you.
The world, the enemy, wants tocome in and divide you, but God
wants to unite us.
You know, I'm reminded of John17, where Jesus is going to the
(30:42):
cross and his only final prayerto the Father which I think is
absolutely mind blowing and itjust warms my heart when I think
about it is he said Father, asI am in you and you are in me,
let them be in me and I in you,so and I in them, so the world
will believe that you sent me.
(31:03):
And I'm paraphrasing there alittle bit, but the notion is is
, as Jesus is united in theFather and the Father's united
in him, jesus wants us to beunited in him, so then he can be
united in us.
Unity is the very thing thatkeeps the enemy out.
It keeps us strong as a body.
So fight for your family, fightfor your spouse.
(31:24):
Don't let division come in.
Read the Bible together, praytogether, they say.
People who pray together sticktogether.
Don't make your children youridols.
Keep your keep.
God is the one that you worship.
And then thank God for theblessings that he's given you,
which would be your spouse andyour children.
Have fun together.
Speak life over each other inevery single way.
(31:46):
Let no idle word escape yourmouth.
It's like God says guard yourmouth.
It's the pathway of wisdom.
And really think aboutgenerational legacy building.
Where do you want to be in 20years with your family?
What's the next 20 going tolook like when you're gone?
What do you want your legacy tobe in your family?
And just know that the Lord isgoing to set you up to be
(32:07):
blessed to, to bless you andyour lineage for a thousand
generations.
So I hope you enjoyed thisepisode of grow.
God reveals our way.
Just wanted to listen to yourfeedback and respond by clicking
into the spiritual marker of myfamily.
I hope that this has given youencouragement or just little
(32:29):
nuggets that you can apply toyour own life, that God may
continue to reveal your way withhim.
If you haven't had a chance tofollow us on social media,
please do so.
We are handle on Instagram andFacebook is at God reveals our
way and on Twitter it's at Godreveals our W.
(32:52):
Why there's no a in it?
But drop us a comment.
How you're enjoying this, thispodcast, thus far?
We would love to hear from you.
I would also love to hear howyou're going to apply what you
heard or learned today into yourown family.
You know God says that we haveto keep sharing, so we are
(33:14):
encouraged in his way to spureach other on, and so when I
know when I see your comments orI get your messages, they they
are an encouragement to me aswell.
So let's keep this conversationtwo way and we'll keep having
fun together.
I do want to set up a littleteaser for what's coming next.
My other spiritual marker thatI shared was my career.
(33:37):
God's done a lot of work in andthrough my career, and so I'm
going to bring you a little bitof an episode on what does it
look like to bring faith intothe marketplace, and then,
followed by that episode, willbe a guest.
A guest I brought in, a reallypowerful guest.
I'm not going to tell you whatit is, but it's a powerful
(33:58):
leader in the marketplace.
He's just an inspiration tothousands really around the
globe, and he was graciousenough to accept an invitation
to be on this podcast.
So he will be coming soon andhe is not going to be let out of
the bag for another episode.
So stay tuned.
(34:19):
Got to keep, keep you on yourtoes so you come back and listen
.
But thank you all for joining metoday and I just want to leave
with a prayer of blessings overyou.
So, heavenly Father, we justthank you for this time that
you've given us to today to forme just to stop, pause and share
what you've put on my heartwhen it comes to family and what
(34:40):
you've taught me over the years.
It's certainly not exhaustive,but definitely some of the
highlights, nuggets of wisdomthat you've deposited into my
heart and John's heart as we'veengaged our marriage and our
children, and I just thank youfor the gift of family.
I thank you for the gift ofmarriage, lord.
It is truly just a beautifuldesign that you, the Creator,
(35:01):
created, and I thank you thatthose who are under my listening
ear are being encouraged rightnow through the power of your
spirit and that anything thatyou wanted them to glean from
today, that the deposits havemade, have been made into their
hearts, lord, and that you'regoing to continue to do the
(35:21):
tending of those seeds that havebeen deposited.
Lord, I thank you that you areblessing all those that are
listening and that what you haveestablished, no man can
deconstruct.
So I just send out a blessingover all those who have tuned in
and, lord, we just love you, wethank you, we give you all the
(35:42):
glory in Jesus' name, amen.
Thank you for joining us on thisepisode of Grow where God
reveals our way.
We hope you found inspiration,wisdom and encouragement as we
continue on this faith filledjourney together.
We invite you to subscribe toGrow so you never miss an
episode.
Stay tuned for more biblicalteachings, heartfelt testimonies
(36:03):
and insights that will nourishyour spirit and deepen your
relationship with God.
We appreciate your support andparticipation in this podcast.
Until next time, may you growin faith, love and knowledge of
his divine plan.
May God bless you abundantly.
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