012 PART I: Inside the Mind of a Godly Man's Pursuit

On this week’s episode of The Even If Podcast, we have our 2nd guest – David Taylor. Kenzie invited David onto the show this week to share about what a Godly man's pursuit can look like. David is dating Kenzie’s long time bestie, Mckenna, and his pursuit of her has given us hope and encouragement and we hope it’ll do the same for you. Enjoy this week’s episode and remember, even if, He is still good.

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theevenifpod

Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahhelton_/

Kenzie: https://www.instagram.com/kenzietodd/

David: https://www.instagram.com/davidotaylor/

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to the Even If podcast. I'm Sarah and I'm Kenzie and we have a very special

(00:08):
guest with us, my best friend's boyfriend, David Taylor.
What's up guys? Good to be here.
Welcome.
Thank you.
I just met you five minutes ago. I'm so glad you're here.
Hey, it's great. I've heard about you.
I've heard about you actually.
Yeah. I've heard a lot about you.
On the same page.
We are on the same page. Kenzie's told me a lot. She said there's a lot of great things

(00:29):
and here we are with you on our podcast.
That's one great thing you've heard.
That you have an amazing girlfriend.
Oh, come on now.
I was hoping that'd be about me.
No, no, no. I'm kidding.
I'm kidding.
About you.
No, no, no, no.
Actually, I do have something. I do have something is that Kenzie has said that you are a great
man who pursues with intentionality.

(00:49):
And I was like, we love that. We need that in our culture. And that's really encouraging
to us as single women.
Thank you.
So that's about you.
I love it.
Tell us about you. Tell me about you and everybody else. Who is David Taylor?
I'll give you the the the full thing and let's go for a minute and 30 seconds.

(01:10):
Go.
I'm just going to talk.
I am from New Jersey. I was born there, lived there all my life until college, went to college
in North Carolina, Elon University, and then had a dream to move out to San Diego, went
to San Diego for five years and found myself wanting to change things up a little bit. I
had a best friend, John, who lived in Austin, knew him from college and Austin is very hot

(01:35):
and I love the heat.
Love it.
And so that was like a real big thing that called me out there. Him being out there was
like very large as well. And then my job is remote. So made it really easy to move out
there and just really conducive to being outside and being active. And so I love playing
volleyball, spike ball, pickleball, play pickleball this morning with your mom as you

(02:01):
very well know.
I know. I know she's already so obsessed and it's been less than 24 hours that you've
been here. Did your mom just meet him today too?
She met him yesterday.
Okay.
Yeah.
Wow. Great.
I'm the fun kind of sporty stuff. I am living with three other Christian guys. John is one
of those guys. He owns the house and three of us just rent and it's been incredible.

(02:24):
It is truly like a bachelor pad. We have a sauna and a cold plunge.
Wow.
That's amazing.
Can't take any credit for it at all. It's all John's generosity for buying that stuff.
Like I literally didn't contribute a dollar, but I get to reap the rewards. So that's fun.
And then on top of that, something that's really important that I've tried to do since
college is live with Christian dudes who aren't just Christian in name, but actually pursue

(02:48):
the Lord. And it's been super special to get to know them. Besides John, so the two others,
Grayson and Trent didn't know them before moving in. They kind of were additions after
I had moved in almost exactly a year ago to this day. And our friendship and the community
we have at large is so beautiful as you've gotten to see. And hopefully one of these

(03:11):
days, if you come down to Austin, then you will see it.
Three Christian guys you live with all come.
Yeah. So that's been incredible. And we have also had the blessing of being in the same
men small group together that John and I had led over this past. I want to say, yeah, just

(03:31):
about a year. And then we are super happy to be handing it over to Grayson and another
one of our friends Brad in the early part of February. So going to be really cool to
kind of see what God has, God will do, I should say, over the next semester and beyond with
that.
Okay. So you'd only moved to Austin a year ago.

(03:51):
I moved August 16th of 2023. Yes.
What year are we in? Okay.
It's been about a year and a half. Almost.
Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. Wow. You made community fast.
I made community fast. Yeah.
So I can't take any credit for it. When I just little mini God story, when I moved to

(04:12):
San Diego, didn't know anyone there prayed before I moved and while I was there that
God would bring community and he absolutely did. And it was scary to move from San Diego
to Austin. When I had built such a great community over five years, I was like, God, can you
really do this again? And I believed you could. But like, I was like, all right, like what's

(04:33):
it going to take?
And when I moved out there, I did have the advantage of knowing John, who was plugged
in with people from Austin Stone Church and met a bunch of them when I initially moved
in the fall. And then I'm still pretty good friends with a lot of those folks now, but
I ended up moving churches to Red Rocks in late last year. And when we, John and I started

(04:58):
the, when John and I started the small group, we kind of built a community among the guys
and then we're pretty active and like to get out on Lake Austin and again, play sports.
And so it just kind of grew from there. And so yeah.
And I will say too, he is such a gatherer of people like he's one of his gifts and such

(05:20):
a leader. So it is no surprise that you have built such amazing community in a year's time.
So it makes sense.
It goes with the personality.
It goes with the personality.
Well, I think what I wonder as a single Christian woman, I'm like, that is so cool that you
found that community. And I, I long for that even here in Tennessee of group of single

(05:44):
Christian guys and girls. And so it sounds like John and you are both kind of gatherers
of people. Would you say a lot of the people that y'all are in y'all's group were from
church? Cause I know you said you went to one church at Stonebridge and then Red Rocks,
right? So a bunch of like through church community.
Yep. Yeah. Austin, Stone, Red Rocks and Austin Ridge are kind of three of the really big churches

(06:09):
and there's totally more. There's the well, there's others, but yes, the majority, the
lion share of all those people are believers and I'm myself a big believer in if you move
to a new spot and you want to make friends, like start in the church, like there's no
better place to meet people. I truly believe that. And part of it is because it has just

(06:32):
happened to me like in a few moves. Like when I went back to Jersey after college for a
year, when I moved to San Diego, when I moved to Austin, like it has one, two, three every
single time has been where I've met like a lot of my core people and those people change
over time and over the months and over the years, but like your core people, I mean,
I found them there. So not to say, do I like not have any like, you know, non Christian

(06:57):
friends like totally have those, but priority, especially when I moved out there was start
there and you know, build. So I think that's such a good reminder too, because Christian
friends, like when you have that value, that's the same core values and beliefs, you get
along easy. Those are lifelong friends. Those are people that you can go through heaven
and hell stuff with, you know, like everything in between. And so why wouldn't you look for

(07:19):
that? But for some reason, I think at times we can struggle or people think where's community
is it at the bars? Is it, I don't know where to find it. And it's like, it's the church,
isn't it? Like that's the like-minded people.
Totally. I mean, especially, I mean, you nailed it as far as just what you can and will go
through with those people. But on top of that, you know, getting to like specifics, moving

(07:40):
out to Austin, being, you know, having been in San Diego for five years, I was single
moving to Austin. A relationship had ended in San Diego the last summer that I was there.
And of course that was something that was on my mind, but I didn't want to do that alone.
Like I didn't want to go through the dating process alone. It's always better, especially,

(08:04):
you know, you want accountability as a guy, you know, you, you truly do need like other
brothers to talk through and not just for the fun stuff. Like obviously just like, y'all,
we, we just share the tea and all that stuff.
I want to know the tea. I really want to know the tea.
You'll get the tea. But, but yeah, we, we talk about all that stuff and something that's,

(08:28):
you know, stood out in the Christian house that I'm in now is that everything that we
go through with the ladies, like we share for the most part. And that's great. And it
gives you, it helps keep you on the straight and narrow. I mean, talking just not to get
ahead of myself, but like just accountability, like one of my roommates is my like direct,

(08:49):
direct accountability partner, not that I don't share other things with other guys that
are close, but talking about just how to stay again on the straight and narrow, specifically
purity and other stuff too.
Wow. Okay. So all I know is you are dating Kenzie's best friend, Kenna. Tell us a little
bit about your dating history.
Man, that is a, it's hard to do in a little, yeah, it's maybe going to be extended.

(09:14):
Summary, share what you want.
Okay. Hey, do you want the extended or do you want the summary? This is up to you.
Extend, I think extended.
You want extended?
I mean, the people want to know, you know, they want to know.
I could give the people they want.
Okay, wait, first of all, how old are you?
I'm 30.
30, single, Christian man.
Well, not sing, I mean sing single, not married.
Single, not married.
Yes. Yeah. I mean, obviously, sorry. I didn't mean interrupted.

(09:35):
No, basically for tax purposes.
Sarah and I are sharing a microphone, so I'm just leaning over.
We're really close right now. I don't hate it.
I don't either.
30.
Single for the purpose of taxes.
Single for the purpose of taxes.
Of marriage.
Thank you.
Single for the purpose of marriage.
Yeah.
There we go.
Single for the purpose of taxes. 30. Godly.

(09:58):
Lives with awesome guys.
And yeah, tell us the extended version of your dating because women want to get in the
heads of guys, right?
Like, and not just any guy.
Like, I've told, I've told David this a lot, but a lot in the sense of like just wanting
to continue to affirm that he has reset the standard for me.
And so I feel so blessed to be in proximity to you.

(10:21):
And so I get to pick your brain now and you're going to help me in my dating.
And like, I'm going to go to you like my brother of like, Hey, what do you think about this?
Isn't this so I feel blessed to have that.
So I really want girls to get in your head and kind of think from your perspective, like,
what is David think and what is he looking for?
So yeah, tell us the extended version of your ever as much you want to share your dating

(10:41):
history.
Okay, I'd love to.
And it's great because you don't like really know the story.
I know absolutely nothing about you.
So your name is David Taylor.
Okay, perfect.
30 years old single, but not really single dating kind of.
Yes.
Okay, great.
Yes, I know nothing.
So this was something that I was very embarrassed to tell McKenna on our first date.

(11:04):
But the way I actually reached out to her was I had been on Instagram and we all know Instagram
is basically like another dating app.
It just doesn't have the title.
But I was looking at a girl I had just met profile and I saw one of her friends and I
was like, Oh, she's cute.
So I went to her profile and I followed her hoping she'd follow me back.

(11:27):
She never did over the course of like three, four weeks.
So over that time I checked like every week basically, like, did she follow me back yet?
Did she follow me back?
Nothing.
So they do check Instagram.
Oh, we check.
We check.
We're on there.
Okay.
And I realized that kind of week three, four, like, gosh, this girl's probably not hitting
me back and that's okay.

(11:48):
But I happened to be on her profile, of course, when I checked that and went to her tag photos
and I saw McKenna and I was just like, who the heck is that girl?
And no offense to the other one, but like all interest for her went out the window and
I was like, I need to know who McKenna is followed her.

(12:13):
Lucky for me, she didn't wait three or four weeks to follow me back.
Nice.
Okay.
She was on her game.
I don't think that, yeah.
But I followed her.
She followed me, messaged her pretty immediately, came up with some not so, I'll explain what
I said.

(12:33):
It was like total, I mean, it was, you know, just out of thin air, like, you know, I needed
something.
I saw that we followed one of the same guys and there weren't too many.
So I had like a very short list to pick from and his name was Steve.
And I was like, my line was what was Steve thinking?
Not introducing us sooner to kind of tip off, not tip off that like, you know, I was reaching

(12:58):
out for a reason.
Like it wasn't like I was trying to be a little flirty, whatever.
And she, um, she replied like, Oh, I think I know two Steve's.
And so like, I don't know if she fully got the fact that I was like trying to be flirty.
Like she took it literal, but I was kidding.
So it was funny.
I got right to it and I was like, blah, blah, blah, responding to the thing she said about

(13:19):
Steve.
And then I was like, Hey, I am just going to be really upfront.
I think you're very pretty or something like that.
I would love to get to know you.
And she replied back and she's like, that sounds great.
I love that.
That's a great slide in the DMs.
It was a slide.
Yeah.
I'm a big advocate for sliding in the DMs.

(13:40):
Okay.
It was the guys sliding into the, oh yeah, we haven't had the girls slide in DMs yet.
It was textbook.
It was, it was not anything fancy, crazy, trying to pull some smooth line, smooth move.
It was like, it was just me and it happened to work, which is great.
And then we ended up going on our first date.
We went out thinner, got ice cream.

(14:01):
I told her that night, like she asked me like, how would you find me?
And that was where I was very nervous to tell her cause I was like, shoot, how is it like
this girl doesn't know me.
What's she going to think?
Like I was on some other girls Insta and then I found her like I'm some player going for
like multiple.
Um, anyway, she took it like totally well.
And um, anyway, that was date number one.

(14:22):
We ended up going on, I want to say like four or five and I'd say dates.
Like we hung out or like we're one on one, like five, four or five more times.
And towards the end I got this feeling.
I don't know.
Like it feels like something changed.
And then a few days later she called me and she was like, Hey, I think we should just
be friends.

(14:43):
And I was pretty bumped because she was incredible.
Like I noticed like during even those short few dates that, um, not only was I extremely
attracted to her physically, but I was learning more and more about her, her spirit and her
soul and her love for the Lord and her pursuit and like what that looked like, especially

(15:06):
with the, the upbringing she had and like a lot of the craziness that happened in her
home and that happens to a lot of folks, but hers was particularly moving for me.
And you know, I really felt a lot of compassion in that just drew me closer to her more desire
for her, whatever.
And so yeah, I just felt this like joy that she radiated even if she was still feeling

(15:29):
because she had recently gone through a breakup herself.
I say herself, I went through one six months before, but anyway, she, um, I feel like was
still kind of going through that and it wasn't like she wore that totally on her sleeve,
but like I kind of felt that a little bit.
Anyway, um,
It's in the way she was healing or just, um, I don't know.

(15:51):
Like I, I felt her personality and I felt the like life that was there that maybe I wasn't
fully getting to see because like when you're first dating, like you're getting the best
of the best, but then there's also things that like you're not fully digesting about
someone because they're maybe not sharing it or whatever.
Yeah, you can sense it, whatever it might be.
So anyway, fast forward back to when she cut off.

(16:14):
I was bummed.
She was like, Hey, we should be friends.
And I was like, Makenna, that doesn't really work when you have someone that's really
in and then you're like kind of not, but like it's so you're cool being friends, but why
would they be like cause they're emotionally there?
Anyway, we didn't really talk for, um, I guess it was only, it was a few weeks and then I

(16:37):
saw her out dancing at Mavericks in a South Austin and we, gosh, this is like a longer
story, but my friend had a conversation with her and it seemed like maybe she wasn't fully
out and I was like grasping at it.
I was like, she's not fully out like, like, okay, great.
You know, it's not, it hasn't been that long.

(16:58):
Like maybe we can make a recovery here and we, I, what like two or three days later, give
her a call, we talk on the phone 45 minutes and I was like, Hey, like I, her big thing
that she told me was like, I don't think I can give you everything.
She was in school.
Um, she was working.
She had just had this breakup.
She was trying to meet new friends, all the above.

(17:18):
And um, she felt like she can only give me some percentage and I was like, I don't care
what percentage.
Like I just want to get to know you, whatever that looks like.
Um, even if it's 25 right now, like let's take that slow and that's fine with me right
now and we'll see what the future holds.
Anyway, she eventually on that phone call, like kind of came around.
It was like, okay, like maybe we can give this a try and then really nothing happened.

(17:43):
Like we did you call her to say like, where, like, can I, can I try again?
That all happened on that one call.
So yeah, we talked for 45 minutes, couple days after like she had talked to my friend
and my friend told me she was maybe not like fully out.
Okay.
Yes.
I love your pursuit.
Okay.
Yeah.
That's like, I'll take 25.
Yeah.

(18:03):
Whatever.
Love it.
And anyway, like after that call, I'm thinking great.
Like maybe I'm, you know, we're not maybe like we're going to continue to pursue each
other, whatever that looks like, take it slow.
I met Kenzie for the first time and we went out to dinner with a handful of friends.
I just remember that night, like even though I was thinking that we were like, Ken and

(18:26):
McKenna and I were back on, I felt like, I don't know if we really are.
And then after that night, just like in feeling not super great about it, like I never reached
out and then she never reached out.
And truthfully, like I was wait, I was kind of waiting for her to reach out and I'm someone
who is like totally about the guy pursuing, you know, hopefully that's evident and like

(18:48):
what I just shared.
Yeah.
But I also believe that like there is a two way nature to dating for sure.
And I was like, okay, I was clear with the phone call.
I was clear with how I was that night.
I was like, I mean, I remember asking Kenzie, like I was like, how can I like get to know
her better?

(19:09):
And it honestly like looking back, I was like, gosh, I sounded so desperate.
No, you did not.
No, you did not.
You just sounded so interested.
And that's exactly like a love.
I'm just like grinning from ear to ear over here.
Like because it is so true.
Like this is what I believe it should look like, you know, and I, and I think that just
it's so evident in your intentionality and it's not, it's, it's everything that every

(19:30):
girl secretly deeply wants.
I think some women are just afraid to fully admit that or let their guard down enough
to say, oh my gosh, he is fully after me.
Like why me?
And obviously we know, Kenna, and we know that she has a tendency to like, you know,
at that time of her life, she was very much like, like you said, healing and going through
so much and the person that she had dated previously, you know, she had invested so much in that

(19:53):
community and lost it.
So I think there was so much fear and I could feel that from her at the time.
And then to sit with you and just have you asked me like all these questions about her.
I was like, this guy really wants to know her and every woman desires that.
So that is a hundred percent like what we, what we want, you know,
That's good.
Thank you.
Thank you for saying that.

(20:13):
I don't know if I ever actually like talked about that.
I had literally flown to Austin to get my car and drive it back.
So I was kind of this somewhat of a zombie.
My nervous system was still trying to get back on track from just my breakup kind of
right around the same time as Kenna's.
So yeah, I remember meeting you and I met Shawnee that night and Sean Z.

(20:36):
And I remember that completely.
And I remember being so truly in awe of how much you saw McKenna, but we didn't know that
you actually were really truly seeing her at that time because it was still so new.
And she was still like you said, just a little hesitant in the sense of like fear, which is
very common.
Obviously when it comes to dating, like, is he truly what he is showing himself to be?

(20:58):
How can I trust that?
And obviously as you continue to tell the story, we've revealed that we can absolutely,
you know, totally, totally.
So the end of that part is that that night went on.
I didn't reach out.
She didn't reach out.
And I was like, dang, and I was really bummed.
And the week after week and then after the first week, I was like, okay, she's probably

(21:20):
not going to reach out.
And then after that, we didn't really see or talk to each other for, I want to say like
a month and a half, two months.
I maybe ran into her a few times, but it was nothing like too, too crazy.
We didn't talk much.
And then one random spring day when we were at ski shores in Austin, it was beautiful

(21:41):
out like everyone's kind of starting to come back after, after the winter.
She shows up to ski shores as I'm there with two guys from my small group that knew about
this story and another girl or two that I hadn't met yet.
And I was shook because I'm like, okay, like I guess like this is what Austin's going to

(22:01):
look like.
Like it's, did you think they were dating?
No, but it was, it was weird, like small, like small big town moment of like, okay,
that I'm like, I'm probably not going to escape.
Like the ideal for me at that point was it didn't work out.
We're probably not going to be able to be friends, especially if I'm like still emotionally

(22:21):
interested.
And so the best case was I don't see her so that I don't get reminded and I'm still healing
and all that.
But then I was like, that was the first day of like the real like, okay, that's not going
to happen, especially cause she's with two of my small group guys.
And I, a couple of minutes after she got there, I was like, pull them aside.
I was like, Hey guys, I want to tell you something like, oh, like happy.

(22:42):
And then I pulled them over.
I was like, guys, what are you doing here with, you know, that's McKenna.
This is a girl I've told you about during small group that like we went through this
thing and they're like, what?
And it blew their mind.
Anyway, that was so oblivious.
Yeah.
Sometimes.
And yeah, to be fair to them, they had no clue what she looked like.

(23:03):
And maybe they just didn't put the name together cause it's like whatever.
But anyway, that was the first time I saw her.
And then from there on, it was like sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle of just more like seeing
her more and more to the point where it really registered.
She's not going anywhere.
I'm not going anywhere.
I think I need to like just press in.

(23:24):
But for me, I still hadn't fully gotten over her emotionally.
There was no one else that like, I think maybe I went on like a few dates, like like one
date each, but like there was no one that I felt nearly as drawn to as her.
And so it was really hard to even go there or think to go there emotionally with someone
else because I was still there with McKenna.
There were, I guess fast forward to like summer.

(23:46):
We started seeing each other like pretty often, like at this point, it's multiple times before
we get to run club, it's parties, it's whatever else.
And I got to this point over those months where again, I was still really emotionally
interested, but she wasn't.
And so it was getting harder and harder to deal with being around her, but she was someone

(24:09):
I didn't want to not be around.
And I also realized kind of getting to the spiritual side that after all this time, I
had built up just truthfully like this resentment and like bitterness, even though I was like,
I'd be with her in person and be like so in and like so emotionally there and like just
joyful, but then I wouldn't be with her and I'd be like, Oh, that's right.

(24:32):
It would be a reminder for me of like, yes, this girl rejected you.
You were too nice.
You were too this to that.
And I'd like believe these lies and they just compounded to the point where I realized I
needed to truly forgive her in a way that I really hadn't before because I had like gone
through the motions of forgiving her, but I really hadn't fully done the work with just

(24:53):
like one on one with the Lord for more than five minutes.
Like I needed to spend more time.
I took a trip to San Diego midsummer, July and she, when I was there, I went through
this like these steps for forgiveness and I came back like feeling so much lighter and
like, okay, I really, I feel like I'm like clear of this emotionally.

(25:16):
Like I don't.
Okay.
Let me ask you, what did you, what do you feel like you were seeking forgiveness, like
forgiveness for her and the rejection forgiveness and.
Yes.
Leading on.
What was that for you?
It was I, and this is nothing on her.
It was all me of like, I felt she owed me something and she didn't, the reality is she

(25:36):
didn't owe me anything.
Like we weren't, we went on five, six dates and then we talked about it and like she decided
for herself that, you know, she wasn't interested and she didn't owe me to like tell me that
and like make another clean break.
But I think I cloned to that part of like, oh, I thought like we were going to try this
and we didn't.
So anyway, I thought she owed me something and even though she didn't and because I held

(26:00):
on to that, it was just like a chain, like an emotional chain.
I see.
I had read great book recommendation.
Can I make a book shout out?
Yeah, sure.
Maybe we'll get sponsored.
Okay.
There's a book called freedom tools that a group of us just went through and it goes
through a lot of different, a lot of different topics on getting freedom for your soul.
One of them, big one, one of the biggest is forgiveness.

(26:23):
Yeah.
And there were like three different types of forgiveness that I found like so interesting.
I wish I could rattle them off all three right now.
One of them was the debt owed piece and when I read it, it like struck me the Holy Spirit
like struck me so hard and that's what I was able to work through, get that freedom.
Did that make sense?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I feel like from things I read and learned just men having that, what is it like rejection

(26:49):
and shame is the piercing of a man's heart.
And so that feeling, whether it's shame for I didn't do enough, I should have done differently.
A rejection of she rejected you, but that just like crushes man's spirit.
Yeah.
Yeah, it did.
And even though at times like I really didn't even realize it until the Lord like really
woke me up to it.
And unfortunately earlier in the story that I had kind of covered over, I saw that bitterness

(27:14):
take root in like, didn't happen many times, but there was one time where I made a comment
about her running and like it really hurt.
Like, well, I don't know if it really hurt her, but like it came off bad from my end
and it came off like, like I was bitter.
And I remember like after that interaction, I was like, gosh, what am I doing like saying
something like that?
Even if it like, it sounds like it's a joke or in it, like, oh, it is a joke.

(27:37):
It's like, it still comes off bitter.
Like I don't want to do that.
And so it was just a wake up call.
Like over time, the Lord like use those things to be like, okay, you really need to tackle
this in the past.
Like coming off sideways of like the deeper issue.
Yes.
Yeah.
Like you're doing this.
You're doing this healing.
Do the healing.
Come back.
And I'm so excited, like tell my speaking of good, you know, Christian guy friends, accountability,

(27:58):
all that.
I shared that with them the next night and they're like, David, so happy for you.
That's awesome.
And then one of them, I guess two of them shared, they had thought that McKenna was interested
in one of them and they were both my really good friends.
And so I heard that and like I had just gone through all this healing and then it was like

(28:21):
a double triple quadruple dagger of like restarting the process.
And it was a whole nother, like a whole nother can, like the forgiveness piece for that stuff
was now covered, but then it was like a, oh, like brings back up the rejection piece for
me inside, like rejected me, but you're interested in this guy.

(28:42):
You know, he's my best friend.
Like you, you, you, like very accuser and like it was the enemy kind of speaking in and
like jumping on that, that wound and like to like so jealousy and more discord.
And it got so bad over like two couple weeks, two or three weeks, something like that, where
there was, it was so, there was so much drama, like for no real right reason.

(29:04):
Like the reality is that I ended up going through and the Lord showed me graciously
was that like at that point in time, like I needed to fully surrender the idea of being
with McKenna at that point, like not just for the forgiveness on like that, the early
part, but then also like, yes, I want the frick for me.
I was like, I want marriage and McKenna like seems like the perfect girl and this, that

(29:27):
the other, but it was like too clutched in my hand and the Lord was like, I'm going to
use this situation and like really, really make sure you surrender, not just her, but
like marriage and the idea of like a woman and a spouse overall.
Like he took that little thing and just went deep and I'm super grateful for it as we'll
get to, but at the end of that kind of two, three week period, I end up jumping on a call

(29:54):
with the guy that I found out she was like potentially interested in and we were just
going back and forth and because we were close, we could be real with each other and he just
called out the fact that like he didn't even know where he stood with her, but all he
did know was that what was happening was not from the Lord.
It was sewing discord in our community.
It was so strong.
And as soon as he was like saying those words, my mind felt like a storm cloud before and

(30:17):
as he said them, it was like part of, like God, like part of the sky and I just saw like
the storm clouds disappear and it was like blue skies.
And in that moment, I was delivered from like the jealousy and like the rejection piece
and like all the other things and it was so beautiful and it went from like this really
hard conversation with him to like this really beautiful conversation and especially the fact

(30:38):
that God would use him like of all people, the guy that I was like so jealous towards
in that moment, like it was like perfect.
It really was.
So from that moment on, it was that's like when the real full healing started again.
And like for good for, for this purpose in that, because during those couple of weeks,

(31:00):
McKenna and I like weren't really seeing each other.
There were people that were like, should I go to this?
Should I go to this?
I was thinking, should I go to this?
Should I not go to this?
And I was like, enough of that stuff.
I'm like, that's not of the Lord.
I'm just going to live and the Lord will heal me and bring harmony and peace.
And he absolutely did.
And he continued to move in my heart as he restored me to the point where I was like,
I need to just apologize to McKenna and I apologize to the other guys too, but like I need to

(31:23):
make this right with her because she's someone that I do at this point.
I do want to be friends with her.
Like she is such an awesome.
I had gotten to see so many beautiful qualities, not only when we went on a few dates, but
also just like as we were in the same community, like all the ways that she treated other women
and treated guys and what she was about as far as her pursuit with the Lord.
So I called her and I was like, like she was at work and I was like in the middle of my

(31:47):
work day and I was just like, Hey, this is just really on my heart.
Like I gotta say, I'm so sorry.
And like just went right into it.
No context.
I know nothing.
Just right into it.
Yeah.
And I remember like it just felt directly from the Lord as you'd expect and felt a lot
of peace and joy after that conversation and felt like, okay, like I can do this.
The Lord is going to give me the strength to be friends with this girl.

(32:08):
He's going to help me surrender her and he's going to help me continue to surrender marriage.
That was still like July, early August, whatever timeline wise.
We just continued to be friends.
We'd have community dinners at our place, you know, a bunch of our community group goes
to Red Rocks and Austin Stone and it was just like a hodge podge, but we would just do life
together to put it simply.

(32:28):
And we'd go out in the bow and go wake surfing and all these fun things over the summer like
Austin.
So fun.
Have you been?
I have, but I think I'm going to move there now.
Are you actually?
No, you're not.
Maybe one of these days.
Maybe you too.
I have always loved Texas.
Maybe me too.
I tell you, if you find me a husband, maybe you too.
I'll be there.
They're going to move to Austin.
If you can find us hubbies.
I love Texas.

(32:48):
No pressure.
I love Texas.
Oh, man.
I moved to Charleston, South Carolina for a little bit and it was between Charleston
or Austin.
Okay.
Charleston is great.
I've never been.
I don't know why I'm saying that.
But maybe around two in Austin sometime.
That'd be great.
We'd love to have you.

(33:09):
We'd love to have you.
Pressure is not on, but I will be on the lookout.
I'm like spike ball, pickle ball, community dinner, Christian, single, community.
Sounds amazing.
Sold.
Yes.
So we continue doing life together fast forward to kind of tail.
Is this tail end of summer?
Yeah.
Pretty much like tail end of summer.

(33:29):
Like September, I think at some point we go out on the boat and at this point it had
been like a month and a half, two months, maybe.
I don't know what my math is there of like us being like real friends, friends and like
that's it.
And at the end of the night comes along, we had gone to ski shores, got some food, come
back, surf, whatever.
And then we're like pulling up almost to the dock and we're sitting in the front of the

(33:51):
boat and I just remember this like great conversation.
I felt like so at peace on us being friends and one on one with her and she asked me like,
hey, this community has been so awesome.
Right.
I was like, yeah, it's been great.
And she's like, how do you, how do you, how do you feel about the community?
And I was like, what do you mean?
That's such a like a loaded question.

(34:13):
And I was like, do you mean like, how do I feel about you and I?
And she's like, she's just like nods her head.
And I was like, okay, there you go.
I'm just going to get right to it.
And she's like, and I was like, I feel great.
I mean, it's been awesome.
And the truth is like, yes, I was, I was totally good with being friends with her, but there
was something about her that was, was and is so unique like to a godly Christian woman,

(34:36):
beautiful inside and out that like I was like, I, the truth is I just like don't want to
not be your, your friend like or just in proximity to you.
Like you're someone I want to be around and it goes back to like the fact that she like
radiates joy and all that.
I, I say like all those things and I say like, I pretty much said that to you.
I was like, I, you're someone that I don't want to not have in my life.

(34:58):
And she was like, good.
And hey, can we promise that like if that changes like for either of us that we would
say something.
And she was, if I pretty much I like, it wasn't really for her cause she had never like, she
had had feelings maybe a little bit and then like lost them and that was it.
And so it was more like a like a romantic desire for me specifically, which is like

(35:21):
totally fair, but she was like, if that changes for us, it gave me, will you communicate that
will we communicate?
And I was like, yeah, that sounds good.
And she said, yeah.
And that was, that was it.
And I felt, felt like that was, it was, it was a little bit of a Dacker.
It was a little bit of like a teeth clencher of like, that hurts the year.

(35:42):
Like, but yeah, I've surrendered this and like God will help me continue to just heal
and heal and heal.
That night ends and I ended up finding this out later, but that was the moment for her
where like, of course, like the guys, like if there's guys listening to this, they will
be like, of course this is what happened.
But like, it was like when she, it wasn't this, but like, it wasn't like the, oh, she

(36:04):
realized I wasn't in.
So she person, but it was the moment for her where it like started to change of like, huh,
maybe I don't know what I'm feeling here.
And so she can tell that part better than I can.
So I won't really speak to it, but like it changed there.
And the like, the, the extra thing to call it for me is like, even though it was a dagger
or like a teeth clencher, it also felt like a really like a moving conversation.

(36:26):
Like it moved our relationship forward in a great way.
I called it a needle moving conversation.
I couldn't explain why I told my friends got back that night.
I was like, it seemed like a needle mover.
And they're like, dude, what are you talking about?
She basically just friends owned you for good.
And I was like, I know, but, and I couldn't explain it.
Wow.
Anyway, a few weeks after that was her birthday weekend.

(36:48):
Kenzie's in town, Lauren's in town, a bunch of other friends.
And we just had a great weekend.
We went on the boat.
And she, she had like this like country themed party at her place that night.
And it was just like great vibes all around.
And once again, like I'm not really thinking anything, but I'm just like, this is like

(37:11):
feels good.
Like at this point to be friends with her.
I, of course, learned this detail later too, but like, like Kenzie was starting to like
kind of catch on.
Oh yeah.
And I was clueless, but then looking back, there were little things that like added up
to be like, okay, it seems like something's changing here.
My needle moving comment wasn't going up in.
Poor guy.
Yes.

(37:32):
It's an honor present true though.
Yeah.
And I knew cause I had landed.
I was like, there's three of us that flew in or two of us that flew in for her birthday.
I never miss her birthday.
And she's like, I have to tell you something, but I'm, I've told nobody.
And I was like, what is it?
And then she told me about the conversation on the boat.
And that was when her eyes, she's like, she just felt like she got off the boat and she
said it was like her eyes completely just were like open.

(37:55):
And she told me, and so I was one of the only ones that knew.
And then Lauren knew obviously the next, I think low got in like, no, low and I landed
together.
And, uh, and so she told us, and then watching you the whole weekend, I knew, but you didn't
know that I know, you didn't even know that there was something going on.
And it was just one of the coolest things to just watch.

(38:16):
Um, so yeah, everything that you're feeling, you're like, something's feeling maybe, but
then you're like, no, there's no way.
And little did you know that we're talking about you the entire weekend and being like,
dude, I remember being like, kind of, actually it was probably Lauren that was like, dude,
wake up.
What are you doing?
Like, come on.
Like this guy's incredible.

(38:36):
And I just, my eyes were like so wide.
I was like, this man.
And what was so cool was like everything that David did was because he loved her as a friend
and had been through all this.
And he's the one like driving the boat and letting 15 people serve as many times as
they want to on a Friday morning.
And like the way that he served her expecting nothing in return because you at this point

(38:59):
are like hardcore friend zone.
There's not a chance.
Um, so yeah, I got to witness that and that was really cool.
So sorry, keep going.
Yep.
Yep.
And just for like other contexts, I truly in that moment wasn't thinking at all about
the more I do hear the more my chances go up, like God, really, I mean, he gets all the

(39:20):
credit for the fact that he could change really like it's honestly, I don't know if it's like
humanly possible or maybe if it is, it would take 15 years or something like that to get
over the level of like pain and emotion that it felt like.
And I, you know, did have through all that.
So credit to him on that.
But, but anyway, so yes, this birthday week, it happens and I have a blast.

(39:40):
Everyone has a blast.
And I end up going funny enough, timing wise.
I came here to Nashville for the first time ever through work and it was like a three,
three day conference that I was at, but I was very excited to continue the like just fun
of that weekend to see Kenzie, to see you and take one of the first ever full ride classes

(40:04):
that has been so talked up.
I remember hearing about this.
Oh yeah.
Girl, talking was so excited.
I had heard about it for 10 months and so it was like, okay, long time coming to actually
go to a class middle of the week comes around the day I was leaving and other contexts.
McKenna and I had been like talking like she had texted me after the birthday weekend.

(40:25):
And so that was other evidence of like, huh, like something like just like normally just
like text me for no reason.
We're like talking throughout the day, multiple days in a row leading up to Wednesday of your
class.
I go to the class, finish up FaceTime McKenna and I'm like, hey, the class went great.
It was so fun.
And then she, I remember her that she was like, hey, like if you need to ride from the airport

(40:49):
when you get back, I can pick you up.
And I was, I remember thinking as soon as I heard that I was like, right from the airport,
we're just, we're just friends.
What do you mean?
Like, and she made some comment about like the fact that she doesn't let her new friends
not get picked up from the airport and like, which I believe, but like totally believe that,
but it like still felt like extra with everything that had kind of been unfolding.

(41:10):
There's real momentum it felt like building, but I didn't want to buy it.
I didn't want to like fool myself because like, what a mistake that would have been
to like be like, okay, I'm like fully surrendered, but like, I'm going to let this creep back
in and like affect me mentally.
I said, hey, don't worry, like my work is going to cover it because I'm on a work trip.
Like they'll just pay for the Uber back and she's like, okay, well, hey, if we don't do

(41:32):
the airport ride thing, then like let's go on a walk later.
And I'm like, okay.
Like, I was like, yeah, yeah, for sure.
And then my mind was like, something's up here.
Like a hundred percent.
You had made Kenzie a couple comments about the fact that like I was like such a, what
was it?
Yeah.
Well, cause I, going in, I knew, I knew that she was going to try to pick you up from the

(41:55):
airport.
And we had literally strategized, okay, if he says no, then do the walk.
We practiced what she was going to say.
She was so nervous that she was so nervous.
And so I remember saying, Hey, like could I, cause she was really afraid that you were
going to say no and she said, that's okay.
It's going to be okay.
I've already, you know, he already pursued me for so long.
And so I said, well, do you want me to like, like, is anything off the table when he comes

(42:15):
to class?
Like, and she goes, no, not at all be you.
And I said, cause you know, like I'm going to probably, if you want me to be super stealth
about it, I won't give any insights that there's something blossoming here.
But if you're okay with me being how I naturally would be, if there was a guy that you were
interested in, then I would be like that.
She's like a hundred percent.
You can say whatever you want.
So he comes to class, Lauren's there.

(42:38):
She knows what's going to happen.
We're about to go down.
I teach, I shout David out fully in class, like in a, in a, you know, like a, you know,
as I would normally, but then a little extra more.
You did that to me before too.
I do my, to my people that I love.
But before the class, I remember just saying how fun the birthday weekend was.
And then I like, I'm such a toucher, right?

(42:58):
So I like grab a shoulder and I'm like, I just want to thank you so much.
Like for me as her best friend to leave Austin and know that she's so taken care of, but
that you truly are able to see Kenna in the way that I feel like a lot of people over
time get there, but he obviously, because the Lord knew like you got there so quickly,
you could see her, you could see through a lot of her fear and a lot of the things that

(43:21):
she has struggled with.
And so I just basically was like, thank you for loving her the way that you do and seeing,
her it just makes me feel as her best friend to know she's taken care of in Austin.
So at this point, do you know that she likes him?
Oh yeah.
And I know that like this is going to be it.
Cause I think part of what was scary for her was she was like, remember her saying early,
I can't remember if this was before, I think it was in between after she had told you that

(43:46):
night, which I'll let you continue to tell the story.
And then between your guys is like that in your first date, like first official date
that you planned.
She was like, you know, like if this happens, like I really feel like this is my husband.
And I think that was part of the weight of her like, okay, I'll pick him up from the
airport, but what if he, okay, so then we'll go for a walk and all that.
Cause she knew deep down, I think she knew all along.

(44:08):
I think it was her fear and obviously perfect timing wise, like the Lord knew exactly when
to bring you guys together for good, but it was like, okay.
And I knew, I just knew like this was different and his pursuit of her, I've never seen her
begin as a very intentional person in everything, even in her dating life, even before she really
loved the Lord the way that she does.

(44:29):
She's never really had a lot of relationships.
She's always been the leader.
I've never seen her be attracted to her equal and meeting David that weekend.
Like, well, I had met you before, but really getting to know you.
I was like, oh yeah, they're better for the kingdom than they are single.
So it was, yeah, I was very aware and just had to play it cool, which I'm not, I don't
have a very good poker face, but I did.

(44:50):
Okay.
If you were there for like more than a day, I would have screwed it.
I would have screwed the pooch.
If it wasn't, if it wasn't a few things built up, your comment or like what you said alone
wouldn't have tipped me off at all.
It was just a mix of everything.
Her taxi me, you saying that some of the stuff, like you made a post on Instagram that I was
in.

(45:10):
I was like, oh, I posted it in my slide show is how we call a carousel and I David and
I take David to, I was like, can I take him?
Cause I think this is going to matter later.
And she's like, yeah, do it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And anyway, so I end up telling her like, yes, you can pick me up.
Cause like, of course I wanted her to pick me up.
But like, I was trying to guard a little bit and speaking of guarding, like before I flew

(45:34):
home that day, that afternoon I called my best friend, John.
I was like, dude, this is all of what just happened.
Like you know the birthday week.
I want great.
Like this is how it's been since I've been here for a few days and this is what I feel.
But like, I feel like something's changing similar to the needle moving thing.
I was like, I feel like there's something building here and just something about it.

(45:55):
And he was very measured in a good way, like not like a shutdown way, but like just a good
way.
Hey, remember like where you're at right now, the healing you've gone through and like
just take it once up at a time, take it easy, whatever.
It's like, you're right.
So I go home, go on the plane.
She picks me up, normal conversation on the way back to my house, 20 minutes away.
And we get, we pull up in front and like conversation kind of comes to like a natural end of what

(46:18):
we were talking about.
And she's like, Hey, well, I am really nervous to say that.
And as soon as those words came out of her mouth, I was like, whoa, this is about to
be a movie scene unfolding.
Needle is at like full speed.
Yeah.
Needle is through the chart.
Like whatever you want to say, like it is just like a full blown like, wow.

(46:41):
This is really about to happen in the type moment.
And it absolutely did.
And so she shares like, she just shared, you know, I don't want to take her words, but
basically like she just shared that God had opened her eyes to your point earlier, like
on during that conversation.
And then after that, and it felt great.
It felt amazing.
It just felt right.

(47:03):
And the conversation was longer than I just made it sound like we ended up talking for
two hours, not on that specifically.
We talked about that for maybe 20, 30 minutes.
And at the end of it, she was just like, Hey, I don't need an answer right now.
Like I want to, she basically ended up saying like, Hey, I want to pursue this romantically.
And that's why I was so blown away.

(47:23):
Anyway, she was like, you don't have to make a decision.
You can pray about it for a day, a week, a month, like take what time you need to your
point.
She had mentioned like that she at least alluded to the fact that she didn't know it was like
I'm going to be in a guarantee.
And I thought I found that so funny because like, well, maybe she didn't know my like
pursuit of other girls in the past, but like she was one that stood out like by far, far

(47:49):
in a way.
So anyway, of course I wasn't going to like, I was like, in my mind, I was like, I played
a little, maybe too hard early.
So let me take at least a little bit of time and actually pray about it.
So I told her, I'm going to pray about it.
And I went back and of course like the guys are at home and one of them had seen that
we were in the car talking for so long and he's like, he has this big smirk on his face

(48:09):
when I come in.
And the other one was there too, and they're like, all right, start talking.
And I'm like, I'm going to go to the gym.
Actually, I'll see you guys later.
And they're like, no, you're not, you're going to tell us right now.
And I'm told them the story, but essentially, yeah, I mean, I took the took not even 24
hours to pray about it, but I just had this feeling that that it was, I mean, it was just

(48:32):
a no-brainer.
Like, I mean, just literally to call it how it was, it was not even a thought in my mind
of like, am I going to say no here?
Just like, no.
She is the woman that I have prayed for almost all my life, at least half my life.
Like when I started realizing marriage is important, I want to find a great woman of
the Lord.

(48:53):
And it was just such a, like, I just felt God so strongly.
And the next day, I hadn't even like told her my answer, but I was like, hey, there's
this, who was it?
Why am I blanking on his name?
Tyler Hubbard.
There we go.
Sorry.
Sorry, Tyler.
But we sponsored by him.

(49:15):
Sorry, Tyler Hubbard.
We remembered.
Yeah.
We, we ended up, I ended up saying like, Hey, I'm getting these tickets.
We're going and she was like, okay.
That night when we got back is when I said like, Hey, I'm in and she was like, I'm into
let's do this.
And it was just a beautiful, beautiful moment.

(49:35):
And then a week and a half later I had like asked her to be my girlfriend officially because
it was, it was like this.
I mean,
Define it.
We love that.
Well, because it was, it was, it felt like no other relationship that I've ever been
in because we had known each other so long.
We also dated for like a few, you know, weeks way back in the early part of the year.

(49:57):
And so we had both said that it felt like we had been dating for like five months already,
even though it was like a day in, I guess the rest is, the rest is history.
Like it's, it's, yeah, I don't even know what else to say.
It's just been going fantastic and like, gosh, what a beautiful, beautiful story.
And I feel like I see the Lord all over that.
I mean, this is obviously my first time hearing any of the full 85% version that's podcast

(50:23):
friendly.
It's all podcast friendly.
But I know I wish we had so much time, but I think when you talk about even the first
needle moving moment where to everybody else, it sounds like, Oh, you're not interested.
And so finally she is kind of thing.
I'm like, as two people who are pursuing the Lord as believers, I see God all over that.

(50:44):
I'm like, that has got literally protecting your heart in that and saying like, hold on,
wait, I've got you, you're fine.
You've surrendered.
You're in me.
Like I've, I'm taking care of you.
And in that moment, he's like, all right, my daughter go like, cause I just feel like
y'all loved each other like brothers and sisters and Christ too, which is beautiful.
And what we're called to even in marriage to like love like brothers and sisters.
And she is your sister in Christ.
And I feel like that's what I saw when y'all are, when y'all were having that moment on

(51:08):
the boat, right?
You're on a boat.
And then yeah, in that moment, it just was like, the Lord is like, all right, Makenna,
he's yours.
He's safe.
He's good.
And her eyes became open and that's just his freaking perfect timing.
It really, really is.
It's so true.
And as you're saying that, Sarah, I, as someone who has known McKinnon, loved McKinnon for

(51:29):
a long time and has been praying for her husband alongside her, knowing her heart, knowing how
she needed time to heal.
And she actually kind of taught me the saying of like the cement drawing to solidify.
It's been so cool to be an observer of your guys's story and see all the God winks and

(51:51):
hugs and moments along the way that have refined you both to prepare you for this moment.
So that when it was both of your full yeses, it was everyone else that's been a part of
that story as someone who deeply loves her.
It's a full blown yes too.
And to see that and to go, okay, like what you said, okay, my daughter now go, it's safe.

(52:12):
That's exactly what it was for Kenna was she's not one to just jump into things.
She's very methodical.
She's very intentional.
The same as you.
But I think for her, given her history and her past, and again, she's not here to speak
to that.
So I won't share too much.
She, she takes time to trust and to know that you guys were friends first.
What's funny about Kenna too is like one of the things she's always said, it would be

(52:33):
so great to just marry my best friend.
Like it would be so great.
And of course we all want that, but she was always like, it would be great to be friends
first.
And we've never really had that because again, like Sarah was saying in Nashville, not that
this doesn't exist.
We just aren't a part of a community where it's a lot of godly girls and a lot of godly
guys.
I think that's something that's super rare and incredible about your crew.
And I can just speak to having been a part of it when I come to visit.

(52:55):
It's incredible.
But to be able to now go, yeah, Ken, look, and you are now dating your best friend from
all these months of trust that was built between both of y'all.
And it's just like so cool to be a witness to that.
There's one other part to the story that was like me specifically about like the tearing
down of like the idol I had of her marriage women.

(53:18):
Can I share?
For sure.
Okay.
So it's a cool story specific to like, if you were to ask like, how do you hear from
God or like, how have you heard from God?
Like this is one very, very clear way among others that have unfolded with our kind of
journey.
But we through our men's group had been reading a book called Becoming a King.

(53:39):
And there was a chapter that I was reading through and I little fun fact about me.
I read on the treadmill sometimes at the gym, get my steps in brilliant.
My one.
Yeah.
It's like a two for one.
Yeah.
Love a two for one.
And I was reading the first, you know, page and it talked about this, like doing this

(54:02):
excavation work, but it was one of those times where I don't know if you guys have experienced
this where you're like, you're reading a page, but you're like not fully reading it.
And you realize like, I didn't just retain anything.
I just read, let me reread it.
That happened like four or five times.
And I was like, all right, like it was God saying like reread this and really read it.
And it talked about doing the excavation work to your soul and letting God like basically

(54:27):
like reform, like restructure you and your, your heart and your soul.
Anyway, that really took root.
And I was like, I really need to do that.
And that it was like over the course of like seven days, like a week of time where I had
a series of like three, like many visions.
And I say vision, I mean, like just like on my imagination screen in my head, like a very

(54:48):
clear picture, like at a rant, like not a random time, but like during prayer, during
my time trying to talk to and connect with God, he like put it there.
And basically what it was was, you know, talking about this excavation work, it was a physical
idol that represents like a statue, stone statue representing all those idols I just

(55:09):
mentioned, marriage, women, mechanic, all of it.
In starting this excavation process, I saw myself in that vision, like I saw like a me
taking a hammer to this stone idol.
It was really great in that moment because I was like, nice, I'm making progress.
Like there's progress happening.

(55:30):
It's chipping away.
But I also realized when I saw the full picture, when I had the other two mini visions that
like in that moment, it was me trying to still do the work.
And it was a reminder that like I need God to help me do that work.
It's not about what I can do.
As far as the excavation, it's am I leaning on the Lord to help him tear that out and

(55:53):
give me a new heart.
A day or two later, I saw the same picture of the same idol.
This time it was not my hand in a hammer chipping away.
It was multiple, like I think of like Miley Cyrus wrecking ball song, like when I think
about this, but like I think of like the big like cats, like the big equipment, like heavy,

(56:14):
heavy duty equipment coming in with these wrecking balls and they're like swinging from
multiple sides.
Just and it's like really doing some damage.
And like I knew in that moment as I was looking like this is God bringing in the heavy, the
heavy machinery.
He's the one doing the heavy lifting.
And I was like, that's beautiful.
But I still felt like the full picture wasn't really there.

(56:34):
And then a few days later, I was in Arizona and I was on a long run and on the middle
is run.
I get that.
I'm like praying and I get that vision again for the final time.
And it was a zoomed out version of the idol at this time destroyed, but in place of where
the idol was, the big stone one was the Lord on his throne and he was massive.

(56:59):
And there were all these other idol looking things, but this time like they weren't actually
idols, they were just like in their, their right spot.
They were, they were small.
It was like giant God and then little things here, here and all of them represented different
things.
It was like family and friends and community and wife and all these other things that at
this point in time in my mind and my soul had fully been surrendered in a way where it

(57:23):
was like they're in their right spot.
They're still important.
They still there.
It was like they're irrelevant, but it was not the massive statue that I had built for
myself that got destroyed and made way for the Lord to be there, which is where he rightfully
should be as we know.
And then the other things were in the right spot.
And so just wanted to share that cause it was such a moving experience and also just

(57:47):
like way that I heard from the Lord and that doesn't happen a ton for me, but it's happened
before and it's a way that the Lord speaks to me and it's been really cool.
And do you feel like that as, as part of your journey in the year of meeting her friends,
dating on the whole thing, that there was obviously parts where it sounds like you made
her an idol or the desire of marriage and idol, the fantasy of what could be an idol.

(58:12):
And did those visions happen within like what time period where those visions in?
Yeah, it was, I want to say right around the conversation on the boat.
If I had to like absolutely nail it, I think it was after that conversation on the boat,
of course, before we started it.
Amazing.
And so it's like the Lord being like, these have been idols.
Let's wreck that start over, put them in the right place, put me first and how cool.

(58:34):
That is amazing.
Yeah.
Thanks for sharing that story.
Yeah, really cool.
So cool.
No, and also just thank you honestly so much also for just your vulnerability and transparency
to share like your story with someone that obviously is my favorite person in the world.
And I just feel like there's so much here.
So we're going to, we're going to need to do part two.
Are you cool with that?
Oh, I'm cool with that.
I'm doing a part two.
Yeah, I would just say to that that when this story was being written, it was not a beautiful

(58:58):
story.
It was a very like hard, you know, draining, taxing story.
And that's kind of what the Lord leads us through.
Like he prunes us and that certainly was the case with me and with her.
And so yeah, happy to talk about it.
We love telling the story now.
It's so great.
And just to kind of tie this with a bow before we move into part two, ladies, I just want

(59:20):
you to know that this is out there, like this pursuit, this intentionality, you don't, if
you are both, which you and Kenneth both, like obviously having close proximity to Kenneth
throughout this entire experience and then now knowing you and seeing your story and
hearing your story, like even when you guys didn't get what you wanted.
And even when you were struggling, you were leaning fully on the Lord and letting him
do this excavation work in your hearts, both of you.

(59:43):
Like if Kenneth was here, she'd say this exact same thing in other ways.
And so I just think it's so important like when you are sitting at home and you're like,
I don't have this person.
It's like the Lord is working in the wings.
And we talk about that all the time on this podcast.
And if you are truly chasing after him, you will not miss what he has for you.
It might not look the way that you thought it would.
Obviously the story doesn't, but I think there's so much beauty in that.

(01:00:06):
And like exactly what you said, it wasn't beautiful.
It's beautifully wrecking in both of your lives.
But then look what happened.
Like you didn't just get the girl.
You got the girl in the new heart surgery and she got the heart surgery too.
Like she's not here to share her things that she went through, but just speaking.
And I watched her do so much work over the course of years as friendship before you guys

(01:00:26):
started dating.
So like to her too, like you both just put in the work.
And I just, I love this story.
This story has given me as her best friend who cries about it in the best way of like
she's met the person we prayed for.
It is also given me as a single person, so much hope and like a new found sense of hope
and a new found sense of peace to be like, yeah, there guys out there like this.

(01:00:49):
This is what it should look like.
I know my story will look different because it will be my story and my future husband's
story, but this is the standard in which I'm setting and resetting and then walking in
myself to attract that.
So just want to encourage ladies like there are David Taylor's out there ladies.
Okay.
And join us next week for part two of more grilling David and remember, even if he is

(01:01:11):
still good.