Jerry
Jerry's interests are in the ideas that motivate people and in communicating concepts about God in ways that can be understood. His background gives him an equal interest in science and faith. Science has always been a passion for him. His first degree was in electrical engineering, and he has spent the last 12 years working as a computer programmer and database administrator. Faith has also been extremely important to him. With a masters in Bible, he spent 16 years church planting in France. Losses and tragedies, such as divorce, have given him a special interest in personal relationships.
Pat
Pat's gifts are faith, encouragement, and shepherding. Many women she has mentored appreciate her for her sound wisdom. As a pastor's wife for 18 years, she began a journey of helping people find Christ and grow in Christ that has continued throughout her years. She was also an elder's wife and served in different roles in various churches. She speaks for Stonecroft Ministries and against human trafficking and volunteers for Hospice. Through her church, she participates in ministries such as mentoring, homebound, teaching Boundaries, and prayer teams. Together, we have six children and eleven grandchildren.
Speaking
Pat and Jerry are available to speak about their faith and experiences. American society has radically changed in the last fifty years, and their observations help clarify the bumpy road that churches have traveled during that time. Their conservative ministries were complicated by family problems, culminating in divorce, which is a very present concern among Christians. How can we live godly lives as we face subtle temptations to compromise and direct conflicts? Pat and Jerry have a fresh, new way to look at it. Their marriage since May 2014 is an exciting testimony of recovery and hope.
Our joint autobiography available on Amazon.com
Summary: Even couples who feel secure in their marriages can be surprised, in unimaginable ways, by divorce. The goal of a Christian who is forced into divorce should not be to survive and move on, but to conscientiously deal with every aspect of the struggle in the same way that Jesus taught us to deal with conflicts on his journey to the cross. Patience, kindness, love, trust, and forgiveness need to overcome temptations to jealousy, anger, gossip, cruelty, and revenge. Jerry had done church planting for sixteen years, as a missionary in France, when a series of tragedies led to his divorce. Pat was a pastor’s wife, in their third church, when she went through a divorce. Divorce changed their lives. Their combined autobiography addresses diverse life issues, such as reputation, discretion, loss, depression, protecting children, the death of a spouse, dating, remarriage, and religious values and beliefs in a changing world, from the viewpoints of mature Christians. This is not another self-help guide. It’s a poignantly honest, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the real world, the one we try to gloss over or sweep under the rug. Christians are particularly in denial, but the statistics reveal the toll that divorce takes on churches every year, in spite of valiant efforts to nurture families and buttress up marriages. Embracing conflict as a part of life offers us a way to win while losing and see God in the midst of divorce.