“Find a need and fill it.” These words were spoken often by our pastor while living in Eagan, MN. My wife and I were living there while I completed chiropractic school. We had been married less than one year before our life’s journey took us away from friends, parents and relatives in Bismarck, ND…all the way to the Twin Cities. It was during these formative years that we learned to rely on each other and rely on God. God knew what we needed for our spiritual lives and for our marriage as well. We look back at this time in Minnesota and realize what a long-lasting impact it made on our lives.
Jendi and I have been happily married for 12 years and have 3 wonderful children.
Our pastor would often state that there were plenty of needs around us. We just needed to find a need and fill it. We needed to bless other people. We were taught that we had received freely and we need to give freely. He not only taught it…he lived it. He and his wife poured richly into mine and Jendi’s life. Our marriage grew stronger. Our relationship grew richer. We learned a lot during our time there. We learned how to work through difficult situations.
We have been married for 12 great years. We have three wonderful children. We have been blessed beyond measure!
I spent 15 years in youth ministry work. Serving in this arena lead to developing relationships with many young people…young people that later were planning weddings. Many would visit with Jendi and me in informal settings as they planned their wedding or worked through situations. Young married couples will call us frequently for advice and help with working through situations. I’m totally honored by this. Jendi and I definitely don’t feel we have all the answers, but we do feel confident in telling a young married couple how to work through some obstacles. We have identified and conquered marriage obstacles that tend to pop up in the first one, five or ten years of marriage. We have identified key conversations we feel that would strongly benefit engaged couples…before they say “I do”.
I am self-employed as a chiropractic neurologist, so I understand the demands that come with balancing work and family. Our idea for developing EMBRACE was to help other young couples set priorities and identify their core values.
Jendi is a full-time stay-at-home mom…the hardest job in the world…and handles a lot of the daily tasks that come with owning our own clinic. She knows what it takes to keep a home running smoothly, spending time with the kids and keeping the home our safe refuge.
We hope to share what we have learned in our journey to help engaged couples and those newly married with practical, Biblical and hopeful information on marriage and family success!
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