{"id":301753,"date":"2009-01-26T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-01-26T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/the-early-yearslove-life-and-marriage\/"},"modified":"2009-01-26T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-01-26T17:00:00","slug":"the-early-yearslove-life-and-marriage","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-early-yearslove-life-and-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"The Early Years:Love, Life, and Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NFL star John Bramlett  learned to be tough early in life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2009-01-26.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"9.64M","filesize_raw":"10111156","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2863],"tags":[5025,5026],"podcast_series":[7629],"cwp_profile":[9155],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-301753","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-saving-a-marriage","tag-balancing-work-and-home","tag-pressure","podcast_series-taming-the-bull","cwp_profile-john-and-nancy-bramlett","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/301753\/the-early-yearslove-life-and-marriage","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/301753\/the-early-yearslove-life-and-marriage","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"H2NKUVwbUu\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-early-yearslove-life-and-marriage\/\">The Early Years:Love, Life, and Marriage<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-early-yearslove-life-and-marriage\/embed\/#?secret=H2NKUVwbUu\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;The Early Years:Love, Life, and Marriage&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"H2NKUVwbUu\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var 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life.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2009-01-26.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> I knew that he was lying, and I tried to jump out of the car, and I really did try to do it, and I know that there comes a time sometimes you don't care \u2013 you can get to that point \u2013 you really don't care.\u00a0 And he grabbed me and pulled me back in the car, and I think that's why I told him, I said, \"You know, there may come a day that I would not love you anymore.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[musical transition] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is FamilyLife Today for Monday, January 26th.\u00a0 Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 John and Nancy Bramlett's marriage needed help and hope.\u00a0 We'll find out how they got it today.\u00a0 Stay tuned.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[musical transition] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Monday edition, and it's probably appropriate that we start today's program with Day 22 of our 40-day Love Dare.\u00a0 We're right in the middle of the Love Dare, and this is from the book that was written by Steven and Alex Kendrick and featured in the movie, \"Fireproof\" that comes out on DVD next week.\u00a0 And the verse that starts off today's chapter in the book is Hosea 2:30 \u2013 \"I will betroth you to me in faithfulness.\u00a0 Then you will know the Lord.\"\u00a0 And the chapter on Day 22 is entitled \"Love is Faithful.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd, by the way, any of our listeners who would like to get a copy of the book, \"Love Dare,\" can go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, and we have copies available there, and we are posting each day's assignment on our website as well.\u00a0 Today's assignment, if you are following along in the Love Dare says this \u2013 it says, \"Love is a choice not a feeling.\u00a0 It's an initiated action not a knee-jerk reaction.\u00a0 Choose today to be committed to love your spouse even if he or she has lost most of their interest in receiving it.\u00a0 Say to them today in words similar to these \u2013 \"I love you, period.\u00a0 I choose to love you even if you don't love me in return.\"\u00a0 And for some of our listeners that may be a tough assignment but I hope you've been following along.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI hope you have led up to this point with the kinds of acts of kindness that we have already talked about and, again, if you're interested in getting a copy of \"The Love Dare\" book, go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, and we can make arrangements to have it sent to you, and this is the kind of a book that might have helped the couple we're going to talk to today, Dennis, and I'll let you introduce our guest, but I will tell our listeners that the husband you're going to meet, his nickname in high school and college and eventually in pro football was \u2013 do you want to tell them?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \"Bull.\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And with good reason.\u00a0 I mean, he had earned that reputation both on and off the field.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, let me just read a little bit about Bull.\u00a0 \"Bull could outsmoke, outdrink, outcuss, and outfight almost any man in Memphis.\u00a0 He was a legend.\"\u00a0 And he has the Southern accent to convince you \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> To prove that he's from Memphis.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2026 that he grew up from Memphis.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You're talking about John \"The Bull\" Bramlett, who played pro football for the Broncos and for Miami for the Patriots, I think he was a pro bowler a couple of years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Was runner-up Rookie of the Year behind a little quarterback by the name of Joe Namath, and he \u2013 well, he and his wife, Nancy, have an incredible story that we're going to hear on the broadcast today.\u00a0 It is a story of God's love and the hound of heaven redeeming broken lives and broken people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd, you know, I just think our listeners right now need to hear this, because they are in some impossible situations and, in fact, what they may want to do is they may want to call and get a copy of this broadcast and give it to a friend, maybe their spouse, because they need to hear about this kind of redemption occurring in their lives.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes, you can go to our website, which is FamilyLifeToday.com for New Testament about today's program, or call us at 1-800-FLTODAY and someone can tell you how you can get the CD of our interview with John and Nancy, and we're going to hear Part 1 of that interview right now.\u00a0 Here is our conversation with John and Nancy Bramlett.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> [from audiotape.]\u00a0 Where did you go to high school?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Humes High School.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Humes High.\u00a0 Where did you go?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Central High School.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So you didn't meet each other in high school?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> No.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Not at the school.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> How did you meet?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> It was a \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, actually, what I want Nancy to tell the story of \u2013 you got a phone call from a guy who was asking you what his opinion was of \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2026 of a certain guy?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Of a certain guy?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Real clever, real clever fellow.\u00a0 He called and wanted to know what I thought about John Bramlett, and I, of course, knew it was John Bramlett.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Now, wait a second, the voice at the other end asking about what you thought about John Bramlett was \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right \u2013 was John Bramlett.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Was he trying to disguise his voice at all?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Well, of course, not, but he was being clever.\u00a0 But he thought he was disguising his voice.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> He was an athlete, so he thought he could get away with this, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> That was it.\u00a0 That would be correct.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And what did you think of John Bramlett?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> I said, \"Oh, I just thought he was just darling\" \u2013 I don't know what I said.\u00a0 We're talking a long time ago, but I think I told him I thought he was great or whatever, and so, of course, that's all he was wanting to know was what I thought about him.\u00a0 So I told him, of course, that I thought he was great.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd so that's really kind of my introduction of him wanting to find out, I'm sure, what I thought about him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, it didn't take him long to ask you out for a date because within a couple of days, wasn't it, he asked \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> That's right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> He asked you to go to church?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> That's right, and that's about the only place that I would go with him was to church, because I knew of his reputation was quite known throughout the town.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And so why did you take her to church?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Because that's where she wanted to go, and that's where I had to go on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You grew up in a church-going family?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Oh, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Every time the doors were open, you were in church?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Every time the doors were open, we were in church, but none of us were in Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And your reputation, by the time you're calling and asking Nancy out for a date, you're 16, 17 years old at this point?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Yes, about 16, mm-hm.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And what kind of a reputation did you have around your own school?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Bad.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What were you known for or as?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Tough, hard-nosed, mean.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yeah?\u00a0 And the girls' daddies wouldn't let their daughters go out with you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So you had to \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> I had to go to another school\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2026 go fishing in other ponds?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere was a point in your relationship \u2013 you guys had been dating how long when you decided to run off to Texarkana?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Two years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Two years, yeah.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So you were in high school still?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> I was.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Seventeen years old at that point?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> You're right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And, John, had you just graduated from high school?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> I just graduated \u2013 18, yeah.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And in the two years of dating, Nancy, there had to be some red flags all along the way saying \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Oh, yeah, he was exciting.\u00a0 I had never dated anybody like him, and he was \u2013 it was exciting because I never knew what was going to happen when I was with him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Exciting in what ways?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Because of fights or what he was going to do or where \u2013 what was going to happen.\u00a0 I mean, it was an exciting time.\u00a0 Of course, the '50s were a fun time and good times, but, like I say, I never knew what we going to happen when I was with him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, you're talking about it being exciting, but he was getting in fistfights.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Yes, he did.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And all that \u2013 were you a bit of a rebel yourself with your parents?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong>\u00a0 No, I really \u2013 oh, no, huh-huh.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Oh, come on.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> No, I really wasn't.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> But you're hanging out with \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> I know.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2026 with a guy who is getting into all these fights.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> That's true.\u00a0 I was dating him at football games.\u00a0 We were going to ball games, after ball games, but, no, I really wasn't a rebel.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Would he drink around you?\u00a0 When he was with you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Yeah, oh, yeah.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And did you drink?\u00a0 Did you join in?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> No, I did not drink.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Why not?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> I didn't drink, didn't smoke.\u00a0 I just didn't.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Did it bother you that he did?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Not really, because everybody drank \u2013 the guys, you know.\u00a0 And I'm sure there were girls that drank, too, but that just wasn't part of my life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, you added the ultimate excitement to it, and I'll let our listeners decide about Nancy over here \u2013 whether she was really a rebel or not, because you convinced her to elope.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Dennis wants me to be a rebel.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> No, I'm just looking at the evidence of what's taking place in your life, and I know it was a long time ago.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Well, that was definitely being a rebel \u2013 to run off and get married.\u00a0 You are so right about that, and that was so different from anything I would do, because nobody could believe I would do such a dumb thing, really, for sure.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> When did this idea even first come on the radar screen of running off and getting married?\u00a0 Had you been thinking about it for a while?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Well, he was going to go to school, see, to Memphis State, and I guess that was going to be the thing \u2013 he was going to be going to school, and I guess we thought, \"Well, he's going to be going off to college,\" and we decided, well, then we would get married.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, now, wait, going off \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Now, a lot of people were running off and getting married during that time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> So how did you pull it off, John?\u00a0 You got your brother to drive you all the way across Arkansas?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Got married and came straight back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> To Texarkana, Texas?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Texarkana, Texas, right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Got married?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Got married.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Did you just say to her one night, \"Honey, let's get married?\"\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> That was about it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> That was about it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I think you kissed her first, as I recall, in your book.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Yes, I think I did, too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Yeah, I think he did kiss me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And said, \"Honey, let's get married,\" hopped in the car and drove off.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Drove to Texas, got married, and drove back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> John, you were expecting to get clobbered by your in-laws at that point that you had taken their daughter across the state line and married her.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Right.\u00a0 Well, I mean, you know, I was worried about that, yeah, because Ad [sp] and Pop, they were real good to me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That's her mom and her dad.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Yeah.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> They really loved him, and they still do.\u00a0 My dad was really \u2013 really good to him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> From an emotional standpoint \u2013 you're tearing up here.\u00a0 What's behind that?\u00a0 Was he the father you never had?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> What did he do that your dad didn't?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> He was good to me, and when we ran off and got married, he \u2013 I'm sure it hurt him and Ad both real bad, but they never, never said one thing to me about it.\u00a0 They were good to me and have been all these years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Loved you and accepted you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> They sure did.\u00a0 They did.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Yes.\u00a0 He did, Dad always \u2013 he was the dad to him that he had never had.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, just to make a point of this \u2013 I think when our children get married, and they make that commitment \u2013 as parents, there is a call upon us at that point to take those children into our lives and into our family and to begin to be to them all that God has called us to be regardless.\u00a0 Now, that may be a challenging assignment.\u00a0 I mean, I'm picturing myself as a father.\u00a0 I would have not been too happy, John, to have seen you waltzing up the driveway \u2013 what was it, on Monday, after you'd gotten away over the weekend to get married?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> But he had enough picture of what love was and what a young man at your stage in life needed that he stepped in and provided that love, that acceptance, because the deed was done at that point, and what you needed then was a man to step in and love you \u2013 to love you both.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> He was that kind of man.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Yeah.\u00a0 And he loved me.\u00a0 He was an athlete, and he followed my life, you know, and followed my sports life, you know, and asked \u2013 all the write-ups in the paper, you know, and he just \u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> He was proud of you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> He was proud of me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Mm-hm.\u00a0 So where did you start your marriage?\u00a0 I mean, you're what \u2013 18, 19 years old?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You're 17, a senior in high school.\u00a0 Where did you live?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> At the university.\u00a0 We lived out there with all the athletes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>John:<\/strong> There was an old army barracks out there on the campus, and that's where the married students lived at \u2013 the old army barracks where it was hot in the summer, cold in the winter, you know, and just one little bedroom, little-bitty bedroom, little-bitty bathroom, and just a heater, a big heater in the \u2013 as you walk in the door, there's a big heater there, and then it had a little-bitty kitchen, and we were there for four years, and that's where both our sons were born, on the Memphis State campus.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And, Nancy, you had described dating John as exciting, and you never knew what was coming next, and now he's playing college football, and he's one of the stars of the team, but I have to imagine that, like a lot of couples, you see a side to somebody after you get married that you didn't see back when you were dating.\u00a0 In those years at Memphis State, did you start to see a side to John that you hadn't seen before?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Well, it's different when you're married, totally different, because then you're married to them, and you want things different, and you want things as a family, especially when children come along.\u00a0 But it became more serious then because everything came apart, and I didn't know really what I was going to do then because I thought this is not what I wanted, you know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What do you mean \"everything came apart?\"\u00a0 What was happening?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> Well, I knew there were other women, there was going to be \u2013 the drinking got worse, fighting got worse, everything was just coming apart in our marriage.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Nancy, what was the first incident in those four years in there that you recall where you woke up, and you go, \"Wow.\u00a0 This is a marriage.\u00a0 I'm in something that's tough.\" Do you remember the incident?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> The first incident I probably can think of, and I think that I might have written about was probably that maybe I'd found a phone number in his billfold, which, I think many wives go through, might, at some point, if they know that their husband might be having an affair or might be seeing someone or whatever.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd, you know, you call that number, and you know that they maybe have gotten the phone number of another girl, but, anyway, I had called my mother, I remember, and talked to her and asked her \u2013 told her I wanted to come home, and she was very wise and told me, she said, \"Now, if you come home, you're not going to come back.\"\u00a0 And I thought, \"Now, I really don't want to come home because I \u2013 you know, I just kind of want to think about that,\" and I knew if I did, and I knew my mother well enough that she meant that.\u00a0 So I didn't go home, and it was good that I didn't, because sometimes you do things on an impulse and in anger state that you don't \u2013 and I thought, \"No, I'm not going to go home,\" and that might have been the end, maybe, I don't know.\u00a0 But I'm grateful I didn't, because I was very, very young.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Did you have any children at that point?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> No, we didn't have any children then.\u00a0 That was, you know, we had been married for maybe a year, I don't know, not that long, maybe a year.\u00a0 So I didn't.\u00a0 But some girl came up to him and said something to him that he had tried to get her to go somewhere with him, and we got in the car, and we were going home in the car, and he, of course, said he didn't do it, and he hadn't \u2013 he didn't know her or whatever, I don't remember what he said, but, anyway, I knew that he was lying, and I tried to jump out of the car.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> While it was going?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nancy:<\/strong> While it was going, and I really did try to do it, and I know that there comes a time sometimes that you don't care \u2013 you can get to that point \u2013 you really don't care.\u00a0 And I remember it as just as clear right now as it was right now.\u00a0 And it's frightening to think you can get \u2013 a person can get to that point that you don't care, you know?\u00a0 And he grabbed me and pulled me back in the car, and I think that is at the point I told him, I said, \"You know, there may come a day that I would not love you anymore.\"\u00a0 You know, it could be over, it could really be over, and I think that did frighten him enough at that moment to think that it could possibly be the end, because I don't think there was anybody that really cared for him, and he knew that, like I did.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, we need to break in here.\u00a0 We've been listening to the first part of a conversation we had with former NFL pro football player John Bramlett and his wife, Nancy, and we talked about the rocky early years of a marriage.\u00a0 If there is a time and a place to give up hope that would have been it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And, you know, unfortunately, Bob, the Christian community really gives up on these marriages way too early in the process.\u00a0 Now, having listened to this, if you had been near them, it would have been difficult to have hung in there with Nancy and tell her to stay put and to still love her husband.\u00a0 I mean, you're talking about an abusive situation here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And, again, we want to say, you'd tell her to get to a place of safety.\u00a0 You'd tell her to make sure that she's protected, but to counsel somebody to stay faithful in marriage, that's hard counsel to give in that kind of a situation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It is, but the Christian community needs to be fighting for these marriages and standing with these couples as hopefully they'll meet the God of all redemption.\u00a0 I mean, if there is a hope of a marriage like this, as we're going to hear, God is the one who resurrects dead people and dead marriages, and He's been doing it throughout all of history, and he can do it again today.\u00a0 And there may be a listener right now who is listening to this story, and they're saying, \"You know, you've just changed the names, and it may not be NFL football, but I am in a marriage that is abusive, that's dangerous, and I need help, and I need hope.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd I just want you to know we have some resources here to help you and to bring that hope to you.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And one of the things I would point people to is the book we've been talking about all this month called \"The Love Dare.\" When you don't know what else to do, this is something you can do, which is to begin to demonstrate sacrificial, unconditional love in your marriage, which is ultimately what Nancy chose to do in her marriage to John.\u00a0 And then John and Nancy have both written books.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tJohn tells his story in a book called \"Taming the Bull,\" and Nancy talks about her marriage to John in a book that's called \"It's Always Too Soon to Quit,\" and we have both of those books in our FamilyLife Resource Center as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGo to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, and there is information available there about these books and other resources designed to help you strengthen your marriage relationship even in the midst of great trial.\u00a0 And I think we should also mention here that our Weekend to Remember Marriage Conferences, which kick off in another couple of weeks, Valentine's weekend, we begin the spring season of conferences, and it will continue throughout the spring in cities all across the country.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThese conferences have been used by God time and time again to help couples who did not know where to find help or hope to help them come to a place where they could realign their priorities, get on the same page, and move forward in a marriage that was now based on commitment and sacrificial love for one another.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere is more information about our upcoming FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Marriage Conferences on our website as well.\u00a0 Again, the site is FamilyLifeToday.com or you can also call us at 1-800-358-6329.\u00a0 That's 1-800-F-as-in-family, L-as-in-life, and then the word TODAY and, as always, we want to do whatever we can to help you strengthen your own marriage relationship, and if you're at a point where you are in crisis, and you need help, get in touch with us and let us see if we can somehow get you pointed in the right direction.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me also say thank you to those of you who support the ministry of FamilyLife Today by donating to this ministry.\u00a0 We are listener-supported, and so those donations help defray the costs associated with the production and syndication of this program with maintaining our website, with all that we do here at FamilyLife, and we appreciate your partnership with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you are able to make a donation of any amount this month, we would like to send you a copy of the book by Dennis and Barbara Rainey called \"Moments With You.\"\u00a0 It's a daily devotional designed to be used throughout the year to help the two of you focus together on a particular them each day to have something to talk about that day and something to pray together about that day as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen you make a donation to FamilyLife Today online at FamilyLifeToday.com, you just type the word \"moments\" into the keycode box on the donation form, and we'll be sure to send you a copy of the book, \"Moments With You\" when you make a donation of any amount, or call 1-800-FLTODAY.\u00a0 You can make your donation over the phone and, again, just mention that you'd like the daily devotional, \"Moments With You.\"\u00a0 We are happy to send it to you.\u00a0 We do appreciate your partnership with us, and your support of the ministry of FamilyLife Today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTomorrow we're going to hear more from John and Nancy Bramlett about their marriage and about the dramatic turn of events that took place in both of their lives.\u00a0 I hope you can join us for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We'll see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013 help for today; hope for tomorrow.\u00a0\u00a0 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