{"id":303015,"date":"2014-04-15T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/irresistible-jesus\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T12:41:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:41:17","slug":"irresistible-jesus","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/irresistible-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Irresistible Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dennis Rainey welcomes Kent Weber on the program to share how\u00a0he witnessed to, and then wooed, his wife, guest Carolyn Weber, whom he met when they were students at Oxford.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dennis Rainey welcomes Kent Weber on the program to share how\u00a0he witnessed to, and then wooed, his wife, guest Carolyn Weber, whom he met when they were students at Oxford.<\/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","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-04-15.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"21.58M","filesize_raw":"22624217","date_recorded":"2014-04-15 11:00:00","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2906,2821],"tags":[2639],"podcast_series":[7203],"cwp_profile":[8824],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303015","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-becoming-a-christian","category-reaching-out","tag-sharing-your-faith","podcast_series-holy-is-the-day","cwp_profile-carolyn-weber","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\/303015\/irresistible-jesus","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303015\/irresistible-jesus","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=\"pODFLUq91V\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/irresistible-jesus\/\">Irresistible Jesus<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/irresistible-jesus\/embed\/#?secret=pODFLUq91V\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Irresistible Jesus&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"pODFLUq91V\" 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 e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Dennis Rainey welcomes Kent Weber on the program to share how\u00a0he witnessed to, and then wooed, his wife, guest Carolyn Weber, whom he met when they were students at Oxford.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-04-15.pdf","transcript_content":"<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Carolyn Weber has a PhD in philosophy from Oxford University. She has been a college professor in a number of settings; but today, she stays home most of her days, helping to raise her four children.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>I once had another professor at Oxford\u2014I so admired her, and she was an older woman. She stepped into her position kind of accidently, taking it over when her husband had passed away. She had raised four children. She said to me once, \u201cThe books will be all written, and the papers will be all done, and the students will always be there; but your children, at this stage, will not be nor what you can give to them in terms of an internal investment and perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>1:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, April 15<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine. Carolyn Weber joins us today to explore the reordering of her priorities after she came to faith in Christ. We\u2019ll talk with her about it today. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. You have described the woman, to whom you are married, as a strong woman.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>You\u2019re not talking about the fact that she can bench press\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>No.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014150.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>She\u2019s a dangerous woman.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Explain to us what you mean by that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, she may be quiet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>She may not give two percent of what she\u2019s really thinking unless you ask.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Alright?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>But if you ask?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>But if you ask, you\u2019ll find out that there is a rich pool and reservoir that is well- thought through and well-reasoned; okay?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>And I bet there are times where\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>She\u2019s not a pushover.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>I bet there are times when you don\u2019t ask, and you still find out\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I still get\u2014[Laughter]\u2014I do. And I think we have a guest with us in the studio\u2014we can call her husband right now if we wanted to\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Find out if\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014and we could ask him if\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>3:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>I think the evidence just speaks for itself, right here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I think it is, but\u2014you know, it might be helpful if we did call Kent. Let\u2019s just call Kent right now. Let\u2019s find out if we\u2019re right that Carolyn Weber is a dangerous woman. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Well, he\u2019s the one who\u2019s in danger right now. He\u2019s at home, all alone, with all four kids. You can pray for him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, he may not be able to talk in a complete sentence\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>No!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Introduce our listeners to Carolyn while we see if we can get her husband on the phone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, Carolyn\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>That would be hilarious.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Carolyn grew up in Canada. She is a graduate of Oxford. She is an author, a speaker, a teacher. In fact, she\u2019s taught at Seattle University; Westmont, in Santa Barbara. She\u2019s currently married to her husband Kent who, we found out earlier, kind of witnessed to her\u2014kind of shared Christ with her.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Oh, big time. Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u00a0\u2014yes\u2014and no doubt, while she was a student at Oxford.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Now, look what he\u2019s up to. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>She\u2019s now a mom of four, and they\u2019ve been married since 1997.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And she\u2019s written a book called <em>Holy Is the Day: Living in the Gift of the Present<\/em>. Let me tell you, folks, this is a great book. You want to make sure and get a copy of it. How this thing begins\u2014and we\u2019ll get to that in just a moment\u2014but we\u2019ve got to get them married first.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>I think we\u2019ve got Kent Weber on the line with us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Hey, Kent, this is Dennis Rainey. How are you doing?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>I\u2019m alright. How are you doing?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Hi, babe. I\u2019m sorry!\u00a0 [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Hey, babe, how are you doing?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>They made me do it, even though you like to hide.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Here\u2019s the thing\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Sounds like a big party out there in Little Rock.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>It is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Kent, I have to tell you we started off talking about the fact that Dennis is married to a strong woman\u2014a woman who has her own thoughts \/ her own opinions. She\u2019s bright. She\u2019s articulate. She\u2019s not somebody who\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Not a pushover.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014is a pushover; yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>That would be me and Dennis, both. We\u2019re married to the same kind there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>We were just calling to\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent<\/strong>: I\u2019ve got one of those, too. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>We wanted to hear you substantiate that fact that that\u2019s the woman you married.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>That\u2019s her. She\u2019s the one sitting next to you, alright.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>The question that I had for you is: \u201cWhen you were starting all of that witnessing, back at Oxford, was it really because you were dying to date this woman or not?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Well, she definitely is super-hot, but that wasn\u2019t the\u2014 [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>I tried to tell them that I was engaged to someone else.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>That wasn\u2019t the\u2014yes, there was a big scandal going right underneath that. But that\u2019s probably why I proceeded, probably, so\u2014most of the time, I was just Carolyn\u2019s intellectual punching bag. I just kept my elbows in. She just swung hard, which I loved. I got a big kick out of the whole exchange\u2014certainly, one of the best conversations I\u2019ve ever been in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>In the months that you were engaging with her on spiritual subjects, were you thinking to yourself: \u201cThis is going nowhere. This woman\u2019s never going to budge\u201d?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Well, I wasn\u2019t sure. I just knew she\u2014not only was asking questions that I didn\u2019t feel like I had a perfect answer to\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>6:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014she was asking questions I didn\u2019t know were questions. [Laughter]\u00a0 It was, frankly, an excellent exercise for me; but it was enriching. It was engaging to sort of see somebody pursue the faith with this kind of vigor.<\/p>\n<p>And you\u2019re right, I didn\u2019t know which way it was going to go for the first several months; but then, after\u2014there was a tipping point, at some point. I could see that what I saw was\u2014yes\u2014the Hound of Heaven was chasing her, and I didn\u2019t think she was going to get away.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And you didn\u2019t give up. You weren\u2019t really a punching bag. You were like one of these blow-up deals that\u2019s got sand in the bottom of it. [Laughter] You punch it, and it goes to the ground, and it just comes right back up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>\u2014comes right back up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Probably, a better analogy\u2014I didn\u2019t swing too aggressively, but I just kept dodging and weaving. I just kept moving around the ring a lot, but it was a good exercise. It was a lot of fun, actually.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>He swung once or twice when it was <em>really<\/em> important.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You know\u2014I painted him into a corner. At one point, I was really angry at him. All my anger at men poured out onto him and the Jesus he represented. I said to him, \u201cYou know, I\u2019m sure it\u2019s just a matter of time before men leave their wives, and they leave their children, and they leave you to do all this stuff on your own.\u201d\u00a0 I poured out all this venom because that was the pain I was speaking from.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when he drew a line in the sand. He said: \u201cI am not like that. And the God I serve doesn\u2019t stand for that. I know other men who are committed in their marriages, through their God, who are committed to honoring women because of what they believe in.\u201d\u00a0 He actually physically held my hands to stop me from pretty much wanting to push him away.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And Kent, you not only intellectually sparred with her, but you appealed to her heart by setting her apart, as a woman, and wanting to treat her with nobility, and respect, and common courtesies that she wasn\u2019t used to. Would you comment on that for just a second?<\/p>\n<p><strong>8:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>I think that\u2019s probably accurate. I think Carolyn realized, part way into the conversation that, \u201cWell, there is some intellectual questions that have to be answered\u2014that there\u2019s a heart element to all of this.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s the nature of faith. You can\u2019t separate those two. I think she felt and realized that that\u2019s what was required and that\u2019s what, obviously, made the stakes so high for all of this. So, I mean, as we had this whole conversation, I think\u2014just as you described\u2014it was a matter of giving one\u2019s self permission to sort of see the world in a different way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>You saw her come to faith in Christ; and then, you guys left Oxford. Did you think: \u201cWell, that\u2019s it. She was a nice woman\u2014nice to have met her. I guess we\u2019ll see what God has next for me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>You know, at that point, we didn\u2019t\u2014I don\u2019t think either of us knew\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>No.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>\u2014what was going to happen. I mean, I knew she was somebody very special and somebody I had obviously grown to care for very much\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>9:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014but the faith was new. It needed to take its own sort of route. She had her sort of thing to do for a couple of years, and I had mine. I went back to work, back in the U.S. It sort of circled back maybe\u2014I can\u2019t remember now. Was it a year?\u00a0 It was more than a year after that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>At least, a year or two. He came back\u2014I think\u2014he came back for his viva\u2014his defense for his Masters. We had dinner; but it was\u2014yes, a couple of years later.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, speaking of tipping points, I just want to know where the tipping point was in that whole part of this story.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes, when did you actually ask her out on a for-real date, where you were expressing romantic intentions?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>That\u2019s a great question. I can remember\u2014it was probably a year and\u2014maybe it was a year and a half\u2014where she was visiting the U.S. She showed up in a car with two or three other people\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>On a road trip.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>\u2014in Washington, DC, when I was working there. I got to see her for part of the weekend. Then, we got together maybe two or three weekends.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>10:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was at that point where I was like, \u201cOkay, this is what I want to be involved in.\u201d\u00a0 I think she came to visit my family\u2014maybe after we had hung out together just three or four times. After she spent four days with us there, I was absolutely sure, at that point. That\u2019s when the ring shopping started. I got a ring\u2014like a month later or something. Then, flew out to surprise her.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Did you have a DTR conversation with her\u2014where you declared your intentions and said, \u201cThis time I\u2019m spending with you is no longer just friend-to-friend, but I\u2019m interested in something more\u201d?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Yes, it was called the proposal. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That\u2019s a good DTR!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>You know, it was one of those where\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>It happens, sometimes, that way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>\u2014when she came to visit my family, I was pretty sure it was going in that direction; but after that, we had some conversations, in the weeks that followed, on the phone. She was back in Oxford; and I was in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n<p><strong>11:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And I knew one thing for sure\u2014that I wanted to marry her. I decided\u2014like at that point\u2014the best thing I could do would be to make my intentions clear. So, I just bought a ring, and booked a flight, and showed up, unannounced, and said: \u201cI know that I want to marry you. I don\u2019t know about how the rest of the details work out, but I hope you\u2019re with me.\u201d\u00a0 And she was!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>He actually wrote a note and slipped it under my doorway. He was staying with these mutual friends and said he wanted to meet me in front of the Bodleian Library\u2014at the statue there. He wrote this wonderful poem, on behalf of Sir Thomas Bodleian. I had an inkling because it had some puns in it.<\/p>\n<p>I showed up there, and the whole courtyard was full of Japanese tourists [Laughter]\u2014just thousands and thousands of tourists taking pictures. He said, \u201cOh, let\u2019s go for a walk.\u201d\u00a0 So, I thought: \u201cWell, maybe I was wrong,\u201d or, \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>I was going to propose right there because that quad was normally a very quiet place.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Yes\u2014\u201cLet\u2019s go get a sandwich.\u201d\u00a0 [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>But it was really loud. So, we had to do something a little different.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>So, he took me up to the Mound behind University College, the oldest point. It\u2019s one of the oldest points in the city of Oxford, and\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, were you expecting the question?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>No. I\u2014when he left the note\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Before that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>\u2014under my door, I <em>thought<\/em>\u2014I mean, there was this romantic poem. It sort of\u2014and he surprised me showing up in town\u2014you know, which is not easy when you live in Washington, DC, and you show up in England.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>The idea of a note was to give her at least\u2014I mean\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>\u2014let me get dressed\u2014and you know, not be in my pajamas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>If the poems weren\u2019t clue enough\u2014and I didn\u2019t want to like just absolutely club her over the head. I basically gave her two or three hours\u2019 notice\u2014to basically say, \u201cI\u2019m about to ask you to marry me.\u201d\u00a0 They were subtle, but you could\u2014she put it together, I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Well, see, I knew he blew away all my categories. I was in love with him for a long time; but I never dreamed I would marry him, or it would go that direction. I didn\u2019t dare to dream that. And so, I had gone on with other things. He had really set a standard. And it was\u2014and I was grateful for the standard he had set and what he had shown me\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>13:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014that godly men exist. We can believe in them; and it\u2019s safe, and true, and right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, because there had been no romantic expressions, like a kiss\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>No, nothing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014and you had no DTR, did he drop to one knee\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Yes, he did.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014there at that spot?\u00a0 What did he do?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>And he took a bottle of champagne out of his backpack, [Laughter] which I thought was really incredible that he had managed to get that around there. He said those words to me\u2014basically, that we had been on this journey together, and he knew my heart, and that he could see me growing in my God, and wanted us to be on this adventure together.<\/p>\n<p>And it was\u2014this isn\u2019t the most romantic thing for me to say\u2014but my first feeling was <em>relief<\/em> in the sense of \u201cWow!\u2014it\u2019s the kind of relief that you also get with grace\u2014of just: \u201cThis is so good. Everything has been set right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>14:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, when you pulled out the ring and she said, \u201cYes,\u201d did you pop the cork or kiss her first?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Oh, goodness\u2014you asking the great details. I don\u2019t know. Let\u2019s see.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>He kissed me first. He\u2019s a Weber man. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Kent, you\u2019re a good sport.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>It was worth the wait\u2014a desire fulfilled.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You know what our listeners don\u2019t know is that you\u2019re babysitting\u2014how many kids?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>I\u2019ve got all four for this little jaunt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>This jaunt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, you are a good sport to let us interrupt your babysitting while you\u2019re juggling your job there. Thanks for allowing us to do that, and thanks for sharing how a godly man marries a dangerous woman.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>And how he continues to love her. You\u2019re awesome, babe. I love you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>You guys are great. Thanks for taking great care of my girl out there, guys.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>You bet!\u00a0 Thanks, Kent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>They are.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Okay, guys.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You bet. Bye-bye.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Bye.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kent: <\/strong>Bye.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, he\u2019s a Weber man; huh?\u00a0 [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You know, I\u2019m just picturing you\u2014you know I asked him if it was dangerous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>15:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I mean, here you are\u2014your life had just done a dramatic 180!\u00a0 You were a committed disciple and follower of Jesus Christ; weren\u2019t you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You were all-in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Yes. My in was easy. His in was harder. He had the greater risk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>There was a lot of undoing of thinking, though\u2014I mean\u2014patterns and just what had been your natural rhythm, in terms of who you are, as a woman,\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014relating to a man. There was a lot that was going to have to be rethought \/ relearned. Was that a process that carried into the early years of your marriage?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>No, because I had already done a lot of that thinking through prior to the conversion process. A lot of that road work had already been done for me. I mean, of course, there is always fallout from that; but fallout when you are a believer is entirely different than fallout when you\u2019re not a believer and don\u2019t have a reference point of truth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Give our audience an illustration of what you are talking about.<\/p>\n<p><strong>16:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m just talking about husband and wife\u2014the role of how you relate\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Sure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014to him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Absolutely; absolutely. For me, I was all gung-ho. I knew who Kent was. I knew that I had needed him, for as long as I could remember, to exist as an example of Christ\u2019s love in marriage\u2014what a man is to a woman\u2014and little boys being raised.<\/p>\n<p>I think about that all the time, now when I\u2019m raising my little boys\u2014all those little things that can seem so meaningless\u2014and you are growing a heart for daughters, too, of course\u2014but you\u2019re growing a heart, in young boys, that will grow into men\u2014and I\u2019m a perfect example of this\u2014that will change the world for somebody\u2014and, consequently, all the world. As a result of Kent sharing the gospel with me\u2014living the gospel out to me \/ taking even and marrying me\u2014has changed the hearts of my family, of my unbelieving friends, of my students, of my community at Oxford,\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>17:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014my community in Canada, my children\u2014everything. Everything has changed from that one drop in the pond.<\/p>\n<p>And there are days\u2014where I have so many dirty diapers to change, and so many things to do, and I can\u2019t clean my floor fast enough\u2014the kids are just messing it up\u2014I have to stop and think about that pebble in the pond effect. The ways that he tells stories about his parents\u2019 integrity\u2014you know, beginning a church. The way that he talks about his father praying with him\u2014just those little seeds planted\u2014they are great oaks. They are yeast.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>An oak of righteousness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>They are.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That\u2019s what Isaiah referred to it. And I love your picture and what you\u2019re talking about here\u2014how by loving you\u2014he changed your world, and your family, and the college students that you\u2019ve taught at Seattle University and at Westmont.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>It goes out, and out, and out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I just think, Bob\u2014I go back to FamilyLife\u2019s mission statement: \u201cWe want to effectively develop godly marriages and families who change the world\u201d\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>And they do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cone home at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>18:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re a picture of that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>I\u2019m a picture of that, Dennis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You\u2019re a picture of Stu and Linda Weber, who decided to be committed to Christ\u2014raise three sons to have a great impact on the world. You\u2019re evidence of that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>I have to ask you, though\u2014we had a guest, one time on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, who said, \u201cThe first time she read Ephesians, Chapter 5, and read a verse that said, \u2018Wives, submit yourselves to your husband.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 She said, \u201cI put the Bible down, and I said, \u2018God, why did you have to mess up a perfectly good book by putting something like that in there?\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Did you feel any of that when you started to look at what the Bible has to say about a wife responding to her husband?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>No, no; but I\u2019ve been given the gift of a track record with Kent, participating in my conversion. So, I trusted him more than myself. I still do because his godly compass, as a man, is what I need. I needed someone to be bigger than me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And I don\u2019t just mean that in the worldly-strengths way; but I admire Kent\u2019s way of protecting me, and taking care of me, and being stronger than me. It frees me up to really glorify what God is doing in my life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>And the woman who says: \u201cYou can be your own compass, sister. Why do you need a man to do that for you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>Well, we don\u2019t necessarily have to be married to be complete. We forget that we are married, first, to Christ. That\u2019s the primary marriage for all of us. And I think that you know we have to use our minds and hearts. That\u2019s what the grace is there\u2014it\u2019s grace and truth\u2014but if you have been blessed with a marriage, you have to go in with, at least, trying to meet God with the blueprint He has for its success. It does work.<\/p>\n<p>I mean, here\u2019s an illustration\u2014just a short illustration\u2014but you know, Kent, then, led us to my hometown. That\u2019s a very difficult thing for him\u2014to have given up, and done, and do, and everything\u2014to love all my family, as my parents are aging. As a result, for example, he\u2019s developed a warm relationship with my father. My father has really had a lot of healing with me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s part of our lives now. He\u2014after some very difficult conversations and things, though\u2014he broke down\u2014he said to me: \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do. I\u2019ve done so much wrong. There\u2019s so much that\u2019s broken, and you can\u2019t possibly love me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cI love you as I\u2019ve been loved\u201d; and the complete sob he had. And when you are able to show that\u2014he\u2019s gone to church with us. He asked Kent to teach him about our God. I\u2014marrying Kent\u2014I knew what he was about, and I knew what he represented, and I knew I needed to cling to that; and I knew, actually, when the chips were down\u2014even in spite of myself\u2014I needed his leadership. But I also know that he loves me, and cherishes me, and listens to me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Haven\u2019t done this in a while, here on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>; but you\u2019ve talked about the healing that you\u2019ve experienced with your dad. What I\u2019d like to do is seat your dad across the table from you\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>21:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014and have you give him a verbal tribute and honor him for being your dad and the work of God in his life and yours that you can celebrate. Would you be willing to do that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, just meditate on that for a second; and let me tell listeners how they can get a copy of your new book, <em>Holy Is the Day<\/em>, which we\u2019ve got in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center, along with your memoir of your time at Oxford called <em>Surprised by Oxford<\/em>. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com to find out more about both of these books from Carolyn Weber. You can order her books or download the MP3 file of today\u2019s program, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. You can also call to order the books. Our toll-free number is 1-800-FL-TODAY, 1-800-358-6329. That\u2019s 1-800- \u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>22:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You know, we count it a privilege to be able to share stories with you like this story we\u2019ve been sharing this week from Carolyn Weber. Our hope is that, as you hear people share their stories, God can use what they\u2019ve been through to help point you, and your marriage, and your family in a godly direction.<\/p>\n<p>This month, when you make a donation to support the ministry, we\u2019d like to send you our \u201cLifting My Family in Prayer\u201d bundle of three prayer cards. One of them outlines how a wife can pray for her husband; another, how a husband can pray for his wife; then, there is one on how to pray for your children. A lot of people just tuck these in their Bible and use them regularly as prayer reminders for their family.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re happy to send these out to you as a thank-you gift when you support <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. All you have to do is go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the button that says, \u201cI Care.\u201d Make an online donation, and we\u2019ll send the prayer cards to you. Or call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Make a donation over the phone, and ask for the prayer cards when you do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>23:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Or if you\u2019d like to write a check and mail it to us, just mention that you\u2019d like the prayer cards and send your check to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at P O Box 7111, Little Rock, AR. The zip code is 72223.<\/p>\n<p>Dennis?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, this has been a delightful conversation with Carolyn Weber. She\u2019s shared quite a drama here of how she moved from being lost \/ being a feminist\u2014being led to Christ by a guy who, ultimately, swept her off her feet and became her husband, and who is now the father of their four children, and how there has been healing in her family and, especially, with her dad.<\/p>\n<p>I asked you to do something that\u2019s pretty challenging\u2014and that is to just imagine your dad, seated across the table, and speak to him in the first person\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>I will.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014and give him a tribute, right here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn: <\/strong>I sure will. You know, through grace, it\u2019s not challenging at all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Through grace\u2014you know, grace makes you so rich\u2014it\u2019s like giving away pennies. Imagining my dad here is so easy because I\u2019ve said it to him too. I\u2019ve told him, and I\u2019ll say again:<\/p>\n<p>Dad, I ask you to forgive me; and I forgive you for all of the tensions in the past and the ways that we\u2019ve disappointed each other. I want you to know that you are loved beyond measure. I love you incredibly. My family loves you\u2014my children, my husband. And we love you with God\u2019s love, the kind of love we\u2019ve been shown. We love you as He has loved us. And there is nothing you can do to make us not love you.<\/p>\n<p><em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.<\/p>\n<p>Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?<\/p>\n<p>Copyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2014 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n","theme_header_position":"Sticky","post_header_is_sticky":"default","is_header_overlay":"0"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303015"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303015"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303015"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}