{"id":303824,"date":"2016-01-11T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-11T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/a-dream-come-true\/"},"modified":"2016-01-11T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-01-11T17:00:00","slug":"a-dream-come-true","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-dream-come-true\/","title":{"rendered":"A Dream Come True"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>She married for love. So why did she feel so hopeless? Jennifer Smith,recalls the day she met her future husband, Aaron. Little did she know that storm clouds were not far behind.<\/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\/fl2016-01-11.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"25.49M","filesize_raw":"26732002","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2088],"tags":[5819,4213,4050,2877],"podcast_series":[8121],"cwp_profile":[3392],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303824","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-romance-and-sex","tag-intimacy-in-marriage","tag-love","tag-marital-intimacy","tag-marriage","podcast_series-the-unveiled-wife","cwp_profile-jennifer-smith","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\/303824\/a-dream-come-true","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303824\/a-dream-come-true","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=\"X8FFtKeCwD\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-dream-come-true\/\">A Dream Come True<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-dream-come-true\/embed\/#?secret=X8FFtKeCwD\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;A Dream Come True&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"X8FFtKeCwD\" 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":"She married for love. So why did she feel so hopeless? Jennifer Smith,recalls the day she met her future husband, Aaron. Little did she know that storm clouds were not far behind.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-01-11.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Jennifer and Aaron were teenagers, and they were in love; but Jennifer\u2019s mom and dad were not delighted by the idea that the young couple was already thinking about marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>They really had expectations of me finishing college first. So, they were\u2014had already shown their disappointment in us wanting to pursue marriage. I wanted to please my parents. So, knowing that I was going in the opposite direction of their expectations was <em>hard<\/em> because I know that their response came from a heart of wanting the best for me; and they thought they knew what the best was for me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Monday, January 11<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. Getting Mom and Dad to go along with their marriage plans was one of the first obstacles Jennifer and Aaron Smith had to overcome before they said, \u201cI do.\u201d\u00a0 But it wouldn\u2019t be the last one. Stay tuned. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us on the Monday edition. Quick word as we kickoff today\u2019s program\u2014we\u2019re about five weeks away from starting our spring season of FamilyLife <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> marriage getaways. Over the next couple of weeks, we\u2019re going to be giving <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners an opportunity to attend one of these upcoming getaways and save some money. In fact, if you register this week or next week for an upcoming <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> marriage getaway\u2014when you register for yourself, your spouse comes free. It\u2019s a buy one \/ get one free opportunity for what is a fun and romantic weekend getaway for couples. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>In fact, I\u2019m pretty excited about the\u2014I think we\u2019ve got four or five dozen different locations where the getaway is going to be happening this spring. I hope our listeners will decide <em>now<\/em> to join us at one of these upcoming events. You can go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com\u2014click the link for the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> and find out more about <em>when<\/em> the getaway is coming to a location near you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, if you sign up this week or next week\u2014when you pay for yourself, your spouse comes free. This is the best offer we make on the getaway at any point during the year, and it\u2019s good just this week and next week. So, make sure you go to the website, FamilyLifeToday.com, to sign up; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY if you have any questions or if you\u2019d like to sign up over the phone. We hope to see you at an upcoming <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> marriage getaway. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I want to tie back into what we\u2019re talking about today because I remember the very first time we sat down to record a <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> radio program, and you shared a story about having had a fight with Barbara. Do you remember this?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>An argument. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes, you guys had been in an argument. I just remember thinking to myself, \u201cDennis, you\u2019re a nationally-known figure talking about marriage and family. Do you really want to admit that you and Barbara had this argument last week?\u201d\u00a0 And so, I asked you about it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I said, \u201cI don\u2019t have anything to share if I can\u2019t admit my mistakes as well as what I do right.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, if you look at the New Testament, it\u2019s about followers of Christ who did things right and did things wrong; and they wrote about it\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014warts and all. And that\u2019s a part of what we\u2019re going to be doing today on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. We\u2019re going to be talking to Jennifer Smith about the first years of her marriage. Jennifer, welcome to the broadcast. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Hi. Thanks so much for having me. It\u2019s so exciting. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Our listeners can probably tell that you\u2019ve [Dennis] got a little bit of a head cold that you\u2019re fighting here.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Sniffle\u2014just a sniffle. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Jennifer has written a book called <em>The Unveiled Wife<\/em>. She and her husband, Aaron, have been married over eight years. They have two children. In fact, we had the privilege of getting to know Olive\u2014what a cutie. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes, she is. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Jennifer, I read your book. As I was going through it, I was going, \u201cYou\u2019re courageous,\u201d\u2014I mean, to tell this story and to let people kind of behind the veil, literally\u2014to encourage them in what they are dealing with in their marriages. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhy did you decide to do this initially?\u00a0 That had to take a lot of courage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>It definitely was not my idea. [Laughter]\u00a0 I don\u2019t feel courageous. When I look back at the beginning of sharing this story\u2014but with my husband kind of setting the tone, and encouraging, and setting that idea in my heart, and then, the Lord coming alongside and confirming that\u2014I just did it. And I wanted to be obedient to the Lord in this\u2014but it took a long time to focus on it, and to give my heart to it, and to say, \u201cOkay, Lord, I <em>can<\/em> do this with Your help only,\u201d because there is no way I could have done it without Him. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You have had tens of thousands \/ hundreds of thousands of wives who have read your story, online, on your blog. People are getting back in touch with you and saying, \u201cThank you for sharing,\u201d because they have felt isolated\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014a lot of wives who are in the same kind of circumstance you were in and feel like there is nowhere to go and no one to talk to about this. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>And that\u2019s exactly how I was feeling when I was struggling in my marriage. I really didn\u2019t know where to turn to. I didn\u2019t even feel comfortable going to church and saying: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cI have these issues. I need help.\u201d\u00a0 So, I was isolated\u2014myself. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen the Lord started working in our marriage and helping me, I realized that I wanted to be a resource for people\u2014especially online\u2014for those who are too scared to go to church or too scared to go to counseling. I wanted them to be able to look and search something online about marriage and have something from my heart to share with them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Take us to the day when you hit the wall and you found yourself in church, just feeling like there wasn\u2019t anywhere to turn. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I was sitting in church and just feeling the pressure and the weight of our struggles mounting. I literally felt like I couldn\u2019t breathe\u2014I don\u2019t know if I was having a panic attack or what. I looked around and I thought, \u201cHow many other people here are wrestling with marriages?\u201d because it looks like they are fine. I remember just looking over at my husband. He was hunched over. I couldn\u2019t tell if he was listening to the pastor or not, but he looked defeated. I didn\u2019t know if we were going to be talking about divorce at that point; but that\u2019s what it felt like. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, it felt like\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You\u2019d been married how long?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>About three-and-a-half years\u2014so not very long at all. We should have been in the newlywed phase still. It was just one devastation after another that led us to where we were. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, take us back to the beginning because couples don\u2019t meet, and fall in love, and get married, thinking, \u201cThree-and-half years from now,\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>No. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cwe\u2019re going to be isolated.\u201d\u00a0 Tell us about how you and your husband met. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I was young. I was about 16 years old, and I was going to this Bible study. Aaron showed up\u2014and I don\u2019t know if you\u2019d say, \u201cLove at first sight,\u201d but I definitely wanted to know more about who he was. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>What was it about him?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>His presence was commanding. Everybody kind of gravitated to him. He was very social\u2014confident. I was the opposite of everything I saw in him. So, it was attractive. I remember just thinking, \u201cWell, there\u2019s no way I\u2019m just going to go up and introduce myself.\u201d\u00a0 I was too shy. So, I waited a couple weeks. Then, eventually, it was like, \u201cHi, I\u2019m Jenn.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cHi, I\u2019m Aaron.\u201d\u00a0 That was it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, a couple more weeks\u2014slowly, we became friends. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>We started going on group dates. We\u2019d go to the movies with other friends. Our relationship just grew over the course of, maybe, two years. Then, we stopped hanging out for a while. That\u2019s when\u2014I share in my book how I pursued another relationship because I thought Aaron didn\u2019t want me. What I didn\u2019t realize was he actually had a heart for God\u2014and he said: \u201cYou know, Lord, I don\u2019t want to just keep dating. I don\u2019t want that. I want to date my wife.\u201d\u00a0 He had this covenant going with the Lord: \u201cJust show me who my wife is.\u201d\u00a0 I thought: \u201cOkay; I\u2019m not her, obviously. He hasn\u2019t asked me out yet.\u201d\u00a0 So, I pursued another relationship; and that didn\u2019t work out. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, I was at a birthday party, and Aaron showed up. He was a pizza delivery guy, and he shows up with all these pizzas. I\u2019m like: \u201cOh my gosh! I haven\u2019t seen you in six months!\u00a0 How are you doing?\u201d\u00a0 Then, I said, \u201cYou should call me sometime.\u201d It was the next day\u2014he invited me to the movies. So, we had a little date. That was our first date, even though we were just friends still. We picked up from there. It was another six months before he asked me out. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, was he thinking, when you went to the movies, \u201cMaybe this is\u2026\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>[Whispering] I have no idea!\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Really?!\u00a0 You haven\u2019t talked about this?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>No. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, we should get him on the phone and find out what he was thinking. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>How old were you at the time?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I had just graduated high school. So, I would have been 18. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Let\u2019s just cut to the chase. Let\u2019s find out what was going on in Aaron\u2019s head. Let\u2019s call him on the phone right now. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Really?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, really\u2014absolutely. [Phone ringing]\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>Hello. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Hey, Aaron. It\u2019s Bob Lepine from <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. How are you?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And it\u2019s Dennis Rainey. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>And it\u2019s Jennifer Smith. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We\u2019re calling to get the straight scoop from you about this dating relationship you had with a young lady that was kicked off by delivering ten pizzas to her place. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Do you remember the day you brought the pizzas over to the house?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>Yes, I do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And you remember when Jenn said: \u201cHere\u2019s my number. You should call me sometime,\u201d?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>[Laughter] I don\u2019t exactly remember it going like that, but I remember her being excited to see me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes?\u00a0 She said she gave you the number and said, \u201cCall me sometime.\u201d You called her the next day and asked her to the movies. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>Yes. Yes, I did. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAt the time, I liked her; but I don\u2019t know if I was necessarily interested like that\u2014but yes, I wanted to go hang out and get to know her more. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>She said that you had kind of pulled back from the whole dating thing for a while, just trying to make sure that your motives were right and pure; is that right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>Yes. I had done the dating thing before, and that did not go so well. After becoming a Christian, I decided to take a few years to just focus on God. I gave Him permission to let me know when it was time for me to start looking. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You know she\u2019d been digging your chili for a couple years at this point; right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>Yes, I was aware of that. [Laughter]\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You were aware of that. So\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>He teased me!\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, why did it take you six months to ask her out again?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>I think there were a few things. I was still not super interested in a serious relationship with anyone; but I think, at that time, also, Jennifer had started dating someone else. I think that was around the same time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Oh, yes, there was that other guy\u2014right, Jennifer?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Yes, but that was before the night with the pizza. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, how long before you knew she was the one?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>It was quite a while, actually. You know, we were hanging out pretty seriously\u2014I don\u2019t want to say dating, necessarily\u2014but we pretty much were. But there was a moment just before that\u2014that God really did turn that on for me. He really pointed out and said, \u201cHey, this is the one.\u201d\u00a0 So, that night, I walked her out and said: \u201cHey, what do you think about that?\u00a0 What do you think about us being\u201d\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I was speechless. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cserious and dating?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes, I want to know, Jennifer. That night, when he said, \u201cWhat do you think\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>He looked over at me; and he said, \u201cYou look like you\u2019re going to explode.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>What were you thinking when he said\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I was ready to explode. I was so excited because I already saw him as my husband. I thought, \u201cThis could work\u201d; you know?\u00a0 I wanted it\u2014I desired that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And did you play it cool, or did you\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>No, I was so goofy. [Laughter]\u00a0 I probably started crying\u2014I don\u2019t know. It was a very precious moment that I hold dear to my heart. I said, \u201cYes,\u201d of course. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Aaron, we don\u2019t want to take too much more of your time\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014I know you\u2019ve got a youngster you need to take care of\u2014but we just wanted to\u2014we wanted to get this courtship thing from the other side of the fence. So, thanks for letting us call you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>Well, thank you. I\u2019m excited that Jennifer is there and can just share her story. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Glad you joined us. Thanks for being a good sport. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Aaron: <\/strong>Thank you guys. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Thanks, Aaron. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Bye. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We are talking to Jennifer Smith, the author of the book, <em>The Unveiled Wife<\/em>, along with her husband, Aaron, who wasn\u2019t planning to be a part of the program today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, from the night that he played his cards and you got goofy, how long from there until you guys were standing at an altar saying, \u201cI do,\u201d?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>We dated for a year-and-a-half; and then, we were engaged for six months. So, it was two years. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Two years?!\u00a0 That had to be a long, hard two years. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>It was. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>But you hung in. Why did you wait?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>We didn\u2019t take marriage lightly; and just asking God to show us and prepare us for marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes, I want to hear how he proposed to you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>[Laughter] He was acting goofy that night\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014that was a goofy night for him. He had his hand in his pocket. He was, actually, walking me out to the car. We were out in front of his parents\u2019 house\u2014I was about to leave. He was hanging on to the door frame, saying bye to me. Just his whole countenance \/ everything was just almost like he was embarrassed. I was like, \u201cWhat is happening?\u201d\u00a0 Then, it clicked, \u201cI think he\u2019s going to propose.\u201d So, I pushed him out; and I closed the door. I said: \u201cI\u2019m really sorry I\u2019ve got to go. I\u2019m late. I\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, you\u2014really?!\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Yes, I cut him off. I left as quickly as I could because I was so nervous. [Laughter]\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You weren\u2019t ready for the question?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I was ready for the question, but it still came with so much weight behind it. You know, marriage\u2014that\u2019s huge!\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why I responded that way. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Did he chase you in the car, or did he wait until the next day, or what?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>No, I don\u2019t think he understood why I was leaving. He was just as confused. Then, the next\u2014the following night, he ended up asking me. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>How?\u00a0 We\u2019ve got to hear how. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>We were at his house. I was on his family\u2019s computer, looking at family photos. He opens up his Bible, which his dad had handed down to him. He had all these papers stuffed into the fold of the cover of it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe\u2019s pulling them out; and he\u2019s like, \u201cHey, I wanted to show you something.\u201d\u00a0 They were prayers dated back two years prior. They were prayers to God about his future wife\u2014just talking about his longing for relationship and for marriage. I told him, \u201cThose are so beautiful.\u201d\u00a0 Then he looks over at me and says, \u201cYou are the answer to my prayer.\u201d\u00a0 So, I knew. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Wow. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Then, he got down. He further explained how, \u201cI don\u2019t have much in this life, and I can\u2019t promise you everything; but I know that I\u2019ll lead you in the Lord, and we\u2019ll trust in Him together.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And of course, you ran home to your mom and dad\u2014just blurted out the news. How did they respond?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I actually didn\u2019t tell them right away because, prior to this, they had shown or expressed that they weren\u2019t happy with us pursuing marriage. They really had expectations of me finishing college first. So, they were\u2014had already shown their disappointment in us wanting to pursue marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that could have played a part in me running the night before when he proposed. I wanted to please my parents. So, knowing that I was going in the opposite direction of their expectations was <em>hard<\/em>\u2014it was so hard. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI actually went home that night and shared it with my brother. He was excited for me, but knowing that I had to face my parents was difficult. I ended up sharing with them the next morning. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And when you did share with them, did they pull back; or did they embrace it?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>They did not embrace it\u2014they were very cold. I don\u2019t want to use too much description with that because I know that their response came from a heart of wanting the best for me, and they thought they knew what the best was for me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, now, you are headed into the idea of marriage with some headwinds blowing against you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That can be challenging. That can be daunting for a young woman your age. You\u2019re trying to figure out: \u201cWhat do I do?\u00a0 This is what I want, but Mom and Dad are not happy.\u201d\u00a0 Did you think about going back to Aaron and saying, \u201cMaybe, we should wait longer,\u201d?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I did. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd he wouldn\u2019t let me. He\u2019s a very strong-willed man. He knew what was right, and he knew that the Lord had our relationship set apart for something great. He didn\u2019t think that I, just trying to please my parents, was a good enough reason. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We started this conversation by talking about you three-and-half years into your marriage, sitting in a church thinking, \u201cMaybe, our next conversation is about divorce.\u201d\u00a0 You were miserable. It had been a hard three-and-half years. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, we\u2019re at a point, right before the altar, when you\u2019re fianc\u00e9 is saying: \u201cGod has something great. God has a wonderful design for us, and we need to pursue this.\u201d\u00a0 And you\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>I believed him. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You believed that. We\u2019re going to have a chance this week to hear how your marriage went from that place, where it was all hope, to the place where it was isolation; but Dennis, that\u2019s the trajectory that a lot of marriages take. They go from hope to isolation\u2014and some of them pretty quickly. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>They do. And I would just say\u2014in this situation\u2014had I been a third party invited in to bring some counsel to a young couple about to start out their relationship together\u2014I would have called a time-out around the parents\u2019 concern about this marriage occurring\u2014not necessarily to call off the relationship\u2014but: \u201cLet\u2019s talk about and let\u2019s begin to unpack. Over the next couple of months, let\u2019s meet together and talk about this and hear your concerns.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, that doesn\u2019t guarantee that all their concerns can be eliminated\u2014and I am certainly not being negative about\u2014Jennifer\u2014you and Aaron getting married at that point. I just think, when you start out a marriage with the headwinds\u2014as you said, Bob\u2014parents are really important in this mix. When you get married, it\u2019s not just two people who get married\u2014\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014it\u2019s two families. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Families\u2014yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>It is two families coming together. They really need to be a part of both the beginning of that marriage, but also, moving forward in that marriage as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, at what point would you counsel a young couple who is\u2014one set of parents or another set of parents are saying, \u201cWe have reservations,\u201d and the couple is going, \u201cWe really think God is in this,\u201d? They want to honor their parents, but they really feel God leading them. Is there a point where you\u2019d say: \u201cYou know what?\u00a0 You do what God is leading you to do even if Mom and Dad disagree?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I would say, \u201cYou exhaust\u2014you find a way to exhaust\u2014not exhaust the parents\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cbut to exhaust the discussion.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Okay. So, when we hit that headwind, it was devastating to me because I really did want my parents\u2019\u2014not just approval\u2014but presence at the wedding and a part of our lives. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And their blessing on the whole thing;\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Exactly. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>So, even though we were pursuing marriage plans and wedding plans, we were also praying about, \u201cGod, what do You want us to do about this situation?\u201d because we did want to honor our parents. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was my mom\u2019s idea to go to marriage counseling together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI know that sounds kind of ridiculous; but we went to two different churches, with two different pastors, to seek out restoration in our relationship. My mom and my stepdad joined Aaron and me with these pastors to talk about: \u201cWell, let\u2019s hear both sides of the story. Let\u2019s listen to the concerns.\u201d\u00a0 We felt like we were exhausting resources to be able to get God\u2019s guidance in this. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Let me just interrupt you there because I think we rushed past something that was important. Your parents\u2014your mom and dad\u2014were divorced at that point. Your mom had remarried. Had your dad remarried yet?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, when you talk about going to two different churches, you were literally talking about talking two different couples. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Yes. Actually, my dad and my stepmom gave us their blessing prior to the engagement. It was my mom and stepdad, who raised me, who had the struggle with us pursuing marriage before finishing college. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, let me ask you: \u201cIf you were sitting down with a young couple today\u2014somebody your age when you got engaged\u2014and they said: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2018We just know the Lord is calling us to be married, but my parents have problems. They want me to finish college. They\u2019ve got this\u2026\u2019\u2014if you were giving them counsel, what would you tell them to do?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>The first thing I would say is: \u201cPursue the Lord through prayer because the Lord is going to speak to you. He\u2019ll give you peace. He\u2019ll give you ideas, and He\u2019ll give you the plan that needs to unfold for this situation.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, I would say two things could happen\u2014one, God\u2019s going to change your parents\u2019 hearts, and they are going to give you their support; or He\u2019s going to change your heart and show you and reveal something to you\u2014that maybe you do need to wait. Maybe, your parents are there to help guide you in this process. And I think both parties need to be open to how the Lord\u2019s moving in that scenario. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And did your parents ultimately give their support?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>So, yes; my mom did have peace. She told my husband first. She said, \u201cI have peace about you guys moving forward in your marriage.\u201d\u00a0 And they were a part of the whole process and supported us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That\u2019s a great illustration of what I was talking about\u2014a couple who honored their parents. Seek to honor them \/ tell them that; but also seek to listen to them and remove the obstacle \/ remove the concern\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014address it\u2014and God can work in that situation. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jennifer: <\/strong>Absolutely. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>If you rush past it, you\u2019re really setting yourself up for future conflicts as your marriage begins and some really very, very difficult situations. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, and I think what our listeners need to hear in this conversation\u2014you guys really followed a good, God-honoring, parent-honoring path to the altar. That did not mean that, now, marriage was going to be just easy from here on out. In fact, your book is all about the major challenge that you wound up facing in your marriage, which was the physical pain you experienced for the first four-plus years of your marriage, when you tried to be intimate with one another. It\u2019s a remarkable story of how God was at work in a time of great trial\u2014how it put a strain on your relationship\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014but how God met you in the middle of all that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd I just want to encourage our listeners, \u201cGet a copy of Jennifer Smith\u2019s book, <em>The Unveiled Wife<\/em>. <em>Embracing Intimacy with God and Your Husband<\/em> is the subtitle.\u201d\u00a0 We have copies of it in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. You can go, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com to request a copy of the book; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY\u20141-800-358-6329. That\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then, the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\u00a0 Ask about the book, <em>The Unveiled Wife<\/em>, when you get in touch with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAlso, be sure to get information about the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> marriage getaway. Keep in mind that this week and next week, when you register to attend an upcoming getaway, you pay for yourself, and your spouse comes free. It\u2019s a half-price offer\u2014buy one \/ get one free offer on the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> marriage getaway. This is something we are doing for <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners as a way to encourage you to plan now to join us in February, or March, or April, May, June. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen you sign up now, you pay for yourself and your spouse comes free for a romantic getaway weekend\u2014the two of you relaxing and enjoying being with one another while you learn together about God\u2019s design for marriage. If you need more information, go online at FamilyLifeToday.com; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY. And if you are ready to register, you can register, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call 1-800-358-6329. That\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then, the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, we are into the second week of 2016. I don\u2019t think our listeners probably realize this, but this is a benchmark year for us. This is our 40<sup>th<\/sup> Anniversary as a ministry. FamilyLife was started in 1976. So, this year, we celebrate 40 years of ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHonestly, it\u2019s not our ministry and our anniversary that we want to focus on\u2014it\u2019s <em>your<\/em> anniversary \/ <em>your<\/em> ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, we want to say, \u201cCongratulations!\u201d today to Keith and Janet Marks, who are celebrating their anniversary\u201419 years together today. They live in Bentonville, Arkansas. The Marks have attended\u2014are you ready?\u00a0 They have attended five <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> marriage getaways over the last 19 years. We want to say: \u201cCongratulations to you guys. We want you to know that you are the reason why <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> exists.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe exist as the proud sponsor of anniversaries all around the world. There are a lot of couples who will celebrate an anniversary this year, and FamilyLife played a part in that celebration. In fact, we\u2019d love to acknowledge <em>you<\/em> on your anniversary. You can go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com\u2014give us your anniversary\u2014and we want to help you make your celebration of your marriage together, this year, be the best year ever. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve got some ideas for you on that. So, again\u2014give us your anniversary at FamilyLifeToday.com. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd thanks to the folks who make <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> possible\u2014those of you who support this ministry. We are grateful for your financial support. Some of you have been with us for decades; and we just want to say, \u201cThank you for your partnership.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we hope you can join us back tomorrow when we\u2019re going to continue to hear from Jennifer Smith about the early years of her marriage and the challenges that she and her husband, Aaron, faced. Hope you can tune in 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, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe 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?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2016 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303824","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=303824"}],"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=303824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303824"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303824"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303824"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}