I realize I didn’t give a report on how our Unmarked Marriage seminar went on Saturday. Part of the reason is that nearly every time I talk openly about sexual abuse and recovery, I get sick afterward. I spent Saturday afternoon in bed, and recovered by the next day, thankfully.

All that to say, please be praying for me, for Patrick, and for all who dare to heal in this very difficult area. Healing takes such amazing bravery, folks.

The Unmarked Marriage Seminar:

As you may know, this seminar is based on the book Not Marked. If you click on the link, you can see a taste of what we shared because the top video is of Patrick and me in an earlier talk.

This last Saturday, we shared for three hours about our marriage, my past, and how the past sexual abuse haunted our story. We’ve seen some significant healing in our relationship over the years (thankfully), but so much of that has been hard won, with misunderstandings aplenty and expectations not met.

I shared my story. We delved into our marriage story. Patrick gave a compelling message about the theology of marriage that is TO DATE the best talk on marriage I’ve ever heard. I talked about the healing journey (oh how many fits and starts!) and we gave seven practical tips to be proactive in marriage now.

The feedback? Very good. A spouse of one of the counselors said we’d been the best married couple he’d heard speak. (Wow!) Several couples approached us afterward expressing that they no longer felt alone in their struggle (for both victims and spouses of victims). One couple came from another state for the conference–so humbling. We had the opportunity to pray for some as well.

All that to say, I believe it was a profitable time, though we had a low turnout.

What is Next (please pray!):

The goal of our gathering, besides encouraging those amazing, brave couples, was to record the seminar, which we did. This will be a video product available in my store soon. So be watching for it.

I love the idea of a couple watching this together in the privacy of their own home (my oh my is this a vulnerable talk)! I also love the idea of churches and counseling centers being able to use this to help marriages struggling with past sexual abuse. So please be praying for this product as we develop it.

I’m so grateful for your prayers. Honestly, it’s very hard to share on this level (as evidenced by my bout of sickness afterward). But I am also so grateful, so so so grateful, to have the privilege of doing so. Why? Because I believe people are set free when we share our stories.

Takeaway for ANYONE today:

The takeaway for you, my dear reader? Bravely share your story. You never know who will be set free as a result. (Click to tweet).