Hello person that is reading this. I hope you are well. Yes, I know…I don’t know you, but that shouldn’t stop me from hoping that your life is really going well. Whether it is going well, or it isn’t, you and I have something in common. We both have a story to tell.

My story is probably similar to your story.

In my story, there are many ups, but there are also many downs. There are amazing moments, but sometimes it feels like the amazing is swallowed up by the challenges. Some of this is from my own decisions, and some of it is from other people deciding to do things that were hurtful, or disappointing, or frustrating. You too? 

Read on and you’ll get a quick glimpse into my story. 

My wife and I are in our late 30’s. We met when we were teenagers, 15 and 16. We started dating shortly thereafter, and one thing led to another, bada bing, bada bang, bada boom…we were pregnant. I was a senior in high school, and she was a freshman in college. We didn’t want to keep our baby, so we looked into abortion options. I’m thankful to say, we chose to keep our firstborn son and we were married, soon thereafter. 

Six weeks after I turned 18 and five days after I graduated from high school, Lindsey and I were married. A very short, too short, scary short five months later and we were parents to a very angry and emotional baby boy. You can imagine, everything wasn’t perfect. Within the first year of our marriage we split up. We were both young, immature and selfish. We didn’t know how to love one another unconditionally. It was very challenging. 

And then, things changed. Lindsey and I both began to be different. We started maturing. We started working more diligently. We started treating each other and our baby boy better. We started learning what it meant to love and respect one another. We started choosing to do kind things to each other instead of hateful things. Patience began to grow between us. We became more gentle and more loving. 

We were one way, and then became different, and the thing that happened in between was Jesus.

Two decades later and we are still happily and lovingly married. We’ve been pastors for nine years now, but only the last six years have been senior pastors here at Hope Anthem Church. This is our first senior pastor role, and we couldn’t be happier. I say we are happy because of what Romans 12:2 says…Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Life isn’t always good, pleasing or perfect. That’s not what happens when you start following Jesus. BUT…and this is a BIG BUT…we have less regret, less shame, less hurt and less anger with others and each other, and that has taken place because of allowing Jesus to transform our lives. 

As I said at the beginning: my story, in some way, is probably similar to yours. And I bet you’d like for your story to get better. If that’s true, keep showing up, keep listening, keep receiving. Who knows…maybe God will do in you what He has been doing in so many others at Hope Anthem Church over the last six years? Come and see! We can’t wait to see you Sunday!

God Bless,
Pastor Jerod and Lindsey