After returning from a 2 week road trip with my husband and kids I realized that temporarily removing my family from Lincoln, Nebraska was not an adequate solution for the deep, unresolved issues we were experiencing in our marriage of 18 years. It broke my heart to see the sadness and disappointment in my children’s eyes as they watched my husband and I argue with each other throughout the whole trip. I felt desperate, hopeless, and alone. I was reminded of 1 Peter 2:1 which says: So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. To be honest there was malice, lies, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, idols, selfishness, hate, lack of forgiveness and bitterness that hardened our hearts toward the Lord and each other.
My husband and I needed a godly counselor who could walk with us and help us. We reached out to Alan and he made himself available and was very generous with his time and patience toward us. Every time we would meet with Alan we both felt safe to share and be open about our past and unresolved conflicts. Alan’s ministry is successful because it is evident that the Holy Spirit is leading and directing Alan as he counsels couples and the Holy Spirit is doing the powerful and transforming work on callus hearts that is not achievable by human strength.
We started and ended each session with scripture and prayer. There were a lot of “lightbulb” moments for me. Some of the most impactful to me were:
-Realizing that my broken and dysfunctional childhood had a negative effect on my marriage and my children.
-Realizing that my husband and I did not know how to emotionally connect.
-Realizing that there are healthy steps you can take to resolve disagreements.
-Realizing that I idolized my husband and expected him to be my Lord and Savior.
One of my favorite parts of counseling was the “Pray through” releasing all my burdens and brokenness into the Lords hands. I am thankful to both Alan and Monica for their prayer and support. God has used them to encourage us and walk with us and we are forever grateful. I know that the Lord will reward Alan and Monica for their faithfulness and dedication to help restore broken marriages. We pray that the Lord would continue to bless them and empower them.
Our marriage is the healthiest it has ever been. My husband and I are continually working on ourselves; we are being intentional about planning together, trying to communicate better, emotionally connecting and dating each other. Praise God to Him be glory and honor forever.
My husband and I needed a godly counselor who could walk with us and help us. We reached out to Alan and he made himself available and was very generous with his time and patience toward us. Every time we would meet with Alan we both felt safe to share and be open about our past and unresolved conflicts. Alan’s ministry is successful because it is evident that the Holy Spirit is leading and directing Alan as he counsels couples and the Holy Spirit is doing the powerful and transforming work on callus hearts that is not achievable by human strength.
We started and ended each session with scripture and prayer. There were a lot of “lightbulb” moments for me. Some of the most impactful to me were:
-Realizing that my broken and dysfunctional childhood had a negative effect on my marriage and my children.
-Realizing that my husband and I did not know how to emotionally connect.
-Realizing that there are healthy steps you can take to resolve disagreements.
-Realizing that I idolized my husband and expected him to be my Lord and Savior.
One of my favorite parts of counseling was the “Pray through” releasing all my burdens and brokenness into the Lords hands. I am thankful to both Alan and Monica for their prayer and support. God has used them to encourage us and walk with us and we are forever grateful. I know that the Lord will reward Alan and Monica for their faithfulness and dedication to help restore broken marriages. We pray that the Lord would continue to bless them and empower them.
Our marriage is the healthiest it has ever been. My husband and I are continually working on ourselves; we are being intentional about planning together, trying to communicate better, emotionally connecting and dating each other. Praise God to Him be glory and honor forever.