H7 Story: God Still Does Miracles.

If there's one word to describe Dave and Julie Sponholtz's marriage, it would be tenacity. They are a couple that no matter what hits them, they just won't quit pursuing a healthy marriage.

Pregnant at 18 and married shortly after, Julie says that some would say “we were doomed from the start. But I would say, they don’t know the power of prayer.”

Yet their marriage was a turbulent one. Sin against each other rocked their foundation in grievous ways on multiple occasions. Again, the world would lie and say they were “doomed” and “owed it to themselves” to leave and start anew. Yet they were determined to remain committed to the covenant they had made before God.

And it was in His mercy that God brought each to repentance and a place where they could make amends to one another. Forgiveness was granted, even though, as Dave honestly admits, he still has to choose to ask God on a daily basis to help him love and forgive past hurts so that resentment and bitterness don’t build up in his heart towards Julie.

But even with amends made and forgiveness granted, trust took time to rebuild as the fruit of repentance needed to be consistently demonstrated in each other’s lives. And time is what they gave each other. As Julie remembers it, they were determined to do whatever it took to save their marriage. That intentionality bore fruit, and love and trust was eventually rebuilt. “This took years… not days and not weeks,” Julie emphatically clarifies. Dave adds that, “Restoration would not have been possible without God and without me coming to the end of my road and admitting to God ‘I can’t do this without you.’”  

To God’s glory, their tenacity led them to a restored marriage and a desire to share their story with others in order to give hope for the healing work God can accomplish in broken marriages.* This desire led them to participate in the pilot program of re|engage, FCC’s discipleship-based marriage enrichment ministry for healthy, struggling, or broken couples. "When we first went through re|engage as participants almost 7 years ago,” they share, “we never imagined the impact that it would make on our lives. We had gone through many trials and in our minds, had not only overcome them, but were now thriving despite them. However, re|engage showed us where we were still lacking, and even failing in our relationship. But, our story doesn't end there.”

Indeed, it didn’t. Julie learned, for the first time, how to really ask for forgiveness. It was also where she learned the truth that we really can’t forgive ourselves because only God has the power to forgive us. Additionally, they both learned the tools needed to see what triggers their conflicts and how to handle those situations in God-honoring ways when they arise. Mark and I asked them to join the marriage leadership team because of their continued humility and desire to learn and grow in their relationship with Christ and with each other.

“We have now been through re|engage several times as small group leaders and each time, we walk away with a new look on an old struggle,” Dave and Julie both share. “By putting ourselves under the microscope, so to speak, we can see our shortcomings in a new light. For example, in this last session we led, we found ourselves struggling again with negative communication patterns. (Julie negatively interprets and Dave escalates.) But in leading, we were able to help our own marriage, even as we had the opportunity to share those same helpful tools with other couples.”

The world would have given up on their marriage. But God didn’t and with Him, all things are possible. “God still does miracles,” Dave and Julie encourage couples in re|engage. “Our marriage is proof. We've been married 41 years and it's getting better every day!" 

To hear their full testimony, join re|engage on Mon, Jan 13 to invest in your marriage. fccgreene.org/marriage