THE DUO THAT ALMOST WASN'T
Chris and Steph were high school, mission trip sweethearts who met and began falling in love on a 13 hour road trip from Nashville to Pennsylvania. Sitting next to each other on brown plastic, fake leather bench seats, neither could’ve ever known how far that trip on a giant yellow school bus to downtown Philadelphia would actually take them. While dating through high school and marrying in college, they were volunteer worship leaders and served together in a variety of ways (Chris still laughs at his days of wearing a headset microphone and choreographing dozens of children for worship). They seemed like a perfectly normal, happy Christian couple. Everyone would’ve agreed, especially Chris and Steph. However, things started to change when Chris entered a season of doubt that many people walk through on their faith journey. Though these seasons are normal and sometimes essential, Chris believed that as a leader he should have it all together. With nowhere safe to share what was going on in his heart and mind, he was left to believe that no one would truly understand. So, he kept his doubts a secret and they just kept growing. It didn’t help that he was in school for a degree in the music industry. This offered plenty of “alternative” activities to alleviate the shame he felt from the divide between who he pretended to be at church and who he actually was becoming. Eventually, Chris was spending all night out on Saturdays with friends drinking and “partaking” a variety of substances, then waking up Sunday mornings and leading worship to a God he no longer believed in… but no one could know, not even Stephanie.
Their first conversation took place after Stephanie finished a divorce care group of all things. As they walked and talked for hours, they delighted one another in the many ways that God had been at work in their lives over the months they’d been apart. They both look back now on that evening fondly. Then as the night came to a close Chris revealed what God had told him, that he believed God was calling him to pursue her again… Steph’s response was gracious but still a pretty solid and understandable “hold your horses” type of response! As expected, she needed a lot more time than just one evening and they both needed input from their leaders. So they both took time away from each other to pray, go to counseling, and seek guidance from trusted friends and family. This led to the next step of going to counseling together for a couple of months and helped to truly drill down and work through the trauma and heartbreak that had happened to both of them over the years. After much more prayer and work, Chris, Stephanie and their community of leaders and friends agreed that God was doing a miracle and that He would be most glorified through recommitment and remarriage. So, in a tiny candlelight ceremony, Chris and Stephanie re-began their lives together in a miracle rebirth of love that was once lost and dead to pride and sin.
Today, Chris and Stephanie have the what they consider a “dream life” opportunity to travel the country as full time “musicianaries,” telling the story of God’s grace in their lives that saved and transformed them individually as well as their marriage. They have two children who travel with them and they have two albums of “redemption music” that include songs of hope, joy and redemption in the midst of loss and suffering. They gladly welcome questions and invite anyone to message them if they are in need of encouragement or find themselves in a similar (or not-so-similar) situation. Contact them through the link below or on one of their social media pages to send a message or to inquire about partnering with them for an event or concert.