The road to how we got here is a long one. When you walk into Grace Church and see us with our five teenage boys, with a happy marriage, and the Aledo life it is hard to see where we came from. We both grew up in the country, both had an upbringing that was later a breeding ground for abuse, both have struggled with anxiety and depression, and both have been through the big taboo church “D-word”- Divorce.
We met through a dating app (the old fashioned way) in April of 2018.
For Becca and her boys, it was a time of grief. The boy’s Dad had only passed away 6 months prior and to add to that, her niece passed a month after we met. Becca was a single Mom of 3. She had worked 2 jobs for many years and had just bought a house for her and her boys the day before we found each other. She was 4 years out of a really tough divorce. She had re-established her walk with Jesus after a tough marriage where nothing seemed to go right with the exception of her children. Their marriage was riddled with addiction, poverty, and lies. When it all came to a head, Becca left with her 3 boys and started over with little. It was the love of Christ extended through his people that got them back on their feet. They were active members of their church and had a great community there.
At that time, Brown was 3 years out of his marriage. When first divorced he had left his job of 10 years to take a chance on a new company, just to get laid off. His career had dipped. This was a very lonely time in his life. He was kept from his children and was trying to find fulfillment in places where there is none. He was a member of a church and was trying, but divorce guilt riddled his happiness.
The day we met in person was like a collision. We’ve pretty much hung out every day since then. It was Brown’s personality that unlocked confidence in Becca, and Becca’s charisma that rekindled his love for Jesus. Before Brown, Becca struggled with boundaries. There were a lot of people in her life that were oppressing. It was the complete acceptance of flaws (especially in that time of grieving) that showed Becca what love was supposed to look like. We quickly got into the Word together and centered our relationship on Jesus. Neither of us really wanted to get re-married.. The only success Becca had ever had was what God himself granted, and Brown didn’t ever want to go through the risk ever again. But God blessed us and didn’t stop pushing us towards each other. The closer we got to marriage the harder God pushed it. Our boys were instant best friends with each other. God took every excuse and removed it.
We got married at the brink of COVID and were everyone’s last party before quarantine. Through the rest of 2020 the two of us had a lot of church conversations. Church planting was literally one of the first conversations we ever had on that first date. Becca was down and all, but was in leadership at her current church and struggled with the idea of leaving. . Once again God removed excuses.
Both us genuinely feel like God has pushed both us to this exact place in our lives. He has honed our gifts and allowed healing from our specific hurts to be able to pour into the lives of others.
We started leading a Community Group in our neighborhood in Aledo and we love the community God has placed us in. Aledo, sure. But Grace Church Aledo is a place where we feel like we belong. With our backgrounds, we’ve wrestled with really feeling known…and maybe we’ve even been scared of truly being known. However, by God’s grace, He surrounded us with a group of people who love Jesus and love us. The beauty of the gospel is that we’re never too far gone to taste and see His goodness and grace. We really feel like we are a family of families who want to make much of Jesus, even in all of our mess. What a joy it is to know He pursues our heart and invites us into community with him. We’d be honored to have you join us at Grace Church Aledo on Sunday’s at 9:30am!