When Your Marriage is Cracked
Today I head to Charlotte, NC to minister with my friend, First Lady Twanna Henderson. Twanna serves alongside her husband, Rev. Dr. Michael L. Henderson, Sr., at New Beginnings Community Church in Matthews, NC.
Bill and I connected with Michael and Twanna years ago. They've stood with us through both the victories and the challenges of ministry and marriage. They are wise, and they are real, and we love them.
About six weeks I got a phone call from Twanna asking me if I would lead a workshop for a Women's Conference she was planning for her church. She shared the theme of the conference...
I love it!
- I love helping women to root their identity in Christ as women created beautifully in the image of God.
- I love helping women to cultivate deep relational intimacy with Christ.
- And I love helping women to find their unique niche, their ministry fit, their place in the body of Christ where they can impact the world through Christ.
I love helping women see themselves as Crowns of Beauty in the Hands of the Lord.
As Twanna continued to share she said, "Now Cindy, your workshop will be titled Cracked Crowns: Recovering the Broken Pieces."
"Cracked Crowns ... Hmmm... Not quite the victory dance of Crowns of Beauty," I thought.
"Keep talking, Twanna."
"Well, Cindy. This workshop is for married women only. And I want a workshop that's real. A workshop that help women whose marriages are experiencing real struggles. And I thought of you."
Remember that I told you that Michael and Twanna have stood with us through challenges in ministry and marriage? She knows that Bill and I have been through real struggles and quite frankly, it's only because of Jesus that we've made it through.
So, in just few hours I leave for Charlotte, NC where I will worship, and laugh, and most likely cry with Twanna and my sisters at New Beginnings Community Church. We'll answer questions like:
- What cracked your crown?
- Where are the broken pieces?
- Who will you trust for recovery?
We'll talk about cycles of sin and slavery and entaglement, crying out for help, seeking God in the wilderness of exile, and finding Him to be the only source for deliverance.
We'll consider the real threats our marriages face, the reality of marriage in a fallen world with an enemy, a roaring lion, whose deepest desire is the steal and kill and destroy us as individuals, but also our marriages. John 10:10
We'll gain hope as we recast our marriages as opportunities to image forth the grace of God in our world and the hope of ultimate deliverance which comes at the return of Jesus.
And for women whose marriages are truly beyond a point of recovery, we'll come alongside and help them find Jesus in the midst of the pain and the loss and even the anger.
I'm excited, but I've got those pre-conference butterflies. And I've got the tapes rolling, "You have nothing to share." And I'm thinking of all the things that could go wrong...
So, would you pray for me? And would you pray for the ladies of New Beginnings? More than anything I want to see some women whose marriages seem cracked beyond repair turn to Christ for hope and deliverance. And if you have stories of how God has recovered the broken pieces of your marriage, I'd love to hear from you, either in the comments or at cynthiafin@gmail.com.