Elizabeth Oates

Elizabeth Oates is a freelance writer who is passionate about marriage and family ministry. She earned a BA from Baylor University and an MA in Christian education with a focus in family life from Dallas Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Brandon, are actively involved in their church and local family ministries. They have three children and live in Waco, Texas.

Elizabeth’s Testimony:

My passion for family ministry stems from my own experience of being raised in a divorced family. My parents divorced when I was very young. I never had much contact with my father and believed every family was like mine: an absentee dad and a hard-working mom struggling to make ends meet.

When my mom divorced a second time during my high school years, life as I knew it unraveled. In the midst of chaos, however, the security of Christ wrapped itself around me like a warm blanket. I realized how God had protected me, provided for me, and loved me over the years. His providence was evident. His love was real.

Over the years I have watched many friends and loved ones experience the pain of divorce, addiction, abuse, and other unhealthy behaviors in their families. I long to encourage those seeking spiritual restoration and to let them know that we are not alone . . . for God is with us in the present. We are not doomed to repeat our past . . . for God will be with us in our future.

If you can identify with my story, as I know many of you can, please know I am praying for you! Praying you will experience freedom in Christ. Freedom to release your pain . . . freedom to create a new life for yourself . . . freedom to build a healthy, Christ-centered marriage and family.

I pray our testimonies and resources will be an encouragement to you as you seek Christ, allowing him to restore your life and your family legacy.

- Elizabeth

Brandon Oates

Brandon Oates is an attorney who is passionate about challenging couples to improve their communication and overall marriage relationship. He also enjoys helping couples achieve marital peace through Godly stewardship of their finances. He earned his BA from Baylor University and his JD from Baylor Law School. He and his wife, Elizabeth, serve as Life Group leaders in their church and are involved in other local ministries. Brandon enjoys playing golf and reading in his “spare” time when he is not wrestling with his son or doting on his little girl.

Brandon's Testimony

I grew up a “good” kid in a Christian family and attended church every time the doors opened. I accepted Christ at the young age of eight and for the next nineteen years endured a series of successes and failures in my spiritual walk. After one year of marriage I realized the importance and impact of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Elizabeth and I joined a small group of other young married couples in our church and learned to live life in community with other believers. I also joined a weekly men’s Bible study and accountability group.

The next several years were a series of spiritual and emotional challenges in my marriage. Elizabeth suffered from several medical conditions that resulted in her quitting her job and spending time in many doctor’s offices. If not for the prayers and support of our friends and family, I am not sure how we would have made it through those years. I believe that those early difficulties led me to truly appreciate Elizabeth and the gift from God that she is to me every day.

Elizabeth and I come from very different family backgrounds. While her parents were divorced, my parents have been married for thirty-six years and my two sets of grandparents for 61 and 63 years. Yet this is one of the things that makes our marriage work. We are both passionate about improving our marriage daily and not settling for just “getting by”.

One perspective that I have gained in my seven years of marriage is a heart for young married couples who are struggling because of their very different familial backgrounds. I truly believe that God gives each of us the perfect mate whose strengths compliment our weaknesses. However, I also know that our varying backgrounds can lead to difficulty early on in marriage unless the proper perspective is realized by each spouse.

My prayer is that we can be an encouragement to you as you either begin your journey in marriage or are a veteran of marriage.

- Brandon

Photos by Abigrail Criner Photography