It’s time to stop struggling, and start searching for a way to
- live which honors Christ
- prepare yourself for your future spouse
- be the spouse that God desires
- be a Godly parent
- build a Godly home
Through grace and forgiveness, Project Restoration believes God restores:
Broken hearts
God knows the pain divorce and other unhealthy behaviors cause the immediate family and the ripple effect to those around them. But he promises his children, “The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps 34:18). God wants to heal your broken heart so that you might be able to give it fully to Him and to your family.
Faith in marriage
Marriage is tough work requiring countless hours of labor. But it is not without its rewards. It is impossible to construct a safe, secure building without blueprints, just as it is impossible to build a solid marriage without Biblical instruction.
Fortunately, God outlines for us the relationship he desires for husbands and wives. The apostle Paul tells us, among other things, that:
- Husbands and wives should submit to one another (Eph 5:21-24).
- The husband should love his wife (Eph 5:25-30, 33).
- The husband and wife should leave their family and cleave to one another (Eph 5:31).
- The wife should respect her husband (Eph 5:33).
Many married couples struggle with one or all of these aspects of marriage. Pride, selfishness, fear, and past hurts prevent us from loving our spouses the way God intended. The good news is that the Holy Spirit can transform you and your marriage!
Faith in family
It has been reported that 46% of the Baby Boom generation will likely divorce.1 This means that their children, those of us who are labeled Generation X and Generation Y, will incur the aftermath of this national movement. Psalm 68 describes God as, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” He longs to be the father and mother that some of us never knew.
He also longs to prepare us to be Godly mothers and fathers to our own children. He graciously entrusts his children into our care and wants to see us love our children the way he loves us. He will equip us to do just that—to love with a supernatural, unexplainable kind of love.
Faith in Jesus
As a result of childhood pain, some have blamed God ... cursed God ... shut God out of their lives. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ...” (Ps 53:1). God knows resistance is a result of fear and pain. Project Restoration hopes to reconcile a generation to their Savior and restore their faith in Jesus Christ.
What We Do
Practically speaking, you might be asking yourself, "What do they do?" Generally, we minister to others in four ways: equipping, educating, mentoring, and providing resources.
EQUIP
We equip couples through volunteering with another local ministry, Legacy Family Ministries. Through Legacy we lead engaged couples through a six-week premarital education class. We cover topics such as communication, conflict resolution, spiritual intimacy, emotional intimacy, physical intimacy, in-laws and finances. Legacy affords us the opportunity to invest in the lives of young couples on the brink of an incredible journey.
The second way in which we equip couples is through co-leading our young married class at Harris Creek Baptist Church. We helped design a 28-week curriculum for newly married couples and each week we discuss practical, yet Biblically-based, marriage topics with young couples. Our goal is to arm the couples with the tools they need to build a strong foundation in their marriage.
EDUCATE
We educate young people through the 6-week Bible study curriculum I wrote, "Dealing with Divorce: Finding Direction When Your Parents Split Up." This study was published in 2009 by Zondervan and is sold nationwide in stores and online through Amazon, Zondervan, Youth Specialties, and DivorceCare. Many books and Bible studies exist for adults and young children dealing with divorce, but little is available for teens. "Dealing with Divorce" fills that gap and ministers to a hurting, broken generation by helping teens work through their thoughts and feelings about divorce.
I (Elizabeth) also educate people through my monthly faith column in Waco Today Magazine, where I tackle relevant, and sometimes controversial subjects.
I (Elizabeth) also speak to groups on topics ranging from busyness to helping someone who is going through a divorce. If you are interested in having me speak to your group, please see the Speaking Topics section.
MENTOR
Mentoring young couples allows us to deepen our relationships with them. We usually go through a Bible study or Christian book together. We also hang out more casually by meeting for coffee, dinner, Baylor basketball, and other fun events.
PROVIDE RESOURCES
Finally, we minister to others by providing resources. We receive many emails throughout the year asking for advice and recommendations on a wide variety of topics: finding a church home, marital issues, legal aide, counselor recommendations, book recommendations, and more. We try to use our contacts in the Waco community and beyond to connect people with the resources they need. |
In this six-week study, you can help students deal with the thoughts and feelings they're experiencing after a divorce—whether it happened recently or when they were younger. With engaging stories and thought-provoking questions, students will explore issues of anger, guilt, forgiveness, family, and more through a biblical lens, offering them hope and healing.
In this six-week study, you can begin healing from the hurt you experienced when your parents split up—whether it happened recently or when you were younger. You'll have a chance to hear stories of other people's experiences with divorce, look at what the Bible says about family and marriage, as well as anger, guilt, and forgiveness, and explore what you're feeling in the midst of it all. In the end, you'll begin to heal as you find some hope for the future.