Life before:
Members of the Christian Reformed Church for over 30 years.
Baptized as an infant and raised in a saved by grace message. 1967-2001
1. When we were teenagers we both picked up smoking and by the time we were in our thirties we were each smoking 1-2 packs per day.
2. We both picked up sexual sins in our teenage years while we were considered upstanding youth in our church.
3. At 19, Laura picked up the idol of food and by the time she was 31 gained 90 pounds.
4. In our first 11 years of marriage we were in financial ruin and every month we were fearful of the utilities being shut off. Trucks were being reposed and our home was going to foreclosure.
5. Our marriage was a wreck. We no longer loved each other and we could not even hate each other. We just stuck it out for the kids.
6. Our 3 older children were over weight and disobedient, even though they looked and acted like great kids. Our oldest son was “mouthing off” by age 9.
7. The rage was incredible. It was always brewing inside when things did not go a certain way.
Life after: Members of Remnant Fellowship Church for 4 ½ years. Baptized into the truth and taught through the messages and through the Weigh Down Workshops how to truly repent and live only a life of obedience to the Father, by following in the footsteps of Jesus all the time and completely understanding the true grace message.
2002-forward:
1. Quit smoking cold turkey. 2002
2. No more sexual sins of any kind, done. 2002
3. Weight loss for family 140 pounds. Laura lost 90 pounds and has kept it off 2002-2003
4. Finance restored, paid off debt and there is no worry. 2002
5. Our marriage healed to a relationship that glorifies God. We deeply love each other and there is no hate, no bitterness, no grudges and no manipulation. We wake up every day looking to please God and one another. 2002 restored, 2002 – today, getting better each and every day!
6. All 5 children, three are teenagers, are obedient, healthy and loving God. No fighting, no arguing, no complaining. A home where the children truly honor there father and mother. A home full of laughter and love! A life full of peace!
7. PEACE!!!!!! In our hearts and in our heads. Unbelievable! All GOD!
Summary:
We are completely changed for the better! When we were in other churches, we were getting worse as the years went by. We kept on hearing that we were fine, that we were just going through some tough times, and that God understood our struggles. We never got the help we needed. We never were told the truth. As long as we gave our 10% and helped out when needed and showed up 2 times per week, we were just fine. We cringe when we think back to the direction we were headed. We were leading our children astray and we were not going to make it if we stayed. Now since we have heard the truth and hear it often, and we are being taught how to live the truth out in our actions every day, to only please God and do what his word says, we are so much better!!! The proof is undeniable. We do not know of anyone that would say we were better off back then. This church never has a service on tithing, or on “doing good works”, we have ever heard them having to “beg” for volunteers—everyone just loves one another deeply and they are always giving of time, resources, money, etc. It is amazing—we have never found another church like this. We praise God and thank him for calling us home. We thank God for our church leaders who love God deeply and truly love us. We are done searching! Our children are home! We have the awesome opportunity to raise them in this message. They have the chance to not go through the things we did. We have hope! We have joy! We have peace! We have LOVE! THE ROZEVELDS ARE HOME! AND We are staying!
God has done so much in our lives—things that He set in motion years and years ago. We married in 1997 and pursued the American dream - nice house, cars, money, materialism, approval from people, and all sorts of things the world has to offer. The world has very much to offer and we were right in the middle of it. Little did we both know that there was so much more! A life where God comes first and a teaching that backed that up. As a couple, God was on our list just not at the top of our list. We both put things above God but it seems that God has used these very things to get our attention - and we praise Him for that! I, Angie, learned through this teaching, that I was very controlling of things, the household, and my husband. God revealed to me that I was very manipulative and always wanted my way. He soon showed me that I needed to line up under His authority, which would require me to line up under my husband’s authority. This was a real struggle for me because I did not want to submit to someone other than myself. I knew that God was showing me that I must learn how to understand and live as He had ordained things thousands of years ago. When I came to this understanding and realized that submission to my husband was submission to God and that this was very pleasing to Him, I relented and began to have a love for my husband like I had never known. I found that I enjoyed, for the first time in our marriage, serving my husband. This also started a love for God like never before. I soon started seeking out things that would please God. I noticed at this point, that all He wants from us it to pursue Him, seek Him out, and put into practice all of His laws, not just the ones that I choose to obey. Once applied to my life, God began to shower us with blessings and instilled in us a Godly marriage, among many other things. I, Chris, learned so much as well! Even with the pride I had, I couldn't deny all the changes in Angie's life. It was amazing – the joy, the smiles, the real love she showed to everyone. Fascinated in the difference in her life, I found myself earnestly seeking what Angie seemed to have in her life. I thought to myself, why not? All I could see was joy, patience, kindness, peace - what I would later learn was these were all the fruits of God's Spirit. In this seeking, I watched what she was doing, how she was acting, things she was saying that allowed this happiness that she expressed. I eventually picked up the Bible and just started to read. Well, God starting showing me through His Word how my life should be lived - His way, not mine and His Glory, not mine. Along with a new found fascination with God's Word, I also found myself sharing with Angie, questioning things, getting excited about Scriptures together, learning together and fellowshipping with each other. I felt love in my life, true love. In this seeking and an inward look into my life and relationship with God, I noticed things I had been doing were shameful and these things convicted me. I later realized that God in His mercy was leading me down a patch of true repentance. I now make my focus daily on Jesus Christ and His life, the Author of our faith -in this is great peace! I learned how to have love for my wife – love like Christ loved the church. I feel I'm learning how to be a true disciple and please God by love and obedience. We both have learned, and continue to learn, by God's Word and this teaching that life God's way is the only way. We have much to be thankful for and we praise God for our marriage and life that his has allowed us to have. We can truly say that building each other up by serving God Almighty has been awesome for both of us - and this is all from God and for His Glory!
Almost 10 years ago, my wife and children moved out of our house. I was doing everything wrong: looking at all the wrong things, playing for hours on computer games, basically anything that I wanted to do. I had a lustful, greedy heart, not wanting to do anything for my wife or the children.
On my birthday that year, I received divorce papers in the mail. I don’t think it’s really what either one of us wanted, but it seemed the only option for us. (My wife had even been counseled, at her former church, that she should get a divorce. Reconciliation was never mentioned. ) I couldn’t bring myself to sign the papers, so they sat on the counter.
In the meantime, my wife, Jan, met someone who introduced her to the Weigh Down Workshop. She began taking classes and I began seeing major changes in Jan. We decided to give our marriage one last try, so Jan and the kids moved back home. The more Weigh Down classes she took, the more changes I saw.
Jan began working at Weigh Down Workshop; all the while our marriage was getting better and better. One day Jan asked if she could go to a Bible class at the Weigh Down building on a Thursday night. She continued going to those Bible studies, and not too long after Remnant Fellowship was started, she and the kids began attending. One Sunday, she asked me if I would like to go with her and the children to a worship service. (I had been raised in the Catholic Church, but quit attending right after High School. I saw people saying one thing, then leaving mass and doing something completely different. It didn’t make sense to me. I didn’t want to waste my time on a bunch of rituals.) I can’t quite tell you how much that day meant to me. Let’s just say- my entire life changed.
Listening to Gwen read from the Bible, I mean really read, and talk about what was being said in each verse was revolutionary to me. I had never seen the Bible presented as a real guide book for my life. It had just been a good history book, and I didn’t enjoy history- so why bother with it? That worship service opened my eyes to the sin in my heart. I realized what I had been putting Jan and the kids through, and how I had been treating them. I was learning to look inward to see, really see, what was in MY heart and how much I needed to change. As I continued worshipping at Remnant Fellowship, I continued changing. Jan and the children continued changing. Our marriage continued getting stronger and better.
I don’t want to think about where our lives would be right now if it weren’t for Jan being introduced to Weigh Down Workshop and then Remnant Fellowship. I praise God for all He has done in our lives, and for allowing our eyes to be opened to His will. Until my dying day, I will thank Gwen Shamblin for listening to God and following His wishes. Without the work God has done through Gwen, I might not be alive today. Because of one person, Gwen Shamblin, wanting only the will of God to be done, and teaching us how to do that at Remnant Fellowship; our marriage is better than we could have dreamed of -on our wedding day! - Kevin Ruble
God has healed our marriage. Our marriage continues to get better and sweeter with each passing year. The “magic” formula that did it is the same one that has set us free from greed, pride, bitterness, rage, immorality, envy and every other work of the flesh that we were trapped in. It is LOVE, FEAR, and OBEDIENCE to the One True God of the universe that changed our lives and our marriage forever. This is how it happened: We heard the message from God’s Word about who He really is (Lord, Ruler, King!) and who we really are not, (NOT a god, NOT a ruler, NOT a king!). We learned that we are to bow down to HIM, and not the other way around, and how to DO it. We used to believe that it was God who was supposed to be totally committed and unconditionally devoted to US and “the desires of our hearts”. It was all backwards. Once we humbled ourselves and made the decision to put God first in everything, and lay down all of our own will and desires, then a true love and fear of God began to grow strong in each of us. Then that love and desire to serve and please only God translated itself into a love for serving each other and our family. So now our marriage is getting better all the time by caring more about the other person’s happiness and well being more than our own! We are learning to trust that God will take care of all of our needs as we put HIM first. (We have found He even takes care of all of our “wants” too, if we are in His will!) We will praise God forever for the mighty and wonderful work He has done to save our marriage!
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