#1.5: War Room

Not long after our engagement, we purchased our first home in Ardmore!

Originally we wanted to say in the city for another year, but after a move to a different apartment (this time in Old City) and a flooded basement shortly thereafter, we quickly found out the unfortunate news that our “landlord” didn’t actually own the place! It’s a LONG story, but it ended with us leaving the keys on the kitchen counter one evening and just leaving. Leaving the apartment and the city behind.

Thankfully our new home was just short distance outside of the city, and still easily accessible by train or car. We fell in love with the area, our neighbors, and the local pubs.

Spring was all about our bocce league, summer was filled with day trips to ‘the shore’, fall was all about the Eagles games, and winter was reserved for weekends skiing in the Poconos.

Thursday nights were for quizzo, Friday nights for karaoke, and Saturday nights you would typically find us in the city.

Sunday mornings should have been reserved for worship, but without excuse church was something that we were not prioritizing in our relationship. It was something that I knew I missed and was feeling convicted about. In fact, during a solo trip home to visit my family, my mom said that we HAD to go see the movie War Room (with Priscilla Shirer), about a wife who creates a ‘war room’ - a quiet place in her closet to pour her heart out to the Lord, while praying fervently for marriage and her family.

Y’all. I really didn’t want to go. But, I have to say, this movie honestly changed my perspective on relationships, conflict, and prayer for the rest of my life. Was it the best movie in the world?.. probably not. Was it the most impactful on my life?...without a doubt! (Please check it out!)

After watching I was challenged to make my own war room - up in our unfinished attic. Every morning before work you could find me down on my knees praying over my husband, our relationship, and our upcoming marriage.

I used the book Fervent (by Priscialla Shirer) as a guide to create my prayer strategies. Each chapter of the book exposes the enemy's crafty intentions in different areas of life, and then equips and encourages you to write out your own personalized prayers on tear-out sheets that I posted in my war room, all over our house, and in my car. I prayed these prayers of protection and safety over our relationship daily. I didn’t know it at the time, but the timing was no coincidence.

There was no way to know that just a couple of months later, we would find ourselves in the middle of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks to hit Paris…

#1.4: Five Life Changing Words