The most important thing inside our house is our Bible. The most important thing outside of our house is a pile of rocks by our front door. Why do we have a pile of large rocks beside our door? To explain this, we need to start at the beginning.
Kori: In November 2015, Jonathan and I were standing beside each other around a campfire on a campout with the Midland seniors. Later, Jonathan became impressed to start praying about me. And praying. And praying. Finally, in July 2016, he reasoned that God wanted him to ask me out; however, he asked God to show him if that was really what He wanted him to do. So, Jonathan asked that God would make sure that I would sit next to him during Sabbath School the next day.
Jonathan: I arrived early to Sabbath School class and sat with an empty seat on either side of me. I eagerly waited for God’s answer. And waited. And waited. People arrived and started to fill in the seats in the room. One man asked me to scoot down so that there would be room for his wife to sit beside him. The class started and Kori was nowhere to be seen. I began to wonder if she was going be at church that day. Yet, there was still one empty chair left in the room, and it was next to me. I had hope.
Kori: I had been having worship in my prayer closet where I totally lost track of time. Normally, I would be at church twenty minutes early so I could pray while sitting in the parking lot. But on that Sabbath, things were different. I checked my clock and realized that Sabbath School started in ten minutes, and I hadn’t started to get ready yet. I hurried to church and arrived twenty minutes late. When I entered the Sabbath School, there was only one empty chair available which was next to Jonathan.
Jonathan: I noticed that Kori had entered the room and was headed toward the chair beside me. I realized that God had answered my request. Here was the situation I had asked for, so now it was up to me to follow through. Asking a woman out on a date is not something that I have a lot of experience with, and I was quite nervous. When Sabbath School was over, I fought back the nerves (and with Kelly standing beside me asking why I was so nervous), I asked Kori out. To my great delight, she said yes.
Kori: We went out on our first date the following weekend. On Christmas Day, Jonathan proposed, and in a year and a half we were married. We celebrated our fifth anniversary this year on the 27th of May. God is so good!
Jonathan: In I Samuel 7:10-13, the Bible describes an event between the Philistines and Israel. Samuel had gathered all Israel together at Mizpah to offer sacrifices to the Lord. As he was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But God intervened. He thundered with a loud thunder causing the Philistines to retreat in a panic. The men of Israel pursued them and experienced a great victory because of what the Lord had done. Afterwards, Samuel took a stone and set it up at Mizpah. He called it Ebenezer which means “Thus far the Lord has helped us”.
Kori: The rocks by our front door are our Ebenezer, our God marker! A way to remember how God led us and joined us in marriage for His purpose. (We even added a small chair on top of the rocks.) And now, every time we enter our home, we pass the rocks and are reminded of what God did for us.
Jonathan: Recently, we took some time to look for other God markers in our marriage—ways that we know God was at work. In June 2021, we had the opportunity to attend a Weekend to Remember. This marriage retreat helped to strengthen our connection to God and to each other. We walked away from that experience feeling God’s call on our hearts to help other couples and their marriages. God has developed in us a passion for marriage ministry. This was another God marker in our lives.
Kori: Another God marker for us was last year when we took an anniversary trip to Colorado. It turned into a spiritual retreat where we spent time in Scripture and prayer asking God about our next steps in ministry. We felt God drawing us into something but unsure what it might be. Afterwards, we were invited to be elders.
Jonathan: God is at work in our lives and our marriages. He is always active. However, we don’t always see Him in action. It is important to pause sometimes and reflect on how He has been leading us.
Kori: We have mentioned just a few of the God markers that Jonathan and I have identified in our marriage. What are the God markers in your marriage? How will you let them impact your future? - by Jonathan & Kori Borne
