You and Me Forever (Part 2) - Francis and Lisa Chan

You and Me Forever (Part 1) - Francis and Lisa Chan
You and Me Forever (Part 2) - Francis and Lisa Chan
You and Me Forever (Part 3) - Francis and Lisa Chan

FamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript  

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Marriage for God’s Glory

 

Guests:                      Francis and Lisa Chan        

From the series:       You and Me Forever (Day 2 of 3)

 

 

Bob: It was after a trip to Africa that Francis Chan came back to his home in the United States and told his wife he thought God wanted their family to downsize. Lisa wasn’t so sure. 

 

Lisa: I didn’t want to give up my things. I didn’t want to move into a smaller home. It was like this ripping that was happening. Of course, because God is so faithful—and every time, He says, “If you lose your life for My sake, you will find it,”—on the flip side is when I got to see the joy of it and, eventually, got to go to Africa with Francis. I was just brokenhearted at my own resistance and sinfulness because I wished I could have had those feelings [of joy] on the outset. 

 

Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Tuesday, January 23rd. Our host is Dennis Rainey; I’m Bob Lepine. 

 

1:00

 

Lisa Chan says that God’s Word is true when it says, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” That’s true, even in marriage. We’ll talk more about that today with Francis and Lisa Chan. Stay with us. 

 

 

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2:00

 

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Now, I’ve got to be honest—I’m not sure I want to talk to the couple we have joining us today, because they just shared with us they’ve had like 12 fights in the past 21 years. I’m kind of like, “Bring me some couples I can relate to a little more”; you know? [Laughter]

 

3:00

 

Dennis: Well, I was thinking: “We’ve been married double that. We’ve got more than 24, though,”—[Laughter]—doubling your dozen that you’ve had. Francis and Lisa Chan join us on FamilyLife Today. Welcome back. 

 

Francis: Thank you. 

 

Lisa: Thank you. 

 

Dennis: They’ve written a book called You and Me Forever. In case there is a listener who doesn’t know who this couple is—they live in the Bay Area of Northern California. They are about church planting there—also, ministering to men / I assume it’s only men coming out of prison. 

 

Francis: Yes; we’ve been trying to start a women’s home as well. So, right now, it’s just the guys coming out of prison. 

 

Dennis: I want to go to something you mention in your book. You made this statement—you said, “If you could manuscript your prayers of what you’ve prayed about for the last month, what would they reveal about you, as a couple?”  

 

Francis: So, it’s like what David says in Psalm 27, verse 4, when he says, “This one thing I ask of the Lord and that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.”  

 

4:00

 

That was his one prayer request: “God, I want You—I want You. I want to see You. I want to be with You.”  

 

So, the question is: “Give me a manuscript of your prayers for the last month. I want to hear: ‘What do you hunger for? What do you want?’ You’re coming before the Creator, the Sovereign One, who is in control of this whole earth; and what are you asking for?”  

 

Dennis: Yes. 

 

Bob: And most of us are asking for: “Fix this,”—

 

Francis: Yes. 

 

Bob: —“Make life easier or better—

 

Francis: Yes. 

 

Bob: —“for me”; right?  

 

Francis: Amen! 

 

Bob: So, if that’s—I mean, is it illegitimate for us to pray—

 

Francis: No. 

 

Bob: —“I’d like things to go better in my life”?  

 

Francis: No; you know, it’s—the Lord tells us to bring what we desire before Him; but also, the things that we desire reveal a lot about us; you know?  It opens our eyes to: “Wow! That’s what I’m about?—is: ‘Get rid of all my problems,’”—because I don’t see that in Scripture. It’s more about, “God, give me the strength to make it through this—develop my character through these trials.”  You know, that’s what I see in Scripture. 

 

5:00

 

Lisa: How much of my prayers do I pray for Francis?  Do I pray for his walk with God?  Do I pray that God would help in his moments of temptation?  I mean, that’s something that has developed in my life that softens my heart towards him—helps me to love him better. I want to be praying for him because who else is going to pray for him...