I Still Do: Real Marriage, Hard Seasons, Secret Struggles, Unlikely Hope, We Still Do.

In this episode, we share one of the hardest seasons of our marriage, when God asked us to trust Him in ways we never expected. From spiritual warfare and job loss to selling our home, adopting Zenli, and relying on our church community just to stay afloat, this was a season that stretched our faith like never before. Through every uncertainty, God proved faithful. This is a story about obedience, provision, and choosing “I still do” even in the middle of the hard.

In this episode we take you into one of those real life moments where a small argument exposes a much deeper disconnect. A simple question about a blanket led us into a conversation about stress, triggers, family tension, friendship heartbreak, and the quiet ways temptation tries to creep back in when communication slips. We talk honestly about why asking for help feels so hard, and how one sincere question, are you okay, opened the door for healing and connection instead of distance and resentment. We also connect the current tension in our home to the bigger story God has been writing for years. We share how the same kind of honest communication helped us walk with CJ and Rita through the difficult and emotional parole process, and how our Houston life group became a lifeline during the loss of CJ’s dad. We revisit the incredible story of how that same community surrounded Kelly Ann and Chase when baby Brynn faced surgeries at Texas Children, including the moment a life group friend just happened to be in the room when she needed emergency care. It is a reminder that God really does go before us through people, and that marriage, healing, and spiritual growth always begin with honest communication and the courage to say we need help.

In this episode, we open up about a season of life that stretched us, exposed us, and reminded us that God always goes before His people. We talk honestly about the judgment we faced when we made the decision to move from Grosbeck to Houston and how that move unraveled everything familiar. Leaving behind teenagers we loved, saying goodbye to a community that shaped us, and stepping into isolation created a weight we were not prepared for. But even in the confusion, God was preparing relationships and moments that we could never have imagined. We share the emotional highs and lows of starting over in a new city, navigating loneliness and triggers, wrestling with old struggles resurfacing, and learning how to fight through discomfort rather than run from it. We talk about the early days in Houston, the blow ups over small things like jalapeno poppers, the ways God used new friendships and unexpected encounters to grow us, and how a simple yes led to a life changing relationship with Rita and CJ. We also share how God used our move to make space for Tabby's sister and her family during the most delicate season of their lives. This episode is a reminder that obedience rarely feels comfortable, but God never wastes the steps we take in faith. Someone is always waiting on the other side of your yes.

We open up about the emotional journey of adopting and raising a child of color; and the way God’s whisper guided us through every uncertain step. From the moment Zaden came home, Tab wrestled with unexpected emotions; fear of bonding, the ache of Tiana’s pain, and the guilt of loving deeply while grieving for another mother’s loss. We talk about the weight of that love, the tension between obedience and heartbreak, and the struggle of navigating where and how to raise our son in a world that doesn’t always see color with compassion. Through it all, God’s whisper reminded us that we were exactly where we were meant to be; and that His plans are bigger than our fears. We also share how that same whisper began calling us toward something new… a move to Houston, and a vision to help plant a church that reflects the beauty of unity in diversity. Through it all, we had the reminder that even when love feels heavy, God’s whisper carries us forward.

This episode goes deep into one of the heaviest and holiest chapters of our marriage. We open up about walking through infertility, failed adoptions, emotional exhaustion, and the long season of waiting that stretched our faith and nearly broke us. We share what it was like to battle pornography early in marriage, love teenagers as youth mentors, long to become parents for nine years, and face five adoption matches that all fell apart. We talk honestly about loneliness inside marriage, the physical and emotional toll on Tab, the moment anxiety took over her life, and the night we prayed for God to show us a clear sign. We revisit the healing moments at Antioch, the hope that returned through therapy and prayer, and the miracle that led to Zaden’s adoption. This is a story of waiting, heartbreak, healing, and the God who goes before us in every moment. If you are walking through infertility, adoption loss, or waiting that feels endless, this one is for you. You are not alone. There is victory in the waiting.

What happens when the vow to love through “better or worse” collides with a battle you never expected to fight? In this raw and hope-filled conversation, Gerald and Tabby open up about the impact of pornography on their marriage not from a place of shame, but from a place of redemption. This episode isn’t just about betrayal and pain…it’s about the choice to fight together when the world would say walk away. They talk honestly about what it took to rebuild trust, how forgiveness and accountability had to go hand-in-hand, and why purpose was waiting on the other side of pain. This isn’t a story about perfection. It’s a story about grace, grit, and the God who writes beauty into the most broken chapters. Real struggle. Real healing. Real hope.

In this episode we share how God used a small town, a users meeting, and a group of teenagers to completely reroute our story. Gerald talks about walking into a banking conference sober for the first time, the anxiety of no longer being the party guy, and how a simple lobby conversation with a bank president opened the door to a community bank job in Groesbeck. We remember what it was like to move to a small town where everybody knows everybody, search for a church home, and slowly realize that God had already been setting us up to walk with teenagers who felt just as out of place as we once did. From a Super Bowl party that turned into a weekly hangout, to the birth of “the group” in our living room, our home quickly filled with kids from every background. Black, brown, white, straight laced, almost in trouble with the law, church kids and kids who wanted nothing to do with church. Around our table and our fire pit they talked about grades, drugs, sex, race, shame, and God. One night a teenage boy asked a blunt question about masturbation and porn that exposed Gerald’s own hidden struggle and sent him to the floor in tears and then into an online accountability group. We talk honestly about how that moment changed our marriage, how the group became a safe place for real conversations, and how God used teenagers to push us into deeper honesty, healing, and purpose as a family.

This episode was recorded on the morning of a big milestone. Gerald and Tabby are getting ready to baptize their 13 year old son Zaden, and it sends them on a deep rewind of everything God used to get them to this moment. They look back at those early days after Gerald met Jesus at the Salvation Army, when the mountaintop high crashed into real life. From dreaming about moving to China for ministry to wrestling through what it really means to hear God together in marriage, they share how discernment, wise counsel and a lot of hard conversations kept them from running ahead of God or away from each other. They also get honest about relapse, isolation and the secret places where pain tries to hide. Gerald talks about slipping back into internet pornography as an escape when old friendships shifted and he no longer fit his old life but had not yet found his new one. Tabby shares how God used her parents, simple advice about journaling and a powerful marriage retreat to start healing what betrayal had broken. Together they remember meeting Steve and Judy, a raw and real pastor couple in Waco, and how that relationship and tiny church community became a training ground for the way they now love people on the fringes. This episode is all about relationships, seasons, tough conversations and the truth that God sometimes isolates you to meet you so He can rebuild your marriage and your life from the inside out.

In this episode, we open up about one of the darkest chapters of our marriage; the night of drugs, shame, and near-destruction that led to an unexpected collision with God’s grace. Gerald shares the breaking point moment on I-35 when despair nearly won, and Tabby recalls the audible voice of God that reminded her their story was only beginning. Together we walk through what it meant to confess everything, the deep hurt that followed, and the miracle of never turning back. This episode wrestles honestly with shame, broken trust, and the weight of addiction, but it also points to God’s relentless pursuit and the healing that comes when couples choose prayer over pride. Expect real talk about forgiveness, choosing honesty even when it hurts, and the power of praying together as husband and wife. If you’ve ever wondered if God can still work after betrayal, or if a marriage can survive rock bottom, this episode is living proof that He restores, redeems, and rebuilds when we surrender everything to Him.

What happens when secrets collide with faith, when prayers meet a double life, and when God shows up in the middle of the mess? In this episode, both of us; Gerald and Tabby; share the story of one of the most pivotal weekends in our relationship. Gerald said he was just going on a “camping trip,” but what followed was a spiral of drinking, drugs, and lies that nearly cost us our engagement. Tabby, at home, wrestled with discernment, boundaries, and prayer; unsure if this relationship could survive another broken promise. Yet God was not absent. Through a stranger, a Bible study called Club 180, and a name that had been in play weeks before the trip, God orchestrated undeniable proof of His pursuit. What started as a hangover ended as an encounter with Jesus that changed everything. This episode is a testimony of grace breaking through in the middle of shame, secrets, and the temptation to walk away. We talk openly about the destructive power of hidden habits, the strength of prayer for those who feel “too far gone,” the importance of discernment in relationships, and the way God uses ordinary people to prove His presence. If you’ve ever prayed for someone you love, questioned whether God hears you, or wondered how to hold on when trust is fragile, this conversation will remind you that God sees, God hears, and God is still writing your story.

In this episode, we unpack how judgment showed up in our early relationship and how choosing curiosity, faith, and grace instead made all the difference. We talk about why judgment shuts your spouse down instead of building them up, how asking honest questions creates connection, and the role of parents, mentors, and mediators in offering guidance without condemnation. We also share practical ways to move from shame and defensiveness to understanding and growth. If you’ve ever felt stuck in cycles of blame or shame in your relationship, this conversation offers hope and tools. Marriage doesn’t thrive in judgment, it grows in honesty, empathy, and the choice to see the good even in the messy parts. Because real love doesn’t point fingers. It pulls closer.

Gerald and Tabby kick off I Still Do with the hilarious and heartfelt story of how their long-distance romance took root; yellow roses in a fridge, children’s sleeping bags for two tall guys, and a father-in-law in a priest collar with the wisest kind of silence. They open up about early boundaries, meeting family, and the tension of living a double life while craving something better. You’ll hear about conviction versus condemnation, secret prayers, mentors who nudged them toward hope, and how simple habits like opening doors and praying over dinner started reshaping a future. The throughline is clear: communication changes everything. If you’re tired of walking through struggles alone, this episode is an invitation to start talking, be honest, and keep choosing each other.

In our very first episode, we take you back to the beginning, how we met, how Tabby literally fell into Gerald's lap, and how that moment grew into a marriage worth fighting for. With laughs, a few awkward memories, and a whole lot of honesty, we share the passion behind launching this podcast. Together, we reflect on how God designed us uniquely for one another and continues to call us into the covenant of marriage.

Gerald and Tabby aren’t your picture-perfect Christian couple, and they’re not trying to be. Twenty-two years in, they’ve faced addiction, betrayal, open adoption, financial crisis, and each other… and they’re still here. This trailer introduces I Still Do, a marriage podcast that’s honest, raw, and grounded in faith without the fake perfection. Expect real conversations, hard truths, grace in the mess, and laughter along the way. Because we weren’t meant to walk through our struggles alone, and that’s not how God designed us.