246 Stories Series: Experiencing God's Tangible Love with Jen Moore

246. Stories of God's Tangible Love with Jen Moore

 

Isaiah 7:10-11 MSG "God spoke again to Ahaz. This time he said, "Ask for a sign from your GOD. Ask anything. Be extravagant. Ask for the moon!"

 

**Transcription Below**

 

Questions and Topics We Discuss:

1. Will you walk us through your love story and experience becoming a mother to so many daughters?
2. Did you have any warnings that things were about to drastically change?
3. What unexpected event happened next?

 

Jen Moore is a beloved daughter of God, wife, and homeschooling mom. God wrote her story in ways she did not expect, but she worships Him through every chapter He continues to write.

 

Thank You to Our Sponsor: Sam Leman Eureka

 

Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)

 

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

 

Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

 

Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” 

 

Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” 

 

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

 

Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” 

 

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

 

Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

 

Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 

Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

 

Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”

 

Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

 

Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“

 

Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“

 

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

 

**Transcription**

 

[00:00:00] <music>

 

Laura Dugger: Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here. 

 

[00:00:18] <music>

 

Laura Dugger: The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today, over 55 years later, at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka. Owned and operated by the Bertschi Family, Sam Leman in Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at LemanGM.com. 

 

Jen Moore is my guest today. We've only known each other for about a year, but she's the type of person you can just dive into deep conversation with immediately. One of the first times I remember that we were hanging out for a park date, and she shared a bit of her journey with me and it has just stuck with me for months. So I invited her here today to share it in more detail with all of us.

 

Here's our chat. 

 

Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Jen. [00:01:19] 

 

Jen Moore: I'm so happy to be here, Laura. Thanks for having me. 

 

Laura Dugger: Well, will you just start us off by telling me about your upbringing, and share even how you first encountered Jesus Christ.

 

Jen Moore: So I grew up in Miami, Florida, into a family that immigrated from Guatemala. My parents did the best they could with the circumstances they had to conquer. I was raised in a Hispanic Baptist church.

 

When I was a teenager, we started attending a Pentecostal church. Even with attending the church for various activities three days a week, I would say I did not encounter Jesus well into my adulthood. I had a brief hiatus from the Lord after moving out of my parents' house. When I came back to Christ, I really got to experience the love of the Father in various ways.

 

Laura Dugger: I love hearing people's backgrounds, so thank you for sharing that. Next, will you also walk us through your love story and your experience of becoming a mother to so many daughters? [00:02:24] 

 

Jen Moore: Yeah, I like to use our love story as the fun fact when we go to parties, because our story is unique. Andy and I got married to each other twice. We got married really young, at the age of 19 and 25, after meeting through a mutual friend that was interning in his engineering office. 

 

We got married and moved in and got pregnant all within our first year. So it's a lot. We started our family, and of course, a lot of trauma and childhood issues arose, which led to divorce, where we were either confronted on healing or avoiding and hurting someone else in the future. But God was so gracious and picked us to redeem our story, and we remarried. And guess what? We remarried and we continued to have more babies. [00:03:24] 

 

It was a hard and fast love story. I loved being his wife and his biggest supporter as he grew in his career and all his adventures.

 

Laura Dugger: Wow. There's so much even in that. How many years was it between your divorce and then your remarriage to each other?

 

Jen Moore: It was a year being divorced, so it was two years we were not married, technically. But we said we sucked at being divorced because we were always together. It was just deeper issues that kind of led to that. I'm just grateful for the redemption story just within that marriage of how God chose us to be together after Him coming into our lives and healing and repairing our hearts.

 

Laura Dugger: Wow. And so you and Andy were both walking with the Lord now at this point and had how many daughters right then? [00:04:26] 

 

Jen Moore: So we were married for seven years and had three at that point — three beautiful girls. And then we got divorced, and after that we were separated for about a year. And then we got remarried and worked together for an additional three years and had two more daughters. So in total, it was about 12 years together.

 

Laura Dugger: Wow. Did you have any warnings that things were about to drastically change?

 

Jen Moore: Yes. I had kind of this unrelenting anxiety and fear that someone in my close circle, immediate family, was about to die. It was either one of the girls or it was Andy. But it seemed like everywhere I looked, there were stories of hardship and grief that surrounded me. [00:05:26] 

 

I had this pressure to know all the answers about how the house ran and what our finances looked like and what we had in savings and life insurance. It was one of those things that I wrestled with. It was hard to live with that anxiety, especially trying to balance if it's just me, this unhealthy pattern, or I was only five, six weeks postpartum, so maybe it was hormones. But even then I tried to control the narrative by having Andy eat healthier, or I got those Owlet monitors for the baby so I could track how she's breathing and sleeping through the night. Even then, God's plan was and is far greater than mine. 

 

Now, looking back, maybe it was one of God's many graces as he worked to prepare my heart for one of the most unexpected things that was to come. [00:06:26] 

 

Laura Dugger: We'll leave this story hanging for just a moment because I'd love to know what's a picture of your life at that time. That was the internal anxieties. But all of your girls' ages, and you and Andy, are you working or what was kind of the day-to-day?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. He had just sold off his engineering business to a bigger company that was coming into the area, so he was in the throes of getting more clients and building up their company. So he worked five days a week, long days, pretty filled with meetings and trips and all that.

 

I stayed home with the girls. I think [Kalia?] was 11, maybe 10 going to be 11, and then stair-stepped from there, 7. And then Penelope was 5, I think. [00:07:28] And then Frankie was just going to turn 2, and then Weather was only 6 weeks old. So I stayed home with them. I homeschooled them at home. I mean, we just lived a pretty simple life of, you know, just home and school and church.

 

Laura Dugger: Well, and this next part is more difficult to get through, but what is the unexpected event that happened next?

 

Jen Moore: So, on March 10, 2020, when the world was entering the era of COVID, I entered into widowhood as my sweet husband went to be with Jesus. It started out, of course, as a normal morning. I'm prepping breakfast with the girls, and I'm nursing the baby. I'm homeschooling the older girls. I hadn't heard from Andy in a few hours, but I knew he was away on a business trip in Alabama. [00:08:34] We lived in the panhandle of Florida at that time.

 

The next thing I knew, I got a call. And it's one of those calls on your phone where you just know you have to answer. And it was from the local hospital in the town that he was on his business trip with. They told me that Andy was in a car accident with a logger truck and he was in critical condition and that I had to hurry and get there as fast as possible. 

 

So I hurried and took the girls to a friend's house, except the baby, who was a newborn and I drove the few hours away. But along the way, I knew it wasn't a 'critical condition' situation. I just knew he died. To be honest, it was the biggest and most greatest fear that I ever had in my life. [00:09:39] It was the one that I always went back to when I was really scared. What would I do if Andy died? How would I support the family? How would I move forward? And right there in front of me, it became a reality.

 

As I pulled back the hospital curtains and saw my husband just bruised and battered, laying on the hospital bed. You know, I've never experienced my knees completely being weak, but they buckled when I saw him. And all I remember is, all I had the strength was to crawl over to him and just hold his hand.

 

Laura Dugger: Jen, it makes me so emotional. Just the humility of you to share such a sacred space and time with us. And I'm sure we're all feeling the collective... I'm so sorry. So your big fear had just become a reality. What did it look like after that? [00:10:55] 

 

Jen Moore: Yeah, no one really prepares you for that. I mean, it's not something you expect to be walking in at the age of 31. You know, just what does that even look like? 

 

I remember being at the hospital and then just staying there for several hours, mostly because I didn't know what to do. Nobody told me, now you go home, now you find a funeral home, now you do this, now you do that. The thought of just leaving him there was unimaginable. It's not something that I wanted to do, but I was not... I mean, even my parents and the friends that I had there, we all just kind of looked at each other like, now what? But God is just so good. [00:11:56] 

 

I mean, we always fall back on this verse, Psalms 34:18 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed." As I entered a season of early, deep, heart-wrenching grief, I got to experience God quite like I never had before.

 

Laura Dugger: And how did God reveal Himself, especially in those early days of grief?

 

Jen Moore: God's just so faithful and He's so good. Like I said, it was my biggest fear. I had basically let Andy have this career and I just supported the household. Getting married at 19, I didn't go back to school. I just had babies and became a mother. And so my biggest fear was how to support these kids. Like, what are we going to do now? Now what? [00:12:56] Do I have to go get a job? What does that look like? 

 

So the first way he showed up was he was on a work trip. So it was considered like a worker's compensation claim, which I never even registered in my mind. But there was all these things that I had to learn. And with a claim like that, you can choose your state in which you claim it in. The accident was elsewhere and we lived in Florida. So we either claim it Florida or the accident was in Alabama. It was vastly different, the claims.

 

In Florida, they give you a one-time payout, which would have covered a couple of years. But in Alabama, they give you a payout of over 60% of his pay for 10 years. Andy was if it happened in an intersection, if you would have happened in the next one, it would have been Florida. [00:14:02] He was four miles away from the state line. 

 

So when the employer showed this to me, everyone was just speechless. Like, do you know what this means? And I just looked at him like, God, that's God. That's God taking care of me. I'm excited and I'm rejoicing not because my husband's dead, but because look at what God did. Four mile difference of me being able to care for my kids just a little bit longer than if it would have happened in Florida. So that was one way.

 

There was another time where the days of widowhood, I remember you don't realize how empty and cold your bed feels until your husband's gone for a really long time. And I just wanted to feel a hug, the weight of, you know, having someone hold me and feeling that warmth. [00:15:03] I just remember praying, God, I just want to feel held by somebody. I know I feel held by you, but I just would love that physical feeling of being held. 

 

And then that day, a girl from my small group that really... I mean, we didn't have a great close relationship. We knew of each other, but it wasn't like a deep friendship. She showed up with a weighted blanket. And that was such a gift for so many months of just having that weight on me. It was like a hug every single night.

 

Between that and heating pad, I mean, it really made those days just a little bit easier to get through. Just a little less cold. You know, that reminder not being so in your face at night, especially with the darkness of the night, you know. 

 

Andy was a flower giver. He loved showing up with flowers, and I love receiving flowers. [00:16:05] And for my birthday, I just remember being like, "All I want, God, that's all I want. I just want flowers, just flowers like Andy would give me. And a friend would be so faithful to answer that push from the Lord on their heart, and I would get flowers. And they would just, "Oh, I just felt like I needed to give you these." And I'm like, "These are my flowers. These are the ones I prayed for."

 

I would always shock people with my reaction, but it was so... like, seeing your prayers answered in such a tangible way, I mean, there's no greater feeling than that. It just makes you excited that the God of the universe is looking down at you and saying, You, Jen, matter to me, even in this state. 

 

I'm reminded of a story with Penelope. She's my third, and she is... basically, if there was a unicorn and human version, it would be her. She's just joy in a cup. And she's such a gift to our family, because even when we don't see joy, she finds it somewhere. 

 

For her birthday, Penelope prayed for a sign from heaven that her daddy was seeing her and loved her and missed her on her birthday. I asked her, "Penelope, what do you want to pray for?" And she said, "How about a rainbow?" And I said, "Why don't we go a little bit bigger and ask for a double rainbow?" And we just ended our prayer and the next morning, as we're getting ready for her birthday party, and I'm brushing her hair, she turns her head to look right outside and to our delight, there was a rainbow. [00:18:12] And not only was it a rainbow, but it was a double rainbow. 

 

We all ran outside. It was raining. We were all just screaming and just praising God in our driveway, because we saw the rainbow outside. The girls were just in such disbelief that their prayer was answered. But they're asking, and then they're believing that just created that rainbow. I just will never forget that moment. 

 

I had a friend text me after I posted a picture about the rainbow, she said, I saw that rainbow this morning, and it felt like it was for somebody as I drove under it. And I thought, "Yeah, it was for Penelope." And that was so confirming for me, you know.

 

Laura Dugger: That is incredible. Even last night, I was reading a book, and it pointed out a scripture in a version that I don't commonly read, but I appreciate. [00:19:14] It's in Isaiah 7 from the Message version. It came back again this morning in my quiet time. And so I'm just going to read it. And it's what God encourages Ahaz. 

 

It's the Message, Isaiah 7:10-11. "God spoke again to Ahaz. This time he said, ask for a sign from your God. Ask anything. Be extravagant. Ask for the moon." And Jen, it just brings me to tears again to think of the personal delight that our Savior takes in our lives in every detail. And it's so especially moving when He manifests Himself to our children and answers their prayers. 

 

Jen Moore: Wow, it's a beautiful verse.

 

Laura Dugger: And now a brief message from our sponsor.

 

[00:20:07] <music> 

 

Sponsor: Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka has been owned and operated by the Bertschi Family for over 25 years. A lot has changed in the car business since Sam and Stephen's grandfather, Sam Leman, opened his first Chevrolet dealership over 55 years ago.

 

If you visit their dealership today, though, you'll find that not everything has changed. They still operate their dealership like their grandfather did, with honesty and integrity. Sam and Stephen understand that you have many different choices in where you buy or service your vehicle. This is why they do everything they can to make the car-buying process as easy and hassle-free as possible. 

 

They are thankful for the many lasting friendships that began with a simple "Welcome to Sam Lemans". Their customers keep coming back because they experience something different. I've known Sam and Stephen and their wives my entire life, and I can vouch for their character and integrity, which makes it easy to highly recommend you check them out today. 

 

Your car buying process doesn't have to be something you dread, so come see for yourself at Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka. Sam and Stephen would love to see you, and they appreciate your business. Learn more at their website, LemanEureka.com, or visit them on Facebook by searching for "Sam Leman Eureka". You can also call them at (309) 467-2351. Thanks for your sponsorship.

 

[00:21:29] <music>

 

Laura Dugger: Were there any other ways that you remember that he continued to keep meeting you right where you were at?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. I have this one last story. Our lease was up shortly after Andy died, and I was confronted whether to buy a house or rent or things like that. And praying through that decision, it led me to buying a house. God put it strongly on my heart to tithe a big amount, $2,500. And I just fought it so hard because I was like, "God, am I hearing you right? Is that what my spirit is telling me?" With Andy being gone, every dollar mattered. Did I really want to tithe almost $3,000?" 

 

Then I went house hunting on a Saturday, and then I put an offer in the house, and it was countered. [00:22:30] They countered it at $302,500. At that point, I knew in my spirit, I had to take it because the last four numbers were what I tithed. And it was such a connection to what I had been praying. Like, I'm going to be faithful to you if you're obedient to me. And these small things like tithing. Because that night, when I put in this offer, I wasn't sure if it was going to be accepted.

 

I was just praying as I looked at all these beautiful houses, like, "God, that's the house I want. I think that's a house that would bring a lot of healing to our family." And it was just that connection of, I tithed that much, and then the counter was exactly what I tithed. The last numbers. I just love how God loves to show off, I think, honestly. [00:23:34] And just confirming those signs again and again, whether that's the right direction or not.

 

Laura Dugger: And with that house, is that where your family did end up experiencing a lot of healing?

 

Jen Moore: Yes. We grew together. A lot of the grief journey, when it comes to healing, is making things your own again. Whether that's your master bedroom, or your bathroom, or your kitchen, or your house decorations. You know, really just taking that back and creating a haven for yourself to really heal in. We used that house as that place.

 

It was within miles of all our community that helped me so much in my grief journey. I had a friend that lived three blocks away, and then I had another one that was maybe two minutes down the road. It really was just a place that was a catalyst to that, too. [00:24:36] 

 

Laura Dugger: And knowing you for a brief time so far, and looking forward to deepening our own friendship, I have already recognized that friendship and community is a high value of yours as well. And so were there any ways that your community showed up and loved you well through this?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. My community was wonderful. They really were. I had two friends that took... every other weekend they would come and stay at my house for the weekends, Friday through Sunday. They helped with the baby, who was waking up at all hours. They helped catching up on laundry, and distracting the girls, and cooking meals. They did that for... I think it was like the first four months. And it was such a weight off my mom's shoulder, who felt like she needed to also be there. [00:25:35] I think I didn't cook for two months. There was a meal train for that long, which was so practical and easy to meet. 

 

The men's group willfully signed up and moved to my entire house without me even asking. They came, and... I mean, I was still packing boxes as they shoved them in the moving truck. I mean, they were just like a... They were just so wonderful. There was practical ways that they really, really met some needs right from the start.

 

Laura Dugger: And that's so encouraging to hear, because that is the church being what we hear so often, be the hands and feet of Jesus. And those men, I just envision they were the hands and the arms and feet of Jesus, carrying those boxes, and those women coming alongside you, and even offering that emotional support and the practicality of meals. That really is so helpful, especially in times of grief. [00:26:38] 

 

Jen Moore: Yeah.

 

Laura Dugger: Yeah, it really was. So how did your journey progress from there?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. Since then, I've gotten remarried, which even through that, I've needed confirmation and God's reassurance that that's what He desired for my life. And that was the story for my girls, the story for Jeff, and the story for me.

 

Mending two families that are in and of itself gone through brokenness is hard. It seems sometimes on a daily basis that that hill is a little too hard to climb under my own strength. But God is so good. We had another baby. And this time it was a boy. And he's just such a joy. He really has been just such a sweet, sweet answer to our prayers for the girls and I. [00:27:42] I remember when we first found out it was a boy, and Jeff was like, "Jesus just loves you." I'm like, "He does! I wanted a boy, and I got one!"

 

Laura Dugger: That is incredible. After so many sweet, precious girls, and now Shepard is just so adorable and a welcome addition to the family. But even going back a little bit, are you comfortable sharing a few more details of how you and Jeff initially crossed paths, and how God continued to affirm, this is who I have for you?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. We initially met at the coffee shop that our local church that we attended had. He was the barista that trained new volunteers. And I wanted to be a barista volunteer. So he trained me, and I just thought, "This guy's really charming." But I was married and really didn't think anything of it. And was like, "Well, he's too charming." I think I'll be safe and just go volunteer somewhere else. I didn't really continue that. That's just my initial meeting of Jeff. [00:28:50] 

 

Then fast forward to Andy dying and then when we had to move, I remember seeing him there loading up boxes. And I was like, "Oh, Jeff is still around. He still exists." Didn't think much of it at that point. When I remember that, and he tells me that story, I'm like, "What did I even look like?" I was like, "I was in the early days of great gross." But he hooked up my washer and my dryer.

 

Fast forward to a couple more months, and we got into a small group together. It was four families that really believed in doing life together. We met every Sunday. Our kids would play together and then the men would talk and then the women would talk. Or we would play board games and all laugh. We were a part of a group together but really didn't really speak to each other. [00:29:54] 

 

Then I just remember one time driving to small group and having those butterflies in your tummy feeling. And then being like, "Oh, no. This is not good." And I prayed. I prayed over anything those days and everything. So I was really clear with God, like, "If this is not of you, please take these feelings away." Like, I thought, I will be okay. I was in a spot where I was six, seven months out. I thought, I'm strong now. I feel stronger than I was before. The girls and I are in a good rhythm. I don't want this right now if this isn't what you want.

 

And he really confirmed it the next few days that was what He desired for Jeff and I. We had our first date, which was called an interview from Jeff standards, where I was pretty harsh with some of the questions. And he passed, and here we are. [00:31:05] 

 

Laura Dugger: So you go on your first date, and he experiences this more as a job interview. You've told me before you had a list of questions ready for him. Can you share a few of those examples so we can grasp what that might have looked like?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. I asked him from a range of, you know, what would it look like disciplining the kids, what your belief was when it came to that. And how has the Air Force affected your life? Because he was active duty at the time. Did he think he could handle grief and the weight of all that when it comes to the kids? And how did his desire for the local church look like? You know, was it meeting his needs? What his theology was on the Lord? I mean, just really practical questions that I knew down the road would probably come up, but it was better to just get them out of the way now. [00:32:07] 

 

Laura Dugger: Well, and that sounds so prudent, as you're not only protecting your own heart, but also you have these five daughters that you're looking at the future and seeing if this would be a good fit. So I'm happy to hear that he passed. 

 

Jen Moore: Yes.

 

Laura Dugger: Yet you've shared before that you still wrestled with some doubts if God really did have remarriage for you. So how did God continue to show up in tangible ways?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. It seems really silly, but God would provide these sand dollars and He lives right next to the beach. We would go on a lot of walks on the beach when we had these, like, we wanted to have a hard conversation, but do it outside in a calming environment. When we wrestled with, well, is this us wanting to get remarried or is this what the Lord has for our lives? [00:33:10] Or, you know, this seems like… would it be really hard to blend two families in? Is this really how we want to live our lives now? It would be confirmed when we wrestled, like, hey, God, you're going to have to really show us that you want us together. 

 

We had a community that wasn't ready to handle that transition period. So they kind of left us. We really just felt like, "Okay, everyone else is leaving. We need you. We need you to show up and tell us because everything else seems like it's a no. Like everything else is fighting against us." We would just walk on the beach and... these beaches are busy. You know, Destin, Florida is a very high-traffic beach. And we would find sand dollars, you know, even after the couple in front of us walked by, they would kick the sand in a way that would reveal a sand dollar and it would be our sand dollar.[00:34:18] I have them hung up now in my van and they're just a reminder of God's faithfulness.

 

Laura Dugger: Wow. Because I get the privilege of being your friend in real life and from previous conversations, you were even specifically asking together, you would say, "Lord, give us a sand dollar." And so every time that you found one, what was your reaction?

 

Jen Moore: Oh, I would just be jumping. I mean, I would just be like, "That's our sand dollar. That's our sand dollar. No, it's ours. It's our sign. And it's gifts from heaven." Yeah, it would just be so exciting.

 

Laura Dugger: Well, and such an Ebenezer to have these tangible reminders in your van that the Savior of the universe loves you so personally. I just appreciate you sharing all these stories. 

 

How did you find out about The Savvy Sauce? [00:35:18] Did someone share this podcast with you? Hopefully, you've been blessed through the content. And now we would love to invite each of you to share these episodes with friends and help us spread the word about The Savvy Sauce. You can share today's episode or go back and choose any one of your other previous favorites to share. Thanks for helping us out.

 

And now as we fast forward a bit, what is your family up to these days?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah, three years removed from grief. It looks a lot different than those early days. It seems like this year, especially, it's been easier to breathe. The physical pain of heartbreak is gone. It also seems that God's been gracious and has helped us exit the stage of flight or fight mode that the girls and I were in for several years. So these days, life seems a little less anxious and a lot more filled with joy. [00:36:26] 

 

We spend our days as much as possible together. We're always together as they are homeschooled. And we're just finding joy in the simplest things. Before Andy died, I was on the search for more. I wanted, you know, maybe if I had a career, if I wasn't a stay-at-home mom, maybe if I had more friends. God really showed me that more is my family that's directly in front of me. And just finding joy within them and in them and what's present in my life.

 

Laura Dugger: And even your new last name. God gave you the name Moore. 

 

Jen Moore: Oh my goodness, yes. I didn't even think of that. Wow.

 

Laura Dugger: Are there any other ways that God has revealed any specific redemption for all these trials that you've walked through?

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. God's just been sweet and tender with the girls and I. [00:37:27] I knew I would be okay, but I really didn't want my girls not to have a daddy. You know, I still have my daddy and my daddy is like my world. I mean, I love him. He's hilarious. He's just such a huge part of my life. I just could not imagine not having that for my kids, especially girls.

 

I've said Weather was only six weeks old when Andy died and, you know, she didn't know him. But now knows no difference when it comes to Jeff. God's really been healing just a little bit of my heart every time with these moments that arise.

 

I remember in early widowhood being like, You know what I'm going to miss? I'm going to miss when Andy walked through that door and hearing 'daddy' and all the girls just running towards the door and they're just hugging him. He's trying to put his bag down and his cap down and they're climbing all over him. "Daddy, look what I did at school." You know, it's like, I'm going to miss that — not hearing those words "daddy". [00:38:32] 

 

Now every time Jeff walks in the door, those three little girls and Shepard scream "daddy" every time he walks through the door. And it's like a bit of my heart heals every time I hear that. And God's just using that in the tiniest ways to redeem my story.

 

Laura Dugger: And that is my prayer even today with your willingness to share your story that God would continue to provide healing even in going back through and sharing all of this. Is there anything we haven't covered yet that you want to make sure we don't miss?

 

Jen Moore: I know you mentioned community earlier and I'm going to bring it up just one more time. My community was wonderful and they came together and rallied behind me. So my biggest stressor is I just cannot leave here without telling you the importance of attending and getting plugged in to the local church. [00:39:38]

 

You know, they are here to be the hands and feet of Jesus. They were just so, so helpful. I read once that hope requires three different things and it's a sense of control, a belief in something or someone like God and community.

 

That community held hope for me when I couldn't, you know, with God, of course. But if they're willing to put their lives on hold to take care of me, just being able to see God's grace be sufficient through all of that, it was just so hope-filled for me. A lot of people are discouraged when it comes to community because there's pain there, you know, with friends. Friends are hard, community. But community is work. It really is. But it's the best kind of work, I think.

 

Laura Dugger: Amen to that. As we take this message to heart and consider our own community, do you have any recommendations for any of us who are walking alongside a loved one who's currently experiencing the searing pain of loss? [00:40:49] 

 

Jen Moore: Yeah. I think for people that are walking alongside someone that has lost a loved one, even if they lost their job or they lost hope in life, my recommendation is to be spirit-led in your life. You know, really seek the Lord. Be grace-filled. I think we need to remember that grace is a gift from God and sometimes it's like God's protection for us. And really to be action-oriented towards those people. If you don't know what step to take, just take the first one.

 

But that would be my recommendation on how to walk alongside a loved one that has experienced loss. Just really be spirit-led, grace-filled, and action-oriented.

 

Laura Dugger: Wow, those are some incredible takeaways. [00:41:52] I appreciate you going deep and sharing so much today and also your ever-present sense of humor as well. And so as we begin to wind down our time together, you already know that our podcast is called The Savvy Sauce because "savvy" is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so as my final question for you today, Jen, what is your savvy sauce?

 

Jen Moore: I mean, I sound silly, but my only savvy sauce is the Bible and prayer. That's what helps me and as a mom to so many. Just taking the idea that your prayer and quiet time and your Bible reading time has to be quiet out of your mind really helps. God will meet you there even in the midst of loud and hard. And there's wonders that audio Bible can do.

 

Laura Dugger: And you're speaking from experience with the full house and a lot going on. [00:42:54] It is such an encouragement. You are such a deep well of wisdom. I'm so honored that you shared this story with each of us. From the moment that I met you, I've enjoyed time with you and learned so much. You are that iron sharpening iron when you constantly are pointing it back to God and His goodness and His grace. So thank you for that in my own life and thank you for sharing that with us today. So appreciate you being my guest. 

 

Jen Moore: Thank you. Thank you for having me. It's been an honor. 

 

Laura Dugger: One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term "gospel" before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves.

 

This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. [00:43:58] So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved. We need a Savior.

 

But God loved us so much, He made a way for His only Son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with Him. That is good news.

 

Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us.

 

Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

 

So would you pray with me now? [00:44:58] Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to You. Will You clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare You as Lord of their life? We trust You to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 

 

If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring Him for me, so me for Him. You get the opportunity to live your life for Him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So you ready to get started? 

 

First, tell someone. Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the Book of John. 

 

Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. [00:46:02] I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. 

 

We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read Scripture that describes this process. 

 

Finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." The heavens are praising with you for your decision today. 

 

If you've already received this good news, I pray that you have someone else to share it with today. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.