Pursuing Love, Faith, and Mount Everest

The average age for marriage today is 29 guys and just a little over 27 for women. That means Harold and Rachel earls were well below average when they became husband and wife. I think some people question should get married younger to marry later. If you have a choice but one beautiful thing I think that came from that is that we were so young that we could really form and craft our future and our identity in each other and in God brother when you get older. Sometimes it is harder to merge this to life together so that you have that going for us because we knew what was on the other side. This is family life today. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson and Bob Lapine can find us online@familylifetoday.com will meet Harold and Rachel earls today and hear about their incredible marriage adventure stay with us and welcome to family life to. Thanks for joining us. So I feel like this feels like it should be a screenplay to me and only the greatest enough and long story that were in here and I think some of our listeners go. I already know the story, because I know this couple because I been watching them there.

You do that all right you watch on their YouTube channel. You see what they're doing. They got a book out now called higher calling and were glad to have them joining us on family life to the Harold and Rachel earls welcome hey thanks for how to say only if Channing Tatum can play a nice movie. We have been down here pretty amazing grace of the earls family blog has been online for two or three years now Unger started back in 2014 when… Rachel earls darted with your viral video about have a boyfriend who was at West Point and just grew out of that. As I said you guys have written this book. Harold you up until recently you were in the Army went to West Point, you just completed the tour at the old guard guarding the tomb of the unknowns right. I did so was the commander of the guard exited to Minnesota and you told your story or book is kind of a memoir both about climbing Everest which were to get to, but is small, there is little weekend, John.

But I think we want to go back and and I was fascinated in looking at your book at how quickly you guys knew this is the one. So tell us how you meant where to begin. So my best friend in the whole world Tommy Ferguson.

There cousins so he was always like hey I have this awesome cousin she's a redhead, you have to meet her and for me, I would like hey man, I'm just not in the redhead with the redhead was funny enough, you fast-forward. I have a redhead wife, a redheaded child to read that it's not a dog so… But eventually him on in redheads, but he showed me a picture of her house, like me, and so from there I talked to Tommy they have paved the way of I talked to her.

She knows you are.

So I shot her a friend request on Facebook. Okay so you had already been set up by Tommy no I did not know anything at all. Yes, I lays going into my sophomore year of college. I had just previously had break at the year before and said I'd really just been spending my time healing and in pursuing God and just falling in love with him all over again and I remember just that night before I been writing my journal. I'm an artist painting guy just saying hey, like I know there is a great guy out there for me and I am okay if the timing is not right now because I'm so happy that kids in the center of the sort of sign that maybe he's out there and sure enough the next day is and I get his face that great class from Harold, a salesperson, and I sell our mutual friend on Facebook where my family members and soon I get this message telling you that he's actually in a relationship with my cousin Tommy had not told me anything at all this as I was blindsided. If you well. Did you check him I okay Peg, I noticed military baseball is going on calling my mom because my mom is a knower of all things family and so my mom like you is this person and she denies it is like I don't know anything which is very bizarre. Casino is everything and again she did okay I guess I'll figure it out for myself and we start messaging back and forth in payments is instantly hit it off very very quickly. What was it that you thought all this is really this could be the one. What was it for me is to give you some context to the first time we had our first phone call. We were on the call for over six hours will the first phone call first. You didn't think were long phone call you thought not all hours. Yes, I was actually walking around the baseball field at West Point walk around the bases walk around the base really late at night okay now. Curfew was when I do go back. So back to my barracks room and later my my embarrassment about I'll never forget just the depths of conversation we had.

I think that's when it really revealed itself to me that I've never been so open and had such deep and emotionally revealing conversation, myself and about someone else before and so that for me was like oh my God is on their freedom in the call actually was like I think I found you and I literally said that out loud so that the same line crazy right like someone that I have technically never seen before in person.

But just through the connection that we had was like oh my goodness.

I think God just revealed I find it interesting. I mean, you're hundreds of miles away from your student at Florida State University you're at West Point.

When this is happening right.

You've seen the picture. You've seen some stuff about but you go to pick up the phone and call this person I've never met before, who's a thousand miles away.

I'm thinking like for what I mean. If this goes somewhere he can't really go anywhere right away. That wasn't that was in the plants. I was Facebook messaging her back and forth in my best friend Tommy actually got on the my Facebook started sending messages as me and expedite the process a little more/got a caller essentially is like hey I'm so sorry like he got on my Facebook that wasn't me saying ridiculous. He said what is going on.

I think we need him, so a six hour phone call when you hung up from that phone call with a guy who just said to you. I think I've found you and this is like four in the morning right to in the morning and only 20 years old. Yes 20. What are you think the exact same thing I know, I think you know you have to understand a little background to what it wasn't just like a phone call completely out of the blue I had done a little bit of research, then talking to Tommy and his mom and an understanding Harold was knowing that he had a relationship with God and knowing also the type of man that my cousin Tommy lies so I knew she had to be a good guy himself that no background information. It's so important that you mentioned in the book that it became very clear that we were running in the same direction of life, and I think that when you actually see that you find a partner and you look to ricin. Hey, I'm going this direction. So are you. That's when it really was revealing to us from talking to our family and her friends and learning where her heart was where her passions were how she pursued the Lord.

That's when it became evident to me that hey, this is really someone. This is different than anything I've ever been part I have to share one of my favorite all-time quotes because you just illustrated Tommy Nelson, who's a pastor in Denton, Texas speaking to singles one time. He said if you're single. Your job is to run as hard and as fast toward Jesus.

As you can.

He said while you're running it out of the corner of your eye.

You see somebody running in the same direction at the same speed. Take a second look.

Yeah, and that's really the path both of you were on. Tell us about your faith story and like how faith became real for you guys.

So Tommy, we actually love this saying that Andy Stanley sentence had become the person the person you're looking for is looking for.

I have preached that saying it is saying the same thing is not as what you said and I think for me to learn that I'm very grateful for him is my best friend because I think we learned that at a young age and we realize that iron sharpens iron and we worked very hard to become the very best versions of ourselves and that's what time that took years because I know that if I would've met Rachel two years earlier than that. We never would hit it off because I was in the man that God wanted me to be. You needed me to be for her and I think that was you know how he was working on me all along like lies and meeting Harold.

I think my previous relationships. It was obvious that we weren't writing the same racing at we weren't really that is after guide Intel Tyndale here, just feeling like we really were equally yoked place in this big eye-opening thing this really could be my person and that to write remind a little bad about my faith journey.

It actually happened when I was in sixth grade size going through confirmation and my grandma had just died. At the same time and has a first time I had dealt with – and I was questioning everything.

I'm learning that God my grandma's dying and I went to this confirmation, I took retreat and in the chapel Thursdays glass door is overlooking the lake with this cost in the middle of it and they cried sort of like an altar call, or you could come down in pain.

I never been anything like that in my life that I decided to and in that moment, I just felt God's presence and that was when I chose and I just gave my life to guide and it was kind of that childlike faith.

I think in the beginning that just every step of the way through my life and all the obstacles, just like leaning on God, knowing that he was there when it sometimes felt like nobody else was.

She's actually always been steadfast in her relationship. I've actually had more of the roller coaster typeface. I would have extreme highs would also have loose insets on the back. She always looked up to you. It shows us how you always been so steadfast in God and he will learn as we get the Everest that something I struggle. I while on the mountain wanted to be close to God because I feel like I needed God close to me not I wanted to be close to God and such. I think I've learned a lot from Rachel throws has your faith made a difference in your relationship in your marriage, your future for us is the foundation is the bedrock right. If you have nothing to build on is a relationship it's gonna crumble away, but we know that we always have that foundation. We always know where our hearts are at and so I think it makes it so much easier to overcome when you do have those adversities set common ground that everything comes back to that the answer to everything. At the end of day is God and also how do you let somebody love the greatest example is Jesus and said to build a live that out your marriage and we have someone to look up to. So you're on the phone call you.

I just want to hear what happen. That's because I mean I've never considered a food for first phone call, you know you and you both know right and so and there's this faith component which way is the foundation so did you fly down there that night and get married. So one at West Point.

You can get married until you graduate West Point. So what we had.

No matter what.

About a year and 1/2.

We had to wait thanks to the Army and so there was definitely a big anticipation for actually meeting her in person for the first time so I had plans to go and see her. We planned for two months from that date to actually see each other in person but unbeknownst to her, I was actually scheming behind the scenes and coordinate it with her friends and was planning on going down and surprising her cell. My friends had invited me to this beach week and then and their parents to get the beach and I guess this essay finds eyesight, pack my bags, my bathing suit sending pictures that Harold so crazy to think about now. I mean I'm driving over at midnight to my friends house somewhere in my pajamas and I get over there and our other friend wanted to introduce us to a guy that she had met and so she stretches and bring him over and Harold also had told me that he was in the city that night with his friends what he would be able to comment until really late.

Well, it was really late and eventually I get a call from Harold Cella, Mike then literally walks through the door. My friend and this guy that I'm sesame and so on.

Mike hey Mike, I'm glad that you called but can I call you back. He starts acting real strange and I'm not liking this link is like now like what don't call me back.

I talked to me now type of thing which was the first time that I was like this feels weird.

And then he says oh how would you call me back when a party herein opens the door and walks right and my friend Nick had picked him up from the airport and so it was just after midnight, I made a big camo T-shirt Nike running sorry, was awkward was it.

No, not at all not at all. It first before I came to the door the first time that it didn't go according to plan. This is not house. So I'm there for you when I open the door. It was like just overflowing emotions. I think it definitely cried every time I was shaking and that's your first real in real life face-to-face meeting by RL military is Larry this is twitter you just say you always IMHO you are so how long from that first meeting until used. Okay, we are getting married. Well, there's a couple things between that night when he looked at me and said you're my girlfriend and then he very cutely said what do you want to be and he was going back to West Point that weekend. I had this diamond ring that I wore on my right hand. My grandmother had given me and he actually switched over to my left ring finger and he tell me he liked the way it looked no smarter was that I would. So from that ring ceremony right there. When did you guys are talking from the very first like I think you're the one. When did you start planning out your future sections there engaged I think another time that Harold came down and surprised me about this so I will say there's an army is a good thing about thing, but it took out a lot of the unknown for us because we knew right. We knew once graduation happened in May. We were married and I was in a surfer five years, which is really a nice thing.

Actually, having that stability and that purpose if you will that a thing about people, struggle with and we had the benefit of being young. Some people question should get married younger get married later if you have a choice but one beautiful thing I think that came from that is that we were so young that we could really form and craft our future and our identity in each other and in God. Rather, when you get older.

Sometimes it's harder to merge those to live together stress you have that going for us because we knew what was on the other side of everything you've described here. Kind of feels like it's been scripted times during your your dating during your engagement where you thought, I'm not sure she's the one I'm not sure if this is gonna work. There are things I just learned about you that I didn't realize and that's given me. Second thoughts to remember some of those there's one time one. There's times that there is one time that I really just had a doubt in the doubt wasn't really because I spent a came down to his family.

I felt like.

Specifically, his sister didn't like me and I knew how close that they were on and I didn't want to come between his family. So we actually stayed at it was the Army-Navy game for baseball hero played baseball at West Point and we stayed up all night just talking through everything when he clearly should've been sleeping thing for this game that really showed me that he was choosing eyes and his sister and I ended up working things out and we are on great terms now and I just I love her so much. But yeah, that was the time we got on the phone right now book with you decided to remain physically pure. That's a big deal. We did what made you decide that and you take any harassment from buddies from her so I know that I would not of been able to be in a position if it wasn't for honest to God being beside me little time and then I credit a lot to having a best friend like Tommy.

He was the same as me and how he chose to pursue his life. And I really do feel that iron sharpens iron in and we can hold each other accountable and without him, and without a type of friendship.

I don't think that I would've been the man who I am today/universe due to remaining absent. That was a choice we had. I am incredibly grateful for that. I think it is such a blessing. Just knowing that we both chose to do that. There's a lot of beauty that comes from not that I think that at that time when I was Fino 1516 1718 going through those challenging years of any guy goes through seeing what now is on the back end of that iron on us incredibly grateful to the guys at West Point know you're not girlfriend that they deftly you said just a second ago the benefits were worth it. Why think it's a beautiful thing. Getting to discover that side with your spouse right in the there's so much intimacy that comes with that and I think that if you had other outside factors playing a role into that. There's always other questions that you be going to your mind.

I think the beautiful thing about us is now. It's so fun to explore with each other in that way because we know that we have that freedom. We know that we have that protection each other. It's just a safe place in our pastors talked about it before, like not allowing anybody else into your marriage bed even talking and memory eNote's memories are still there and that brings that insecurity you have no idea what that part of your relationship is going to be like, and so to be able to protect.

That is, I'm so thankful you have girlfriends, wondering why you work sleeping with your hunky West Point work that I didn't really bother me because I was like okay well I'm not know what I'm doing and why do you care anyways.

We both knew what that moment was going to mean to us in our marriage. I think for us because were so passionate about waiting until we were married.

I think it made it easier for us to do that even though the physical connection was strong, take us to the wedding night and I don't mean explicitly as a second you waited you paid a price. The way there's couples out there thinking is not worth it.

You know, again I don't want to know about your wedding night really put in terms of remembering that moment in your marriage and your wedding.

Do you feel like yes this was worth the wait. That is, were glad we did. It's interesting when you kind of go into the intimacy side of marriage I expected. Immediately we waited 23 years is going to be the source beautiful thing right off about MS is not like that's not marriage.

I think we see movies and we like that and this is not like that right and I think now knowing that going through that discovery phase together. It has been incredible and it is been something that we love continuing to pursue but I think that I had it all wrong in my mind because I think about culture and what the media does and what it portrays it into is not what it actually is not what God intended.

I think it's honestly just like love you work out every single day and it grows with time. So is your marriage anything great takes time exact same practice. The storybook and liberally described it in storybook terms, but I will make sure folks understand that along with the storybook. There's real life and you guys have conflict in you because you've got a real marriage with real issues and the fact that you purposed to do a lot of these things right and you pursued one another in honorable ways doesn't mean that now you have a ticket to a problem free marriage and you're very open about it, not only on your blog but in the book of Britain called a higher calling, where you write about pursuing love, faith, and Mount Everest for a greater purpose that I do have to tell you when my wife read your book, she said, why does anyone want to climb Mount Everest. We've got copies of the Earls book a higher calling.

You can go to our website. Family life to the.com to order your copy or call one 800 FL today again the website is family life to.com or call one 803 586-329-1800 FS and family L as in life than the word today to get your copy of the book a higher calling by Harold and Rachel Earls now course, this is Thanksgiving weekend. We don't want to skip over Thanksgiving and rush into Christmas even though there been decorations in the stores for months now, but we do want to be ready for when the season arrives and family life as a resource that we have been making available this month to those of you who can help support our ministry with the donation of any amount. It's a resource called the 12 names of Christmas and it includes a dozen kid friendly Christmas tree ornaments, each one depicting a different name or title for Jesus like I am the light of the world. I am the living water.

I am the lion of Judah or the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Each of these ornaments displays that Naaman gives you an opportunity as a parent to explain more about the one whose birthday we celebrate in December. Again, the 12 names of Christmas is our way of saying thank you this month. When you make a donation to help support the ongoing ministry of family life to the family life to is entirely list are supported.

It's folks like you who make this daily program possible. Along with the resources available on our website. All that we do here at family life to the is underwritten by folks like you. So if you can help with the donation this month would love to send you the 12 names of Christmas as a thank you gift, and we hope it will help your holiday season be more focused on Jesus. We also hope you can join us here again tomorrow when working to hear more about Harold Earl's journey up Mount Everest about some of the anxiety created from both tune in for the think our engineer today.

Keith Lynch along with our entire broadcast team on behalf of our hosts David and Wilson team will see you back next time for another edition of family life, family life, to use the production of family life of Little Rock, Arkansas.

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