Equip Your Marriage is a Christian ministry born out of the blood, sweat, and tears that Kyle and Tammy Gabhart have invested in making their marriage a testament to the love and grace of Jesus Christ. We are best friends and soulmates, but the journey hasn’t always been easy.
It All Started with Coffee (2009)
No day should start without coffee, and neither should a relationship. We met for coffee early one Friday evening and parlayed that into dinner and hours of talking at the DFW observation area as planes flew overhead. After a brief courtship, I proposed to Tammy and we got swept up in the momentum of new love, engagement, and glorious matrimony.
Life in the Blender (2010)
Both of us were married previously (me for almost 10 years, Tammy for 12) and we both brought three children into the marriage. Suddenly, we found ourselves trying to balance work, church, a new marriage, and blending six kids into a cohesive family unit (let that one soak in for a minute — 6 kids!!). The first year was pretty smooth, but as the newness wore off, and my travel schedule intensified, our idyllic little Brandy Bunch began to unravel.
The Fall (2012)
In our third year of marriage, the stress intensified. We moved into our fourth house in three years (that’s a whole story unto itself), communication challenges abounded, and my career continued to consume me. That summer we began the process of building a house for our little tribe, adding more stress. Meanwhile, there was increasing distance emotionally and physically in our marriage. By the fall of 2012, the distance and tension reached its peak and I lost my mind and my moral footing. I engaged in a two-month affair and began planning our divorce. By December, our marriage was all but lost.
Redemption (2012)
On December 16, 2012, the entire trajectory of our relationship changed at a Starbucks in Keller, TX (see, coffee is amazing stuff!). We met to divide assets and discuss how to accomplish an amicable divorce. What started out as a 45-minute business meeting, concluded after 3 hours of crying, praying, and hugging. Tammy’s unconditional love and forgiveness, coupled with God’s amazing grace, melted my heart of stone. The next day, I got down on one knee, gave Tammy a single rose, and asked her if I could have the honor of winning her back over the course of 2013 and perhaps the rest of my life (she said ‘Yes’).
Renewal (2013)
The process of renewing our marriage was harder than we ever imagined. Re-building trust is difficult, because once your words hold no weight, you quickly discover that talk is cheap and healing wounds is hard, because wounds heal crooked. Thankfully, God wasn’t finished with us yet! Through countless hours of talking, praying, dating, crying, touching, praying, more crying, and a lot more praying, we re-built our foundation, piece by piece. We read books together, attended marriage conferences, got more involved with our church, found some supportive mentors, and put in place some critical life-long practices like praying together and prioritizing our marriage. In the Spring of 2013, God began to send people our way that were also hurting and in need of marriage renewal. We were still in the process of healing our own marriage, but we began to provide guidance and support in any way that we could. That continued and intensified in 2014, leading to our mission as a couple…
Our Mission (2014 and Beyond)
Now, we are on a mission.
- A mission to save marriages.
- A mission to heal broken hearts.
- A mission to show people that God can save ANY marriage.
Marriage renewal is hard, but it is completely worth it. No matter how damaged you may think your marriage has become, it is not beyond repair.
God creates beauty out of ashes. He makes marriages out of messes. And He wants to work a miracle in yours. – Kyle and Tammy Gabhart
Our Testimony in the Media
- July 23, 2014 Bring IT Radio (audio) – You can listen to the show and our testimony of marriage renewal.
- September 3, 2014 FYI Radio (audio) – Julie Gorman interviews us to learn more about how God has renewed our marriage.
- September 25, 2014 Life Today+ (video) – Randy Robison interviews us and asks some tough questions.
You can read more of our story in our upcoming book (available on Amazon September 2014):
The Phoenix Marriage– Your most important earthly relationship can be restored, renewed, and reborn.
God creates beauty out of ashes.
To be among the first to know when the book is released, join our Marriage Booster newsletter.
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