Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Break Up or Hitch Up! A Love Story...


By Kelsey Geske 


Have you ever seen the movie Pocahontas? I am a first-grade teacher and have worked with many children under the age of 7, so please excuse my Disney movie analogy. Do you remember the scene where Pocahontas is sitting in the willow tree watching the spinning arrow to see where “the great spirit” would lead her next? I feel like there have been many “spinning arrows” in my life. Let me explain:

My parents raised me to be a devout Christian but I chose to rebel and this choice took me down a difficult path. In college I drank underage, I snuck out, I ditched class, and I dated the “bad boys.”

When I graduated from college I moved back to Denver and in with my sister and her husband. I continued smoking, drinking, and doing drugs every night of the week. I was hooking up with random guys and I didn’t care about the consequences of my actions.

After eight months, I ended up pregnant with the drug dealer next door. My sister then kicked me out of her house because her husband found pregnant women attractive and was regularly hitting on me. So, I found myself, pregnant and alone living in a ghetto because that was the only place I could afford. I had hit my “rock bottom” and determined to change things around.

I had my son, Rowan, in May of 2012. I had a lot of help from my parents, friends, numerous government programs, and a neighbor. I also found a low-income job as a preschool teacher. After Rowan was about a year old, I felt very isolated from the “adult world”. I had gained a lot of weight after having my son, I stayed home a lot, and I needed a healthy hobby. I used to play soccer, so I decided to start an indoor soccer team.

About six months after starting my team, I met a guy named Brent who was sitting on the sidelines of the field. Our team was a player short and I asked him to sub. He wore this funny black bracelet with a thin red line down the middle, and even though I thought this was a little weird, I never asked him about it. Brent asked me out on our first date in August of 2014. We were dating for about three weeks when he brought up Flatirons Community Church. He informed me that he chose to live a life following Jesus and that it was really important to him, hence the funny black and red bracelet. He told me that although he enjoyed dating me, things could not continue unless I was a believer in Jesus. 


I remember just hearing the name “Jesus” sent shivers up my spine. I had messed up so many times. 



However, I really liked Brent and I could tell he had a beautiful heart, so I told him I would go. I started attending Flatirons in October of 2014. The message series at that time was Church Gone Wild. I remember thinking how stimulating and thought-provoking the message was from Scott Nickell. I have and always will be a thinker, so the style really appealed to me. I loved how there weren’t any requirements, simply challenges. Questions to ask, such as,  “Is this what you want? Is this all there is?” I knew something better existed for me, and that was Jesus. Right after the Church Gone Wild series, the new series was called, Rewired.

I was excited about this church, so I invited my parents to experience Flatirons. They were amazed I was attending church again. They had seen the sticker on the back of every other car on the road and they wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. Rewired was the first service that I had invited my parents to attend. They were sitting next to me when Jim Burgen challenged those who were living in a “marriage-like" relationship to either “hitch up or break up.” He said they were going to host a marriage ceremony in a couple of weeks for those who wanted to get hitched. At the end of the sermon, Brent turned to me and said, “Well, it looks like we’re getting married in November.”

I knew it was the right thing to do. God had directed me here with what seemed like one of those “spinning arrow” moments. I didn’t even need to really explain it to my parents because they were there to hear it. Brent and I dated for six weeks, were engaged for two, and married on November 24th, 2014. Along with 95 other couples.



Ever since I started chasing after Jesus, I have seen my life drastically change. 


In the fall of 2014 after 15 failed job interviews, I was given my first teaching job. I am now finishing my third year of teaching at this school and have grown further professionally than I ever dreamed possible. Brent and I welcomed our newest addition to the family, Samuel, in June of 2016.

Once I asked Jesus to help me, he somehow turned everything I thought was broken in my life into something good and continues to use me to do his good work. I do not have it all figured out and I will never come to a point in my life when I have fully “arrived”, but this is what Jesus has taught me so far and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

❀ We would like to feature other women who attend Flatirons in our blog! If you, or a woman you know, has an inspirational story please email Jeannie Blackmer at jeanblackmer@gmail.com


I am a daughter of God, a loving wife, and a mother of two young boys. I have worked at Prospect Ridge Academy as a first-grade teacher for the past three years. I am thrilled to announce that I will be stepping into a new role at Flatirons Community Church as a first-grade teacher at Flatirons Academy, opening this fall! In my spare time, I play on three adult coed indoor and outdoor soccer teams with my husband, Brent. I also enjoy running obstacle courses such as Tough Mudder and Rugged Maniac. I am happiest spending time with my family camping, hiking, and appreciating all that God has made and entrusted to us in this beautiful world that we get to call home. 





No comments:

Post a Comment