they said ‘i do’. again.

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last year our dear friends brian and jenni clayville called us to ask if we could video chat with them asap. they had something they needed to share.

brent and i immediately cleared our schedule to arrange a chat within that hour.

we all four said our hellos then jenni wasted no time.

she confessed to brent and me that she had had an affair. she wanted to come clean with us.

jenni shared very little details as brian sat beside her.

brent and i sat, 300 miles away, starring at a broken, yet beautiful, couple.

we all cried.

i remember brian leaning into jenni to kiss her head.

they wept.

we all decided then that we were in this together. brent and i would do whatever we needed to do to help them get through this.

they were committed. they were in love.

today…they are still committed and more in love than ever.

may 22, 2010 marked a new beginning for brian and jenni. they said yes to one another again.

and a room full of their family and friends were privileged to take part in their journey.

brian and jenni…we all love you so very much! what you both have chosen to do is a testimony to true love. to commitment. to grace. to mercy. to forgiveness. it is a picture of what Christ did for us. thank you for loving Him enough to love each other through this.

[photos by joshua white]

34 thoughts on “they said ‘i do’. again.”

  1. Thank you Tam for this message of encouragement. I felt so loved, supported, valued and appreciated standing in that room this weekend. It's a real honor to have so many people care about us so deeply. It was a hard year but there is so much joy now for us to share.

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  2. in tears here.

    i'm so blessed to call you friend. i will never forget that day we sat and video chatted. the tears we all shared together. the prayers that were said. i know… WE know you two prayed us through this… and you proved it by how available you made yourselves to us this past year.

    thank you for this beautiful post. God knew we needed friends like you to get us through this time.

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  3. stuff like this makes me wish it wasn't so bloody cold in the PNW. you guys are all so flippin' amazing up there. can't wait for our next trip up to congratulate them in person…

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  5. I want…. I want…. I want to know you all better. For realz. And yet, that doesn't express what I feel, deep down in my heart, about people I've only known of for a few months.

    Adam and I separated a few years ago. The mess we got ourselves into before and during the separation made it look, to the worlds eyes(and even our own) , like our marriage was unredeemable. I am so blessed to worship a God who doesn't look at us and our lives as the world does. One day, I'll share it, if Adam is comfortable with details being shared, and if I can find the right words. We've also wanted to renew our vows. Seeing this these last few days has only cemented that. What a way to honour God for all he has done for us! Way to bring Him Glory out of our mess!

    Jenni & Brian… much love and congratulations :)

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    • thank you, jen. praying for you and what you've gone through. i'm thankful for the redemption in YOUR life! God is in the business of restoration… we've obviously lived it.

      i hope you can share your story one day. it's amazingly freeing… and through it, we have found our closest friends. God is good!

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  7. I've only had the honor and privilege of getting to know y'all west-coasterners since January-ish… but even seeing the incredible redemption God has brought into all of your lives in that short time often leaves me in awe of how GOOD and GRACE-filled our God is.

    Lord willing, I will get to meet y'all someday soon! love y'all! and love even more God's amazing light shining thru your hearts :) J & B – thanks for letting us share in your special day …and your special journey :)

    Tam – stop making me cry girl! ok, wait, yeah – don't stop.. redemptive tears… :)

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  8. Well thank u for sharing this….
    because my situation is the same…..

    *big gulp… laboured breath*

    My wife and I are separating. It's one of the hardest things I've had to go through….

    And as I celebrate with Jenni and Brian…. I want the same thing too….

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    • tearing up just reading THESE words. never thought i'd really see any of these words attached to me… ever…

      thank you, pete!… and we'll see you soon.
      i don't think you're ready for this jelly (i don't know what that means… but whatev)

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      • the trouble with us — people, that is — is that the lens through which we view ourselves hardly ever matches up with (God's) reality and how the rest of the world views us. It's either that we think we know too much about ourselves — the little good, the more bad, the really ugly… OR we just don't know enough to know better (ie. haven't learned/experienced enough life and God to know).

        the funny thing is, I follow your story like yours and say "amazing" while I look at my life and go "what am I doing w/ my life." and then someone will tell me that God is doing something good with and through me….. and that's is humbling.

        so. I hardly know you. and yet, I'm really looking forward to meeting Mr. & Mrs. "Jelly." why? because i'm drawn by what I see — Christ doing an amazing work in your lives. we see snippets of you working out your life in faith, swimming in as much joy, and humor, and exuberant hope, and love, and peace, and everything else that qualifies as the "stuff of life" as you possibly can muster day by day, moment by moment.

        keep on keepin' on, chica!
        ………
        why is it we can say these kids of things and yet have a hard time living 'em out sometimes?
        sheesh… that's why I need grace! ;-)

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  11. Pingback: Vow Renewal | jenniclayville.com

  15. Can I just say that all of this is so inspiring to read. I may not be in this particular situation. But there are numerous things I need to see forgiveness, redemption, and grace in. I love that our AMAZING Father believes in second (3,4,5,) chances…

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      • Jenni, I hope you take my comment negatively. But what I was saying that, watching you go through this, Has inspired me to go back and ask for forgiveness in a certain area of my life, I need to seek redemption and find His grace. Eventhough or situations are different in nature. I pray that I have your outcome friend. Love ya!

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        • oh of COURSE not, heidi. i know what you were saying! i would never think you were saying anything negative to me about this. i SO appreciate your comments! i'm just very aware of how fortunate i am! :)

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