A new hometown and Troy’s job responsibilities quickly exposed that the Bussmeirs had trouble maintaining a connection with each other. When they walked into re|engage, they were blown away by the authenticity. Re|engage helped Troy see his passivity and helped Julia see how she needed to find her identity in Christ, not in her husband.
Feb 7, 2020
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Nate & Megan MickishJun 12, 2024 • Dallas |
Shane & MaKenzieJun 5, 2024 • Dallas |
Kevin & Kelli MainzMay 22, 2024 • Dallas |
Rob & Haley ThomasMay 15, 2024 • Dallas |
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Jim & Judy WimberleyApr 10, 2024 • Dallas |
Jared and Leigh Anne SullivanApr 3, 2024 • Dallas |
Ivan and Martha IllaremendiMar 13, 2024 • Dallas |
Mark and Kathy ThomasMar 6, 2024 • Dallas |
Jodi and Neil CurranFeb 21, 2024 • Dallas |
Mary Kay and Markus JabekFeb 7, 2024 • Dallas |
Denise and David RenkenJan 31, 2024 • Dallas |
Doug and Dyann KiersteadJan 24, 2024 • Dallas |
Robbie and Teri VedrenneJan 10, 2024 • Dallas |
Michelle and Scot BuchananDec 20, 2023 • Dallas |
Ben and LK OrtizNov 29, 2023 • Dallas |
Bobby and Shari JohnsNov 8, 2023 • Dallas |
Monte and Marsha DunnNov 1, 2023 • Dallas |
Julie and Mark NicholsonOct 25, 2023 • Dallas |
Steve and Amie BradleyOct 11, 2023 • Dallas |
Marcus and Carol BrownSep 20, 2023 • Dallas |
Nancy and Mark RovenstineSep 6, 2023 • Dallas |
Kyle and Lucina ThompsonAug 23, 2023 • Dallas |
David and CaitAug 9, 2023 • Dallas |
Mandy and Leonard BagdanovAug 2, 2023 • Dallas |
Michelle and Nate BallJul 26, 2023 • Dallas |
David and Tara JensenMay 3, 2023 • Dallas |
David and Manuela AcostaRe|Engage • Mar 26, 2023 |
Jared and Leigh Anne SullivanJared & Leigh Anne Sullivan • Jan 11, 2023 • Dallas |
Markus and Mary Kay JabekJan 4, 2023 • Dallas |
Neil and Jody CurranDec 7, 2022 • Dallas |
Scot and Michelle BuchananNov 30, 2022 • Dallas |
David and CaitNov 16, 2022 • Dallas |
Michael and Melinda ParisiMichael Parisi, Melinda Parisi • Oct 12, 2022 • Dallas |
Jim and Judy WimberleyJim & Judy Wimberley • Apr 28, 2021 |
Ryan and Callie NixonAug 28, 2020 |
Steve and Amie BradleyJun 2, 2020 |
Troy and Julia BussmeirFeb 7, 2020 |
Nick and Rachel KleinFeb 7, 2020 |
Mike and Shelly AhlemeierFeb 7, 2020 |
Matt and Andrea WalkerFeb 7, 2020 |
Luis and Kaylee CaceresFeb 7, 2020 |
Graham and Stacey RobbinsFeb 7, 2020 |
Andy and Jenny MarshFeb 7, 2020 |
Jared and Leigh Anne SullivanFeb 5, 2020 • Dallas |
Michael and Selena ThompsonOct 21, 2019 |
Brandon and Brittani TravelsteadSep 7, 2019 |
Martin and Lenore GaoJul 24, 2019 • Dallas |
John and Debbie WingfieldJun 12, 2019 |
Alex and Jen LeskoJun 12, 2019 |
Tim and Kalyn GeregJun 5, 2019 |
Jimmy and Michelle ComeauxMay 29, 2019 |
Jason and Mandy CastroMay 15, 2019 |
David and Robin HowardMay 15, 2019 |
Robert and Linda GreenRobert and Linda Green • Apr 10, 2019 |
LaDale and Cynthia BuggsApr 10, 2019 |
Markus and Mary Kay JabekApr 3, 2019 |
Brett and Jan BrusterBrett & Jan Bruster • Mar 13, 2019 |
Greg and Emily GoodinMar 6, 2019 |
Charles and Karen BundrenCharles & Karen Bundren • Feb 6, 2019 |
Bobby and Shari JohnsBobby & Shari Johns • Jan 9, 2019 |
Simon and Katrina SaugierKatrina Saugier, Simon Saugier • Oct 10, 2018 |
David and Denise RenkenDavid & Denise Renken • Sep 10, 2018 • Plano |
Shane and Alissa MauldinAug 22, 2018 |
Greg & Tonya GilmerGreg & Tonya Gilmer • May 30, 2018 |
Paul and Kelly RutherfordPaul & Kelly Rutherford • May 9, 2018 |
Nate and Michelle BallNate & Michelle Ball • May 2, 2018 |
Kevin and Kelli MainzKevin & Kelly Mainz • Apr 18, 2018 |
Brett and Chrisey BillmanBrett & Chrisey Billman • Feb 21, 2018 |
Todd and Alex WagnerTodd & Alex Wagner • Feb 7, 2018 |
Robert and Liz WhiteRobert & Liz White • Nov 8, 2017 |
Kyle and Lucina ThompsonKyle & Lucinda Thompson • Sep 13, 2017 |
John Paul and RenaAug 16, 2017 |
Trey and Shera O'NealTrey O'Neal , Shera O'Neal • Jul 19, 2017 |
Erick and Gina FrankJun 28, 2017 |
Mark and Kathy ThomasMay 17, 2017 |
Peter and EleanorMay 10, 2017 |
Eric and Catherine CouchEric Couch, Catherine Couch • Apr 19, 2017 |
Bill and Ann DalyMar 29, 2017 |
Michael and Stefanie SantiagoMar 6, 2017 |
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Chris and Charece RobbinsFeb 8, 2017 |
Klein and Holly SwannieJan 18, 2017 |
Dean and Tawney MacfarlanJan 11, 2017 |
Mark and Nancy RovenstineDec 21, 2016 |
Rick and Michele HowardRe|Engage • Aug 10, 2016 |
Scott and Laura DeBowRe|Engage • Jul 27, 2016 |
Zech and Kim LumpkinRe|Engage • Jul 20, 2016 |
Scott and Kristen KedershaRe|Engage • Jun 22, 2016 |
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Jon and Kathy FlamingRe|Engage • May 11, 2016 |
Robert and Linda GreenRe|Engage • Apr 30, 2014 |
Mike and Laura LabunskiRe|Engage • Nov 6, 2013 |
“It didn’t take long for God to show us what was missing: the dedication to things that make a marriage flourish, rather than simply being committed to not leave.” – Troy Bussmeir
Julia and Troy Bussmeir took off on a year-long road trip not too long after they married. Over the course of their 20 years together, they’ve lived in 17 different cities. They shared a passion for discovering the heart of each new city and for connecting with new people. But as they put down roots in Texas, they found that the most challenging adventure yet was maintaining a connection with each other.
Julia
“My parents are farmers and immigrants from Finland, and had a difficult time transitioning to their new culture in America and Washington State. My four siblings and I were taught that if you give a compliment to someone, it might go to their head. So there wasn’t much affirmation in our home. I became quite suspicious and mistrusting of men. Fortunately, I had a good friend who invited me to go to church, which influenced me in a positive way.
“My husband Troy and I started dating when I was 19, and we married when I was 21. With little preparation for marriage, we didn’t know what we were getting into. I continued to struggle with trust and with finding my identity in what others thought of me, rather than in the truth of God’s Word. I grew when we found a healthy church community in Austin. But things went backward after we moved to Ft. Worth.
“The move to North Texas was really a desert time in my life, and that was hard on our marriage. Troy was consumed with work, and I felt very lonely and disconnected from him. We also didn’t have the community with other believers that we’d longed for. I’ve always been about building a better marriage, but once we got here, I felt so isolated I wanted to give up.”
Troy
“I grew up in Seattle. My father had bipolar disorder, so our home was unsettled. There was love and good times, but the bad times were really scary.
“I trusted Christ when I was six or seven. I was active in church and took an interest in going and serving on discipleship trips in Mexico. I liked the stable, safe feeling that I had away from home.
“The legacy of those early years was that I resisted showing my real emotions. I thought that if people really knew what had gone on at home, they’d judge me. After getting married, I didn’t want to share my thoughts and feelings with my wife because I worried she’d think I was weak.
“I’d always searched for a mentor and father figure, and I found that through discipleship at church. When we found a healthy church environment in Austin, I was challenged to confront the sin in my life and encouraged to deepen my relationship with Christ.
“We moved to the DFW area so I could work for a bank that was on the edge of failing. I knew that job would drain the energy out of our lives, and it did. I ran 90 miles per hour with my job, and I essentially abandoned my family for a bit. The breakdown came when I backed off on the hours I was spending at work. I was more available, and I felt like I deserved a better response from Julia. But our connection was lost.”
Reconnecting
Julia: “When we got to Watermark, it was refreshing to hear an authentic view of what community is. We appreciated the honesty about struggles and conflict. God really began a work in our marriage when we went to re|engage, Watermark’s marriage ministry. We watched other couples in our group talk about things they’d never put on the table before. That helped us have an open conversation about ‘the real us.’”
Troy: “It took time to see that I needed to do much better at actively pursuing my wife. We’d been so disconnected from community and each other that it needed to be confronted. It didn’t take long for God to show us what was missing: the dedication to things that make a marriage flourish, rather than simply being committed to not leave. For me, I wasn’t getting my spiritual nourishment. How could I expect external relationships to grow when I wasn’t tapping into the source of life in God’s Word? I became ridiculously aware of how much of a jerk I was apart from Christ. As I found my identity in the Lord, my life and our relationship started on an upswing.”
Julia: “I learned so much about myself and about Troy in re|engage. I saw my own tendency to depend on Troy, rather than Christ, for my identity. I learned that only in Christ could I feel the wholeness I desire. As a result, both of us have come to depend on the Lord collectively more than we ever have before. We’re leading in re|engage now, and we’ve found that when we’re transparent and open with others, we find great freedom. It’s great to walk with others through their marriages as we work on our own. It’s a constant reminder that God is still at work.”
This series contains teachings and testimonies of God's transforming power in marriages at re|engage. re|engage is designed specifically to address needs in marriage by helping couples move towards oneness in their marriage through stories of grace, teaching and small groups. Whether your marriage needs to be reignited, or is in need of a complete resurrection, re|engage is a safe place for couples to reconnect. It is a 16-week experience which includes a time of praise and worship, a teaching or a testimony by a couple who has experienced victory in the midst of hard times, and small group time which follows a specified curriculum. We meet every Wednesday night, 6:30-8:15 p.m. in The Loft (7540 LBJ Freeway @ Park Central, Dallas). Kids Ministry is available with advance registration.