A Tenacious Love:
The Story of Scotty and Jessica
by Kristi Overton Johnson with Scotty and Jessica
Scotty and Jessica were some of the first
people I met when I began ministering behind
prison walls. With their lime green shirts, Passion
for Prison vests, and roaring motorcycles, they
were hard to miss. Also unmistakable was their
passion for the ones the Bible refers to as “the
least of these.” Thousands of inmates have been
impacted by the unconditional love this couple
demonstrates through their faithful prison visits.
The day I met Scotty and Jessica, I knew I
wanted to share their amazing story of faith and
love with our Victorious Living family. That was in
2014. Three years later, the time has finally come.
As Scotty and Jessica sat on my couch for the
interview, it only took one question to get their
story rolling. For several hours, I sat with my
computer on my lap, listening and smiling as
they finished one another’s sentences. Both were
eager to share every detail of their amazing God
story. I typed feverishly to capture each word. It
truly is an amazing story of patience, love, and
ultimately trusting God in every detail of their
lives. It all started with a simple question:
So, when did you guys start dating?
S: January seventh, 6:35 p.m., 2003.
J: He always says that.
S: Well, that was when I started dating Jessica.
January seventh, 6:35 p.m., 2003 was the
moment the Lord spoke to my heart and
told me she was the one He’d picked for
me. I’d been in one bad relationship after
another and had all but given up hope of
having someone in my life. I had told God
that if He wanted me to be in a relationship,
then He would have to pick the woman and
bring His choice to me. My picker was broke! I
remember hearing so clearly, “She’s the one,”
but at the time I thought for sure that God’s
picker must be broke too! This woman was
mean as a snake and made it very clear that
she wanted nothing to do with me. “She’s
the one, God? Really?” Surely He must be
kidding.
J: I was mean. (Laughs) I remember that night
well. We were going to a singles’ Bible study
and had met at McDonalds in Tampa. My
friend leaned over to me and said, “Hey, Jess,
this is Scotty. He’s single, and he’s your age.” I
looked at her, glanced at him, and said, “So?”
I didn’t want anything to do with him. I
wasn’t interested in no man except Jesus. I’d
been sexually abused, beaten, ridiculed, and
nearly killed at the hands of men. I was done!
And besides, Scotty wasn’t even my type. He
looked all preppy and clean cut. I wanted a
tough man, one with a beard!
S: For the record, I was not preppy. And, until
that time, I had always worn a beard. She just
happened to meet me when I had just cut it
off. It was a new season for me, a fresh start.
But hey, if she needed a beard, I’d grow one.
And I did. In the coming months, we were
together often in a group setting. We began
having conversations. Sometimes it looked
like she was going to let me in, but then she’d
slam the door. It was so confusing.
J: I just was not interested. Or so I tried to tell
myself. I’d yell at him, hang up the phone on
him, and tell him to leave me alone. But then
a group of us would be in the car together,
and Scotty would do something that would
really tug at my heart. Like I’d stop to pump
gas, and Scotty would jump out of the car,
pump my gas, and then pay for it. I was like,
“What?” No man had ever done anything like
that for me.
S: I’m still buying her gas, by the way!
J: One time, Scotty and I went to a singles
conference in Orlando. I told him not to
follow me around; I was there to grow in
my relationship with God. I didn’t want him
interfering. But then, I remember looking
around and wondering, “Where is Scotty?” I
really did want him to pursue me.
S: Hey, she told me to stay away, so I stayed
away. Then she tells me I was supposed to
follow her? Good grief. I began to wonder
about God’s choice. Maybe I’d missed it. I
went to godly men in the church for counsel
and they’d ask me, “Scotty, what do you want
to do above all?” The answer was simple. I
wanted to follow the Lord and be obedient to
Him. I wanted His choice for me, and nothing
less. Hearing my answer, they would say,
“Then what choice do you have but to stand
strong and cling to God’s promise?”
In retrospect, the Lord was teaching me
to trust Him. I’m an emotional person. That’s
not all bad—I mean, God created emotions.
But a problem arises when your emotions
lead your decisions. Every other relationship
I’d had prior to Jessica, I had initiated based
on my emotions. They felt comfortable. This
time God was saying, “Listen, Scotty. I know
this doesn’t look good now; it doesn’t feel
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