Scotty and Jessica kneel beside the replica of Jacob’s
well at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida,
where Scotty proposed to Jessica.
looked at me and said, “Jessica, I think we
have a keeper. I’ve seen the way he’s been
watching you.”
S: She started being nicer to me after that.
(Laughs) Next thing I know, we’re riding
motorcycles into prison together and
ministering the freedom of Jesus Christ to
thousands of inmates. This was right up my
alley, as I had grown up riding motorcycles.
J: I hadn’t. I learned to ride when a complete
stranger gave me a bike and paid for me to
attend a motorcycle class! Scotty paid his way
and attended the class too.
S: I’ve paid for a lot of things since I’ve met this
girl! It was over a not-so-romantic meal at
Kentucky Fried Chicken that I was paying for
that she finally gave in and said, “Okay, we can
date.” After all the things I had been buying,
I’d thought we’d been dating since January
seventh, 6:35 p.m., 2003!
J: Now that we were officially dating, I started
paying attention to who Scotty was as a
person. We grew close, and then I found out
that Scotty had been married before. I felt like
the wind had been knocked out of me. I didn’t
want some other woman’s husband! I asked
Scotty to tell me what had happened and
prepared myself for his excuses—but there
were none. He simply said, “I disobeyed God.
I pray for His forgiveness.”
I had never heard a man call sin, sin. Scotty
didn’t give any excuses or justify his actions.
He just admitted he was wrong and confessed
his sin without any blame. 1 John 1:9 says if
we confess our sin, Jesus forgives and cleanses
us of all unrighteousness. I realized in that
moment I wanted to marry a man like that.
Scotty proposed to me at the Holy Land
Experience in Orlando. He led me to the
display of Jacob’s well, knelt down on one
Scotty and Jessica’s wedding reflected imagery from the biblical love story of Jacob and Rachel.
the moment you put
your whole faith in
Jesus, God shows up.
knee, and read Genesis 29:20: “So Jacob
worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his
love for her was so strong that it seemed to
him but a few days.”
“I have the same love for you that Jacob
had for Rachel,” he said. “Will you marry me?”
People gathered around us, watching his
proposal.
S: She said yes! We went to our pastor, whom
we both loved and respected, for premarital
counseling. When he discovered I’d been
divorced, he didn’t feel that he could marry
us. We were saddened by his response. I
wanted our pastor’s blessing, and I wanted
desperately to marry Jess, but more than
anything, I wanted to be right with God. If
marrying Jess wasn’t a part of His plan, then
I would lay it down.
J: Scotty came to me and asked for the ring back
until he could rectify this situation. He had to
take it off my finger, because he had promised
he would never ask me to take it off. I’ve never
seen a man cry so hard. Our pastor had told
him he needed to try to reconcile with his exwife.
S: Well, if our pastor felt I needed to reach out
to her, then that’s what I’d do. It took me a
while to track my ex down. I called her father
and asked for his forgiveness for divorcing his
daughter. He was gracious and gave me her
number. I went to my pastor’s office to make
the call, but before I could dial the number, he
said, “Wait! After counseling with other pastors
and witnessing your heart to make things right
with God, I believe communicating with your
ex will be like digging up dry bones. Unless
you want to call her, you don’t have to.” I hung
up the phone as fast as I could! He blessed our
marriage, and I ran to a friend’s house where
Jessica was pet-sitting.
J: The first time Scotty proposed, it was so
romantic. This time, I was in the middle of
changing kitty litter!
S: Hey, I wasn’t waiting another minute! Thinking
back to when I picked up the phone to call my
ex-wife, I am reminded of when God asked
Abraham to lay his son, Isaac, on the altar
(Genesis 22). The moment Abraham lifted
his knife to sacrifice his son, God stopped
him. Likewise, the moment I picked up the
phone, God—through that pastor—stopped
me. Often God just wants to see if we will fully
trust Him and take difficult steps of obedience.
My being willing to step back from marrying
Jessica and reconcile with my ex showed that
my love of being obedient to God was greater
than anything. Even what my heart longed for
most.
J: It’s true. The moment you put your whole faith
in Jesus Christ, that’s when God shows up!
On July 9, 2004, Scotty and Jessica were married
before their friends and family. No goats were
exchanged for Jessica’s hand, but Scotty and the
bridal party did wear headdresses and robes like
the ones they believed would have been worn
when Jacob married Rachel. Together, Scotty
and Jessica serve the Lord through their Passion
for Prison ministry. For more information, visit
passionforprison.com.
photography by Thomas Porter/Photos At Your Place kojministries.org Issue 4 2017 23
/passionforprison.com
/kojministries.org