WITH THIS GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
Chip and Jan (Blessing) Winnard met in the mid 70's and performed together in various rock bands in and around Berkshire County and the greater Northeast for seven years. Married in 1981, they attempted to build a marriage, home, and family, but soon discovered that the Eastern teachings of yoga and meditation they had both been practicing for many years offered little by way of guidance and support for integrating spirituality and married life. The couple divorced in March of 1995 after 14 years of marriage, and three children, Nick, then 10, Jess, 7, and Gaelan, (G) 5. Chip at that time chose to pursue a life dedicated to the teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and the martial arts. Jan turned from New Age interests, increased her studies of the Bible, and began to seek more of a relationship with Jesus.
Soon after, while attending a Christ-centered 12-Step support/recovery group in nearby Albany, NY, Jan began to understand that for many years she had had a relationship with spirituality and religion, but did not have a personal relationship with Jesus and His Holy Spirit as an indwelling Presence. Continuing her Bible studies, Jan began to grasp why so many of her prayers had gone unanswered, and to understand that no amount of good deeds or religious practices would be sufficient to earn a place in heaven, as she had once believed. Not long after this realization, Jan called on Jesus, confessed her need for His Saving Grace, and asked the Holy Spirit to enter her heart, and take control of her life.
One evening in 1997, while attending a group meeting in Albany, a woman named Madeline approached Jan with a brochure describing a Family Life Marriage Conference. She handed it to Jan and said, You and your husband are going to go to one of these weekends. Jan replied, You must be mistaken,I dont have a husband anymore. I'm divorced. No, Madeline smiled,You and your husband are going to attend one of these conferences. Jan took the brochure, and later left it on Chips kitchen table.
Two years passed, and Chip noticed that Jans attitude toward him had changed. Gradually, the couple began to pray together, and to dialogue more openly about the causes of their divorce. In April of 1999, a caring Christian couple who had learned that Chip and Jan were divorced, stepped forward anonymously, offering to pay for Chip and Jan to attend a Family Life Weekend to Remember in Boston! There, both learned for the first time that the Bible contains a detailed blueprint for the husband/wife relationship, and began to grasp why their efforts to build one on their own terms had failed. Three months later, Chip came to Jans apartment, and told her that he, too, had come to understand his need for a Savior, and wanted Christ and the Holy Spirit to take charge of his life. Shortly afterward, Chip asked Jan to return home with the children. The couple began to do the hard work of reconciliation, and on Feb. 6, 2000, they were re-married as believers in Christ Jesus.
Today, Chip and Jan and their three children, Nick, (24) Jess, (22) and G (20) minister through songs of praise and worship, giving honor and glory to the God who saved and healed their family. Their greatest joy is to encourage others to read and study the Bible for themselves, in order to get to know its loving Author in a very real, and personal way.
WinnardFamilyBand.com ChipWinnard _aol.com
~CLICK HERE to read the the Family Life article on Chip and Jan's divorce and remarriage!~
