My Conversation with Marcy D

In this podcast episode, I have a conversation with Marcy with my guest Marcy who joins me from Alabama. Marcy grew up, the daughter of a single father. Along the years she was always looking and searching for something.  As a teen and she started seeking attention and fell into promiscuity and drinking. While living in Chicago, in her twenties her choices would eventually  lead her to a few failed relationships, early pregnancy and then ultimately a second divorce where she was facing losing her kids.
Marcy started dancing to make money to pay her lawyer. This was the low point in her life and felt the tug from God to leave everything behind and join the Army.

In the Army she met her husband and together they would follow Jesus.
Marcy is a "sojourner on her way home. Bond servant 0f Christ, wife and mother."
She teaches an online Women's Bible Study Group for all women.
Her story is so encouraging and humbling.

I pray you will be blessed by Marcy's story as I am.
Thank you for tuning in.

Transcript

Ann: 0:09

Hey there, friends. My name is Anne Calvio and welcome to her Scars Tell a Story, podcast, A safe space for women from all different walks of life and different backgrounds coming together to share their stories of God's redeeming love. So grab your cup of coffee and journey with us now. Hey there friends. Welcome to her Scars. Tell a Story podcast. I'm your host Ann Calvio, and today I am with a very special guest, a friend of a friend, who was referred to share her story Today. I'm really excited for you all to meet Marcy. Welcome Marcy. Hi. Thank you. You're so welcome, and thank you for joining me today. Can you start by letting us know a little bit about yourself?

Marcy: 1:10

Sure. So my name is Marcie. Um, um, I grew up the daughter of a single father. He was agnostic and, um, I kind of grew up feeling a little bit empty, a little bit sad, you know, not having a mother. And, um, I was looking for something. I was searching for something. And so throughout my teens and twenties, I fell into kind of a habit of promiscuity and attention seeking, uh, alcohol use. And eventually that led me to a few failed relationships. Um, Early pregnancy and then ultimately, um, a second divorce where I was facing losing my kids. So what I did was I began dancing, uh, at a place called PO Cats in order to make enough money to get a lawyer. And I did that for about two years. And that was like the low point, like the Brock Bottom and. I started feeling the tug of what I now know to be God calling me to join the army. And um, so I did that. I was obedient to the voice cuz I had been praying a little bit, you know, throughout my period of time dancing, you know, cuz I wasn't happy. I mean, I think, you know, a lot of us, when we're in sin and we're in our flesh, we think we're gonna make ourselves happy, but we're not happy. And, uh, I was feeling that tug after I'd prayed. And so I went and I joined and it was just interesting how like once I left and, uh, in basic training on Sundays, they let you go to church if you want. So I went to church and I would just start crying. Like you, I would just like, the tears would start flowing, not really for any particular reason. It was just this feeling of like, you're being washed off, like you're being showered and it just makes you cry. And I just started to feel like this healing start and um, eventually throughout my career in the Army, I met my husband and, you know, God blessed our union. He gave us a rainbow at our wedding. And we started going to church together. And more and more I started, you know, building my faith and getting to know Jesus. And just in the past two years, I started studying the Bible and it blew me away how much proof there is for God, how much evidence there is for God, how the Bible has so much meaning and layers of information and all that. And so I started a Bible study for women. And now several of the girls I used to work with at PO Cats have joined me in that Bible study. So just overall, it's been like from one extreme to the other in a matter of about 10 years, and it's been amazing. Like the work he's done in me has been amazing. Mm-hmm. Wow,

Ann: 4:22

That is pretty amazing. You gave us a lot and so I kind of just wanna backtrack a little bit. I wanted, yeah, no, that was

Marcy: 4:29

the overall summary.

Ann: 4:32

You did great at summarizing that. but I wanted to go back to you, trying to earn wages to pay for this lawyer. I know, I believe you grew up in Chicago, right? And can you tell us a little bit about that and that stage of your life?

Marcy: 4:51

So, when I lived in Chicago, I had several different jobs. Like I worked as a medical assistant. I was trying to pay my way through nursing school. I worked at T-Mobile, you know, and I was in and out of relationships. That were never very successful. They were never stable, and I had a lot of instability. And Chicago is a, it's, it's a unique place. Like there's a lot of people and a lot of good things going on, but then there's also a lot of ways to get into trouble. And, uh, I was going to clubs, I was drinking. I was like, just, I had a really active nightlife and I really didn't wanna give that up. Even, you know, in my marriage, like my husband was the same way. He would party a lot and drink and that caused a lot of friction. And ultimately the marriage ended, which is, you know, going to happen when you're both drinking, you're both partying, you're both flirting, you know, and the problem was though, is at that time, because of the situation, I moved out and. He started keeping the kids away from me. And so then instead of dealing with that in a healthy way, I started drinking even more and I started partying even more. And then when he served me with the papers that said he wanted full custody of the kids is when I was like, oh, how am I gonna pay for this? You know? So I got this bright idea that, dancers make a lot of money. And I should just go do it. And I mean it, it did help me get the down payment I needed, but I found myself like instead of drinking on the weekends now, I was drinking every night because I couldn't, like, I didn't wanna do the job like sober. I wanted to be a little bit drunk to be able to talk to people, to be able to act that way. And it was just like a spiral, like cuz you know, alcohol causes more depression. And I remember coming home. To my empty apartment and like just praying and being like, God, help me. What am I doing? And I even think that like the reason I was drinking so much was because like deep down, like I had the Holy Spirit convicting me as I was doing it. Like, what are you doing? You don't belong here. You know? And I don't know, I'm just grateful that I listened. Because I feel like there's a lot of girls in the same situation who maybe have that same feeling, but they think like, oh, it can't be God because I'm sure God wants nothing to do with me because I'm too bad, or I'm too far gone, or I've been doing this too long. And, um, I, I mean, I think it's obvious just from my situation that God is never is gonna look at anybody and think, oh, you're too far gone, or, you've done it, you've done too much. That he just doesn't, he doesn't get to that point like he always is waiting. Like no matter how far down the wrong road you go, he's always one step behind you waiting for you to turn around and he's gonna walk you back. So, yeah, I just. I got wrapped up in all of the nightlife and the partying, and I thought that was gonna make me happy and I thought it was gonna solve my problems, and ultimately the answer was Jesus. Mm-hmm.

Ann: 8:00

When did you encounter Jesus? When did you know that I have to have this relationship with Jesus?

Marcy: 8:08

so I think. Back in my childhood, my grandparents taught me about Jesus and I believed in him, but I never gave him any effort. Does that make sense? So it was always kind of a little voice in the back of my head, throughout my whole life of like, God is real. he does matter. You should take him seriously. But I always picked myself and I think it was hitting that rock bottom. Is what I needed to really be like, no, you're living wrong. Like you need to, to make him a priority. Mm-hmm. And I think, I think a lot of us are like that, where, it's the people that really are okay living their lives. Like on a status quo that are in the most danger because they don't get to that point where they're like, man, I really need help. Yeah. And I, and I mean, and, and that's not to say everybody needs to hit that big of a low to get there, but I definitely did so and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Ann: 9:06

Yeah, I can relate. I can totally relate to you. I had to hit rock bottom. I had to get there. And as you mentioned, I think that it's when we hit rock bottom that we realize he is our rock. At the bottom, he is our rock. You know, he is our strong tower and he is the one that we need to seek refuge. And when we hit that rock bottom, I thank you for sharing that. I also thank you for sharing about. When you're in that place of, desperation, right? You were in a place of desperation for your children and the choices that you made, weren't maybe choices you would've made had you not been in a desperate situation, right? But I love that you say that you're never too far gone. So even, even in the midst of that, you, you are never too far gone and, and so what would you say to the woman who feels like I am too far gone? You know, you just don't know what I've been through. What would you say to that woman today? So

Marcy: 10:08

I would point her to the scripture, and this is my favorite scripture. Um, Jesus was invited to a Pharisees house for dinner, and when he gets there and he's sitting at the table, there's a prostitute that's crying onto his feet and washing his feet with her hair and. The F Jesus can hear the Pharisees thoughts and he hears the Pharisees judging him. Like, why is someone, you know, claiming to be a prophet, letting such an unclean woman touch him? And Jesus says to the man, like, Hey, let me ask you a question. And he tells him a little story about, um, he said, A man forgives two debts, one debt of like, A hundred thousand dollars in the other debt of like$10, who's gonna love him more? And the pharacy answer, well obviously the guy who is forgiven more and then Jesus has says exactly. So. This woman was forgiven, much be because of that. She loves much. She loves a lot. And you know someone who thinks, because the Pharisee would also need his sense forgiven, but he doesn't even realize it. So he thinks he's not being forgiven or he is forgiven little and he says he's forgiven. Little loves little. So I would tell the person who feels like they're so far gone that. You're that person Jesus was talking about, you are the person who's gonna love Jesus so much more because you were forgiven so much more. Because that's how I feel Like I always tell people like I am the prostitute washing his feet with my hair. I, I don't deserve his forgiveness. I definitely did lots of things out of selfishness. I'm responsible for the things that I did. I made those choices like it's not all someone else's fault. But he still loves me and he still said, Marcy come home. And he's gonna say that to, to other people that have done worse than me. Like that's just who he is. I mean, the whole Bible is a love story. So that's what I would tell them because I think that story is really illustra illustrative of how he's forgiving and how he, I, he loves us more like. You know, the more, like, I think something else he said was, there's, uh, more celebration in heaven over one sinner repenting than there is over a righteous man. So, mm-hmm. Yeah.

Ann: 12:45

I love the way you, you broke that down and the way you shared that. I can relate to that woman with the vester jar, with, with that perfume as she anoint the feet of Jesus and prepares him and how he would use this woman. This woman, this outcast, this woman that was not welcome there. Jesus openly and lovingly and graciously welcomed her there and made space for her there. And I I thank you for sharing that this morning. That that is powerful. And I also just wanna speak into a little bit about, you know, you mentioned meeting your husband and. You know what God, what God's been doing in your life. Can you tell us what God is doing now in your life? So

Marcy: 13:34

God brought me a man that loves me the way I was always looking for, and ever since I've been with him, you know, my life has settled down. Um, I'm a labor and delivery nurse. Um, I have this ministry where, you know, we do this Bible study every Thursday night. Oh. Um, he, and again, my husband goes to church with me. He, you know, he's, he did bible studies with me. He takes care of me. It's just so different from my life before. And like God really has like, It's like he was standing there waiting with the life that I've been wanting all along, you know, just waiting for me to wake up and come to him. You know, it's, it's, it's just crazy. Like Aisha could tell you like the difference between who I was before and who I am now is night and day, and then my life looks night and day difference. Like, you know, having a stable, I've been in my marriage now since 2015. Whereas before, the longest relationship I'd ever had was like four or five years. But now I've been in this relationship for a decade. Mm-hmm. Um, cuz I met him in 2013 and um, it's just been so different from how I was before. It's since it's. For people that know me, it's like they can see it, but it's, it's hard to explain it, but I'm just, I'm so much more stable. I'm more peaceful, I'm more joyful and I'm more committed to, um, doing the work that Christ has for me. Like I want to do work for his kingdom. I don't just wanna do stuff for myself. Mm-hmm. I wanna do things that bring people home. Um, I wanna help people understand and defend the faith I want. You know, I just, I want to expand God's kingdom because it, like, that just feels like the biggest priority. It feels like why we're all here.

Ann: 15:35

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What role did the military play in all this? I guess when did you, join or get recruited into the military?

Marcy: 15:45

I entered in 2012 and then I left in 2016. So I did a four year contract. the military, so if you remember, there's a story where Jesus tells a, a rich young ruler to leave all his things behind to follow Jesus. And it's like, granted, joining the military isn't following Jesus, but I felt like. God, whenever I was crying while I was dancing, God was like, leave all of this behind and go do something scary and hard. Mm-hmm. And then, you know, you're gonna come out the other side. And, um, so in a way that was like my rich young ruler moment, except I didn't walk away. I actually did it. I, I remember I gave away all my furniture. Like I left all of my clothes, I left everything. I think I packed like a very small bag cuz they only let you bring like some lotion, a toothbrush, you know, they don't even let you have makeup. So I like packed this little bag and I go off to Oklahoma for basic training and you know, I'm there with no friends, no family. And the only thing I had that was a comfort was going to church on Sunday. And, uh, I felt like that was God being like, okay, like give up your whole life and you know, let me be the only thing in your life for a while. And, uh, I did and I'm so glad I did it, you know, because again, it led me here. And, um, I think people need to not be afraid that when, you know, they're in that situation where everything seems wrong to make to. If God's calling you to make a big change, like make the big change, you know, like do the scary thing. Cause he's, he's going to carry you through it. I mean, he's got you, you know, if he's asking you to do it, he's gonna get you through it. He's not gonna let you fail. And he didn't, he, he got me through basic, he got me through, uh, my job training. He got me through my contract. He kept me safe and he led me to where I am and he led me to, um, my true life partner and, um, yeah, and, and, and I'm just so glad that he gave me this opportunity.

Ann: 17:57

That's awesome. Um, so you met your husband in the military, correct. Correct. So what part of the military training do you believe got also used for your calling now? How did he equip you through that military for now?

Marcy: 18:13

Um, I think, uh, work one, working as a team. Um, I've met lots of women and other believers and. We're all the body of Christ, right? So, and we're supposed to work together. We all have different gifts, you know, the eye is not the hand and so on and so forth. So in the military, you have to work as a team. You have to take care of each other. And, um, Jesus calls us to the, the, we will be known by our love for one another. And like the women that I've met and the friends that I've made through Christ, um, It's, it's similar to working together in the same way. It's like you're trying to achieve a goal. You're trying to bring people home. You're trying to tell them about the gospel, and you need everybody's different gifts to achieve that goal. And then also just being willing to suffer. Sometimes I think, God asked us to sacrifice. He asked us to sacrifice time with our families. He asked us to sacrifice our money, sometimes our time, um, to give back, to be the light and salt, you know, to serve others. Um, And in the military, yeah, you have to, you sacrifice sleep, you sacrifice good food, you sacrifice comfort, and, and that's similar to what God asked us to do in discipleship. So things like that, just getting you in that mindset of sacrifice and, and, uh, hard work and, and being willing to go through trials. Hmm.

Ann: 19:47

And right now you're, you're currently, serving in women's ministry?

Marcy: 19:51

Well, I run my own Bible study that I started, um, God kind of prompted me to do an online bible study for military wives. Yeah. Um, and it's grown. I wanna say I have like about 10 to 12 people that attend regularly on Thursday nights. Uh, right now we're in the book of Romans. That's just something I do on my own. I do have a male cover that I. Run my notes through because, uh, you know, I believe in working, you know, with the church hierarchy, you know, with men and women. Um, I do run my notes through male cover, but I, um, I teach that on my own. And then I do go to a church here in, uh, Alabama where I live, and I do do some kind of like local outreach stuff that they do. We went to, um, help another church establish, establish a barbecue and party in an area to try to attract Spanish speaking people to the church in that area cuz they have a large Spanish population. Mm-hmm. Um, so I mean, I just try to find ways. That I can, like, you know, contribute to God's kingdom. Sometimes it takes a little effort to look, find things to do, you know, like you have to create your own opportunities. But

Ann: 21:12

yeah, I, I love that you have an online ministry with military wives. Um, is that open to all military wives or it's open to

Marcy: 21:20

all women. I've invited women from all walks of, like I said, there's some girls I used to dance with that attend. Mm-hmm. Um, there's some military-wise and then, um, I also run an account on Twitter where I talk about Jesus all the time. I've met women there that, you know, I've told them, oh, hey, if you wanna study the Bible, you can come. So it's open to anyone who wants to come. Uh, it's on Facebook. So if you have a Facebook, you can come to my Bible study if and if you're a woman. So

Ann: 21:50

can you tell us the name of it? So if somebody's interested, they can look you up.

Marcy: 21:54

Um, it, it's just under my own Facebook. Uh, I add them. I have a thread in Facebook Messenger that I add them into, and then I just, uh, every week I put. I open a room and then I put the link in the, in the message thread and you just click join. It's pretty easy. Okay. Kinda like zoom.

Ann: 22:13

Oh, okay. Okay. Oh, no, that's wonderful. I think that's great. And I, I appreciate you, um, sharing that. So one of the things that I wanted to go ahead and also talk about before I let you go is, what words of encouragement would you have for someone who's currently, maybe right now struggling in their faith? Maybe they're at the crossroad right now and they don't know where to go. What would you say to that woman?

Marcy: 22:42

So, I would say don't, don't be afraid to call out. Cause Jesus says, you know, all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. So I think a lot of times people, when they're in their sin or they're in their flesh, they think they need to change their behavior before they ask God for help. And I would say, no, it's the opposite. You need to ask God for help and then he's gonna change you. Um, so just cry out to him. He's gonna answer you. He, uh, He doesn't ignore us. he's always waiting. And, um, anyone with a repentant heart, you know, he's ready to help you. And definitely also reach out to other believers. Uh, we love to talk about Jesus, so, um, My name on Facebook is Anne Marcy, and, uh, if anyone ever wants to talk, feel free to add me. Send me a message. Um, I could talk privately. It doesn't have to be in a Bible study, but yeah. Jesus is always going to be there when you cry out to him. That's, that's his promise to people who seek him, is that all who call on his name will be saved. Hmm.

Ann: 23:57

Marcy, I really appreciate you taking the time to meet with me and share your story with our listeners. I pray that whoever listens to your story, will just be blessed by it. Cuz it, it truly has blessed me and I really do wanna continue to talk to you, um, and just get to know you. I, I admire your grit and your grace. That's what I admire about you. Thank you. Thank

Marcy: 24:22

you, and thanks for having me. And I love what you're doing. Um, like I said, I, I really admire people who make their own opportunities. I think that's what God is looking for, is people who are bold enough to, you know, not necessarily always rely on a church, but to make their own opportunities for ministry and discipleship. And I think what you're doing is great. Mm-hmm.

Ann: 24:44

God gets the glory, right? God gets the glory in this, right? We're just, we're just His vessels, um, that he uses, to be his hands and his feet here to be his heart here. So I really do thank you. And I just wanna take a moment to thank the listeners, for listening into this episode. Stay tuned to the next episode of Her Scar's. Tell a story