Marriage Intensive need

My name is Cody Parker, husband to Emily and father to Eden. I have been married to my wife for nearly ten years now. Vulnerably I share with you that when I committed to my wife in my vows, I was unaware of how my secrecy and unhealthy habits would affect her as we moved through life together. I confess that what I thought I could manage alone was naive, and I could not. For many years I have struggled with ‘Unwanted Sexual Behavior’ amongst other addictions and have brought significant trauma and betrayal to my wife, family and community.

By God’s good grace and divine mystery, I have been called out of this domain of darkness and into ministry, as has my wife. For three years now, I have pursued men’s hearts who are struggling as I have. My wife has also found gifting in walking with those who have been betrayed or traumatized. She is pursuing her master’s degree at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology to become a trained psychotherapist.

The road to healing from these types of harm or even our individual stories is not linear and takes serious commitment and support. Over the past three years, my wife and I have received fantastic support through prayer and inner circle friendships, for which we are eternally grateful. But beyond these resources, we are challenged financially, having navigated a 3-month inpatient treatment program, continued individual therapy and now a master’s program. We both know that we are being called to utilize our gifts of attunement through experience for others who are faced with a similar story. But we are not done learning or maturing or gaining more profound healing experiences where we can be better prepared to walk with those God puts in our path.

For this reason, we are asking to be supported financially as we pursue a ‘Therapeutic Marriage Intensive’ facilitated by Dr. Dan & Becky Allender (of the Allender Center) and Dr. Steve & Lisa Call. This intensive is scheduled for March of 2023 for six couples and includes three days of very strategic individual story work and intimate therapeutic interaction from highly trained psychologists. The cost for this intensive is $6,400. Emily and I are prepared to navigate this financial challenge by whatever means necessary because we deeply desire continued healing for our marriage and wisdom to raise our child and walk well with those we encounter along the path. Dr. Dan Allender states, "You can only take those as far as you are willing to take yourself." This marriage intensive is a tremendous tool to help us help ourselves and couples navigate heartache like ours.

Thank you for your considered support,

Cody & Emily Parker

[email redacted]