19.The fellowship of suffering with Jim Barnard

Episode 19 of the Testimony podcast is a conversation with author and coach Jim Barnard. 

When Jim and his wife Alisha met and started dating, there was no real indication that things would go the way they did. In September 2006, they stood in front of their friends, family, and God and made a covenant together for life. The vows promised to love, comfort, and support each other through good and bad, joy and pain, and most importantly... sickness and health.

Three months later, Alisha's health took a dramatic turn for the worse and she was ultimately diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Countless surgeries, tests, treatments, and therapies failed to solve the rapid downfall she continues to experience.

In this episode we talk about the journey of faith that Jim has been on, a journey in which expectation has not lived up to reality, a journey that has involved disappointment, anger, pain, and sorrow. 

Now after nearly 15 years of marriage Jim has found a place where he can testify to God’s grace. Reflecting on Jesus’ own experience on Earth he says:

"Jesus suffering changed the world, that changed everything. It's a privilege to have my arms held up by others, and to hold up the arms of others."

This is Jim's story.