Apparently I am on a bit of a kick related to these “God Stories”. I recently finished organizing and leading a course called “Man School” at my awesome church. Week 4 of Man School was entitled “Leading in Sacrificial Love”. During that lecture, we discussed dating, marriage, sex, porn, friendship, etc, and how men are called to humbly and courageously serve, lead and protect God’s daughters.

For that lecture, we showed the brief video story of “Ian and Larissa Murphy”. This story shows such a compelling example of the CHOICE and POWER of intentional, Holy-Spirit-driven love. Ian and Larissa met each other in college and “hit it off”. Around when they had been dating for 10 months, Ian got in an accident that caused severe brain damage. The traumatic damage severely impacted his mind, speech, and body.

After he regained a higher level of mental ability… they decided to marry, despite the difficulties and challenges. It is pointless for me to describe the video and story any further… you should watch it.

The letter below from John Piper, has been taken from http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-story-of-ian-larissa

Dear Friends,

Desiring God exists to help people everywhere understand and embrace the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. And I would add, especially in suffering.

Being satisfied in God (or anything) always seems easier when all is going well. But when things you love are being stripped out of your hands, then the test is real. If God remains precious in those moments, then his supreme worth shines more brightly. He is most glorified.

The most meaningful testimonies I receive are when people tell me that it was a vision of the sovereignty and goodness of God that got them through the most difficult times of their life.

Here is one of those testimonies. I tremble with the glad responsibility of introducing you to Ian & Larissa Murphy in this video. Tremble, because it is their story and so personal. So delicate. So easily abused. So unfinished. Glad, because Christ is exalted over all things.

We have a big vision at Desiring God: we want to reach as many people as possible with our message of Christian Hedonism—the gladness of God in being God and in making people glad in him. We have at our disposal the amazing power of the Web. That is our main way of spreading.

But internet statistics can conceal as well as reveal. These are people. Each Website visit represents a real person with an eternal soul. What a responsibility! Pray for us that we would steward our influence well. And thank you for your partnership to make this ministry possible.

Love Ian and Larissa as you watch this amazing story. Pray for them. And us.

Your partner in the greatest cause,

John Piper
with Josh Etter

Below are a few additional links to blog posts from Larissa Murphy at Desiring God:

• Part 1: Why We Got Married
• Part 2: Learning Contentment in Suffering
• Part 3: A Daily Disabled Life

This Momentary Marriage & Desiring God from John Piper

One of my primary goals for this website is to share exciting resources that will help you grow in your worship of Jesus. As that happens, the Holy Spirit will continue to transform our hearts and empower us to love our spouses and others more fully. John Piper is an incredible, Christ-loving, Bible-preaching, Spirit-led pastor. He preaches at Bethlehem Baptist Church in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. He is also a prolific author that has published many wonderfully helpful books, such as: Don’t Waste Your Life and Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist.

The book mentioned in the video is John Piper’s most recent, it is entitled “This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence“. While on vacation this year, my wife and I actually read this book together. It was a great and prayer-provoking book. I will probably post additional thoughts from it some day. The book is a detailed and illuminating exploration of marriage as a covenant that reflect’s Christ and His sacrifice for and service of His bride, the church. It is the most in-depth and challenging examination of that mysterious truth that I have ever read. 

Ephesians 5:25-27: ²⁵  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her bythe washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

To show you how awesome John Piper’s heart for transformed lives and marriage is (for the glory of God)… they actually give away “This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence” for FREE as a downloadable PDF.

You should definitely bookmark Piper’s Desiring God website. It contains THOUSANDS of sermons from John Piper and other wonderful pastors that you can download for free. Their mission is: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him”.