When Denise’s ex-husband broke into her home with a gun, her newly-wed husband lured him outside to protect his new wife, his two children and her three children. Corey Mattison was already his family’s hero, but that day he saved their lives by laying down his own, the ultimate illustration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Join us as we hear from Denise about her heroic husband Corey and how Christ has comforted her these past few months.When Denise’s ex-husband broke into her home with a gun, her newly-wed husband lured him outside to protect his new wife, his two children and her three children. Corey Mattison was already his family’s hero, but that day he saved their lives by laying down his own, the ultimate illustration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Join us as we hear from Denise about her heroic husband Corey and how Christ has comforted her these past few months.

hey there I am so glad that you’re here

I’m Priscilla welcome to the chat this

is the place where we just kind of you

know chat about things in our lives

things that matter today is an important

conversation because we’re going to be

talking about something that a lot of

people just kind of hold inside hold in

their hearts and in their own minds and

they don’t really talk about it they’re

not really open and honest about the way

they’re feeling we’re gonna talk about

Greece what do you do when you really

have experienced a traumatic loss one

that has left a hole in your heart and

you’re trying to figure out how you’re

going to recover from that

and move forward in health and wholeness

we’re going to talk to a couple people

today whose stories really will touch

your heart and I have a feeling they’re

going to be so many of you that are able

to relate specifically to what they say

so you’re going to want to stay tuned

grab a fresh cup of coffee or whatever

your favorite drink is pull up a chair

and let’s check

so glad you’re here this is really going

to be a great conversation I want you to

know that I’m just sort of tinkering

around on Facebook right now I want you

to see this incredible image of a young

lady named Denise Denise and her husband

on their wedding day a gorgeous picture

and they are in love they are happy and

looking forward to a lifetime together

and I’m reading a little bit of a post

that she put up January of this year she

said that we all have those moments when

we lose hope the moment when it feels as

though surely there could be no God or

at least none that we would call good

whether that moment is captured within

minutes or a lifetime the despair flows

from deep within our hearts leaving us

Hollow where is God the Bible says the

Lord is near to the brokenhearted

what nearness will tend to this wound

what could possibly cover this kind of

agony Denise has a story to tell one

that I think is going to touch your

heart one that I think is maybe going to

stir up something in so many of you and

and me that we just kind of have to deal

with she’s got a story of hope and

healing that is going to encourage us

all would you guys please help me to

welcome Denise Madison to our program

today agony

oh I’m so glad that you’re here so glad

that you’re joining us you got a little

baby bug there Denise um this that’s

true I do yeah it’s kind of hard to hide

now yeah I know and you look lovely

you look lovely um you know I as I’m

looking at you know this on Facebook

it’s there’s such a disparity between

the picture we just showed you just you

look happy content peace filled and then

to read the text that you posted along

with it there’s obviously a story behind

that picture and behind those words and

so I know that you married this guy his

name is Corey you were married for about

six months that’s correct right tell us

how you met well so we actually we both

think it’s quite funny because we met

online yeah and so so it works you know

what it does as a matter of fact it was

the last place either one of us expected

to be but both of us had family members

that kind of encouraged that very very

early on we began writing love letters

to one another essentially and he would

tell me that he fell in love with me

before we ever even met face-to-face and

so it was absolutely you know it was it

was kind of courting he won me over with

the way that he would would just kind of

write and he convinced me somehow to

meet up with him and and then from there

yeah it was not very long at all before

we both were madly in love with one

another and kind of weren’t really sure

what anyone else would think but we were

ready to get married yeah how come how

long was this from the time you met or

started courting and dating to when you

got married so from the time that we met

until we actually got married gosh I’ve

not actually done the months but about

eight months okay 8-ounce alright and so

then you walk down the aisle you said I

do to Corey and you were and you were

married for six months but things didn’t

quite end up how I’m sure you envisioned

it when you said I do that day now can

you tell us a little bit about what

happened

absolutely so on the night that the

night that Corey died

I was coming home from taking my

daughter to basketball practice and my

ex-husband had come to the door and as I

walked in there had already been a lot

of shooting that had taken place and so

my husband and lured him out of the

house away from us away all the danger

away from the kids and I and he lost his

life that night saving mine so and so he

was shot he was he was shot and he was

literally trying to protect you and the

kids he was literally trying to protect

us yes without question how long ago was

this

this happened on January 15th so we’re

talking five months four months um it’s

not quite four months not yet four

months yeah

so this is a real fresh fresh wound in

your life and in your heart and yet for

some reason you’re choosing to talk

about it today yeah why oh gosh that’s

actually pretty easy so um you know

there’s so much suffering in this world

you know the Madison family I’d say that

one of the things that this has has has

helped us to see is that 90% of the

world nine differant of the population

they understand difficult they

understand hard and we’re sheltered a

bit in Western culture and you know we

don’t oh we don’t really when something

hard happens we kind of want to say God

why did you let this happen the rest of

the world hard happens all the time but

what I will tell you is that we have

found the hope and we know that um you

know when the Bible says these all died

not having received the promises but

having seen it afar off we know that the

hope is what is to come the hope is only

found in Jesus Christ we’re going to

suffer either with him or without him

and if there’s one thing that I can

share with people is I want them to know

they don’t have to suffer without him

that’s awesome that’s so great I want to

know what it feels like to lose someone

like that so suddenly um if you can

somehow describe

what that feels like and put that into

words how would you die well I’ll tell

you that it feels differently on

different days um I would say that

initially it’s just it’s it’s this giant

void and and it’s something that you

know will never be filled

it is devastating it’s like your heart

he’s been ripped out and it’s the kind

of thing that could completely um if

anything could kind of take you out so

to speak it’s that sort of you

absolutely lie absolutely yes did you

feel any Fault in it in the sense that

this guy was trying to protect you and

lost his life doing it did you struggle

at all even though it would have been

really irrational to struggle in that

way sometimes situations like this cause

us to go into irrational places and I’m

wondering if you thought if he wouldn’t

have been working so hard to be my

Savior he might still be alive did you

blame yourself at all for any of this oh

absolutely

I did well uh what were your what was

your rationale like what would have been

your the blame you would have placed on

yourself for what if he hadn’t if he

hadn’t loved me

if he hadn’t met me if he hadn’t wanted

to be what he was to our children if he

hadn’t wanted to be my hero if he hadn’t

wanted to protect me there was no

question in his mind there was no

question that God brought him to be our

protector you can read his journal

entries you can read what he wrote in

his Bible it is so clear that he knew it

um oh god I read on on Facebook you took

a picture of just a quote that he wrote

in his Bible and he was saying Lord make

me courageous make me a courageous

protector for my wife

and for my kiddos and in the most

visible obvious way he demonstrated the

love that he had for you and it cost him

his life but what a beautiful

demonstration really and picture of

Christ’s love for us that really the

Lord put himself in harm’s way for

Ashley is that did you in any way feel

the Lord speaking to you about that sort

of a correlation between what Cory was

willing to do sure so it’s so

interesting because I would have told

you that Cory’s my hero way before that

night as a matter of fact every single

I’ve gone back and looked at cards that

I wrote to him and I called him a hero

and every one of them and he laid his

life down for me every day of our

marriage he truly loved me the way that

a husband is to love his wife if I can

I’ll just share something then that kind

of it correlates and he would always

tell me my sweet D I love you for

everything that you are and I don’t

spend a second thinking about anything

that you’re not and that’s how he loved

me every single day and so absolutely he

already laid his life down for me and

then for there to be the ultimate laying

of his life down that night I’ve thought

a lot about it and honestly it’s it’s

given a deeper meaning to what Christ

was willing to do on my behalf I mean I

don’t there’s not a lot of people in the

world who can say not only did Jesus die

for me but I had a person who willingly

laid their life down so that I could

live how are your kids doing and tell us

your children you have three children

that you had from your previous

relationship is that right that’s great

and then two children that were his

children um but now you’ve got sort of

this brood of five we do absolutely it’s

glorious chaos how are your kids

handling all of this and it’s still so

fresh for them too it is so it’s it’s

different obviously because of the ages

we’ve got 14 to 4 so it’s it’s varies

from child to child I would say that

they are struggling and

and we rarely go through a week when

they all make it to school for you know

for a full week without having to come

home for something and as much as you

know the nightmares are terrible and and

they wouldn’t did they see him actually

they died they didn’t witness that okay

at all of the After Effects and

unfortunately they had to hear me give

the account of what happened to the 911

operator so so they know enough and the

older children are old enough they heard

everything that happened and so you know

they have their own they have their own

guilt they have their own all the things

at York that you are explaining those

are things that they’ve had to go

through as well but I can tell you that

one of the things that our family loves

to do is we talk about the hope we talk

about that every day we get to get up we

choose we either choose to allow this to

render us useless for the kingdom or we

choose to shine the light of Jesus

Christ and I can tell you that there are

days when the kids will just say mom I

just need to stay home and that’s okay

and there are days that they’ll say I am

sad but I’m going to go to school I’m

going to shine the light of Jesus Christ

our eleven-year-old witnesses to his

Muslim friends on a regular basis and he

doesn’t he didn’t care what it is that

they say back to him because he says mom

they need Jesus too I have a feeling I

know where they get that from

and then two weeks after Corey’s funeral

yes what did you find out so two weeks

after the funeral I found out but I was

pregnant and we were not trying to have

a baby so I mean five is one thing and

we you know we talked about it from time

to time and it would it would always go

something like really 13-year old and a

newborn you know because she had just

turned 14 so we always convinced

ourselves that it was not not wise but

God had other plans obviously yeah well

and I know that children are a gift they

are gift but in this situation was it

hard for you to come to grips with the

fact that you were going to be

introducing a child into the sit

scenario and learning that so quickly

and freshly after burying your husband

and was it good news you know it’s

that’s a really great question because

the day that I that I took the test it

kind of went something like this no

matter which outcome the sadness was

going to be there one way or the other

mmm however if I was pregnant there

would also be some joy it doesn’t they

don’t cover one another god no so the

baby doesn’t make any of the sadness go

away but it’s brought us some joy and

it’s done something especially for the

kids there is a delight and the five of

them together I really wish that you

could see it is just the sweetest thing

and it it kind of helps me to understand

how is that God brings our families

together and he grabs us he grabs us in

that way

but this is on something just incredible

for them and they have such joy and they

crowd around my belly and I talked to

the baby and they all want to sleep with

me yeah not really me it’s the baby they

want to sleep with um and it’s it’s a

bit of Cory there it’s a bit of Cory it

is that is you know it kind of still in

your lives you know and that probably

brings them and you a lot of solace as

well we’re going to talk to you more I

want to talk to you about this hero of

yours and what made him such a hero to

you and we just want to hear more about

this woman and how she found such

stability I mean the fact that you can

sit on this sofa and talk to us so

articulately about what happened and

also the transformation and changing

your life that right there to me is a

testament of how the Grace and the

goodness of God has already been

demonstrated in your circumstances so

we’re going to talk to you more you guys

stay tuned and we’ll be right back

hi I’m Priscilla and I wanted to take an

opportunity to invite you personally to

join me for a seventh session Bible

study on the armor of God will dive

deeply into what it means to be equipped

to stand firm against the schemes of the

enemy he is very real and he has been so

strategic and targeted in his attacks

against us why shouldn’t we be equally

strategic than targeted in standing firm

against him and you and I have an

opportunity to suit up to put on some

armor that works and to go to battle and

to see victory declared in our lives and

the lives of those people that we learn

this Bible study will be one that will

change our lives forever and will help

us to walk in victory so plan to join me

won’t you the armor of God

well there’s just a lot you know a lot

of your life that you have decided to

share with people you know on your

Facebook page and otherwise and you know

it really is a testament to to really

just how you have seen the grace of God

through all of this and in spite of all

of this and even not only with you we

were talking about your kids before the

break and her 11 year old tell me his

name again

Marshall Marshall so her 11 year old

wrote this he said when Pastor Mike said

that said the words I pronounce you

husband and wife to Corey and to his mom

he says I was the happiest man or

eleven-year-old let’s just go with

person that’s how you said I was the

happiest person on earth that day things

couldn’t get any better but I did lose

my ipod but anyway I’m getting off topic

he said you know what today’s been

another day full of emotion I’m so

thankful to everybody for the outpouring

of love because today we’re celebrating

the life of my hero Corey Madison he

sacrificed himself to save me well not

just me obviously he also saved my

amazing sisters and Madison and my

beautiful which he spelled be-you-ti-ful

my beautiful mom I’ve heard that word

hero a lot not only from your 11 year

old son but I’ve heard it so much from

you

why was Corey your hero what was what

was happening in your life up until the

time you met him whatever you can share

there’s so much that Denise is not able

to share just because of the logistics

legally with everything that is going on

but of what you can share what made

Corey such a hero in your life and to

your kids well for one I would say that

not a lot of men would walk in to a

situation and just openly accept and

love a woman and her children and what

he was willing to do what he was willing

to

of step into and there were very you

know difficult circumstances there was

there was an entire other side that he

had to deal with that was was not easy

well I would assume that ultimately what

happened didn’t just come out of nowhere

I would assume there would have been a

progression of things that would have

sort of led up to that that moment that

might want to happen absolutely and I

can tell you that you know for Marshall

one of the things that was so amazing is

that Corey continually demonstrated

self-control and patience in the midst

of you know circumstances where he very

likely should have just kind of law you

know lost his temper said something or

fought back he refused to defend himself

he refused he would he would always say

these children need to see someone who’s

willing to exercise self-control on

their behalf because unfortunately they

haven’t they haven’t had that experience

and they need someone who’s willing to

stand up and do that for them and that’s

exactly why I mean he was their hero for

that reason he was their hero for you

know I can’t tell you how many things

they will now say well you know it’s

pizza and wing Thursday because that was

Cory’s tradition it’s you know they’re

just so many have low it heats and wing

well I know it’s supposed to be every

fourth Thursday but Marshall would never

know that um but you know honestly he

from the moment that that he was

committed to me he wasn’t just committed

to me he was committed to those children

and and the same was true for for me

with Tenley and Asher his children yes

yeah for a family we really I mean we

both felt like those were the five that

God gave us and and we both prayed prior

to getting married that God would do

something in our hearts that he would

allow us to have the same love for all

of the children and and it was not I’ll

never forget the time that he said it

was like God gave me these three

children and when they were born they

just happened to be you know at that

time they were 12 and 10 and five just

happened to be those ages but it

have been any different they just were

bored to me at those ages yeah and the

same same for me

and he he loved them he poured into them

and did all of the things that a father

was supposed to do and those kids they

needed it desperately and he was he was

daddy to all five of them so here’s what

I want to know I want to know how you go

from the kind of posts that I read at

the top of this show where you are in

the depths of despair you have questions

you’re trying to figure out what kind of

God can be good to allow this to happen

to me how do you get from there to

sitting on this sofa willing to share

hope with people with others how do you

get out of bed the next day and the day

after that how do you continue to serve

your family and you know it’s hard to

figure out a new way to cook chicken for

dinner on a good day so I’m trying to

figure out how do you go from man I

don’t want to get out of bed to being

able to pull yourself together and move

forward what does that process look like

for you right so I will say that there

were plenty of times that I didn’t want

to get out of bed and plenty of times I

just wanted to lay and cry it is when

your faith is challenged when you’re

kind of brought to the place where you

have to say what do I really believe

that’s kind of when you decide you know

I feel like we all have these I call

them are you in moments where the Lord

is saying okay now here’s your

circumstance are you in here’s the

circumstance are you in you know and

honestly I think it was when God helped

me to see how inverted we’ve we’ve kind

of caused the relationship to be and we

look and say God how could you allow

this to happen to me how could you do

this to me when we’ve kind of we’ve kind

of gotten it the wrong way the truth is

that it is us who Oh God everything he

doesn’t owe us anything you know and

when you truly come to the understanding

of what he has done for you

it is nothing more than outpouring of

your 11and and desire for him now I’ll

say that’s part that’s that’s part 1

part 2 is truly believing what Jesus

said what Paul told us about that the

hope is to come yeah right you know this

morning one of the verses that I read is

a 2nd Corinthians 4:17 and it’s for this

for the light and momentary affliction

is preparing for us an eternal weight of

glory beyond comparison yeah right so if

we believe that and we believe that what

is to come is as far is going to far

exceed any light and momentary

affliction no matter what it is

then then can’t we kind of endure

anything what about the person that

feels like they can’t though I mean in a

real no and not to minimize anything

you’ve just said because I believe all

that right but in a real practical how

do I get out of bed someone is in bed

right now they’re trying to figure out

how to move on with their life in a very

practical sense whether it is counseling

or accountability or you know

proactively writing verses on a 3 by 5

card so that you can see them all the

time what did you literally practically

have to do to walk in the direction of

healing and I know you’re still walking

that course goodness gracious it’s only

been a few months Thanks and you still

have a journey ahead of you right but

what have you had to practically do as a

woman who wants to be whole and healthy

does that journey looked like um so I

mean I’ll just say and it’s different

for everyone I’m not I would never want

to say that there’s a formula right

because there just isn’t what has worked

so I’ll tell you what’s worked for me

number one is you have to have your eyes

on Jesus and for me personally eyes on

Jesus looks like playing worship music

at all times you know I do believe in

all and all things we can always you

know praise His name there are moments

when I can do nothing more than just lay

prostrate on the floor and just cry but

as I cry I’ll say

nevertheless you are my god nevertheless

you are my god and I think we have to

remind ourselves of that you know we

have to remind ourselves of who he is

and I believe strongly in in kind of

taking and meditating on his word and

allowing it to minister to you and even

the moments when somebody gives you a

verse and it means absolutely nothing to

you in the moment because you’re

thinking you don’t get it you don’t get

it it’s saying nevertheless I’m not

gonna I’m not gonna base things off of

how I feel or my emotions I’m gonna base

things off of what I know to be true

which is God’s character and so that’s

that has been what has has gotten me

through does that mean that I have that

I don’t have days where I’m done and I

just have to say to my boss I’m sorry

I’m not coming in today and I have to

kind of like check out that happens but

that’s okay too because God’s working in

those moments as well God’s working a

lot in those moments to be honest with

you you know really what I’m hearing you

say that I think a lot of us sort of

miss the the power of and the importance

of is I’m hearing you say that basically

gratitude matters that saying okay here

are the tears I have a lot of why

questions this is a bad day but I’m

still going to say thank you Lord for

and and list what it is of who he is and

what he is still accomplishing in our

life on a regular basis and would you

say that praising him recognizing who he

is and what he has done that that has

been sort of part of the healing process

is just making yourself remember all of

the benefits of your God despite what

has happened absolutely I think I think

for sure it’s reminding myself who he is

and yes it is it’s having a grateful

heart and in addition to having a

grateful heart I really do think that

it’s also believing that what is to come

is going to exceed any amount of pain

that we have here did you have to have

any people in your life to sort of shake

you and say come on we’re getting out of

the dumps we’re going to move forward

let me help you have you had any friends

sort of do any sort of tough love we got

it we got to come on

we got kids to feed we got a life to

live I’m not going to let you kind of

get lost in this moment in your life

I’ve had a lot of friends around and

I’ve had a lot of people that have been

there perhaps if you asked them the

question they might answer it a little

bit differently I would say that that in

the dumps really hasn’t been me or you

know that has amazing that you can say

that that you have not been in a kind of

a pit you haven’t found yourself in this

pit you can’t get out of after this sort

of a traumatic event there would be you

know there might be a few hours in a day

but we’re talking in the very very

beginning when there were you know 20

people in the house at any given time

and and and and they truly were allowing

me to kind of have my moments and there

are plenty of people I knew tending to

the children making sure that everyone

was fed and everyone was happy and so I

don’t I don’t really think that they’re

necessarily been anyone that’s had to

say come on get with it you know you

need to you know you need to you just be

strong but do I have people that are

saying that to me every single day

saying you know you can do this

absolutely absolutely

what is still hard for you okay because

the reality is and I mean on a daily

practical sense in other words the

reality is it was a scary situation that

night okay

scary no who wants to have any sort of

intruder in your house you’ve got an

armed weapon or he’s armed you have a

weapon involved

it’s just all-around scary do you have

trouble sleeping at night do you have

trouble living alone with your children

what is just hard for you right now um

so I don’t have fear in the sense that

that you might think and I do believe

that that’s that that’s just kind of a

god thing yeah it doesn’t seem like I

should absolutely I don’t I don’t sleep

very well but that has a lot more to do

with the loss you know a lot we all had

nightmares in the beginning for me those

of kind of subsided the everyday hard it

is hard

waking up every single morning I sleep

with his shirt and

waking up another morning knowing that

he’s not there is hard and we’ve

celebrated four birthdays now and next

week is going to be Mother’s Day and his

mom is gonna have to go through the same

thing that we’ve you know kind of all

gone through those are those are hard

yeah you you can’t imagine what it’s

like to want more than anything to to

share you know joy with your children

but to know that there’s someone there’s

someone that’s missing and we all know

it yeah so every day is hard you know it

could be a moment that somebody at work

who you know doesn’t know the whole

story just kind of happens to say no now

what happened exactly and and then

that’s it I’m done it’s hard when my

kids are having a hard day your mother

so you understand that there is nothing

that is harder than watching your child

suffer yeah and yet you have happened

you have been able to find hope in this

you’ve been able to it’s very clear to

all of us that God has been guiding you

through this that he’s been helping you

through this that again the very fact

that you’re able to articulate your

feelings and do it in a way that you you

so clearly want to make sure it’s a help

to other people that is something that

we applaud you for and we are all

rooting for you would you guys agree

that we’re all

and we’re rooting for you we’re rooting

for you if you’re in a place in your

life where you are struggling with loss

whether it is a sudden loss or one that

you’ve kind of seen coming for a while

whether it was health issues or whatever

has been going on and you’re just

struggling to get out of bed and

struggling to move forward there is hope

Denise has shown us that there is hope

there is always hope in Jesus I want to

encourage you very practically to

discipline yourself to be grateful that

is so much of what I have heard her say

that just yep she’s cried and yes she

has lain prostrate on the floor yes she

said why God would you have allowed this

but in the next breath she has said

nevertheless I thank you because of who

you are and because of what you’ve done

and listen if you will look around you

you will see that there are miracles all

around you happening every single day

there is always something to be grateful

for gratitude will be the shovel that

starts to dig you out of that hole of

grief and hopelessness so listen this is

just part one of a conversation we’re

going to continue to have because

there’s a spectrum of grief that we kind

of want to deal with and talk about and

then we’re going to have a very wise

wise counselor here to help us to just

talk about how we not only personally

can deal with grief in our own lives but

then if we have people around us friends

of ours and they’ve had tragic losses

and we’re not sure what to say or how to

act or how to make sure we encourage

them in a way that will really be

healthy and helpful we’re going to be

able to get some wisdom on that as well

thank you so much for joining me and I

can’t wait to see you next time

Oh