Posts with the category “directors-cut”

When you are in the midst of a marriage crisis, almost anything can send you into survival mode. A repair bill you can’t afford, joint tax preparation when you and your spouse barely speak, a social media relationship status change from your spouse to “It’s Complicated”. Your mind, will, and emotions tend to spike energy followed by fear and anxiety. This was even true for the great prophet Elijah when he was thrown into survival mode. But your God does not want you in survival mode. With faith, God can give your soul perspective. When you are placed in thrive mode, energy doesn’t spike, it maintains and grows positively over time. Fear and anxiety are replaced with peace and Shalom. Join Covenant Keepers for practical teaching on understanding and navigating survive versus thrive modes for marriage.  Read More

Restoration Power for Marriages is an online event to help reunite and restore marriages. Through faith, there is hope for your marriage. No matter how challenging, no matter how big the obstacles, God has a way. This Christian marriage experience is a full day of amazing content from top Christian speakers, authors, teachers, and preachers. It is also packed full of everyday testimonies of people waiting in faith for God to heal their marriage. You are not alone! Join us to build hope that there is an alternative to divorce that restoration power wants you to know!  Read More

Imagine, the very first people to know of the arrival of the Messiah were shepherds. At the time, shepherds were not revered as the holy symbol of caretakers of the flock. No. At the time, most people with any education or skilled vocation scoffed at shepherds because they were dirty, perhaps even smelly from walking long distances and sleeping with the animals. They were not the ones held in high...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage THIS IS THE LAST OF THE BLOGS IN THE THREE-PART SERIES THAT I DUG UP FROM MY JOURNALS FROM WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I WERE FIRST SEPARATED IN 2012-2013. I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR ME TO GO THROUGH WHAT YOU MIGHT BE GOING THROUGH NOW, AND HOW THE LORD WAS WITH ME THROUGH IT ALL. "So we've told the children, told my parents, and my h...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage THIS JOURNAL CONTINUES THE THREE-PART SERIES OF JOURNAL WRITINGS THAT I DUG UP FROM 2012-2013… Dear God,May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You, oh Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer. (Psalms 19:14) Ten months ago, three days before my 40th birthday, my husband of 15 years and partner for over 20 years left our marriage. ...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage THIS BLOG IS THE FIRST IN A THREE PART SERIES THAT I DUG UP FROM MY JOURNALS/BLOGS FROM 2012-2013, WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I WERE SEPARATED.  This blog was written six months after my husband, and I separated in 2012. It describes what some of you may have already heard me talk about: God was working on our restoration even before our separation occurred. Pa...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage In the very early days of our marital separation, I was desperate. Like most people, everything felt hard and sad. The first time I went out to a Target store after our split and saw a cute family of three smiling and shopping, I lost it in the bread section. I almost walked back out of the store and went home, but I knew that I would eventually have to ...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage Have you ever had a conversation with God that went something like this? God: "I'm asking you to do this one thing. Would you do it for Me?" You: "Really, God? This seems way too hard. I'm not sure I can do it. Won't you reconsider? Can you ask someone else instead?" God:.........(silence) You: "I think there must be someone here on earth that would be b...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage "There is only one place in Scripture where God is said to speak in a 'still small voice,' and it was to Elijah after his dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40; 19:12). Told that Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, king of Israel, was seeking to kill him, Elijah ran into the wilderness and collapsed in exhaustion. God sent an angel with foo...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director So often in life, we are asking for grace. Grace for unmet expectations. Grace for our failures. And grace for those things in life that we never knew were a problem until someone pointed them out. Less often, are we willing to pour out the grace to others that we naturally expect to receive ourselves. James 4:6 says, "And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage Have you ever heard of "God's perfect timing?" What we see in the following verses is proof that not only does God "know best," but that we should be patient and wait for His best. "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." (Proverbs 16:9 NLT) "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1...  Read More

BY: Carolyn Johnson, Former Director, Restored Marriage We recently visited the Great Smoky Mountains, where we met a relative who was visiting from Oklahoma. All of us had spent our childhood camping with family, so hiking and viewing nature from the outdoors is a favorite pastime. We were at the top of one of the highest peaks taking pictures, and I noticed there were hundreds of dead fir trees....  Read More

But just as He sees to it that "hopeless" marriages are restored, He guided Covenant Keepers through our first-ever, annual virtual conference all delivered through video conferencing. What we experienced was astonishing...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage You've probably heard the phrase "stay in your lane," and until recently, I didn't even realize that that phrase does not usually contain the additional word "swim." It's a phrase my husband uses often, and he always says it with the word "swim."  "Swim lane" is a project management term for doing the job that you were asked to do. "Staying in your swim ...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage One of the most important things we can learn during our covenant-keeping days is how to separate the person from the demon that controls them.  A few weeks ago, we posted a blog about dealing and decreeing the Word over your husband or wife.  That necessity is born out of the reality that the enemy can destroy the image of what we once knew as our spous...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage Usually, when you are separated or divorced from your spouse, it is much easier to see the bad in your situation rather than the good. Even when you are restored, you will be tempted to see what the enemy wants you to see in your spouse instead of what the Lord sees. Some time ago, the Lord began convicting me that I need to change my prayers for my husb...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage I didn't grow up in a Christian home. My parents taught me to obey them, but I had no idea, even well into my 30s, that I was supposed to obey the Lord. It wasn't until I began being discipled by another Christian friend that the word obedient took on new meaning for me. One day, when my friend was at my house with her girls, she said to one of them, "I ...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage Although you all know me as Deana, I actually have another name. In fact, my other name was the first name ever given to me. You see, I was born to a 15-year-old girl who named me Victoria Ann. Moments later she gave me up for adoption, allowing my name to be changed by the couple who would eventually adopt me. When I was adopted six months later, my nam...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN THREE MONTHS AFTER MY MARRIAGE RECONCILIATION. I THOUGHT THAT SHARING IT MIGHT SHED SOME LIGHT ON WHAT IT WAS LIKE DURING THOSE EARLY MONTHS OF LEARNING TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER AGAIN….. So today my husband and I had a discussion about LOVE. What is love? How do we need to be shown love? Is it still love if you express it and it is not r...  Read More

We are blessed to announce that the 2020 Covenant Keepers Annual Conference that was to be hosted in Charlotte, NC has now been transformed into the premier virtual conference that you can join from the comfort and safety of your own home. It is easy to register. Simply click below! This year’s conference will be hosted on Zoom Webinars making it easy for anyone completing the registration process...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage I know that one of the first things that we ask ourselves when we start standing is, "God, when will You restore my marriage?" And although the answer to that is “God only knows,” it is important not to SIT WHILE YOU STAND. (link e-book) Although standing in the worldly sense implies not moving, in the godly sense, standing requires change; change not on...  Read More

BY: Koji Bell, Director, Restored Marriage Depending upon where you live in this world, the discussion about COVID-19 in your community may have started as early as January 2020. For many of us here in North Carolina, USA, the impact of social distancing requirements began taking shape in early March 2020. During this time, I was traveling to meet with a ministry leader in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho whi...  Read More

BY: DEANA BELL, DIRECTOR, RESTORED MARRIAGE I sometimes wonder why the Body of Christ seems to have doubts when it comes to miracles. I have encountered lots of people who believe that miracles were only for the times of Jesus. However, Scripture tells us that whoever believes in Jesus will do the works He did, and even "greater works" than He did (John 14:12 NIV) Did you know that there are 83 re...  Read More

As the words left my mouth, I could hardly believe I was actually saying them out loud. “I want a divorce…” After a long silent pause, I said again. My wife asked me for the third time if I really meant what I was saying. I thought about it again and delivered it this time with more emphasis on the “I want” part.Looking back on it now from a lens of a restored marriage, I can share with you that t...  Read More

We understand these are uncertain times. We understand that it may be difficult to even consider traveling at this moment. To make it easy on you, we are offering you the ability to register for the conference at no risk.  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Restored Marriage, Director I had just driven three and a half hours from my home in North Carolina to Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. It was my son's birthday. And we had never been apart on this special day. Nineteen years to be exact. So when my daughter had spontaneously suggested it, I jumped at the chance to go see him during his freshman year of college. My husband was ...  Read More

I urge you to pray instead of panic...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage I was 26, newly married, and ready to do all kinds of adult things. One of the things on my list was taking better care of myself. And because I now had real insurance from a real job, I could afford to go to the dentist. This felt super adult-like until my new dentist took one look in my mouth and exclaimed, "You're running out of time!"I was horrified ...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage My husband and I disagree about how to say the word "hurry." Clearly if you consult the great Webster's Dictionary you will find that "hur-ee" is the correct pronunciation. But if you lived and grew up in the metro-Philadelphia area you would say "harry." Yes, Harry, as in the man's name. Sounds strange, but definitely true. The same with those cute and ...  Read More

By: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage It always seems that God knows exactly when "much" turns into "too much" for me. And on this day, I was in over my head, spiritually. I have noticed the attacks getting more frequent and more intense for at least a year now. For me, waking up, praying, reading Scripture and repenting is a daily ritual. On this particular day, I had done all of the aforem...  Read More

By: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage On this very day, 8 years ago, my husband and I separated.Some years the day seems to come and go without me ever noticing and other years I have found myself in a struggle.The New Oxford American Dictionary defines "D-Day" (in addition to the WWII reference) as "the day on which an important operation is to begin or a change to take effect." I have neve...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage Hebrews 10:24-25 "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (NLT)I believe that through giving during our greatest need we will receive back ten fold what we have given.2...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage I left you with quite a cliff-hanger on my last posting, didn’t I? (link to part 1)To get you up to speed…Our marriage had come under fierce attack involving my husband’s infidelity and my resulting emotional breakdown. At a crisis point, my husband had answered my emotional plea for help with a promise to do whatever it took to make our marriage whole a...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage For most of my life I have attended churches that do not speak of or even acknowledge the existence of Satan. I never quite understood it, but yes, I too, spent years of my life ignoring something that should never be ignored. I don't know what the reasons are - possibly fear or ignorance - but I am certain that God wants us to know who our enemy is.Back...  Read More

BY: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage He took my breath away! Quite literally.As I stood there in the kitchen, just hours before the turn of the decade, my breath was taken away. I was gasping, as tears were running down my cheeks, because of the word He just spoke to my heart."You will know me to the greatest depths this year."I tried to catch my breath and process what He had just said to ...  Read More

BY: Koji Bell, Director, Restored Marriage It was a difficult moment for us to wrap our heads around.In 2016, Deana & I had just returned from a Family Foundations International Conference on the year of the Jubilee. Deana & I prayed in earnest to hear God's will for us concerning our finances. At the conference, we had the opportunity to learn from Jonathan Cahn (Author of The Harbinger), Os Hill...  Read More

By: Deana Bell, Director, Restored Marriage I love to decorate. It is a creative outlet for me that I truly enjoy. But at Christmas, it seems overwhelming. There are some years that I have skipped it altogether. But this year I started to remember how happy it makes me to see my home decorated for Christmas, so I decided to take the leap. As I looked at the more than 10 large boxes of decorations ...  Read More

By: Deana Bell, CK Director, Restored Marriage It was a rainy and cold fall night in Charlotte and I had had a long day. I wasn't feeling well; I had barely eaten all day and the spiritual warfare I was experiencing that day was overwhelming. I had fed my family, but I didn't feel like eating, so at 10 pm I found myself hungry and tired. All I wanted to do was go to bed, but I heard the Lord tell ...  Read More

Covenant Keepers, Inc. is pleased to share that Rex & Carolyn Johnson will officially transition their Director positions to Koji & Deana Bell effective January 1, 2020. The board of trustees voted unanimously to complete this important transition.  Both Rex & Carolyn have agreed to remain on the Covenant Keepers, Inc. Board of Trustees as board members helping to provide Koji & Deana wisdom and c...  Read More

By: Carolyn Johnson, Director Emeritus The moment you submitted your life to Jesus and asked Him to be your Lord, you joined a winning team. At that moment God’s plan for your life was settled in heaven. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (AMP)Jonathan...  Read More