A man steps onto a stage and begins singing “I Surrender All.” The audience is moved by both the powerful lyrics and his powerful voice. Equally moving is his testimony — the testimony of a husband seeking to honor the Lord with a holy life and home and encourage others to do so as well.
The man is Clay Crosse, three-time Dove Award winner. He was named 1994 New Artist of the Year and has had No. 1 songs on Christian radio, including “I Surrender All,” “He Walked a Mile” and “I Will Follow Christ.”
In recent years, Crosse and his wife of almost 20 years, Renee, have used the notoriety of his successful music career to help them reach people with the idea of creating godly marriages and homes. The Holy Homes marriage conferences the couple lead all over the United States — including one Aug. 22–23 at Faith Baptist Church, Fairhope, in Baldwin Baptist Association — are rooted in an experience they went through 11 years ago.
Clay began experiencing problems regarding his singing voice, and no one could figure out what was wrong. So he went to see a vocal coach named Chris Beatty.
Beatty shocked Clay by asking him questions such as “Are you a man of God?” and “Are you reading the Bible?” The fact that he could not answer these questions brought prospective for him.
“I knew I knew Christ; I knew that I was saved, but I thought, ‘Why can’t I answer these questions?,’” Clay said. “It was definitely a season of soul-searching for me.”
Pornography was an issue in his life at that time. But he received God’s healing and forgiveness and rededicated his life to Christ, which led Renee to do the same.
“People say, ‘Well that’s kind of his issue,’ and ‘What do you mean you rededicated your life to Christ?’” she said. “But I thought what would I have given as an answer if someone were to walk up to me and ask, ‘What are you reading in God’s Word?’ … and ‘Where are you serving God?’ I didn’t know what I would have given as an answer.”
Clay and Renee decided to begin telling their story. During concerts, Clay would share the story of his addiction to pornography and God’s deliverance from it.
The change that God brought about in their lives inspired them to start the Holy Homes conferences.
“So many people just think that [home] is just where I go after work … but there’s really a calling about how you shape your home,” Clay said, adding “it’s a calling on a Christian’s life.” That’s why this ministry focuses on Christian marriages in which things appear OK but people are struggling.
“[T]o a certain extent, Renee and I have lived that,” he said.
So the couple tell the story of how God got their attention and drew them back to Him.
“People appreciate the honesty,” Renee noted.
She and Clay stress the connection between a person’s relationship with Christ and relationship with his or her spouse.
“It’s a daily thing to have a relationship with Him. With marriage, too, we have to be intentional,” Clay said.
The conferences also focus on fathers.
“I have a passion for dads,” Clay said. “I believe that if men would step up and lead their families to Christ, our world would change.”
Renee agreed, saying, “I hear from so many wives who feel they’re having to be the spiritual leader.”
To aid their ministry, Clay and Renee wrote a book titled “I Surrender All: Rebuilding a Marriage Broken by Pornography.” Renee wrote an accompanying workbook for use by women and women’s groups to help those whose husbands have struggled with pornography find healing and hope.
The couple are in the process of publishing two more books, and Clay’s new album, “Anthems,” is set to be released in stores in October.
And of course, Clay and Renee, who live in Memphis, Tenn., with their children, will continue leading marriage conferences.
Their advice for marriage is simple. “Recommit your family to the Lord, get in God’s Word like you never have before and pray,” Renee said. “You have to run to Jesus like you never have before.”
For more information on hosting a Holy Homes conference, visit holyhomes.org. The Web site also includes tips for creating a nurturing, peaceful home and e-mail addresses for Clay and Renee for those looking for advice and prayer.
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