Like most young couples, they had encountered the normal ups and downs of life. Before they met, Jim had graduated from Stephen F. Austin University with a degree in math. From there, he’d played professional football for the New Orleans Saints. After discovering that Canadian players earned twice as much, Jim had asked to be traded. He then enjoyed a great career with the Toronto Argonauts. A few years later, he’d asked to be traded to Denver. From there, he’d made the hard decision to end his football career.
It had been disappointing, but not like this. Ending a career was a far cry from ending a life—and initially, life had been good in Edmond, Okla., where Jim worked for Anson Oil.
Now their joy had dimmed.
While leaving the church, several people stopped Christa for a hug and to offer comfort.
“Everything happens for a reason,” someone said, patting her back.
“Heaven must have needed that little angel.”
“God’s probably teaching you something.”
Christa felt those words like a sharp, stabbing pain.
Home alone later, she had a serious talk with God.
“I know I’m not perfect,” she said. “I’m not disputing that. But if You have to kill to teach me what I need to know, I’m going to have to give You up.”
An Encounter With God
“A while later, Jim left on a hunting trip,” Christa recalls. “I went to bed listening to a Christian radio station. Sometime during the middle of the night, I was dozing and listening. Suddenly a wind swirled up from my belly and came out my mouth. When it did, I started speaking in another language. I had no idea what it was. But after that experience, God started teaching me things. One of the first things I learned was that He didn’t take my baby.
“In less than a year, I was pregnant again. During that time, Penn Square Bank failed in Oklahoma City. It caused another 110 banks to fail. Oklahoma went from having 900 oil rigs in operation to less than 20.”
Now out of work, Jim accepted a temporary job in Wyoming, Christa recalls.
“While he was there, I went into labor 2½ months early. Ann Marie was born in December 1983 weighing only 2 pounds. Jim didn’t get to see her until she was a month old. She came home from the hospital a week from her due date of Feb. 23.”
Tired of being separated from his family, Jim moved them to Corpus Christi. He got Christa and Ann Marie settled before going back to pack the rest of their belongings.
BVOV : 15
