Hope Is Where the Heart Is: A Story of a Marriage Broken and Restored

by Jim Pourteau, Ken Abraham (Editor)

Overview

In Hope Is Where the Heart Is, Jim Pourteau shares the story of how he and his wife, Shannon, found healing and restoration in their marriage after betrayal and brokenness.

Have you made mistakes, wrong choices, or foolish decisions that have negatively affected your life and the people you love?

Jim Pourteau has you beat.

Jim was the guy who did everything “right.” He was a spiritual leader in one of the largest congregations in the Northeast, the go-to guy when others needed advice. Yet he nearly destroyed his marriage by having an affair with one of his wife’s best friends.

But Hope Is Where the Heart Is is about much more than the demise of Jim’s marriage and how he and his wife, Shannon, discovered how to put it back together. It is a roadmap for overcoming hardships, for finding strength to face another day—or to make it through the long, dark night of your soul—forging ahead in faith, and persevering despite the circumstances or opinions of others.

This story will cause you to ask, “What would I do in a similar situation? How can I better handle betrayal and rejection?” Most of all, it will evoke the question, “What really matters?”

Whether you have a great marriage, or your relationship is in trouble, Hope Is Where the Heart Is offers a different approach to facing your challenges. Within these pages, you will find one of life’s most valuable assets—hope!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637631058
Publisher:	Forefront Books
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,044,318
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Hope and conquest, loss and renewal, Jim Pourteau’s life is a beacon for anyone looking to reclaim their own. Surviving an unstable childhood marked by eleven stepfathers and covert trauma, he found a lifeline in his high school sweetheart, Shannon, and a calling to the ministry. With their move from Houston to Connecticut, Shannon worked in real estate while Jim served as a youth and staff pastor. He went on to serve as executive pastor of Liberty Church in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, named one of the “Top 100 Fastest Growing Churches in America,” before their relationship was torn by infidelity.

Suffering a crisis of faith, Jim surrendered his ordination and left to work for his father before Shannon discovered Marriage Helper, setting them on a path of reconciliation. Today, Jim has dedicated over 15,000 hours as a personal life coach and a business leadership trainer for clients such as the NCAA, Columbia University, and Chick-fil-A, and as a mentor for the John Maxwell leadership program. Jim and Shannon also lead marriage rescue workshops, where their high success rate is mirrored in their own wedlock, now surpassing thirty-four years. They live outside of Nashville with their two dogs, Jackson and Joey.

Ken Abraham is a New York Times best-selling author, known around the world for his collaborations with high-profile public figures. He collaborated on works with Lisa Beamer, Joe Gibbs, Payne and Tracey Stewart, Bill Gaither, Chuck Norris, Buzz Aldrin, and Randy Travis. Ken lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife, Lisa. He’s deeply invested in his family and grandchildren, a passion that drew him to this project.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Foreword 11

A Note from the Author 13

Part I Looking for the Right Road

1 I Love You, but I'm Not in Love with You 17

2 We Are All Messed Up 21

3 Divorce Fallout 35

Part II The Marriage of My Dreams

4 Spiritual Awakening 45

5 Rock Solid 51

6 The Woman of My Dreams 57

7 Naive Preparations 67

8 Gun Smoke 73

9 Louisiana Wedding 79

Part III This Wouldn't Happen to Us

10 How Could This Happen? 87

11 Choices Have Consequences 95

12 Youthful Energy 101

13 A "Family" at Last 111

Part IV Bad Things Happen

14 Betrayal 121

15 When the Golden Rule Doesn't Work 129

16 Addicted to "Love" 137

17 Suspicions 145

18 Moving in a Dangerous Direction 151

19 Crossing the Line 157

Part V Exposed

20 Be Still and Know 165

21 Living with the Lie 171

22 Exposed! 177

23 Coping and Conflicted 181

24 Running from God-Running to God 189

25 Breakup Breakdown 199

Part VI Falling Back in Love

26 Reaching Out 209

27 A Safe Place 217

28 Game Changer 229

29 Rebuilding Trust 237

30 Hoodwinked or God-Smacked? 251

Part VII Renewed Trust

31 Who, Me? A Marriage Helper? 261

32 So, What Can I Do? 271

33 Limerence-the Little-Known Lure 277

34 Is There Hope? 283

35 The Hero Is Shannon 293

Editorial Reviews

In a time when many people give up on relationships far too quickly, Jim and Shannon Pourteau prove that it is possible to put life back together, even after devastating failure and disappointment.

Tim Clinton

This is a phenomenal book! The true story of a marriage that had every reason to fail yet was miraculously restored by God’s grace and His enduring mercy.

Kenny Mauck

Hope Is Where the Heart Is offers a new paradigm for creating healthy relationships. Jim’s vivid storytelling transported me into his world of dimples, dents, and dings in a refreshingly transparent way, breaking free from traditionalism and propelling the reader into self-examination and transformation. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a stronger relationship and to those who have been wounded by another—especially if you are losing or have lost hope.

Becky Spieth

The book is raw and real. Jim takes the reader into the depths of darkness, abuse, dysfunction, and secrets. However, he doesn’t leave the reader in the valley. The book dips down into the depths of darkness and then lifts the reader to a new level of life and living. It is painful, practical, and powerful.

Dr. Micah Davidson

Hope is the earnest expectation of a brighter tomorrow. Jim and Shannon share their personal journey in this hard-hitting book, sharing their challenges and struggles to hold their covenant of marriage together. When faith seemed lost and love seemed to have let go, hope stood firm. This book is for those whose situations look bleak and are wondering if there is still a chance for their marriage to make it. It’s message of hope is truly where the heart is.

Chris Rollins