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July 3, 2024

The Ripple Effect of Faith and Marriage: How One Couple's Story Can Inspire Thousands

The Ripple Effect of Faith and Marriage: How One Couple's Story Can Inspire Thousands

In this inspiring episode, Gary and Tonji Sookram, leaders in the marriage ministry at St. Stephen's Missionary Baptist Church, share their powerful testimony of faith, resilience, and the transformative power of God's love in their marriage. They discuss the impact their story has had on others and encourage listeners to trust in God's plan for their own relationships.

Transcript
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Coming up on this episode of the
Healthy, Wealthy Wise podcast.

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Just, just trust what he's trying to do.

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Um, have faith, have
faith in your partner.

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You guys can do this together
with the Lord's help.

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Have the Lord in the
midst of your marriage.

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It is amazing.

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We cannot imagine our marriage without
having that relationship with the Lord.

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We feel so blessed.

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Welcome to the healthy, wealthy,
and wise podcast with Dr.

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William T.

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Choctaw, MD, JD, where the doctor
helps you unlock your full potential by

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equipping you with the tools and knowledge
in the areas of health, wealth, and

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wisdom, anchored in his experience as a
business executive, a physician surveyor

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for the joint commission, a former mayor,
and over 50 years of experience as a

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general surgeon, you've got questions.

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He's got answers.

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He's got answers.

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So let's get started.

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Here's Dr.

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William T.

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Choctaw, MD,

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JD, who knows who you're a child.

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You may never see them or meet them,
but they've said, you know, I listened

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to this podcast and it's very nice
couple, couple, and they were talking

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about, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

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Why don't we try that?

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You never know how God uses us, how
God uses us to help other people.

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Cause that, that's really
what it's all about.

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That's

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our career

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to be able to help somebody.

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To, to be able to give
encouragement and, and let them

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know, look, the Lord can help you.

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He's help.

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He's helping.

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Exactly.

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It's a process.

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That's right.

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You too.

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Yes.

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Yes.

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Just

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trust, just trust in him.

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Just, just trust.

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What he's trying to do.

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Um, have faith, have faith in your
partner that you guys can do this

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together with the Lord's help.

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Have the Lord in the
midst of your marriage.

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It is amazing.

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We cannot imagine our marriage without
having that relationship with the Lord.

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We feel so blessed.

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So blessed.

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I'm getting choked up.

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It's so wonderful.

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And I'm just so thankful
that the Lord is using us

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the

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way that he wants to use us.

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And that's my prayer.

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Use us.

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Use me and my husband.

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Help us to help somebody that that
needs animal and I'm so thankful

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that he's using us is such a blessing

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Well, you you you're
there now you're there now

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Yes, go ahead I would add to that
to encourage men to help other men.

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Yes.

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Because a lot of times a woman will have
other women that they will go to, right?

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That is true.

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It's very easy for women to do that.

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It's hard.

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That's true.

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I encourage men to be more transparent
as they can be with other men, as

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encouraging as they can be with other
men, because for me, because those men

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in church and out of church have poured
into my life, It's made it easier and

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made it a desire for me to want to
reciprocate that and, and do the same.

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And I, and I, I wish, and again,
to, to, to the point where my wife

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said earlier, where a lot of younger
couples don't feel that safety

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net, yes, you gotta be safe, right?

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So I just encourage men especially to
create that safety net and that openness

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that younger men and men of the same
age can, can come to them and say, Hey.

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You know, what's your, you know, what's
your feedback on this situation or I'm

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going through this or, you know, whatever.

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You're so right.

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And, and that's, that's
that Mars Venus thing.

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And I can tell you, uh, there's
a reason why women live longer.

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There's a reason why women's suicide rate
is lower than men because men don't talk

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men, men, for whatever reason, maybe a
hundred reasons, but we're not as open.

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We're I, I use it.

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We're not as emotionally mature in my
judgment as women are because women will.

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Call a girlfriend or whatever,
whatever, and just by, by

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ventilating many times, get therapy.

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Just, just, just by ventilating.

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We, we men won't, uh,
for, for whatever reason.

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Uh, and, and we need the
help as much as anybody else.

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And so, you're right, you're spot on,
uh, right with that, uh, that there

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is a difference and, and that, um,
men are gonna be harder to reach.

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That's just the fact.

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We're going to be harder, but that's okay.

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Um, it doesn't mean that we don't try
even harder and, and it is doable.

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It is definitely doable.

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It's definitely doable.

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Shout out to our men's class.

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And at church because a lot of
times I tell people all the time

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for me, especially when I was
younger, it helped me a lot.

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Just knowing that other men through
those same situation because a lot

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of times I thought I was the only one
only happening to me and just, even

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if I didn't get advice, just hearing
that another man that I'm seeing

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in my eyes is still like brothers,
families to say staying in the boat.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Mm hmm.

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Mm hmm.

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Mm

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hmm.

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That gave me and her, like, okay,
well, if he's doing it, I can do it.

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Yeah.

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Iron sharp as iron.

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Iron sharp as iron.

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That's right.

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Hey Gary, what was, what's
the name of your church?

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St.

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Stephen's Missionary Baptist Church.

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Oh, okay.

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You had mentioned the men's class.

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I was wondering which one that was.

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That's why I dressed up as the big fella.

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He's on top of it, he's always,
he's always on top of it.

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Listen, thank you guys again for coming,
uh, God bless you, God bless you, please

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continue the work that you're doing
and please come back anytime, uh, you

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choose to and, and have a wonderful day.

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Thank you so much, God bless.

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You're very welcome.

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God bless

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Thank you for listening to this
episode of the Healthy, wealthy,

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and Wise podcast with Dr.

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William t Choctaw, md, jd.

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Be sure to check out other great
episodes covering areas of health,

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wealth, and wisdom@thwwp.com.

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And while you're there, be sure to
check out the books, blogs, and other

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literature in your preferred format.

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Share and support the podcast that's at

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com you've been listening to the Healthy,
Wealthy and Wise podcast with Dr.

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William T.

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Choctaw, MD, JD.