Eric and Clare JohnsonHow we met – Eric’s Story: I was 16 and Clare was 21. Talk about robbing the cradle, just kidding. My parents were divorced and I lived with my dad, but would go to North Coast Calvary Chapel with my mom. I must have been around 15 when I started going with my mom and was very shy. So after the service I would grab my mom’s keys from her purse and go wait for her in the car. One night after service my mom decided she wanted to introduce me to one of her friends. She wanted to show off what a wonderful son she had, how embarrassing. Anyway, Clare was that friend that she introduced me to. Somehow, after that we started to go to Bob’s Big Boy together, with all the other college and career kids, even though I was in High School. Since I had a permit for driving, she would let me drive her car, the rest is history. I like to kid around and say, “The only reason I hung out with her was because she let me drive her car.”
Clare’s Story:I met Eric about six months after I came to Christ. He was 16 and I was 21; with such a big age difference I never thought of him as more than a good friend. One summer we spent quite a lot of time together and I began to develop feelings for him. This was something that I really needed to seek the Lord about. For one, it seemed kind of weird to me that I might be falling for someone as young as Eric. The other was because I had been hurt in so many past relationships prior to my salvation and told the Lord that I did not want to date anyone until He showed me that he was the man I was to marry. As I prayed about what was going on in my heart, God started to reveal to me that Eric was going to be my husband. I eventually shared this with Eric and by faith we entered into a relationship, believing God was bringing us together.
How Eric proposed – We had been friends for about a year and a half when the Lord told me that Eric was going to be my husband and we decided to date. To us, that was huge. We both had purposed in our minds that whoever we dated would be the one we married. So, in one way, we went from friends to engaged. About another year and a half later on Christmas Eve Eric proposed. His father was away in Arizona and we had no money for a tree, so Eric hopped the fence at the grocery store where they were throwing away trees in the dumpster and grabbed one for us to decorate that night. He put a fire in the fireplace and there in his living room in front of the Christmas tree that he had stolen, asked me to marry him.
Anniversary – November 19, 1988
Where we honeymooned – Road trip up the coast to Monterey
How long have we been married – 21 years
Kids – Amanda – 20
Catherine – 17
Christian – 16
Carissa – 13
Occupation – Eric, Electrician
Clare, Heart of Home
Where we have lived – Cardiff, Oceanside and Vista
How long we have been saved – Eric – 36 years
Clare – 25 years
How long we've attended Calvary Chapel of Vista – 16 years
What activities we enjoy doing together – Going out to dinner, going to see movies, plays and dance concerts, taking walks...
Clare adores river rafting but thus far has not been able to get Eric to take her.
What I love about my spouse – Eric – I love her hair, her laugh, and her jokes. I love her smile, the way she says my name, and when she calls me honey. I love the way she looks at me when she misses me and when she’s happy. I love while we watch a movie she laughs at something funny or how she can’t stop herself from crying when something is sad. I love to watch her worship the Lord and to hear her pray. I love her faith; it is courageous. Not only to do what is uncomfortable and scary when you believe you’ve heard God’s voice, but also to stay with a guy like me all those tough years trusting in the Lord as He teaches me to be kind.
Clare – Most of all I love that my husband is a wonderful father to our children. I admire his integrity, hard work and the way he will do whatever it takes to get a job done. He is fun and interesting to talk to, and is a wonderful example to me in many ways.
Special scripture – James 1:16-18
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
We were young (at least Eric was) and had very little money, so just about everyone told us that we should not get married or at least wait; this included our parents and even the pastors. To human understanding and common sense they were right, but the Lord was leading us, and He gave Clare this verse for encouragement. It was like the Lord was saying this to all those who were against us getting married when it says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” It wasn’t that we were to present this to all those opposed, but it was directed toward them to encourage us. Than when it says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,” it was like He was saying that our marriage was good and was a gift from Him. Finally, where it says, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” He was taking us from our broken families and bringing us together to start a new work, a kind of firstfruits of this work that will start a new line of people that will bring glory to Him, and our four kids are just that. They each love Jesus in a passionate way that brings glory to the Lord.
