How did you end up on a show called Celebrity Wife Swap — seriously?
We turned them down three times because it wasn’t in keeping with what we felt our life’s calling was. Then when they came back to us, we explained to them that we really don’t want to put ourselves out there for further scrutiny, so we again told them no. But they came back again, and the third time, they explained to us what Celebrity Wife Swap is all about. It’s a little different than the show Wife Swap. They’ve been doing Celebrity Wife Swap in Europe for some time now, and its purpose is letting people experience what it would be like to walk a mile in someone’s shoes and to see what another family’s life and values are like and to bring our own values into that situation. Even though we said no—the third time, we really started to think about the potential in the show and saw the possibilities. We knew the risks, and we knew that we could receive all types of judgment, but we finally settled on the fact that we are willing to do whatever it takes to present the Gospel in whatever way God opens the door for us. We knew there would be those who didn’t understand, but we thought, what do we have to lose with this — other than our reputations? which, as you know, have already suffered.
What we have to recognize in the body of Christ is that we are losing ground in a huge way in the United States, and even though there are some wonderful churches that are strong, by and large, we are not making an impact in the cities we live in. So we have to be willing to go outside our comfort zones and what’s familiar to us and reach out to people and be relevant. The show Celebrity Wife Swap receives somewhere between 8 and, they’re telling us, possibly 22 million viewers—that far exceeds what we are able to do on our Christian programming.
So Ted and I, not willingly at first, have been forced to think outside the box. Now, we are really seeing God move in the most amazing ways in these different venues even though we receive a lot of criticism, and there are people who do not understand what we’re doing. We’re also receiving tremendous responses from people who tell us that our faith has inspired their faith. Ultimately, we have to trust God even though this is a different way of expressing our faith.
I would not have volunteered for this path but I’m grateful everyday for what God has done as a result. In Proverbs, it says that the godly will fall seven times and get up again. It’s the wicked that are overcome by one stumble.
Some people may watch the show and think that you and Ted are chasing after celebrity—or you’re doing it for the money. How do you respond to that criticism?
We laughed at the thought that they even considered us celebrities. There are the famous, and then there are the infamous. We recognize that fact; however, we know we’re in good company because we know that Jesus numbered himself with the transgressors. We know that the heroes of our faith are those who stumbled and fell and got back up again.
Because we are walking this out on a public stage doesn’t mean that we see ourselves as big celebrities or somehow made famous through all of this. We would much rather lead quiet lives and not have all the criticism and not have our children go through what they’ve gone through. It’s almost comical when people say we do this for notoriety or for the fame or to earn money because none of that is true. It’s all extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing, but we see the bigger picture so were not going to let our sense of shame and fear keep us from doing what the Lord has called us to do all along—and that is to spread his grace, to spread his love.
They did pay us, but it’s all very minimal. I don’t know that I’m at liberty to say the amount. The money actually went to St. James church because we really care about this new body developing strength and being able to be a part of what we call the war for the Gospel. So that money went to the church and not us.
What was it like to be Gary Busey’s reality-show wife for a week?
My time with Gary Busey was remarkable. Gary is, of course, a very interesting person, and I highly respect him. He grew up in a Christian home and is a professing believer. He went through a horrific motorcycle accident in the 80s where he suffered a brain injury and is still suffering the effects. I had hoped to really show him as much love and respect as I could on the show.
Do you think the show was a success? Did it accomplish what you hoped?
Ted and I sincerely took the opportunity to represent the Gospel the best we could, and we knew we were taking the risk because we’re not part of the editing process. Even though it’s not everything that we would have shaped it to be—we’re really believing that God will use it to bring hope to people.
