You're listening to the Charisma Podcast Network.
I'm Shelby Bowen.
After spending 15 years in news, reaching thousands of people across the nation, former
TV news anchor Brooke Martin found herself in a position she never imagined she would
be in.
In life, everyone will go through trials, hardships, and obstacles, but it's what you
do or don't do in those moments that can shape and transform the course of your life forever.
Stay tuned to listen to Brooke's story of discovering purpose in the valley.
Read more stories on Spirit-led living when you subscribe to Charisma Magazine.
Go to mycharismashop.com and enter in the promo code CPN to receive 10% off the price
of the subscription.
I think in all of our lives we can say that we have walked through trials, through hard
moments, and through suffering that has brought us out stronger on the other side.
But you may be listening right now and you are walking through a valley and it feels
like there is no end.
But I want to assure you today that God has a plan for your life and He is going to use
your pain for a purpose.
Today I have the honor and privilege of interviewing Brooke Martin and she's going to share a little
bit of her journey and what she's walked through to encourage you in your life today.
So welcome to Charisma News, Brooke.
Thanks Shelby, it's so good to be here.
So I was just super impressed with your story, more from a personal level as I was looking
into everything that God's doing in your life.
You were in news for about 15 years and have really, God has used you in mighty ways through
interviews and reaching people and sharing impactful stories.
So kind of tell us a little bit about who you are and then go ahead and go into your
testimony and where you are today.
Okay, so yeah, I've been in news for 15 years.
I was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and went to school at Temple University for
broadcasting and multimedia and quickly landed a first job in Macon, Georgia, cutting my
teeth there in the world of TV news and then moved on to Wichita, Kansas and lastly, Indianapolis,
Indiana where most recently I was a main anchor here for WISH TV.
And it was an amazing career journey that as you kind of touched on allowed me to tell
so many stories and it was a privilege really to be allowed into everyone's homes every
night and what I didn't expect is that, yeah, I would be telling my own story coming up
in 2018 is when we were, my husband and I were pregnant with our second child and at
about 14 weeks kind of a flu case of bronchitis took me into my OB and it was then that we
discovered that our baby had a condition called anencephaly and that it was zero percent chance
of survival and we had already announced our pregnancy on air and so everyone was following
along as they do with the news anchors and we kind of got to a very abrupt crossroads
where we immediately decided to carry our baby full term as long as she would survive
but we also had to make the public announcement then to the viewers that this was our reality
and so I had to begin walking through a pregnancy very publicly every night on the news as I
would grow.
You know, just everyone was leaning in very close as we walked through this and it was
something that we never expected but something that God proved to be incredibly faithful
through.
Wow.
I can't imagine as you're walking through such a hard moment and I know you're leaning
on God in those moments with everything that you have just to get his strength and move
when you feel like you have nothing left.
I'm sure everybody who's watching has had those moments in their life.
Talk to us a little bit about walking through that publicly especially with the decision
that you made to carry full term because I'm sure there were people and I worked in news
for a while you get people with send in messages whether they're nice, a lot of mean messages,
critical messages.
You know, walking through that publicly did you face feedback from people that was negative
with your decision that you chose to make?
Yeah, so I actually didn't receive a lot of negative feedback at least not to my face
anyway.
It was overwhelming support and the reason for that is that people cannot criticize your
story.
They can criticize decisions and you know how you wear your hair but your story and
because it's so personal to you really what happened was people leaned in and many were
very confused because with Ann and Suffley about 85% of pregnancies are terminated and
so the fact that we chose to carry our daughter full term was unusual and so people were confused
but we didn't hear at least to our faces any negative you know criticism or feedback.
It was more confusion and what happened was it made people listen longer and sit closer
as we walked through this journey because it was I mean I even had a friend come over
to our house shortly after the diagnosis and through tears she said why are you doing this?
You know and it was just this genuine like what are you doing?
And what I mentioned earlier in our story was that in the ultrasound room as I was laying
on the table right after I received the diagnosis the doctor walked out and I was alone and
I just heard so clearly a whisper from the Lord to my heart of Emmanuel, Emmanuel, Emmanuel
and it stopped me.
I mean my tears stopped as if they were listening for a second and I was confused in the moment.
I had thought about Christmas.
I you know I was in shock I was like what is this word that I'm hearing and somebody
else walked in and kind of disrupted my thought process at that time but I tucked that away
and what I learned was that the Lord was supernaturally delivering a message through our daughter
that He is with us and that He is enough even in the unthinkable, even in the unimaginable
and it was the strength that we needed to anchor the news every night, to respond to
questions like why are you doing this, to go to those doctor's appointments that I
thought I physically could not get through and what I learned through this and what I
was able to relay to everyone watching was that He is with us not only in the form of
flesh and that's you know this time of year what we celebrate you know Emmanuel God with
us.
Yes, He came.
He you know sacrificed.
He rose again.
All of these things of the utmost importance but we also have to remember that He told
His disciples it's better that I leave you now and that part of the story is what impacted
me so much and I thought why Lord, like why is it better that you leave us?
You're Emmanuel.
You're supposed to be with us and it's because I'm giving you the helper.
I'm giving you the Holy Spirit and it was through this pregnancy of about six months
that I came to know the helper in ways that I never experienced before and it born in
me this hunger and this realization of what I was missing.
You know I had been a Christian my whole life and had a personal relationship with the Lord
and it was through our daughter's life that the Lord was sending a message to me personally
that there is more.
There's more for me.
There is more for her.
There is more for all of us if we are willing to lean into it and so different you know
moments along the journey I experienced you know what I would consider miracles in our
life and in the pregnancy and then you know delivery day was upon us March 15th 2019 and
our daughter was named after her namesake Emma Noel Emmanuel and she was born alive
and we had 21 minutes with her and it was an amazing time a very sacred time and yeah
I can stop there but as far as your initial question about negative feedback no it was
over it was overwhelmingly positive.
That's that helps so much because I can't imagine having to deal with both of those
at the same time but even being able to you know a lot of people have to walk through
the hard times and then you know they really aren't seeing God using that until maybe like
afterwards but really man just his faithfulness and how he was already using your story from
that moment in the beginning and still now and man I was tearing up as you were talking
just thinking about how amazing God is and how faithful he is and your mindset through
it all is everything I know you know walking through my own trials and journeys when we
have a mindset that isn't positive or we're not necessarily taking those bad thoughts
captive and we're letting them sit and marinate and replay over and we're not healthfully
processing through our emotions and grief it can lead to mental health issues and stuff
like that so could you talk a little bit about how you kept your mind really focused on God
on the Holy Spirit and bringing you through to a healthy you know mental place and now
continuing to talk about it and use it for God's glory.
Yeah so I would just say first and foremost that grace yeah I didn't do anything during
my pregnancy that you know allowed me to survive it or that drew me close enough to the Lord
so that you know I could I could get through it we were poured out we were grace was poured
upon us and and that is the only the only thing that that got us through and allowed
us to have the perspective that we had that being said when we got home after receiving
the diagnosis and my husband and I were sitting on the couch we had varying degrees of faith
at that point but we were desperate and we prayed one prayer together it was three words
and we said God be glorified and we knew that we had no control over this we knew that we
didn't have the strength to get through it we knew that we were not some spiritual giants
you know but we knew that God could glorify himself through the situation and that was
our prayer and we had no idea the scale or magnitude that he would take such a simple
prayer and take our story around the world hundreds of thousands of people watched you
know as we walked through this pregnancy and and I'm so grateful for that opportunity
but more than anything I am so grateful for how the Lord transformed our own family through
this and and truly did a miraculous work in the hearts of myself of my husband of our
children to to take us into deeper waters and to usher us into a place where we are
now truly surrendered to his will and his his plan for us and truly trusting I mean
truly trusting that he is in control and how you can go from the loss of a child to a transformed
faith is only through the grace of God but it starts with that prayer right God be glorified
so often we're thinking you know why did this happen to me or what how do I get through
this how and we're really you know focused on self and it's like if we can shift out
and say God this is about you even though this is crushing me even though this is hurting
me be glorified he will never not answer that prayer and he wants you know the Bible talks
so much about suffering and so much about rejoicing in it and that that those verses
used to always confuse me and now I get it because the Lord is saying it is in these
times where I in the fires where I can mold you where I can truly fortify you like you
affords you into what you are created to be because it's it's in those times where we
allow ourselves to be shed of the of the coverings and the facades and everything that was keeping
us going you know as a news anchor I was you know always worried about what people think
right always trying to be you know right in everyone's eyes never wanting to step on toes
and the Lord shed you know so much fear of man off of me in that season and and really
got me to a place where I was vulnerable enough to hear from him and in a transformative way
and to really hear his heart and so I would just say for anyone you know suffering I think
back to Paul in Philippians when he's in prison I think it's I think it's in the first chapter
but he writes to the church and he says I rejoice because I know that through your prayers
and the work of the spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance this
the suffering is going to be my deliverance right and and I and you think why is that
and he says well it's my eager expectation and hope that I will not at all be ashamed
but now as always Christ will be honored in my body whether through life or death and
what this is about Shelby is this is saying we have got to take a higher perspective of
understanding that the circumstances of this life are for the endgame like this is for
his glory whatever that looks like however that looks like and because of his grace and
his goodness what happens is that he flexes through our suffering in ways that will wreck
us in the most beautiful ways but we have to keep our perspective aligned with that
and keep it away from ourself because the enemy wants us to second guess the enemy wants
us to to think that this is about us and what we deserve and and if we can keep our eyes
focused on Jesus in our suffering there is no greater transformative tool in our life
than suffering but we have to view it as that I remember Bill Johnson once said that you
know very soon there's going to be a day where we will be in eternity with Jesus and
it will be everything and more than we could ever hope and dream but for now for this blink
of an eye of life this is the only chance we have to share in Christ's sufferings okay
so we have this moment in time to lean into our heartache and grow closer to the Lord
to be with him in the garden of Gethsemane and to understand that that cry of his heart
those drips of blood that are saying Lord please take this from me the the day that
I dreaded most in in my journey with Emma was not even her delivery or her death it
was the day that we had to leave the hospital we were with her a couple days after she passed
thanks to a cooling device called a cuddle caught she was allowed to be in our room and
so it allowed bonding and closure it was a beautiful time but all throughout my pregnancy
the one moment that I dreaded was leaving that hospital yeah because I thought how do
you leave a hospital without your child yeah and that morning that we were being discharged
I woke up and and tears were were already falling down my face and I cried out to the
Lord and I said God I can't do this part like I literally physically could not do it and
in that moment I felt a surge of strength rush just head to toe and and it was like
as if heaven was being poured out upon me and I took a deep breath and Cole and I rocked
Emma that morning and we spent time with her and when it was time to go we handed her to
the nurse and we walked out of the hospital room and out of the hospital and we got in
the car and we buckled our seat belts and I remember we looked at each other and we
smiled and we thought what are we smiling about and it's like oh like this is the power
of Jesus Christ living in us this is the power that he offers us if we surrender if we admit
if we say we can't do this but you can your power is made perfect in my weakness and so
it was just times like that where I was just like oh god you're so good you're so faithful
and I know that we're gonna be with Emma forever in eternity yeah but for now but for now this
is our chance to share in Christ's suffering and to get to know him on that level like
what a beautiful gift but we have to understand that it's it's an invitation it's nothing
that's forced upon us and so we have when we walk through suffering we're handed an
invitation and we get to say yes or no to them and so often out of fear out of protection
out of whatever we say no we want we'll handle it we'll we'll try and guard against it we'll
get through it we'll survive and it's only in the surrender that we can see the beauty
in it all wow it's so powerful thank you for sharing those moments so much of what you
said resonated with me and I know you know a lot of these things are birthed out of the
secret place in your time with God and so sharing them it's like almost letting people
into that secret place that you have and and it's vulnerable but it's so impactful and
just when you were talking about Bill Johnson and what he said so many times in my life
I've meditated on that and you know walked through a trial and hardship not long ago
and really what got me through was what you were talking about with identifying with Jesus
in his pain and so it's like I'm sitting here and I'm praying and talking to him about what
I'm going through and he's like and he just comes down to your level it's not like well
what I did was so much more than what you're going through it's never like that he's so
humble and he just comes down to your level and he's like I understand like I understand
what you're going through I understand how you feel you know and it's like this is what
I walked through and this is how I felt and I you know he like comes and we identify with
him he identifies with us and it's really this exchange that's so beautiful and as you're
talking I know everyone who's listening when you walk through those times you it's like
a tangible thing it's like a it's part of your faith that's like something you can grab
on to and just as you're talking about it I mean the power of God through what you're
saying is going forth because it's so real it's not just something in a book that you're
reciting but it's something you've lived out and you like carry it and so it's really really
really powerful so thank you for sharing that I have one more question and then I want to
tell people about your website and what you're doing because I just know that God's going
to continue to use this story for his glory and in ways that you can't even imagine so
my last question is for people who have walked through hard times and they're listening to
this and they're saying hey actually like I didn't do this the right way I didn't identify
with Jesus in his pain I did shut him off and they're having feelings of regret or shame
like you know this happened in in time past and what would you tell them like how would
how would you encourage them?
It's never too late.
Jesus is always there and he's always ready and willing to redeem the pain that has come
and you know I would just say that the surrender is always an invitation there's no expiration
date on it and so if you're still waiting in pain and grief the Lord wants to take it
from you but you have to release it and sometimes our pain becomes like a security blanket we've
known it for so long it's what we're used to and even the thought of releasing it can
be scary but I would just say there is freedom you know like Jesus came for our freedom and
we are not to be held captive by suffering and pain and God wants to redeem it and he
will if you surrender it and so I would just say trust him and and really I would say get
with people I think this has been such a huge part of our story is is finding a church body
that you can be vulnerable with that you can be open with and who is chasing after the
person of Jesus and the things of the Holy Spirit.
You got to surround yourself with people I think we have become very isolated in our
faith a lot of in a lot of ways and we have rediscovered the beauty of the bride of Christ
through this journey it's another incredible gift that has come from this and so just get
with people find your people and and really bring it to light bring the pain to light
don't feel like it's too old or too stale or whatever bring it bring it up the Lord
is ready and eager to heal.
Brooke I just feel like the Holy Spirit put this on my heart would you pray for people
just however you feel led?
I would love to.
Father you are good you are holy you needed each person in their mother's wombs and you
know us so intimately and I just thank you for being a God who cares a God who cares
so much that he sent his own son to die.
Father I just pray over anyone listening right now who is still dealing with pain the effects
of suffering and grief.
Holy Spirit will you come will you fill them?
I pray that Jesus through your power and your blood God that your sacrifice what you paid
for on the cross God it covers this and so we just proclaim that power over the grip
of fear the grip of sadness and despair.
I ask for freedom right now in the name of Jesus for anyone listening God will you give
them a desire a renewed hope a spark of motivation that leads them to surrender that leads them
to seek out your body to seek out brothers and sisters who are chasing after you to seek
out more of the Holy Spirit and the power Jesus that you have given each of us the power
that made you say it's better that you leave now.
Father will you give us revelation of your goodness and of your provision even in the
fire God I pray that on the other side we will walk out unburned and stronger because
of what we walked through draw us close in our suffering so that we can sit closer to
you Jesus and learn more about you.
We love you so much I just pray blessings over everyone listening I pray provision and
healing in the name of Jesus amen.
Thank you Brooke I know that a lot of people listening they need those prayers and it's
really beautiful for everyone who's watching I just encourage you to go to morewithbrookemartin.com
I know that I've been blessed from this conversation and I know that people who listening have
been and on there you do coaching and maybe you could tell us a little bit more about
what you do but you walk through this with people on your website you talk about how
to identify how to heal and ways that lead to more beauty communicating your trial effectively
including when to share and how much just a multitude of things that are just so useful
that feel like a lot of people aren't learning anywhere else so could you share a little
bit with us about what you do and how people can stay connected with you.
Yeah sure yeah my website is morewithbrookemartin.com right now I'm doing some speaking and writing
mostly and I do offer a free resource called proof in prayer that is sent to your inbox
and it just has a guided prayer with me bi-weekly as well as some words and please feel free
to sign up for that on my website again that's totally free and then beyond that connect
with me on social media Instagram Facebook I love to keep in touch with people I am in
the process of writing a curriculum that I really hope to get out soon just helping people
walk through suffering because one of the things that we heard through our journey was
we heard from so many people who are still really stuck in grief and so that curriculum
hopefully will be coming out soon and yeah just stay tuned you know and feel free to
shoot me a message if you ever need prayer or support I'm here and about a year ago I
actually left news to just be here in this space and I'm not even honestly sure what
it's what it's gonna end up looking like but I just felt the Lord calling me out and so
please feel free to connect it's been it's been so much fun and such a blessing to connect
with so many people.
Well Brooke thank you so much for your time and again for everyone listening that's more
with BrookeMartin.com I know that I will be keeping up to date with everything that you're
doing because it is obvious that God is really going to use you in mighty mighty ways and
so I am excited to see what he does but thank you everyone for listening and stay tuned
for more.
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