Has the question “what does it cost to fly 100 of your family and friends to Orlando or to book a one-way flight to Europe for your honeymoon” crossed your mind?  Admittedly, it has mine and then I’m reminded of the absolute irrelevance of the answer.  And therein lies an important lesson shared by Paul Harding, Managing Partner of Martin Harding & Mazzotti, LLP, to the seventy men who attended Adirondack CBMC on Thursday, June 20th.  Despite having the financial wherewithal to accomplish such feats, it could not and did not save a failing marriage.  A marriage marred by unintended neglect and a husband and wife whose life looked amazing from the outside but inside was coming apart at the seams.  Years of anxiety had plagued Paul resulting in his being unable to manage his own issues or the needs of a  marriage relationship.  Divorce separated the Harding family and yet counterintuitively set them on a path of reconciliation.   

Individually befriended by Christian acquaintances, both Paul and Gwen (“Wendy”) eventually surrendered their life to the Lord and that is when their lives became interesting, again.  The shared realization of independent conversions created an interesting dialogue between them…one that would eventually lead to a reconciled relationship, a re-marriage and the lasting joy of raising their two daughters, Andie and Payton, together in a Christian home.  But if the story stopped there the impact of Paul’s life testimony wouldn’t be nearly as compelling.  You see Paul became a founding member of the Albany Chapter of Christian Business Men’s Connection where he regularly shares his story and encourages business men in their faith.  In addition, Paul and Wendy have extended themselves to others in a unique and fitting way…they counsel married couples so that they too can focus properly on both vertical (God) and horizontal (spouse) relationships.  Thank you Paul for being clear, honest, God-Centered and vulnerable as you shared your testimony at Adirondack CBMC.