Couple Feature: Jacob and Mary Hroch

Required Questions

Tell us about your first date.

We met at bible study at our church, and in one of our first conversations, I learned that Jacob was from Tomball. I immediately asked him if he knew how to country dance (this was back when Tomball was still the country), and he said that he grew up dancing. I guess he saw my eyes light up (I LOVE to two-step), so he said that we would have to go sometime. After we had a few group dates with our friends, Jacob took me country dancing. I was anxious to see if he really could dance or if we could even dance well together. We went out onto the dance floor right when we got there and could immediately two-step beautifully, turns, spins, and all. The faster the song, the better because you get to turn really fast! It was so much fun…he is a wonderful leader! We still enjoy dancing together; sometimes we just turn on the country music and dance around our house!


Tell us something most people don’t know about you and your spouse.

Mary – I guess most people don’t know that I was a camp counselor at Pine Cove for one summer during college. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever done, but definitely so rewarding. I was able to grow so much with the Lord in such a short period of time.

Jacob- I guess most people didn’t know that I like to write and play music. I play guitar and write songs when time allows. (Not much lately with being a new daddy and all). It’s something that always makes me happy.

Mary- As a side note, Jacob has written me lots of beautiful songs. I always tell him he needs to get them copyrighted and send them to someone famous like George Strait!!


What are your goals for the future, both as a couple and individually?

Mary – Right now I am really focusing on being the best wife and mother that I can be. I pray every day that the Lord will guide Jacob and me as we raise Levi. We pray that Levi will come to know the Lord at a young age and truly walk with Him. I am so thankful that I get to stay at home so that all my focus is on taking care of our family while seeking God’s guidance.

Jacob- I would have to say that growing more and more in my spiritual walk with the Lord is always a goal. I feel that the Lord is constantly working in my heart to be a light that others might see. To sum that up I would say that the real goal would be to seek what God calls me to do in everything I do. Career wise I am currently working on the CPA exam. I am a tax accountant in The Woodlands and the next step for me is to become a CPA. I know this is a challenging task, as some of you know. For now SURVIVING THAT TEST is about the only goal I have.

Couple – As a couple we are striving to grow with God everyday in our marriage and raising our son to be a Godly man. One of our other big goals is to move out to the country on our own land. We would like to have cattle, maybe some chickens, but definitely a big front porch to just sit, relax, and enjoy God’s beauty!

What is the best gift you have ever given to your spouse? What is the best gift you’ve ever received from your spouse?

Mary- Without a doubt the best gifts Jacob has given me are our son, Levi and allowing me to be a stay at home mom. However, these wouldn’t have been possible without God, so Jacob cannot take full credit. Jacob is a great gift giver. He is very thoughtful when choosing gifts, which makes it very hard to pick one. I guess one of my favorites would have to be my iPhone that he gave me for Christmas this year. I have never wanted, nor did I think I even needed an iPhone, but ever since Levi was born it was very hard for me to find time to log onto the computer and check my email. Now, I can check it quickly throughout the day. Plus, I can quickly snap pictures of Levi and email them to Jacob at work. Another great thing about the iPhone, I now have text message…I didn’t even do text messaging before this…crazy, I know! I guess the best gift I have given Jacob would be our Boxer, Tex. I gave him Tex for our wedding gift almost 4 years ago…he’s a great dog!

Jacob – I guess the best gift my wife has ever given me is a pair of double stitch Ariat boots. These are not only practical (Mary loves to give “practical” gifts), but they are also great for dancing! The best gift I ever gave her was not diamonds, or an iPhone, but it would definitely have to be a stuffed dog she named Baxter. Now I gave Baxter to her with a pair of diamond earrings, but she seems to love him more than the earrings since she still sleeps with him every night.

Mary – Yes, I admit, I am 27 years old and still sleep with a stuffed animal, but he is just so soft and cuddly!


What is your favorite Bible verse? Why?

Mary – Wow, this is probably the hardest question. There are SO many excellent verses, and they all have different impacts depending on what is going on in your life. I guess two of my very favorite verses are Philippians 2:10-11, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” That is so powerful!!! It sends chills down my spine to think that one day EVERYONE will bow before the Lord and give him glory…it just shows what a Mighty God we do serve!

Jacob- I would have to say that the verse I love the most would be the simple verse 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “ Pray without ceasing.” I think this has applied so many times in my life that all fingers and all toes don’t even add up. The simple act of prayer is sometimes the most gratifying and rewarding part of my day. God has shown himself to me more through prayer than I could have ever asked for. The reason I think that this verse is my favorite, has to be when God brought me and Mary both back to it during the pregnancy with Levi. We had so many complications that it seemed that prayer was the only comforting time for us, and through it all God did answer our prayers, and Levi is living proof.

You Choose Questions

What is your best karaoke song?

Mary – “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” – Mainly because I would NEVER go up there by myself; it’s always with a group of girls.

Jacob – “Everybody Wang Chung Tonight” By the way…what is “Wang Chung?”

What is your top area of expertise?

Mary – I was a teacher for five years, but I definitely feel that being a mom is more of my area of expertise. It just feels natural, and I feel at peace. I don’t have to stress about grading papers or dealing with difficult 8th graders.

Jacob – My area of expertise is “honey dos”, mainly because I am handy around the house and good at listening to my wife. (She concurs).

What was your favorite item of clothing as a child?

Mary – I really liked my L.A. Gear shoes. These are the shoes where you could switch out the triangles to match your outfit…too cool!

Jacob – I miss my black and white stripped Girbaud jeans.

What was your favorite toy as a child?

Mary – I had a baby doll that my grandmother gave me when I was 1 year old. The baby doll was about as big as me, so I called her “Big Baby.” I played “house” with Big Baby for years. It’s neat that I now have a real “big baby” of my own!

Jacob – My Red Ryder BB Gun…’nuff said!

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Jacob and I both agreed the weirdest thing we have ever eaten was the 8th grade science dissection of the squid, which the teacher decided to make into calamari. (If you’re from small towns like Bryan and Tomball, this is considered a “high class delicacy”).

Questions From The Class

If you could have a job other than the one you currently have, what would it be and why? (submitted by Katie)

Mary – I honestly feel that I have the ideal job, staying at home being a wife and mother…it’s what I have always dreamed of and prayed for. However, if I had to go back to work, I think I would want to be a receptionist, answering the phone and filing papers all day sounds like fun to me!

Jacob – If I had my ideal job, I would keep it simple, be a rancher raising cattle, living off my land.

Since Levi has been born, what has been the biggest lesson that God has taught y’all? (submitted by Kim and Eric)

The biggest lesson God has taught us since Levi has been born is to never lose faith, and to trust in God that He will always provide. It has been so apparent in our lives with examples such as having a healthy baby even through a difficult pregnancy to God answering our prayers for Mary to be able to stay at home. God truly is amazing and He has shown us time and time again that if we just seek Him daily, He will “…give us the desires of our heart.” ~Psalm 37:4

January Couple Of The Month...

Our January couple of the month is: 

Jacob and Mary Hroch

If you have a question you would like them to answer, please leave a comment or e-mail Suzi.  You'll have one week to submit your questions!

You're Invited!

In a class like ours we have the opportunity to experience a variety of relationships with a diverse group of people. Naturally friendships are forged-often as a result of common experiences and shared interests. Whether you have kids at similar ages and stages of development, share similar occupations, or have a mutual affection for all things Transformers, it is likely that you have found yourself drawn to a specific circle of friends within our Life Group.

Or maybe you've looked around and noticed that some couples share a deeper friendship with one another-one that extends past the casual "How are you's" and other niceties of Sunday morning. And maybe you've wished that you could be included. Because what these couples have is the real deal-a core group of friends who laugh together, cry together, pray for one another, and trust each other with their hopes and fears.

But instead of praying for the Lord to bring you this same blessing, or thanking Him for what He is doing in the lives of our classmates, you instead wonder-Why am I being left out?

It can start innocently enough. Your BFF received a Christmas card from a couple in the class, but no matter how many times you've visited your mail box, you don't have one. Or you're doing your daily blog stalking and see that someone had a get together. Many of the faces in the pics are familiar-and look like they are having a blast-and you think it may be because you aren't there. Or you're sitting in class surrounded by a sea of empty chairs, and you know you bathed and wore deodorant. And suddenly it seems clear-there is something wrong with you, nobody likes you, and they wouldn't be your friend if you were the last person on earth.

Seem extreme? Okay, maybe a bit-but regardless of how irrational your thoughts may get, you are now exactly where Satan wants you. You are about to embark on a journey where Jealousy, Resentment, and Bitterness will accompany you to a one person party at the house of Pride thrown by Pity, Revenge and ultimate host Hatred. Hey, you wanted to be included in something, right?

If you've never been to this event, count yourself fortunate. Because friends, I have been hanging out at this party for awhile now and it stinks. There are no refreshments-not even queso, no party games or Wii-and most of all, no real friends. Trust me, it is not something you ever want to receive an Evite for.

But seriously, I write this post to share with you that I have been struggling with this for some time now, and some of you have been open enough to share with me that you have been having a hard time in this area too. So I pray that what I write here, what the Lord has been showing me, will be an encouragement to you and be a safe-guard for all of us in the future.

The Bible says that the Lord has a plan for each of us-"plans to prosper [us] and not to harm [us], plans to give [us] hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). That plan is super-detailed and even includes the people that come in and out of our lives. As the Lord led me to think about some of the couples in our class, and the paths that they are on, I realized that many of them have been gifted with close friendships right as a time of crisis and hardship entered their lives. Who needs Godly friends more than a family who is facing unemployment? Or illness? Or any sort of life-altering change?

How selfish of me to begrudge these couples their friendships when clearly the Lord has given them exactly what they need! I know that He will do the same for me-and very well may have done so already, which I would have noticed if I wasn't so busy being jealous of everyone else. I must say friends, I am humbled and appalled at the filthiness that is constantly being purged from my heart.

Time to replace the bitterness with some different and much more holy actions.

1. Be content!
1 Timothy 6:6 reminds me that "godliness with contentment is great gain." Instead of grumbling about what others have, I should be thankful for what God has given me. Do I really want to take all that God has provided me and say to Him that it isn't good enough? Unfortunately, in my sin, I pretty much already have and it is not working for me. So I'm going to go after the contentment thing.

2. Rejoice with those who rejoice!
Ever since I was little this verse has always stuck in my head-obviously in the far, cobwebbed reaches as of late-but still enough for the Lord to bring it forth again and show me how it applies to my current situation. Romans 12: 15-16a goes on to say, "Mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud . . ." The verse is not written with conditions-so you really don't get to choose if you rejoice. I'm not allowed to wait until things are going good for me to rejoice over my classmates. I'm just supposed to rejoice-period. And did you notice how pride and rejoicing are not conducive to each other? Yep, rejoicing is an unselfish act that puts our focus back on the Lord. Because "every good and perfect gift . . . [comes] down from the Father of the heavenly lights," (James 1:17)-and that is definitely rejoice-worthy.

I know that I am human, and that I will only be able to do these things through the power of the Holy Spirit in me. I will probably feel lonely again, but now I have the tools to keep Satan at bay. But more than anything, should any of us ever feel lonely, excluded or just not "in" with the cool kids, remember this:

"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24) and that is Christ! The good news is that He wants to be your friend. He doesn't play favorites and He will always include you and return your phone calls! We can ALL have a deep, personal relationship with Him. And when we accept His free gift of salvation and enter into a relationship with Him, we are immediately guaranteed an invite to the best get-together of all-eternity with Him!