Meeting My Denny

This is a crazy story. At least my kids thought their mom had lost her mind. And truth be told she may have lost her mind, but it happened long before meeting Denny Davis. You are supposed to laugh now. Actually, my lost mind was found a few years before when my spiritual awareness became brighter and unencumbered with the expectations of others.

My heart had been broken in 2001 when I learned my husband was not who he said he was. Unbelievable how one can be deceived at such a high level of emotional investment especially when they believe they hear from God and have a gift of discernment. It was explained to me how discernment has nothing to do with that degree of con artistry. I had to believe I could still hear from God and could still believe my discernments. Shortly after this horrific devastation I was napping in my big chair in the living room. I had been crying out to the Lord about the situation. I awakened to hear Him speak to me in an audible voice and felt His presence beside me saying, “Your name is Janie Roberts. It is as if you have never been married.” My heart was touched with healing at that moment, and I knew my life would forever trust in His voice.

Fast forward to my decision to accept a travel nurse assignment in Chattanooga Tennessee. There is an old joke, a dirty joke, about Shorty’s Bar and Grill in Chattanooga, Tennessee. One of my friends teased me about meeting this guy and said with luck I would meet a guy from Ona (a town in WV). We laughed without even having to tell the joke. I had no intention of meeting any guys and certainly was not interested in a relationship.

I packed up my car in the fall of 2002 for a thirteen-week assignment in Chattanooga. The staffing agency rented an apartment for me. I would not have a television, so I packed up my cumbersome big desktop computer and left Campbellsville, KY. Saying goodbye to my family and friends was difficult. They were the ones who helped me get through breast cancer and healing. They were the ones who helped me through my love loss of my con artist husband. I was on my way to change the path of my career.

I arrived at my new job, at a hospital in Chattanooga, working on the rehab unit. My work history as a nurse was primarily in home health and hospice. I had worked in the medical surgical department, but my in-house hospital experience was limited. I immediately started learning and making friends and excelling at my work. I learned computer documentation and floated to other areas of the hospital. It was truly a broad and wonderful experience.

An extra insertion here is I went to church and met someone with whom I had gone to church camp in the 1950’s and 1960’s in West Virginia. His name was Dale Kendall. I add this simply to acknowledge how life takes us in different directions. Knowing there was someone in Chattanooga I trusted was a security blanket. I had a friend.

One day one of my nurse friends encouraged me to check out online chat rooms. I laughed at the idea. She insisted that one could meet really nice people and form friendships. Again, I laughed at her. One day she told me she had been on a website called “Christian Matchmakers.com.” She shared some discussions she had and was so positive about the fun of it that I had to try it. I logged into my computer and typed Christian Matchmakers.com. I filled out my profile. I was skeptical, especially after a con-artist husband. I chatted online with different men. Occasionally they would ask for my phone number. I was not willing to share my number. I enjoyed hearing from different guys and reading profiles. It was interesting to see where people were from and what they were doing and where they had been and what their goals in life were and what they believed. It was eye-opening! From time to time, I would get a message from this guy, RVDenny, saying “I saw your profile today and will pray for you.” Then one Sunday afternoon I received that message again. I responded for a change. He said it was his birthday, October 6. I wished him a happy birthday. We chatted for quite a while. Finally, I told him if he gave me his phone number I would call and sing Happy Birthday to him. Back then you did not have access to the number that was calling you, so I felt safe calling him. Technology was not as advanced as it is today. I called him and sang Happy Birthday.

Denny and I talked and talked for about five hours that day. We talked about our lives, our divorces, our children, our faith. I seriously thought his profile name RVDenny meant he was into RV life. But he had been a preacher. Oh no! Or should it be “Oh Yes? It did not matter. He was in Oregon, and I was in Tennessee. The next day we talked for five hours and the next day and the next. He would get up in the middle of his night, pacific time, to call me before I went to work to pray with me to have a good day. Every controversial subject we discussed held the same convictions. We both had prayed that if we were to continue life alone that God would give us the grace to do it and do it well but if we were to have a relationship that He would lead us to a spirit-filled, Godly minded person. It was not long before he was flying into Nashville to meet me. OH MY!

I picked Mr. Davis up at the airport in Nashville. I did not know what this man looked like. He had told me he was heavy and weighed about 360 pounds, six foot tall, bald. That did not paint a very pretty picture in my head, but I loved his heart and our spiritual conversations. He had papers to prove he was who he said he was as that was especially important for this woman. You are supposed to giggle a bit here. He had been in the Army twice, had been in the 82^nd division as a paratrooper, had driven long haul truck for yellow freight, was from Los Angeles, was raised by foster parents, had two adopted sons and one biological son, had done church planting for the Church of God, had disability from the VA at 100%, was mobile, a golfer and in good health. I stood in the hallway at the airport waiting for his plane to land. I watched people exit the ramp. One by one walking off and greeting others. I made up stories in my head about them, about who they were meeting and why and what they were doing and where they were going. Then a bald man about six feet tall walked down the ramp. He had a bouquet of artificial flowers in his hand. He had a grin ear to ear and big beautiful blue eyes shining. He was wearing beige pants and an awful ugly green and white striped shirt, stripes going around polo shirt. I knew that man was my Denny. He grabbed me. We hugged tightly. We kissed. Two weeks later on November the first, I was Mrs. Dennis Davis, Jr.

Janie Roberts Davis 04/04/2025