When I began this Blog, I didn't intend it to be a journal of my life. My daughter had told me that is what a Blog is supposed to be, basically, a "log" of things happening. I enjoy reading other people's Blogs of all the interesting things they are doing around the world. It just doesn't seem that my life is all that interesting compared to those living in the jungle, so I planned to write stories and just try out blogging to see how it went. Well, lately, our lives and my Blog have been full of events, birthdays and other happenings. I guess my Blog will change along with our life. I will create original stories one day, then stories of my life another. I am excited to be able to share what I am learning and what God teaches me in my life. Well...I don't really have a story today, but I do have a special event. It is my husband and my 20th Anniversary! We have been married for 20 years...I can't believe it! I just realized, which makes me feel a tad old...that I have been married for half my life!
Now that I am older and wiser, I guess I will pass along a little of what I have learned through the years. To you who are not yet married, pray for your future spouse. Don't just plead with God to give you a "good man" - pray for the attributes you want in a husband. Pray for that man and the family he grows up with. My husband and I pray for our two girls' future husbands. We have prayed for their husbands from the time they were born - actually, before they were born! This is such an important thing in life. You want God to match you with who He has for you. God knows exactly who you are and who you need in your life because He knows what your journey holds.
I thank God for Dennis. He is exactly what I need in my life. We love to head to the beach together in the summer months to just sit and enjoy the water, boats and a cold Coke while reading a book or listening to our iPods. He is kind, loving, handsome and makes me a better person. That is what you want in a mate. Someone who loves you as you are, but encourages you to be a better you. Someone who enjoys spending time with you even if you are just sitting on the beach reading different books together. Dennis is quite different than me...I tend to look at the negative things in life - he always sees the positive. I am just a bit impatient when driving (my kids have exaggerated before and have called it road rage). Dennis slams on the brakes, smiles at the other driver who almost sent us into the ditch and keeps singing the song on the radio! I sometimes tend to complain about people or events that happen in my daily life. Dennis just nods and never has anything negative to say. He has taught me how to be more like Christ. Love others even when it is tough, don't talk down on anyone and always put God first, family second and life will be blessed. Now, I didn't say you would have a perfect life or be rich, but God can bless you even through difficult times. He can bless you with peace, joy and a knowledge that you are doing what God wants you to do.
Pray that God will lead you and your husband in what God has planned for your life. The world tells us to get a career, stay with it and retire with a good income. God says, "follow me". I am not saying that if you have a career or retire from the same position after 40 years, that you were not following God. I am just encouraging you to ask! Pray first about what God has for your life. Sometimes, we plan our lives and don't even bother to ask God what He has planned for us. If we leave God out of the plan, we will miss many of His blessings. God has lead Dennis and I many places and a few times we have had to move to a new city. The amazing thing is this: we would both know what our next step was and have a peace about it before moving ahead. God told Dennis and I both when we were to be done living in one city and when to begin to pack for the next. We have lived on faith at times, packing before God shows us where we were going!
I remember one such time in our lives...it happened during church camp up in northern Michigan. Dennis was praying for the service in a back room with another Pastor while I was sitting out in the service alone. I was enjoying worship time, but as I sang, I felt a stirring in my soul. I can't explain it really, but I knew we would be done as Pastor and wife at our church soon. I was singing a song but feeling nervous about leaving a wonderful church family who had become our family in the six years we were there. I was questioning God on how we could leave and begin again in a new place with two young girls. As I sat down, a man directly in front of me had a t shirt on with a saying on the back. I read his shirt, "Celebrate new beginnings". I knew God was speaking to me and I knew that shirt had just answered my question. No one had spoken to me, no big lightning bolts, but God had spoken through the silence and I knew we would be moving. As Dennis came out of the building, I was waiting for him. It was a beautiful sunny day and I remember the Chapel behind Dennis and his slow gait across the grass. We looked at each other and I knew - he knew. I just said, "we're done here, aren't we?" He hugged me and said, "yes". He had been praying in the back room and felt God speak to him about us leaving our home to begin someplace else - he was trying to figure out how he would tell me when the service was over!
This seems to be our life!! God has lead us to five different cities with our two girls. Some people did not understand how we could pick up and move so easily to new cities while our girls were still in school. What they didn't know was that it was not easy, but very difficult to leave a comfortable place to go into the unknown, but we also had a peace that we were doing what God wanted and an excitement to see what God had planned for us next. What our girls learned, other than how to be a "new kid" at school, is how to follow God. Though it was heartbreaking to watch my two little girls say goodbye to friends, I have a full heart knowing my girls know how to listen first to what God has planned for them before they step out on their own. If they listen to God first, they will not miss the blessings God has for their life...even in the tough times.
I have learned that my husband is my best friend. I can talk to him
about anything - even when I am complaining! One thing I love most
about being married to Dennis is dreaming with him about our future. After that day at camp, when we felt our life was changing, we began to pray and seek out what was next. We felt that God wanted us to begin a new church and we had even gotten direction from our church district of where we could begin this new adventure. Dennis and I went out for dinner on a "dream date" as we call it. We threw out ideas of what we could do, how to begin a new church, what we wanted a new church to look like, what we would want presented to those who never went to a church and how we would take this next step together.
We have taken many new steps in the world together and I have loved sharing this adventure called life with Dennis. We plan to continue to seek God in our next steps. God has shown us how much He can change our lives even while staying in one city! Dennis has begun writing a book that should be done this summer and I have begun a new adventure speaking out for women who are at risk of being forced into a life of sexual exploitation around the world. I can tell you...both of us never knew we would be doing these two things in our lifetime! God has so many surprises and adventures for us...and for you...if you just ask Him first what His plan is for your life.
Happy Anniversary Dennis! I love you and I am so glad we can continue to dream together...and see what the next adventure is around the corner...hopefully it includes the beach! See you tonight on our "dream date".
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