Saturday, April 14, 2012

The Proposal

One year ago the boy surprised me when he got down on one knee, offered me a pretty ring and the rest of his life. ONE YEAR! I can't believe it, I feel like I just met him, but then again I feel like I've known him forever. Praising God today for gracing me with a man so godly, so ridiculous, so handsome, and so funny. My life will forever be sweeter because Brett's in my life.


A Little Background...

Brett and I met on a Tuesday. We actually met through eHarmony (another story, another day) but actually saw each other face to face for the first time on December 14, 2010. It wasn't long before I realized he was the rock to my roll...the cheese to my macaroni...the fruit to my loom. I'll stop there. What I'm trying to say is, he was quite wonderful and won my heart. 

My family goes on an annual trip to Siesta Key, Florida every year. That March, Brett went along. Keep in mind, it was just a mere few weeks before we left for vacation that Brett first told me he loved me. We both agreed we wanted to marry each other one day, but we both concluded we were in no hurry and wanted to take our time.

The Twist...

While in Florida, we were blessed to be able to take long, long walks on the beach. Hand in hand, taking in the sounds of the ocean and talking more and more about our future. Naturally the questions began to rise in both of our minds: if we're confident now we want to get married, why are we waiting so long to do so? We lived an hour away from each other, and football season would be here before we knew it. Did we really want to go through the fall being that far apart AND that busy?

As a girl, of course, I was giddy with excitement, but totally suave. The boy had no clue I was listening to songs on my iPod, planning which one I would walk down the aisle to. I just knew. I didn't know when, exactly, but I finally knew the boy at the end of that long church aisle would be Brett. As thrilled as that made me, I played it cool and let him bring it up and do the talking. I just agreed excessively when he mentioned marrying me sooner.



The Days Prior...

As the Florida trip ended, Brett concluded, "I think I need to talk to your dad." We had busy schedules the next couple of days making it difficult to spend time together, but our conversations continued. One Saturday morning (who remembers that cartoon, btw!?), I had to go to work, but Brett had a paper he had to work on, so he decided to come up to my house while I was at work to work on his homework. When I came home from work, Brett and I were talking casually, when he asked, "So, do you want to go ring shopping tomorrow?" My heart said, "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" but my mouth whispered, "I'd like that." Again, so suave.

I walked to the refrigerator and found a box of leftovers from Applebees. I yelled into the living room, "Babe, what's with the Applebees box?" He said, "Mind your own dang business!!" Aha! He had lunch with my dad. I love him.

Long story short, we looked at a few different stores for rings. I liked the ones that shined, and he liked the ones that made me smile more. To this day, I won't allow him to tell me how much he spent, because I would just want to return it and get something cheaper. I hate spending money. However, knowing my husband, he got a killer deal.  Another reason why I love him.

The Proposal...

It was a Thursday night. I worked all day and was exhausted. Brett text me while I was at work, asking me when I would be done so that he would know when to call. I told him what time. He text again: Text me when you leave so I know when to call you. I thought, Good Grief! I just told you! And then it hit me...I always hear stories about how guys act shady right before they propose. Could he be up to something? I rushed out of work like a bullet from a gun and headed home. The whole way home, I talked myself out of it. I didn't want to be disappointed, especially since he didn't do anything wrong. It's a silly thing girls do, and are good at. By the time I pulled in my driveway, it was totally out of my mind.

Then I noticed his car in my garage. I ran inside, fully expecting him to be down on one knee, with soft music playing and candles lit and rose petals everywhere! I opened the door, and, instead, found him making pork chops and messing with Sophie. I said, "Well hey, what's going on?" Brett said, "I knew you had a long day, wanted to surprise you with dinner!" Suspicious, I asked, "Umm, is that it?" He smiled a smart mouthed grin and said, "YEP!" I wasn't convinced, but at that point I knew he was gonna milk my anticipation for all it was worth.

We ate a nice dinner and went on a walk. Halfway through the walk, I realized, the faster we walked, the faster we'd be back home, and the faster I'd (likely) get engaged! I was bookin' it, and the boy knew it. He was all like, "Oh babe, slow down, it's such a nice night out!" Punk. We finally made it back home after walking at the pace of a snail. We went out back to chill out on the porch, and that's when it happened.

He set up all of the patio furniture, and had flowers and candles everywhere. The white and colored lights were strung throughout the porch...it was seriously perfect. I sat down beside him, quiet, letting him lead the conversation. I didn't want to delay his speech about how much he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. But again, I should have known. This is Brett we're talking about. Ornery, mischievous, Brett. He asks me if I liked the lights. I told him they were awesome and I was excited about them. He said, "Yea, I thought I remembered you saying you liked these. They had these other lights that..." And on and on he went. 

Seriously, a good half hour went by as he was talking about these dang lights. I finally zoned out. He was loving every moment. He knew he was killing me. After what seemed like light years, he finally said, "So, there's a reason I did all of this tonight." That was my cue. Boom, I was paying attention. Tell me more. He said, "I wanted you to get a glimpse tonight of what life could be like if we spent the rest of our lives together..." I'll spare you the sappy stuff, but trust me, he said sweet things that would have made any girl say yes. It was lovely and his words I'll cherish in my heart forever. At the end, as you may have guessed, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. Without hesitation, I said, "YES!"

And boom. Less than four months later, I became his wife. I'm a lucky lady. I cannot thank God enough for Brett and I would continue telling you how grateful I am, but instead, I'm going to wrap it up because Brett just offered to take me out for dinner at Biaggis, and I've gotten in the habit of telling him, "YES!"

Monday, April 2, 2012

Preach It!

"Yet when I preach the Gospel, I cannot boast; 
for I am compelled to preach. 
Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" 
1 Corinthians 9:16

As believers, we have NO choice. When we come to accept the fact that we are sinners and cannot save ourselves...when we discover God's great love for us, that while we were still sinners, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us...when our hearts have been changed by this Truth, we have NO choice. We MUST preach the Gospel. With our whole lives, with our every word, with our every breath. It's the least we can do to bring Glory to His Name.

There are many "gospels" out there in the world. The only way to test and see if its true is to see what they say about Jesus. Because if they're preaching a different Jesus, then they're preaching a different gospel, and a different gospel does not save. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He and God and the Holy Spirit are one. He was sent to earth to live a perfect life and teach us. He was nailed to a cross where He received beatings to the point where He was unrecognizable, where He died and was buried in a tomb. Then, three days later He rose again! The ONLY way to God the Father is through Jesus Christ.

Most of the world is preaching the message that we can save ourselves. They preach that there is a power within, and if we can unlock it, we are capable of great things. Some of them even tie in the name of God into this twisted message. My friends, do not be fooled. Do not be mislead! We constantly hear that we deserve greatness, that God wants us to be successful, or that we have the power to create life and death with our words. Friends, the only One capable of creating life with His Words is God. WE ARE NOT GOD! We are dust, we are dirty, we are sinners who deserve nothing less than death! But our God, who is mighty and compassionate and who is LOVE, He loved us enough to give us the opportunity to be saved! Apart from Him, we can do nothing!

We must be bold. We must speak the truth in love. We must pray for those who hearts are hardened. And we must warn those who are being mislead to come back to the Truth. There are many popular "teachers" out there that are leading even Christians astray. Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, Oprah, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, and Creflo Dollar are just a few of the first that come to mind.  They use Truth, mix in a little bit of blasphemy, and sell it on national television.  To quote Justin Peters, "If you take a perfectly good glass of water, and mix in just a drop of poison, it is no longer good to drink." Please join me in praying for those who have been fooled by their teachings, as well as for them, that their hearts may be softened to the Truth, and that they would turn from their ways and run to Jesus.

"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who brought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping...." 2 Peter 2:1-3

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what is accepted, let him be eternally condemned!" Galatians 1:6-10