BLeach

Engaged: Part 4

Thanks again for sharing this story with Leah and I this week.  We'll see if we can bring it home today.

To celebrate the moment on Friday night, I did something I rarely do.  I cooked!  I actually prepared a memory meal.  A sentimental spread if you will:)  It was a collection of random food that has been a part of our journey. 

Since neither of us had much of an appetite, we spent most of our time just sitting at the table laughing.  Leah read me a letter that she'd been carrying in her purse since the end of July, when we first started talking seriously about the future.  Every word was beautiful and it inspired me to kiss her again!  Needless to say we had alot of leftovers.

After dinner we drove to the waterfront.  We hit Starbucks, where the barista gave Leah a free engagement frappucino.  Then I suggested we sit down at Barnes and Noble to look at bridal magazines.  Didn't know what I was getting myself into with that one.  Young women in the store were attracted to our table like bugs to a light and Leah had a great time telling our brand new story to strangers.

I was actually just trying to kill time, setting up the grand finale.  Our families had agreed to meet in Pittsburgh to surprise Leah and celebrate the engagement.  It was Samantha's last night in town before going back to Grove's City College.  Leah's parents (Bruce and Patty) were already in town and helped me plan the night.  Ashley and her husband Nate drove in Friday night from Washington DC.  And my parents drove east from Detroit.  They all gathered at the Edward's home while I learned the difference between A-line and ball gown wedding dresses.

When we pulled back into Leah's driveway at 9.30 everyone was waiting inside.  When we walked in they all yelled "surprise!"  Then my dad jumped out and said, "Will you marry us?" 

We spent the rest of the night eating cake, opening cards, and sharing stories.  And about twelve hours later Leah went to David's Bridal and bought the first wedding dress she tried on.  Seriously.  My fiancee gets it done!

Keep her in prayer.  She's got alot more to get done over the next four and a half months.  I've promised to try and be as helpful as possible while not getting in the way:)  And this week I feel a bit like a kid on Christmas Eve.  There's the promise of presents in the morning.  I've just got to sleep through the night.

Engaged: Part 3

I started planning my proposal to Leah about one month ago.  But I started planning my proposal to the girl I would marry several years ago.  For as long as I've thought about the possibility of marriage, I've wanted my engagement moment to be as special as possible.  So I waited on two things.

Before Friday I'd never kissed a girl (or a guy for that matter).  And I'd never told a girl that I loved her.  I actually made a promise to Grandma Clay over twenty years ago that I wouldn't kiss a girl until I was sixteen.  There have been a few times when I've blamed her for cursing me.  Today I just credit her for inspiring me to prepare a gift for Leah.

On Friday night I learned that good things are worth the wait.  My first kiss was with my first (and last) fiancee.  Thankfully it won't be my last kiss!  And I got to tell the woman I'm committing the rest of my life to that I love her with all my heart.

I know that some guys have saved their first kiss for the altar.  I respect that.  I just felt like I needed a few months to practice:)

I wish I could communicate in one series of blog posts how special Leah Edwards is.  God answered my prayers and creatively designed her for me.  I'm glad I could save some firsts for her.  And I hope that she'll remember August 24 for the rest of her life, and that each time she does, she'll shriggle.

Tomorrow we'll finish the story.

Engaged: Part 2

Thanks to so many of you who have left comments and sent emails.  It's so much fun for Leah and I to share our story with you.  By the way, Leah is telling her perspective of our journey on her blog. 

Back to the story...

Samantha sent me a text message at 4.08 on Friday to inform me that Leah was leaving the church.  It's about a twenty minute drive from Northway to Leah's house.  I understand that twenty minutes isn't very long.  But during those twenty minutes I felt like God hit pause on His sunset button and stopped time.  I lit all the candles and checked on the chicken.  That left me another seventeen minutes to sweat, pace, and pray that she would say "yes."

When Leah finally walked through the door, she was talking on the phone with Ashley (her other sister who lives in Virginia). Their conversation was perfect.  She was actually complaining to Ashley that I didn't seem to be putting too much thought into our engagement.  That's when she looked up to the top of the stairs, saw me standing there in front of my candle creation, and said to Ashley, "Oh my gosh, I'll have to call you back!"

I can only explain what happened next as a sort of shrieking, giggling sound.  I'll call it shriggling.  I took Leah's hand and tried to calm her down, while hoping my own heart rate would slow down.  I took a minute to look into her eyes and settle into the moment.  And then I told her some things I've been waiting several years to say. 

In her excitement, Leah hadn't noticed the ring sitting at the top of the candle pyramid.  By the time I turned around and picked it up a fresh round of shriggling began.  Then I got down on one knee and asked the girl of my dreams to marry me.  That led to more shriggling, and since shriggling sounds different than "yes," I asked her to clarify:)  And just for the record, she definitely said "yes!"

Surprising Leah and getting the ring on her finger was phase one of the engagement plan.  Phase two started when I stood up and got to do two things I've never done before. 

And that's where we'll pick up the story tomorrow!

Engaged: Part 1

 

After a whirlwind weekend it's finally official.  My bachelor days are coming to an end!  On Friday night I asked Leah Edwards to marry me.  I'll never forget her answer. 

Absolutely, Yes!

I drove out to Pittsburgh late Thursday night.  I wanted to propose in the city she calls home.  Thanks to a week of undercover planning that would have made Jason Bourne proud, Leah had no clue that I was coming.

Friday morning I had breakfast with her dad and asked for his blessing.  We talked about how special Leah is and he gave me some great marriage advice.  Then I went grocery shopping with Leah's mom to buy the supplies for the memory meal I was planning to cook for our post-engagement dinner.  When we got back to the Edward's house I put the chicken in the oven, created a multi-leveled candle pyramid with a diamond ring on top, and waited for my girl to get home.

As far as Leah knew she was stopping by to pick up her sister for the car cruise event at Northway that night.  What Leah didn't know was that Samantha wouldn't actually be home, and her co-workers had already arranged to take her place at the car cruise so that she wouldn't have to come back. When she finally pulled into the driveway, the only person in the house was me:)

I'll pick up with part 2 tomorrow.  In the meantime, I'll just say how much fun it was to tell the story to our church yesterday.  Leah got to come back to Detroit for the day, so she tag-team preached the message with me.  She was hilarious and actually made fun of me, which seems to be exactly what our church wanted to hear.  I guess they were relieved to know that I was marrying someone who was going to help me:)

iBELONG

I took some planning time today to put some dreams on paper for our upcoming fall series.  On September 9 I'm going to kick off a series of messages called iBELONG: Finally Finding Family.

Families are defined by what they share.  Shared experiences.  Shared father.  Shared DNA.  In the iBELONG series we're going to take seven weeks to walk through a series of DNA messages, discovering some important things we share as a church family. 

On a personal note, I'm really enjoying these days of dreaming about the future of our church.  It looks so bright.  Jesus has called us to an awesome cause in a strategic city.  Can't wait to re-envision some things with my church family this fall!

Meet Leah

Six months ago today I met the most amazing person.  I met Leah Edwards on February 15 while attending some meetings in Pittsburgh.  I asked her to go out for coffee after the meeting.  I think it turned out to be the best coffee of my life!  Actually, I don't remember too much about how the coffee tasted, but the conversation was unforgettable.

Leah serves as director of children's ministry at Northway Community Church.  If you visit her blog you'll soon discover so many of the things I admire about her.  She loves God's Word.  She loves people.  She is hilarious.  Seriously, she constantly makes me laugh.  She is full of wisdom and grace.  She believes wholeheartedly in the beauty and potential of the local church.  The only question mark in our relatoinship seems to be her undying love for the Pittsburgh Steelers:)

If my blogging has been less than consistent at times during the past six months, Leah is probably the reason why:)  She is definitely the reason that I haven't played much golf this summer!

Leah, thanks for so many great memories these past six months!  You've enriched my life:)

A Mack Truck Morning

Well, I spent all of last night tossing and turning and feeling like someone was trying to drive this truck through my head:)  But I hear a thankful heart is good medicine.  So...

Today I'm thankful for Chicken Noodle Soup, Sprite, blankets, and reruns of The Office.

If you think of it will you say a prayer for me?  This is the wrong week for me to be sick.  Tomorrow we kick off three nights of loving a building full of kids at Kids Quest.  And Friday night we wrap it up by throwing a party for several thousand neighbors at the Berkley Cruise Fest.  So much good is going to happen for the kingdom this week. 

We've got a city to serve!

Bridge Collapse::Soul Collapse

Like so many, I've been prayerfully watching the news regarding the collapse of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis.  And perhaps because I identify with them, I'm praying for pastors in the area to have the wisdom and opportunity to serve their city in the wake of tragedy. 

Bethlehem Baptist, the church John Piper leads, is within eye-sight of the bridge.  This is what he wrote three hours after the bridge fell.  You need to read it.  Honestly, I can't imagine anything more powerful being written. 

Here's a taste:

The word bridge does not occur in the Bible.  There may be two reasons.  One is that God doesn't build bridges, he divides seas.  The other is that usually his people must pass through the deadly currents of suffering and death, not simply ride over them.

A Blessing From Above

Alright:)  Tim's story wins the award for "one thing I'd never want to have happen to me when I'm preaching."  If you're up for a good laugh today, check it out!

By the way, this guy's my runner-up:)

Can You Hear Me Now

Had a great time yesterday digging into 1 Samuel 3 in preparation for this coming Sunday.  Next in our Summer Stories series: The Boy Who Heard God's Voice.

I was struck by so many observations.  For starters, it was sobering for me to realize that Samuel thought Eli's voice was God's voice.  I was reminded that my challenge as a spiritual leader is to deflect attention.  If I'm not careful people will attend our church each weekend, listen to a message, and assume they've heard all they need to hear from God.  My real challenge is to teach people to hear God for themselves; to make sure that their faith isn't based on hear-say.

I also realized that I've not been in the habit of finishing this story.  What comes to your mind when you first think of 1 Samuel 3?  Cute little boy in the temple falling asleep at night while listening to God's soft, soothing voice?  That was my mental picture.  But have you ever thought about what God actually told Samuel?  It was a violent description of what He was going to do to Samuel's mentor.  Ouch. 

Maybe we're not always quick to get quiet and listen to God because we're a little frightened by the prospect of what He might actually say?  Ignorance is bliss:)

Anyway, interesting stuff. 

My most random thought of the day came out of chapter 2.  Do you think this verse is proof that Samuel was a mama's boy?