Lord willin' and the crik don't rise...

James 4:13-15 says, "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

This verse hit home more than ever on Thursday, June 11, at 1:30 p.m.

The plan was to go to lunch with my sister-in-law, and then go bowling as an after school/after harp exam celebration. Maria came over to my house, where we watched a movie, and then hopped in the car to go out for lunch. Scarcely 10 minutes from my home, our plans abruptly came to an end. While sitting at a stop light, I heard Maria gasp, scream, and then *BANG.* The impact of the jeep hitting us at about 40 mph while we were sitting still threw me forward and then back into my headrest. I have never hit my head on anything so hard. It suddenly occurred to my wondering mind that we had just had a wreck. Maria got out of the car to go assess the damage and tell the driver of the Jeep that we needed to pull over into a nearby parking lot. After the police arrived, they issued the man a ticket (the man apparently saw neither us nor the red light), and filled out the accident report.

In the mean time, my head started throbbing, and my lower back and neck began to ache. I wrapped my arms around myself to give my back some support. One of the police officers seeing this came over and asked if I was pregnant! I answered, "No, I'm afraid that I am not." He said, "Okay, I just wanted to make sure, because I saw how you were holding your lower back and stomach." I informed him that my back was hurting, and that was the reason for my actions. He then asked if Maria and I needed an ambulance. We assured him that we did not need one, and that the only thing bothering us were our backs and necks.

Finally, after all was over, Maria and I looked at each other and agreed that not only did we not want to go bowling now, but that we weren't hungry anymore. In fact, I was feeling somewhat nauseous. So, we headed home, where we obtained some Advil to help ease the growing pain in our heads and backs. By that evening, we were both so sore we could barely move.

So, yesterday morning, we both went to my chiropractor. After a thorough examination, he informed us that we both had whiplash, and that we must wear a cervical collar for the next week or two. He said, however, that of the two, my case was the worst (which is not surprising, due to the back injury I had two years ago, from which I still have not fully recovered). In fact, he told Maria that back-wise, I was years older than her (and she's 4 years older than me!). I am confined to pretty much just resting--No laundry, scrubbing toilets or bathtubs, no practicing harp...basically none of my normal activities for the next week or so. :-( I'm just glad this happened after harp exams, rather than before...

Anyway, the long and short of it is, I'm in a good deal of pain, albeit not quite so severe as it was two years ago, because then I was dealing with not only whiplash, but a slipped disc as well. However, this has set me back quite a ways, and I'm going to have to be really careful for a while, in order to get over this quickly.

God has His reasons, I know, and I'm not at all upset that He let this happen. I'm just thankful that he protected our lives, and kept us from being injured worse than we are--and that he also protected Maria's car, so that the damage was actually worse to the guy that hit us. His saving and protecting hand was definitely with us, and I am so grateful to Him that He hid us under the shelter of His wings. May His name be praised. :-)

Well, I have sat here typing for a while now, and think I need to call it quits. My neck is beginning to complain about sitting up, so I best go put ice on it again. Thanks for all your prayers and support. May the Lord of glory be with you all.

Love,
Melody

A Quick Update...

It suddenly occurred to me today what a terrible blogger I must be, seeing as how I haven't posted anything since the week of Resurrection Sunday. But, I must admit that life has been pretty busy for me lately--or at least busy enough that I have not taken the time to write anything of any importance. However, as I am currently on a break from harp practice, I thought I would write a short little note.

Hmm...where to begin? Life remains wonderful as I continue to experience life as a married woman. Donald is the perfect husband in my eyes, as he loves me unconditionally and constantly gives me his support. I really cannot imagine life without him--I love him so much! Due to some health issues that have plagued me for the last few years, and are now showing up more than ever, I have been on a rollercoaster emotionally. One day I'm happy, and the next day I don't know why I'm crying. But, Donald is ever ready to give me a hug when I need one, and knows when he needs to speak, or just hold me and let me cry. I am going to see a doctor on June 15th about these problems, and am praying that the Lord will work through the doctor to pinpoint the root cause.

But, despite this rollercoaster that I've been riding, there are very few rain clouds in my horizon. I LOVE being married, and I absolutely love keeping house. For Christmas, a cousin of Donald's gave us a gift card for $60 to a home decor store (Kirklands). I had never heard of the store, but one day last month while I was out shopping with my sisters, I "just happened" to come upon one, so decided to go in and look. For some time, I had been looking at the bare walls in my house with some frustration, but didn't know what to do about it. In this store, however, I found my answer! They had unbelievably inexpensive prices at Kirklands, and I was able to buy several things there. I was so excited (just ask my sisters...). Then, a late wedding gift arrived consisting of $30 cash. So, hearing that Hobby Lobby had all their wall decor 50% off, I went and was able to purchase several more items for my house. Perhaps later (meaning after exams next week), I'll sit down and upload some pictures of the house for you.

Another sunny spot in my life right now is my garden. I had never before been very interested in working outdoors, but now I love it. I love being in my yard, tending my flowers. You should have seen the weeds in the flowerbeds when I began working in it. They were terrible! The nextdoor neighbor (who has lived there for 35 years) told me that the last several people that lived in our house did nothing with the yard. I said, "I can tell!" Weeds were ALL OVER the yard. It was disgusting. So, I decided to conquer them if at all possible. For about a week, I spent time out in the flowerbeds, pulling and hoeing the weeds. Finally, I had it cleared out, so then went with my mother-in-law to pick out flowers. Anyway...it's quite a long story, but the long and short of it is, many days and hours of hard work later, I now have beautiful flowerbeds filled with blooming flowers. My neighbor came over to my yard yesterday when I was out working in it, and told me how beautiful it was (which is quite a compliment coming from her, as her yard is imaculate). That made me happy.

Seriously, something about those flowers make me so happy. I get happy and feel like jumping up and down everytime I look at them. Everytime we go somewhere, as we're backing out of the driveway, I have to look and comment on my flowers. Donald gets a bemused smile on his face and listens patiently. To me, those flowers are one of God's ways to tell me that He loves me, and I'm so grateful that He's helping them to grow!

Okay...enough about flowers...if I keep going, I'm bound to get so caught up in the subject that I write pages and pages about nothing else. ;-)

Other activities in my life include a daily walk (someone once told me that a person gets fat after getting married, and I'm bound and determined to not let that happen), cooking, cleaning, studying for my harp exam that is next week (eek!), and tons of practicing. Due to my back not holding up to two hours of straight practicing, I have begun breaking my practicing up into four 30-minute segments (or six 20-minute segments if necessary). It has worked really well for me, and I actually get more accomplished that way. My pieces are nearly there....I think.

Two funny things about my harp playing...First of all, on one section of a really fast piece, my fingers kept getting really stiff and clumsy, therefore causing me to make several mistakes. Finally, my harp teacher watched me closely one day, and noticed that I was holding my breath! Once she had me purposefully breathe through that section, I was able to stay relaxed and get through without messing up. Funny, huh?

Secondly, before big exams or something else stressful, I always have dreams related to them. For instance, when I was studying for the SAT and had been really focusing on my math, I dreamed all night long about Algebra equations--and they actually made sense! Well, a few nights ago, I was having a dream about practicing the harp and turning pages in the middle of a song, when suddenly I felt Donald touch me, and ask why I was hitting him. I sleepily replied, "I'm turning pages for my harp," and then rolled over and went back to sleep. Poor darling! He has to put up with so much....and he likes to tease me about that too.

This last weekend we went on a trip to both East and West Texas for two different family reunions. It was lots of fun--but I must say the most enjoyable part of it was the travel. I don't normally like travelling, but really loved all the beautiful scenery and getting to have Donald all to myself for a long period of time. It was pure bliss. :-) It rained a good portion of both trips, and I was reminded of God's mercy in a whole new way (especially since God says that He sends rain on both the just and the unjust).

For a long while, as we traveled East, I admired this huge, gorgeous cloud formation ahead. The sun was shining on it, and it was bright and beautiful (fluffy clouds such as these give me the same feeling that flowers give me, just F.Y.I.). I kept commenting on it to Donald, who is quite the expert when it comes to clouds and weather (a fascination of his, second only to Air Conditioning). As we drove further East, the cloud started getting above us. Then, we reached the spot when we were most certainly under it, and everything became dark and wet as we entered the downpour. I amazedly looked behind us to see that the road we had just driven was dry and sunny while all before us was wet and dark. Donald then said, "This, my dear, is caused by the cloud that you have been admiring." My mind instantly sought to find a spiritual analogy to this situation, and one came to me.

The cloud seen from above or far away looked beautiful in the splendor and glory of the sun shining on it. The cloud seen from below, however, was dark and dreary. In the same way, when I am going through a trial, all I can see is the cloud on top of me--all may seem lonely and dark. However, if I respond rightly to the trial, those watching will see the glory and splendor of Christ resting upon me as I am transformed more into His image, and I will be a reminder of God's mercy and love to all who see me.

Anyway, I shall end on that note, as I must return to my harp now. Please be praying for me as I take my exam on June 5th. I am going to try not to get nervous and am praying that God will play through my fingers. However, as a godly woman once said, "If I perish, I perish." :-p

Praying that the splendor of the risen Savior will rest upon you all,
Melody

Were You There?

On a hill far away and long ago stood an old rugged cross. On that cross, hung the Savior of the world. Scorned by foes, forsaken by friends, the pure and spotless Lamb of God--the only acceptable sacrifice for all sin for all time--hung from that cruel instrument of torture, bearing the sin of the world. Who can ever describe the utter agony and torment that Christ endured? "He was wounded [tormented] for our transgressions, He was bruised [crushed] for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." (Perhaps the best way to catch but a glimpse of this intense suffering is through reading the article found at this link: http://iblp.org/iblp/news/2007/03/001.)

After hours of unceasing torment, the Savior gasped a final breath, and cried, "It is Finished," then again, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," "and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost."

Following our Lord's death, He was laid in a tomb for three days and three nights. Followers of Christ lost hope. They thought their Messiah had come, but He had died! Where was their Savior now? They had so soon forgotten the words Christ said unto them, "...The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again...."

Oh glorious victory! On the third day, just as foretold and promised, the blessed Savior was raised from the dead! He conquered "him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" death and the grave could not hold Him--He forever lives again so that we need never fear death (Hebrews 2:14-15)! How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall my praise begin? Oh that each believer could have been there--could have experienced this miracle personally.

But wait a minute...I was there.

On October 2, 1992, a little five-year-old girl knelt at her mother's bedside. "Dear Jesus," she prayed, "I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died for my sins, and that you rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. Would you please forgive me of my sins, and come into my heart and be the Lord of my life?" At that moment, Christ entered into her heart--into my heart, and I was baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ.

God is not bound by time. In the same moment His Son hung on that cross, God looked down and saw me asking Christ to be my Savior. Thus, when the Holy Spirit baptized me into Christ, I also hung on that cross. Thus, I was crucified with Christ, I was buried with Him--I was resurrected with Him. My spiritual eyes have seen the sights my physical eyes so long to see. All my life, if asked where I would go if I could go anywhere in the world, I have answered, "Israel." I have longed to see the sights that Christ saw--to walk the ground He walked. What a thrilling journey that would be!

Yet, I was there! I have walked that ground--I have seen those sights. Let me describe it in another way... Hebrews chapter 7 tells us that Levi was in the loins of his father Abraham when he paid tithes to Melchisedec. Is it not possible also, that when I accepted Christ as my Savior and was "born again," thus becoming a child of God, that God in His foreknowledge saw me as being in the loins of Christ? That seems a little confusing to my brain, I'll admit...however, as God is our Father (and Jesus said that He and the Father are one), and I am a child of God, I believe it is a perfectly logical conclusion to say that I was in the "loins" of Christ--thus was in Christ--when He suffered, died, and rose again.

A sightly mind boggling thought, I'll admit... However, instead of only giving you my thoughts on the issue, I think I shall now turn to the Word of God.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized [by the Holy Spirit] into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:3-11).

"For in Him [Christ] dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with Him in baptism [by the Holy Spirit], wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Colossians 2:9-15).

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new...For He made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:17 & 21).

These are just a few passages of many describing the marvelous fact (not fiction) that we are IN Christ!

Now that I see this awesome truth, what does it mean to me? I shall let Scripture speak for itself. :-) (No words of mine could better describe it.)

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3).

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loves us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus...For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

"For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:4-7, 10-22).

Wow! I am risen with Christ! My life is hid with Christ in God! I sit in heavenly places in Christ! I am built for the habitation of God in Christ through the Spirit! What precious promises and truths I see now as I read Scripture with the understanding that at the moment of my salvation, the Holy Spirit baptized me into Christ--thus I died, was buried, raised again, and now live and sit in heavenly places in and through Christ Jesus! Wow! That's awesome!

The words of a well known hymn come to my mind:

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?

Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to shout glory, glory, glory!
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?

I was. Were you?

Wishing you a blessed week and Resurrection Sunday as you revel in the knowledge that we are in Christ!

~Melody~
p.s., all italics were mine and were done for emphasis...just a quick disclaimer, there. ;-p

Blisters

My fingers glided over my harp strings as I attempted to learn a new song. I was making good progress when I began noticing that my fingers were growing sore. Determined to practice a certain length of time, I ignored the warning signs and continued practicing. Soon, my ring finger on each hand had a slight burning sensation. Glancing down, I noticed that each sported a rather large blood blister--the most painful kind. See these lovely blisters caused my sense of determination to wane, and I gave in, and discontinued my practicing for the day.

Then, today, as I again practiced on the not yet healed blisters (and they still hurt), I was reminded of the vicious cycle of blisters and the spiritual analogy they illustrate. Eventually, as I continue practicing and playing on these blisters and sore fingers, my fingertips will grow calloused, hardened, and insensitive to the friction caused by the continued plucking of the harp strings--thus allowing me to play as long as I want without the painful swelling filled with liquid that prevents me from enjoying my playing.

Just as my fingers can become hardened through constant rubbing or friction, so my heart can become calloused to the Holy Spirit when I fail to obey His promptings. As I ignore the searching and promptings of God's Spirit, friction results, and my heart begins to callous. Soon, my heart becomes hardened and I no longer hear the Spirit's voice nor heed His warnings. I also will lose my capacity to feel and understand the hurts or needs of others, and I am more likely to hurt them through my words and/or actions.

A callus can be softened and the skin's sensitivity can be restored by removing the cause of friction and the layers of softened skin. For example, not playing the harp for a month because you're planning a wedding (and then for another few weeks because you're recovering from a wedding) sufficiently removes the cause of friction. Thus, my fingers have lost their calluses, and are once again sensitive (something I'm trying to change...because unlike my heart, my fingers do need those calluses).

In the same way my calloused heart can become sensitive again by confessing sin, and immediately obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit. So, I am asking myself, "What blisters do I have? What wrong attitudes or thoughts do I have that I feel guilty about?" When I feel guilt because of a wrong attitude, that is a spiritual blister--a warning sign from the Lord that if I don't remove the source of friction, my heart will soon fail to heed Him altogether.

May the Lord help me always to detect spiritual blisters--even before they have fully formed--so that I may more aptly follow Him and heed His voice.

Anyway, that was just a spiritual insight I thought I'd give for the day. :-)

Blessings,
Melody

47 days of married life--and still loving it!

Well, I have gone longer than I intended without writing another update for my blog. Due to the lateness of the hour, I shall just briefly cover a few things.

Nothing "earth shattering" has happened since I last wrote--at least to me (my brother probably would not agree with me, but I'll get to that later). Life has rather settled down on my part. I have fallen into a joyous routine of house cleaning, practicing, and cooking meals for my husband. There is something so contenting about my current life. It seems as if it was just made for me. In the role of housewife, I have found a fulfillment I never dreamed I could have.

But, upon reflection, this does not surprise me. When God made woman, He made her to be a helpmeet for man. Therefore, I should feel the most content when I am fulfilling that role. Truly, one of my new purposes/goals in life is to follow the instruction of Paul in Titus 2:5, that women should be "discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." I hope and pray that I can engraft that Scripture into my life, so that I not only will honor God, but that I will be crown to my husband instead of "rottenness in his bones" (Prov. 12:4).

I am so grateful that God can take the ugly and make it beautiful. At times, I feel so ugly inside and out. Wrong attitudes overtake me often, and I oftentimes feel sinful (this is not a recent development, by the way...but a long time observation that has been hitting home lately through my Bible studies). I wonder, "How can God love me like this? How can Donald love me like this?" Donald keeps telling me I'm the most beautiful person he has ever known. When he says that, I just smile and say, "You're so sweet." But inwardly, I wonder if he is blind or something... (course, they do say love is blind...)

In reading Isaiah recently, I was reminded where true beauty begins. The nation of Israel was a sinful, wicked nation--ugly inside and out. They turned their backs on God and rejected His ways time and time again--yet God still loved them. Over and over again in Isaiah God calls for repentance, is ignored and rejected, and then He tells them of the judgment to come--but always follows it with promises of mercy and restoration.

In one such chapter, God says that a day is coming when He will "be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people." Then, the authors of Psalms repeatedly tell us to "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Holiness is beautiful...God is holy...therefore God is beautiful. He is a diadem of beauty, crowning His children. I have Christ in me--the hope of glory. Therefore, when the Father looks at me, He sees beautiful perfection, because Christ is in me, and I am in Christ--He covers me with Himself, and crowns me as with "a crown of glory" and a "diadem of beauty."

Then, Isaiah also states, "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." What a precious truth and promise! Thus, when my husband tells me I'm beautiful, I smile, knowing that it is not me who is beautiful (for in my flesh there dwells no good thing), but Christ Who lives within. All the glory for who I am or ever hope to become belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All the glory belongs to Him both now and ever more.

Now, on the less serious side of things, I'll give a quick run down of recent events. Up until last week, life continued on a pretty normal scale (if you call being a newlywed normal...). Then, last week, my husband and I traveled down to San Antonio with his family for a vacation. We left on Tuesday and returned on Sunday. It was a wonderful trip! Almost like a second honeymoon for the two of us--except better, as Donald was not sick this time, and we could enjoy ourselves more. We saw lots of historical places, spent lots of time walking the River Walk, went swimming several different times (whenever the pool was empty of other people), and had much time with each other. It was very refreshing, and I felt very loved and cherished throughout the whole week.

On Valentine's day, he took me to the Tower of Americas there in San Antonio, and we ate dinner at the restaurant there in the tower called the Chart House (the restaurant spins around while you eat so that you get a good view of the whole area for miles and miles). It was very romantic, and made for a very wonderful evening. Then, after we'd descended the elevator, and I was looking around the gift shop, Donald snuck off and bought me a rose, and then came and presented it to me. It was so sweet, as I love roses, and it just topped off my incredible evening. :-)

Then, on Sunday (the 15th), we left San Antonio that morning, drove five hours back home, and got here just in time to change clothes and then head to the Valentine's Banquet at our church--a 45 minute drive away. That is where the "earth shattering" event happened for my brother. That night at the banquet, he asked a young lady (whom we've known for many years) to court him--and she said yes. So, my dear brother is currently in "La La Land," and my sisters all tell me he is much worse than I ever was (and he told me when I was courting that he would never be mushy--haha). So, it shall be quite interesting to watch this new development in my brother's life. Poor guy...I don't think he quite knows what hit him yet. *chuckle*

This week, I returned to the cooking, cleaning, practicing routine...something that I don't think I'll get tired of for quite a while. I am having so much fun keeping house, and having a nice home and meal for my husband to come home to each evening! I know I said this earlier, but it's so fulfilling!

God has been so abundantly gracious in giving me the man I have for a husband. He is so kind, tender, patient, understanding, and serving. And I am definitely convinced that of all the men in the world, Donald is the only perfect match for me, and I love him soooo much--and more and more with each passing day. How good God was to lead and guide us to each other!

Anyway, on that note, I think I shall conclude this post, as the hour isn't growing any earlier, and I think I hear my pillow calling my name. Until next time, my dear friends, may the Lord bless you abundantly with His precious fellowship!

Love,
Melody

Married...? Can it really be true?

11 days ago, a bride was preparing herself to walk down the aisle to marry the "man of her dreams." Stress, tiredness, trepidation, and nervous excitement caused her hands to shake uncontrollably. Finally, her dear friends all gathered in a circle to pray for her. A calm settled over her, and she was again assured that she was following the Lord's will. As the hour grew closer to that much anticipated moment, she again began shaking with nervous excitement. Would she be a good wife? She felt in many ways so unprepared, so young...so unready for all the responsibilities of marriage. She knew she could never do it on her own. Yet, she also knew that she did not need to do it on her own. A Wonderful Helper stood by yearning to take all her care, and give His strength in the place of her weakness.

Finally, the moment came, and she took her father's arm to walk down the aisle to the sound of trumpets playing "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise." Friends and family on either side stood as she entered the Sanctuary. She knew they were all smiling at her, but her eyes sought and found one thing: the eyes of her beloved. He smiled with a proud light in his eyes as she walked towards him, and she smiled back with all of her trusting heart in her eyes. This was their day. She had prepared herself for her groom, and she was ready to vow to be his as long as this life shall last.

The ceremony went smoothly (despite a flower girl falling asleep, and a groomsmen nearly passing out), and the couple finally heard the words for which they had been waiting: "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Donald, you may kiss your bride." The groom reached out, gently pulled his wife to him, and kissed her for the first time. As they pulled away, the bride smiled into her husbands eyes, and then was pulled back towards him for a very long, and much longed-for hug--precious, precious moment, which shall never be forgotten. In that moment, all her fears and doubts were quenched. She knew that God had prepared her and her husband for such a time and season, and that they were here by His purpose and for His plan. They now travel the road of life together--together with God.

Well, we have now been married for 11 days. After having waited so long, it almost seems unreal to be saying so. Yet, I look at the ring on my finger and recall my husband's loving touch when leaving for work, and know that it is all true. The road leading to this day and hour was often a difficult one, yet was worth it all. Looking back now, I am so glad that our foresight (and not just our hindsight) was 20/20.

When our courtship began, we purposed to save all physical contact for the marriage altar. Thus, the only time Donald ever touched me, was when he put the engagement ring on my finger. This "Bible's Distance Rule" (as we called it) caused us to exercise more patience, determination, and sheer force of will than we ever dreamed. The longing to touch each other seemed at times almost unbearable. Yet, the Blessed Savior ever stood ready to give the grace and the patience to wait. I now stand at the other side of the marriage altar, and can testify that His strength was made perfect in our weakness, and that His precious name was glorified through our actions.

I shall never forget the gasp of amazement from the audience when my Dad explained during our wedding ceremony that we had never even held hands, but had waited for that time and place to begin. Then, there was the "aww" that rose from several lips when we took hands for the first time, and then the cheer that filled the sanctuary when we kissed for the first time. Afterward, countless people told us what a testimony that was, and how it honored the Lord. "Praise God," we replied, "that's all we wanted."

And truly, I am so grateful that God was glorified through our courtship and marriage. All the struggles of maintaining purity throughout our courtship are made worth it all when I hear that we blessed some one's life or honored the Lord through it. Also, our honeymoon was undoubtedly more blissful than the average because of it being a "week of firsts." We never dreamed that holding hands could be that much fun! :-D

After the wedding, Donald took me to a wonderful hotel in Downtown Fort Worth, and from there, to a fancy restaurant. The whole evening, we just held hands, hugged, and yes, even kissed.... :-) It was such a wonderful evening... Then, the next day, we drove out to East Texas where we stayed in a cabin out in the middle of the piney woods. During the week, we took walks through the woods, drove down many country roads "just for fun," and spent much time just getting some R & R. It was a little taste of heaven to be utterly alone with him, and to also experience all those "firsts." God's ways are so worth it! I thank the Lord for giving me parents who taught me His ways, and who encouraged me in them. Donald and I are both SO glad that we observed the "no touch rule;" for by doing so, our relationship is more precious now, and countless observers have been blessed by our actions. May God's name be praised.

Now, with the wedding and honeymoon week behind us, Donald is back to work, and I am experimenting with being a housewife. Unpacking and cleaning is the game of the week, as well as figuring out how to cook for just two people (which I assure you is a daunting task when you're used to cooking for 10). Thankfully, there is enough involved in those activities that it keeps me from moping too much during Donald's absence...admittedly, though, I cry for a few minutes after Donald leaves for work...but, I quickly snap out of it, as I start planning all the cleaning I want to have done in order to surprise him upon his return.

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store for the first time, and spent $60...and it didn't even seem like I got enough for it to add up to that amount...and I got only the cheapest things... *sigh* I'm going to have to work on my grocery budgeting skills, I'm afraid... :-)

As soon as I get things a little more settled around here, I will post pictures of the wedding, honeymoon, and of our home for all of you to see. For now, however, I'd better leave the computer and go get some cleaning done so that I can surprise my husband with yet another unpacked/cleaned room tonight. :-)

Until the next time, dear friends, may God be with you all!

Love,
Melody (formerly Rohlin) Preuninger

"My Melody Story"--Donald's side of the courtship story

From early on in my teenage years God had laid on my heart two things. The first was that God would show me to the girl that he had for me, and that I had no need to date--as dating and playing the field were wrong in God’s eyes. Knowing how my parents got together implanted that conviction in me. The second was that she was going to come from the church where I grew up, as that was the only way I would find someone with beliefs close to mine.

Throughout my teenage years I would get “crushes” on different girls and dream about what it would be like to marry them and have a family. I continually had dreams about how I was going to get married by the time I was 20. Finally, when I was 22 I decided I was going to have to give up those dreams. :D Up till this time, I always thought that I wanted to be with someone my own age, but as time went on and those close to my age either got married or pulled away from God, I started noticing that I was having to start looking at the younger girls to find someone at the church, as I still believed that was from where God intended my wife to come. Then, when I was about 23, comments and suggestions from others led me to think that God was leading me to the girl He had chosen for me. I knew that this was the girl He had for me because I got sick to my stomach every time I passed her or she passed me. I know that sounds silly, but that was what I believed. There was only one problem with this girl in my eyes, she was 6 years younger than me, and that may have been too much difference. My parents advised me that it was not that bad, and that I just needed to be sure to talk to her father before I talked to her.

Finally, just after I turned 24, I worked up the courage to ask this father if I could date his daughter. He immediately told me that it was fine and that I could date her, but I realized that it seemed too easy. The very next evening he called me back saying he talked it over with his wife and that he did not feel it was a good idea for right now. Unfortunately, I took it the wrong way and got angry with God, as well as spent the rest of the evening crying. I did not understand why God would show me His will and then not allow it to happen. Later I realized that her father told me it was not good for right now, and that I still had an opening--but how was I to know when it was okay? I was not going to pester him.

As time went on, I realized that my walk was not with God, but that I was walking in my own ways, especially since up till then I had never spent much time in God’s word at all. In fact, I did not even crack my Bible open during church, let alone when I got home. Just a couple of months after I was turned down, I started purposing to read my Bible and pray daily. My prayers then turned away from this girl and more to that the Lord would show me to whom I truly was to marry. I also asked the Lord that He would give me peace about it till it was time for Him to reveal who the girl was He had for me. During this time I watched the girl that I had persued seem to depart from God and look more like the world, which showed me she was definitely not the one He had purposed for me.

God certainly works in mysterious ways. After I prayed the prayer for the Lord to give me peace for my loneliness, He cured that in a wonderful way. My heart was stolen by a 4-year-old little girl that I very quickly adopted as my own daughter (not literally, of course). Quickly my thoughts departed from wanting to get married for the time being and rather I enjoyed feeling like a father to this little girl who I got to see and spend time with every Sunday and Wednesday at church. I still thought about marriage from time to time, and one of my thoughts was that God was allowing me to show my love for children and that one day a young lady would notice it and see what a wonderful father I would be. Another one of those thoughts would be that I really hoped that I might have a child one day just like this little girl, but the only way I knew to do that was to marry her oldest sister who was 12 years older than her. However, I put that out of my mind because I was 24 and she was 16, and that was definitely too much age difference in my opinion at the time.

Now, you need to have a little history on this little girl and her older sister. These two girls were two of my Associate Pastors daughters, the first and sixth of seven children. The entire family has had a special place in my heart ever since the day I first met them in 1996 when I was 17. During the first year of their membership at the church I paid close attention to the family, and kept noticing the oldest girl who was 9 at the time. I was confused as to why my attention kept getting drawn to this girl at the time. Shortly after they had been there one year, they left the church so that the father could pastor another church. I was more upset about this family leaving than any other family before, yet really did not know why. After two years of being gone the family came back to the church in 2000, when our church elected the father as Associate Pastor of the church. Shortly thereafter my sister befriended their oldest (then 13 years old) daughter, and soon became very good friends. By summer 2004 our entire families had become very good friends. This family would be the Robert Rohlin family.

Since Melody and my sister, Maria, were good friends, she often got invited to our house. On January 14, 2005, my sister had a party for her 21^st birthday. Many were invited to come, especially several girls so that there could be a sleepover. Of course, Maria’s best friend Melody was there. I cannot say that finding a girl to marry was much on my mind that day, till discussion in the kitchen amongst the girls turned to marriage. Of course, I was just on the opposite side of the kitchen from them hearing this. At one point Melody piped up to say that she would not be willing to marry anyone younger that her, but would be willing to marry someone up to 10 years older. My immediate thought, while standing just 5 feet in front of her there, was, “I’m in.” I then spent the rest of the evening looking at a picture that had been taken earlier that evening of Melody and me talking. I kept thinking, “Could it really be true?”

As the year continued, I still prayed that the Lord would show me the one He truly wanted me to be with, as well as that He would give me a wife that would draw me closer to Him, rather than drag me down. I still continued to spend a whole lot of time with Melody’s music sister, Harmony (the 4 year old who was then a year older) and continued to do more and more things with the whole family. The last week of June 2005, my boss left me to the helm of the air conditioning company to which I am employed while he went on vacation. This time is always very stressful for me, as I fear constantly that the worst could happen. On the 30^th, in the height of my stress and tiredness, something pretty bad did happen. I set my ladder on the side of a building incorrectly, and upon getting to the top, the ladder slid down the building and I rode it down. Upon impact with the ground, the ladder and I hit together pretty hard, and I wound up bummed up pretty badly, and even injured my right knee so that I could barely walk. I went to the emergency clinic to see if I broke anything. While on the way there, all I could think about was that I did not want this to cancel our plans with the Rohlins coming to our house on July 4^th.

Well, unfortunately, I got the report from the doctor that I had broken my kneecap, and got assigned to crutches--meaning I could not work. I wound up quite depressed about this, as I did not know what I was going to do, and I was still worried about our plans being canceled with the Rohlins. Thankfully, our plans continued as planned, with the exception that I really could not do my normal playing around with the kids that I always do. However, in my slow state, I am able to notice that Melody seemed to hang around me more and when she was at a distance, she watched me like a hawk. Maria even told me later that she kept hearing Melody say something over and over again, like “He walked off without his crutches again” and “I hope he is being really careful”, which probably actually annoyed Maria. I continued to notice that Melody not only seemed to watch me a lot, but also I began to talk to her more than usual to find out that she and I had the same thoughts and ideas about the Lord and life. I began thinking more and more that Melody was likely the one God had for me when finally, on July 14^th, I could not stand it anymore. While at Faith’s (Melody’s next younger sister) birthday party, there was a group of us talking, and when Melody made a comment that was the same as my thoughts, I could keep my mouth shut no longer. I blurted out “That is it, now I know that you are the one that I am supposed to marry”. I said it as a joke, and many got a good laugh about it, but I really was serious. Till this day, this event we know as “The Great Proposal.”

One of the things I was supposed to be doing while recovering from my knee injury was sit and keep ice on my knee. That got old quick. I did a ton of Bible study, which was good, but I also had a problem with loneliness. Sure, a few people visited me here and there, but for the most part it was sitting at home day in, day out, keeping my knee iced down. My sister convinced me that I should take up instant messaging, so I downloaded the software she sent me. Just a few days after getting the software, which was also just a few days after “The Great Proposal,” Melody contacted me over instant messenger just to tell me that she had passed her drivers exam and just got her license. Well, I responded to her, and started a conversation that seemed to last only a few minutes but actually lasted three hours. Up till that point, I had never had much of a conversation with her. Now that we had spoken for such a time and started getting to know one another, we became very good friends, and our conversations became a daily thing. Talking to her became the main thing I looked forward to each day.

As the rest of the month passed on, my knee eventually healed and I went back to work on August 1^st. After going to work, I still longed daily to talk to Melody over instant messenger. However, it was short lived. About the middle of August, Melody and her family went on a trip to go to a conference and take a vacation. Upon returning two weeks later, none of the family was the same anymore, which bothered me. For the most part, Melody had not changed. For a few days we continued our online chats. In one of those chats, Melody told me the sad news that in just a few weeks she was moving to Chicago for a year to work in a ministry. I hated hearing that she was going leave us, but I was happy that she felt like she was doing the Lord’s will, especially since she had said many times that she did not know what was next for her life. I decided I would make the most of the next few weeks of talking with her since contacting her was going to be difficult when she moved. For a few days, we kept on as normal, till one day she quit acknowledging my existence, and I could not figure out why. I tried and tried to contact her, talk to her in person, and so forth, but she went so far as to leave our Sunday school class for her dad’s class and I knew it was to avoid me. I could not figure out what I had done, said, or anything. She gave me no explanation. It made no sense how someone could become a best friend for a month and a half and then completely avoid you afterward. It was as if she was a completely different person.

When a few weeks had passed, she left for Chicago leaving a confused Donald behind. I clung to hope, and prayed for her daily. I held the hope that what had happened with us becoming friends was not a fluke, but that she really was the one that God had chosen for me. My greatest fear was that Melody was going to come back from Chicago having met another guy. If that happened, I knew I would be absolutely heartbroken. As I continued to daily pray for her, I happened to realize a past prayer that I had prayed to the Lord that gave me hope. I had prayed that He would show me to who I was to marry, even if it was not His timing. If He was answering that prayer in that way, then I just got a glimpse of the future. I prayed all the more, hoping that my prayer was being answered that way.

As time went on, I continued to do things with Melody’s family here at home while she was away. I viewed her family continually more and more as my family and future in-laws. Also, I would continually hear that her year at Chicago was going to be stretched out to a slightly longer time. As I would hear that, it would make the wait all the harder to see her return. Finally, a year and a half later, God answered my prayers to my favor. Just before Christmas 2006, Melody became the Melody I knew once again when she returned home for Christmas vacation. First, I noticed at church that she started watching me again, something that had not happened in a while. Then, the same night I noticed her watching me at church, she started talking to me again over instant messenger, and we picked right back up where we left off. I tried to see if I could get out of her why it was we could not talk for a year and a half, but all I could get out of her at the time was just that it probably was not the Lord’s will, and that she needed to concentrate on her ministry up there. The very next day, she invited me to a recital where her siblings would be performing. I gladly went, and was very happy to see her light up like headlights switching to high beams when I walked in the door. After I saw that happen, I knew within my heart once and for all that Melody was the person that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. From then on I spent time dreaming up wedding plans and future life with her.

When it came time for Melody to go back, I was saddened. I did not want to give her back up, and I could tell that she did not want to go back to Chicago. It made her leaving even harder to take when Church wound up canceled due to icy weather the day I was going to say goodbye to her. I prayed to the Lord about how I was upset about her leaving and me not getting to tell her goodbye. Once again, the Lord had mercy on both of us, and caused the weather to cancel her flight. Due to several days of icy weather, Melody got to stay an extra 10 days and I got to spend more time with her for which I was quite happy. When it did come time for her to leave, I did get to tell her bye shortly before she left. The Lord truly does work in mysterious ways, and freely gives great blessings to His children.

When she got back to Chicago, we kept in touch through email, instant messenger, and internet social utilities. As time went on, it crept up to phone calls too. After one real rough weekend, we decided we needed to talk to each other so badly that we stretched out our occasional short phone call to a 2 hour conversation; because she had just injured herself severely, and some happenings at church had me disturbed and convicted by the Lord. We both just needed to pour out our hearts to each other. After a couple more of these phone calls, the Lord also convicted us that we were getting too involved with one another for the moment, as it was not yet our time to be keeping such close contact in our current lack of relationship. Her parents had not released her to be able to court me, nor had I asked her father. So we determined that we needed to cut way back on the conversation. The only problem was that it was like trying to stop Niagara Falls. We would keep slipping back into conversation. It did help though that just a week after having to stop conversation, Melody came back home to receive treatment for her injuries, so I was able to see and talk to her in person again.

What did not help though was that the same week Melody came home, her dad resigned as our associate pastor at the church, revealing that the Lord had told him that he was to move to another area of ministry. That was something that I had feared for a long time. It was so upsetting to me that for a whole week I felt as though I had been punched repeatedly in the stomach, probably because I had been crying so much about it. It was that upsetting because it meant I would not know when or where I would ever see them again. However, the Lord worked it to His glory. First, He showed me through all this that I had more areas of my life that He did not have control over, and it showed me that I needed to surrender those areas to Him. Also, the Lord worked it out so that several times a week I was able to see Melody and her family while she was here--that would explain the funny peace I had on their last Sunday at our church. I did not know as I told them my goodbyes when or where I would see them again, but I knew I would, and it did--less than a week later. Also, I begged the Lord to let me go with them because when they left the church it no longer felt like home to me, even though I tried to make it feel like home again. Just a few weeks later, God answered that prayer. They started going to Melody’s grandparent’s church that was a good ways off, but had a service schedule that allowed me to go visit them. Soon, it became a weekly thing that I went to that church every Sunday between our services, even when Melody had left for Chicago.

Through the spring of 2007, Melody and I still tried our best to keep out of touch, but were unsuccessful. She returned just before the summer for her brother’s high school graduation, which allowed me to spend time with her again, as well as talk to her just about as much as I wanted. I had the absolute hardest time when she had to go back to Chicago just after the graduation. I had such a wonderful time helping with the graduation setup that I got to do with her and her family, and did not want that to end again. As she left church that Sunday evening before she was to fly back to Chicago, I told her bye, shook her hand, and turned away making a bee-line for the building because I could hardly hold back the tears anymore. I did not want her to see me crying over her.

At the end of August 2007, a very joyful event happened. Melody came home from Chicago for the final time. Our families even got together that very evening to celebrate her return. I knew her return meant that the Lord’s timing was near. The only problem was that I did not know how things were going to turn about as we still had another obstacle in the way. Melody’s parents were not going to allow her to court for another year. In the mean time, Melody and I were able to see each other every Sunday when I would visit their church, and we would get our conversing in at that time. While it was nice to see her once a week to get to talk to her, something was still missing, and not having a relationship was getting harder for both of us. Finally, God worked again and removed obstacles, and, on November 17, 2007, Melody and I were able to start a courtship. That day, her dad took me to the gun range first for us to shoot skeet and for him to show me how good a shot he was in case I do something wrong later on (a running joke we have). After a couple of hours, we quit and went to eat barbecue, where when we were finishing up, he surprised me by asking me what my plans were for Melody. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to get a full, meaningful sentence out of my mouth while also memorizing the tablecloth. In other words, he caught me off guard and scared me half to death. We spent the next couple of hours talking, where he explained to me what courtship was, what his requirements were (and there were a lot of them), and that it was time that night to start it all off.

We practically then left the barbecue restaurant and went straight to our favorite Chinese restaurant, where my family was there waiting to see me ask Melody to enter into courtship with me. I had quickly picked up some flowers and a card to give to her, and hid them with my mother before Melody came in to see what I had. When Robert brings in his family, I can tell Melody knows something is up, but she is not sure what to do about it. We went through the entire meal and barely said a word to each other (where before stopping our conversation was like trying to stop a fast train with a compact car) and also barely touched our food. She was nervous, as was I, plus I had just left from eating barbecue. When we were done picking at our food, and the others were done eating it, I went and got the flowers from my mother, and gave them and the card to Melody, asking her if she would enter into courtship with me. Of course she said yes--I knew there was no chance of another word coming out of her mouth. We then floated out of the restaurant, and she got in my pickup and sat beside me for the first time while in my pickup. I joked with Faith--who was sitting in the back seat as our first chaperon--that she was going to have to tell me how to get back to the house, as I had forgotten. Now, while I did not completely forget how to get to the house, I did almost forget how to use the brakes and nearly rear-ended my parents at the first light. How embarrassing, yet Melody did not notice, thankfully.

That night, I went home with so much on my mind. I was really excited about this, but also scared to death too. The biggest thing was I was not sure how I could meet all of Robert’s requirements. I went to bed and you would have thought sweet dreams would have been the theme for the night, but instead I had nightmares and could hardly sleep. Through all of it the devil tried to feed me lies saying that there was no way I could meet all the requirements, and that I needed to call it all off--that I made a mistake. I woke up that morning distraught. I knew that I had not made a mistake, but I still was not sure what to do. In my Bible reading, God revealed to me how it was all going to work. Psalm 138:7-8 jumped off the page at me, especially where it said, “…The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me, thy mercy O Lord endureth forever, forget not the work of thine own hands.” God told me that it was not up to me to meet all the requirements, but Him, and all I was to do was let Him work. Melody and I are together by the work of His hands, and I know He is not going to forget us and let us falter and not continue His work in us. Obviously, the Lord did perfect that which concerns me, because here I sit 26 days away from marrying Melody, and I do not even remember all the requirements I was to fulfill. The Lord has big plans for us, and I know that the devil wants to stop it, because we are going to bring much glory, praise and attention to the Lord.

The months following were of much joy as I spent time getting to know Melody. We spent much time together praying, studying scripture, traveling, visiting families, bowling with older siblings, taking all the siblings to play miniature golf, getting to spend several holidays or holiday weekends together, cooking together, going to church together, and watching the Lord work in our lives and in those around us. Also, the Lord led me to leave the church where I grew up, and the first Sunday of 2008 I began to attend the church that Melody attended with her family and grandparents, thus answering my prayer to allow me to follow Melody and her family over to the church.

Nearing summer, I decided the time was right, and I asked Melody’s father if he would allow me to ask for Melody’s hand in marriage. He not only agreed, but also voiced his great satisfaction and joy of my deciding I wanted to join his family by marrying his daughter. On July 30, 2008, (Melody’s 21^st birthday) I was able to do just that. I had determined I wanted it to be a birthday surprise, so I asked for the day off from work and started planning the proposal. Just as before, the devil was opposed to this and tried to set up many obstacles to keep it from happening. The biggest obstacle was that very week my boss put me in charge of the air conditioning business while he went on vacation. That, coupled with it being summer in Texas, made for an extremely busy week. However, once again the devil failed and the Lord worked it out, bringing to me a former employee who helped with the company so I could get away, and the Lord even stopped the service calls from coming in during the proposal. The Lord turned what looked like impossibility in to a time where things just fell into place. So, I was able to go to the Dallas Arboretum and surprise Melody (who was already there with her family taking pictures) with my presence on her birthday when she thought I was swamped with work and could not get away. After surprising her that way, I then was able to lead her away to a secluded place, give her a beautiful ring that I had purchased for her, and ask her to marry me. Once again, she did not surprise me, as I knew she would say yes. We floated out of the Arboretum, and I took our families back to Fort Worth where we ate at a very nice restaurant for the special occasion celebration.

Since the proposal, we have added planning a wedding, shopping for homes, buying a home, fixing up the home, going to wedding showers, family reunions, and much more to our list of activities we have done together. While scary, it has been fun, and while sometimes stressful, the stress has been overwhelmed with blessing. One of the greatest blessings that the Lord has given Melody and me is that He has bestowed on us the ability to give Him the glory for our relationship. Through our observance of strict courtship principles that help to turn our pre-marital relations away from any physical features (no touching, no holding hands, no hugging, and definitely no kissing till the marriage altar), many have noticed and have seen how it brings glory to God. While temptations make it hard to keep these principles--and they get harder the closer to the day we get--it is such a blessing even today to hear someone tell us what a blessing and example we have been for them, and how they see God in our relationship. Seeing God work in our lives and get the glory is definitely worth the struggle we endure till the wedding day. Now, I am excited that after three and a half long years of waiting, we are now just a few days away from January 3, and finally Melody will be my wife. She definitely is worth it all, and I thank God continually for putting her in my life. I do not know what I did to deserve this wonderful young lady, but I am thankful that God saw fit to bless me with her.

Hope to see y’all all at the wedding.

In Christ

Donald