Okay, so now we find ourselves in the spring of 2004. My new wife and I had just completed our move to our first home (a duplex in the lovely neighborhood of Haddon Heights). We have settled on attending Haddon Heights Baptist Church where I have been attending off and on for several months, and where some of the teens I had as campers at NLI in past years. I was already remotely involved with the youth group there, and anticipated getting very involved.
And involved we did get. We were involved in the youth group as well as helping out the couple who had started the college & career ministry with that group. Eventually we would also jump into the music ministry at HHBC with my wife playing the harp, my playing the keyboard, being involved in cantatas, specials, worship teams, etc.
After about a year of being married, I carried on my pursuit of full-time ministry. There was a remote possibility that down the road the position was going to open up at HHBC, but we also looked into other options. I did not have much success with any pursuits the more time went on, and as time passed the possibility for a full-time position at our church also began to develop even more. I couldn't help but thinking how neat that would be if God were to work in that direction in our lives. Not too many churches were interested in me, because my "paper credentials" were not very desirable. Well here was an opportunity for a church to actually know me more than just what was written on paper.
Well, the day came when we were officially approached and asked to consider the full-time position. We thought about it and both were crazy about the idea. Now came the time to enter into our first official candidating experience.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sunday, February 03, 2008
My First and Second Girlfriend
Becky Meriwether.
To me, this girl was just a name. Just a piece of artwork on the board proclaiming to all other art students that she was better than I at art because my work was NOT on the board. One of those "natural" artists that so many of us like myself were jealous of.
Then second semester of my Freshman year rolled around and I had a class with this person. Upon getting to know her, I realized that she was not some stuck-up, snobby artist at all, but that she was a pretty cool girl. She even struggled at getting her drawings right sometimes and would conveniently place flowers to cover hands (haha, sorry Becky, couldn't resist).
Well, freshman year turned to sophomore, then turning to junior year. Each year having more and more classes with Becky - getting to know this girl more and more. At the end of our junior year we began to do things outside of class together (actually, it started with a date to the Varsity Commons earlier, but that went NOwhere). Things progressed between us and a relationship began. As the relationship began though, the school year came to a close. Because of my cautions and the distance that I knew summer would bring, I didn't officially ask her out until we returned to school the following fall for our senior year.
September 23, 2000. I ordered roses, had called her parents and asked for permission, and the night went off pretty well - and by night's end, I had my first girlfriend. Yes, as a 21 year old guy, this was my first girlfriend. There were interests when I was younger, but my philosophy of dating among other things, kept me from getting serious to the point of an official relationship until this first, my senior year of college.
We spent our senior year together, living the life of a PCC dating couple. About 6 months into our relationship my heart felt like it had changed. I was struggling each time it came time to tell this girl those three life-changing words "I love you." I didn't feel like I could say it and truly mean it, but yet I didn't want to break up with her and hurt her, so I tried to stick it out, figuring my emotions would catch up with me.
This could only last for so long. I was being torn up inside and I knew it was not fair to either of us to continue, so on one Sunday afternoon in April of 2001, I broke up with my first girlfriend. I was determined to remain friends and that the breakup was only temporary; however, the more time that went by, the more and more it seemed like a permanent arrangement. The only problem was that I could not get her out of my mind. I tried to go on dates with other girls - and did. But each time, I compared them back to Becky and they all fell short. I couldn't understand why I kept doing this - it didn't make sense to my understanding.
Fast forward to the summer of 2002 (yes, over a year later). I was in my summer of seminary classes, Becky was home for the summer as were all of my other friends - and I was determined to make sense of my emotions that summer and either forget Becky for good, or pursue her once more. After some very timely, and wise advice from my parents, I began the pursuit. It began as an email, then a phone call, then a visit to South Florida. It took a bit of convincing on my part that I was serious, but eventually she was "won over" and we both decided to do our relationship right the second time around. We spent one night a week together overlooking the bay, sitting on a wooden pier, sharing our hearts and praying together.
One of those nights, on November 7, 2002 I once again did the whole roses, calling the parents (that was really hard a second time), and asked Becky Meriwether to be my girlfriend. So, there you have it, my first and second girlfriend - both the same girl!
This time around, I was more ready for what God had for us, and on May 5, 2003 we became engaged, with an April 10, 2004 wedding date looming.
The next 10-11 months were spent mostly apart with me working and looking for a job and a place to live, and her planning our Florida wedding. We were married on April 10th, honeymooned in the mountains of Tennessee, and moved to Haddon Heights, NJ to begin our life together as one.
To me, this girl was just a name. Just a piece of artwork on the board proclaiming to all other art students that she was better than I at art because my work was NOT on the board. One of those "natural" artists that so many of us like myself were jealous of.
Then second semester of my Freshman year rolled around and I had a class with this person. Upon getting to know her, I realized that she was not some stuck-up, snobby artist at all, but that she was a pretty cool girl. She even struggled at getting her drawings right sometimes and would conveniently place flowers to cover hands (haha, sorry Becky, couldn't resist).
Well, freshman year turned to sophomore, then turning to junior year. Each year having more and more classes with Becky - getting to know this girl more and more. At the end of our junior year we began to do things outside of class together (actually, it started with a date to the Varsity Commons earlier, but that went NOwhere). Things progressed between us and a relationship began. As the relationship began though, the school year came to a close. Because of my cautions and the distance that I knew summer would bring, I didn't officially ask her out until we returned to school the following fall for our senior year.
September 23, 2000. I ordered roses, had called her parents and asked for permission, and the night went off pretty well - and by night's end, I had my first girlfriend. Yes, as a 21 year old guy, this was my first girlfriend. There were interests when I was younger, but my philosophy of dating among other things, kept me from getting serious to the point of an official relationship until this first, my senior year of college.
We spent our senior year together, living the life of a PCC dating couple. About 6 months into our relationship my heart felt like it had changed. I was struggling each time it came time to tell this girl those three life-changing words "I love you." I didn't feel like I could say it and truly mean it, but yet I didn't want to break up with her and hurt her, so I tried to stick it out, figuring my emotions would catch up with me.
This could only last for so long. I was being torn up inside and I knew it was not fair to either of us to continue, so on one Sunday afternoon in April of 2001, I broke up with my first girlfriend. I was determined to remain friends and that the breakup was only temporary; however, the more time that went by, the more and more it seemed like a permanent arrangement. The only problem was that I could not get her out of my mind. I tried to go on dates with other girls - and did. But each time, I compared them back to Becky and they all fell short. I couldn't understand why I kept doing this - it didn't make sense to my understanding.
Fast forward to the summer of 2002 (yes, over a year later). I was in my summer of seminary classes, Becky was home for the summer as were all of my other friends - and I was determined to make sense of my emotions that summer and either forget Becky for good, or pursue her once more. After some very timely, and wise advice from my parents, I began the pursuit. It began as an email, then a phone call, then a visit to South Florida. It took a bit of convincing on my part that I was serious, but eventually she was "won over" and we both decided to do our relationship right the second time around. We spent one night a week together overlooking the bay, sitting on a wooden pier, sharing our hearts and praying together.
One of those nights, on November 7, 2002 I once again did the whole roses, calling the parents (that was really hard a second time), and asked Becky Meriwether to be my girlfriend. So, there you have it, my first and second girlfriend - both the same girl!
This time around, I was more ready for what God had for us, and on May 5, 2003 we became engaged, with an April 10, 2004 wedding date looming.
The next 10-11 months were spent mostly apart with me working and looking for a job and a place to live, and her planning our Florida wedding. We were married on April 10th, honeymooned in the mountains of Tennessee, and moved to Haddon Heights, NJ to begin our life together as one.
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