As most guys, I wanted my engagement to be something she�ll remember forever. It is after all the start to our wedding march. As I drove to work every day I would think about how to make it a special day. There were those special dinners, nights away from the kids, her birthday (I know she was a bit expecting it then, but then how much of a surprise would that of been? J), a family reunion coming up, or I could just come up with another event. But none of those were right.
As I drove one thing kept coming back to my mind, it was something her sister had said to a potential suitor who said he wouldn�t want to tell anyone at church if they started dating, �Why wouldn�t you want the prayers of church to be praying for us and our relationship?� These words kept coming back to me. After all Jenny and I are both divorced, both have boys, and statically there are rough roads ahead. Both of us had rededicated our lives to God, and knew the power of pray. So all the prayers we can get, we need.
For those who know me, you know my life has changed over the last 18-24 months in so many ways, but mainly that I�ve allowed Christ back into my life, and opened up my heart where it had closed and hardened.
So I went to her pastor and told him my situation, and asked his indulgence. He said he�d have to ask his deacons, but he loved my plan. Later that week, he told me everything was ok, and proceed as I had planned.
So Sunday came, and as I often do when I�m up there, I visited her church for services. Everything was normal. My son was by our side, her oldest was sitting with the teens, and I was by my girlfriend, holding her hand, and praising God.
Somewhere during the service I leaned over to Jenny, �Look 4 rows back from the front.�
�Hey that�s my sister! What is she doing here?� I knew, because I was the one who had called her on Monday and let her know what was about to happen. I knew it was important to have her whole family there. But for the moment I just shrugged my shoulders and said �I don�t know, but isn�t she sitting next to the lady she sales jewelry with?� She was and Jenny didn�t question it any more.
Towards the very end of the ceremony, they open up for �Invitations�. It�s a time new members of the congregation can come forward, those that wish to be baptized, those looking to give a testimony or those asking for prayer to come forward. So as we�re singing I let the 2 couples, and then a young man come forward. As we started the last verse of the song I moved forward. I could feel the eyes on me coming from the pew I�d just left wondering what could I be doing?
As I got up there I sat on the front row and waited for Brother David to finish talking to the others. He came over to me, and nodded his head with a smile and said, �Ok, ok, ok, ok� as if I were confessing to him or something, but we both knew it was just to hold the suspense for another minute.
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