Wedding Bells Did Chime

Hello readers!

No, I'm not dead, and I didn't fall off the face of the earth. So many things have happened in the past seven months since July I don't even know where to begin. So I shall try to summarize.

Let me start here. The first week of July 2012 my family and I moved back to Indiana, through the grace of God, and with much help and support from family and friends. It was a long and hard, but fast-moving process. So there we were, trying to get settled in our new home and catching up with everyone we had left behind five-and-a-half years before, when I was approached one day with a question in a very romantic setting.


Dannie Allen Law. I had know him my entire life. He had always been a good friend, but I had never thought about him in any other way than precisely that. Moreover, I had always thought him immature and silly, nothing like the husband I thought I would one day have. My sisters would tease me mercilessly because he and I had practically grown up together, saying that we would one day get married. I vehemently denied it, saying he would be the last man on earth I ever considered.

Little did I know.

In October of 2011 my family and I went for a two week visit to Indiana. It was a fantastic time visiting with all our wonderful friends and family, before the decision to move had come into play. Surprisingly, even the very first time I saw Dannie after several years, he had changed so much. He had grown considerably into a very nice young man, he had a job and responsibility, and I couldn't help but notice how mature and kind he had become. Not to mention that he had suddenly went from an awkward schoolboy to handsome with dreamy brown eyes. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I noticed. He had always been a good friend, but suddenly I realized just how worthy of a man he was. And I began to hope and pray.

I never thought in a million years he would be thinking the same thing about me. Although we had so much fun together, all the while I was plagued by doubts, wondering where and why and how my feelings had changed. I began scribbling in a journal just to [try] to analyze my frantic emotions. I remember crying on several occasions in private when he and I were apart, but at the same time afraid to be around him. On the other hand, as soon as we would begin talking and laughing just like old times, the tension would flee.

There were times I had a slight inkling that he might feel the same way about me. Our eyes would catch at moments and his would hold mine, as my pulse would suddenly explode and my face turned beet red. I felt like a silly schoolgirl with a crush.

When we eventually left for the long journey home, I was the saddest I had ever been. Although I left with some hope in my heart, I also knew for a fact that Dannie didn't speak to Daddy on any matter of a familiar sort. To be blunt, I was terribly glum. However, the greatest hope, outside trusting in God, AND the fact that a few weeks later Dannie called Daddy for his permission to call me, Dannie and his family were to come for a visit in December right after Christmas, December 26 in fact.

December 26. The Law family arrived. First things were first, in Dannie's mind. As soon as he could, even before supper, he took Daddy aside. Meanwhile I knew they were talking alone in Daddy's office and I was more nervous and apprehensive than I had ever been. I hoped against hope that the subject of their conversation was the courtship I longed for.

Later, after supper (of which I could barely eat) Dannie approached me, asking to speak privately. So I took him to Daddy's office, the only empty room at that time. I clearly remember the hilarious part- because the door stood open, nameless members of both of our sibling sets tried to "eavesdrop," with little success. My knees shook the entire time, and I was so warm perspiration dripped down my back and legs.

After a few words of why and to what purpose and so forth, Dannie told me he already had Daddy's permission, and now asked to court me. If course I said yes! During the next seven months we would write letters, text, and he would call me every night he could. He also surprised me Valentine's Day for a whole week. So romantic.

Then we moved back to Indiana for good. Before that Daddy had made a quick trip when we were in the process of searching for a house, and while there Dannie approached him on another topic. Although things weren't entirely settled, the general idea was in play. Now all Dannie had to do was wait. And yes, that's the hardest part.

It was July 13, about ten days after we had moved. We were scheduled to go to the Law's for supper and fun. I had already seen Dannie a number of times, for we tried to spend as much time together, having gone so many months apart. That fabulous night, under a canopy in the heat of summer, he knelt upon one knee with the most dazzling ring I had ever seen, and telling me how much he loved me, asked me to be his wife.


Of course I said YES!

The rest, as they say, is history. Then began three months of engagement and wedding planning, spending a lot of time with my Sweetheart, bridal showers, decorating, rehearsal, the sad but happy final night with my dear family, the wedding day [October 20, 2012], and last of all, a beautiful honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. For now, 'tis our story, and a few pictures to enjoy.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Fatherhood in Form

When all else crumbles and falls
When evil men forsake God's laws
Biblical fatherhood stands firm
When all others fail to meet the term

Courageous fathers create the might
For a nation to rise and fight
A peoples' standard is what makes them free
And this is what good fathers see

True fatherhood will lead the way
Invest in their children every day
Train the next generation what's right
So they will never forsake God's Light

Fatherhood's form stands straight and tall
Strong and ruled by God's Law
Every thought captive to God's Word
With greed and lust they can't be lured

Godly fathers won't flow with the flow
Or blow wherever the wind listeth to go
The armor of God's Word makes them strong
And prepares them to battle right from wrong

The form of a father ought to be brave
With a legacy they'll take to their grave
No feminized man to be our lead
But a righteous and bold man we need

Alas, this day so many men lack
To carry their gun and hoist their pack
Men have failed as soldiers of God
To spread liberty wherever they trod

But hope remains among the dust
Not all men have begun to rust
Fatherhood's form is rising in men
Who bravely stand to fight and win

A father cannot just be any man
It takes more than most men can
It's sacrifice until the very end
And raging storms that God does send

Reward always seems so far out of reach
Until little ones live what you did teach
God will bless the righteous even in trial
And give them strength for every mile

The simple and weak will not last
But will fade far away into the past
Only true fathers will never die
As their memories rise in triumph's cry

History will remember their day
Of how they rose to pave the way
They never gave up no matter the cost
Or worldly pleasures that were lost

God gave them strength to press on
And gird their bodies in manly brawn
These men—courageous, fearless, and bold
Fight with the Sword that they hold

Liberty Home School Graduation Class of 2012

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."  -Philippians 3:13-14

I used to think that this day would never come.  As a little girl I couldn't wait to grow up, be done with school, and finally become an adult as I had always wished to be.  I used to think that meant being able to do whatever I wanted to do, but the older I became, the more I realized this was the furthest thing from the truth.  And now, as I enter graduation, I realize it even more so.  True maturity is not just in age, but in behavior, and that is a hard lesson I am still learning.

It's almost a scary thought of never getting back a special period of life.  Eighteen years of my life have now been lived.  I have gone through much laughter and tears, sorrow and bliss, heartache and happiness, pain and pleasure, grief and joy, discontentment and ease, anger and peace, strife and harmony, and I can say without remorse, it has all been worth it.  I have had my own fair share of being an unthankful and rebellious daughter; I have experienced more than enough of doubting faith; I have lacked in many areas that I should have been triumphing in; I have wallowed in the mire of self-pity—yet God has never failed me nor left me to the evil devices of my sinful heart.

He has been good to me for eighteen years by giving me amazing parents that I don’t deserve, and seven wonderful siblings who have had to put up with me being the oldest.  Although we may not be the wealthiest family in material possessions, I believe I am the luckiest and richest girl to be alive.  I have love.  I have refuge.  I have protection.  I have friendship.  I have family.  I have salvation.  I have eighteen years to my credit.  I have an abundant life to look forward to.  I have joy.  I have unending love and forgiveness from my heavenly Father.  I have the life of a wife and mother to look forward to.  I have so many blessing to be thankful for!  As I look at the whole picture of life, it isn’t bleak; rather, life is bliss!

Twelve years is a long time.  During the middle of those twelve years I thought it was the longest period of my entire life.  I remember wanting to grow up more than anything else in the world.  Time ticked too slowly for my taste, although my parents prudently advised me that before I knew it I would be looking back wondering where the time went.  How right they were!  Now looking back I realize that I was in too much of a hurry.  My goal during school was just to get by so that I could be done.

Graduation was a mark of achievement in my mind of throwing away childhood and becoming an adult.  I also looked forward to never having to open a school book again (although I didn't realize that one day I would be teaching my own children, and thus, opening those once-dreaded school books).  I thought that once I was done with my twelve years of education, I would never have to worry about "school" again.  Now that my twelve years are up, I understand that all of life is learning.  We don't stop learning until the day we die.  Education doesn't stop with graduation, for I hope that I will continue to learn more and more the rest of my life.  Right now I feel like I still have so much to learn!

A phase of childhood is now passed.  I don't have the feeling I thought I would have.  I used to think that graduation would begin a new kind of "freedom" for me: freedom from rules, freedom from learning, freedom from long tedious hours hunched over a desk with a stubby pencil in my aching fingers while the clock still said two hours until torture was over, freedom from childhood, and freedom the restrictions of boredom.

Although it was subtle, those attitudes were really a form of feminist independence that I couldn't wait to exercise once I "grew up" and became able to do whatever I wanted to do.  But now, I actually feel like I am saying goodbye to a dear friend I will never see again, for I will never have those twelve years back.  Maybe my thoughts have changed towards my now-past school days.  What used to be an enemy has become a memory that I will hold forever—that of learning at home with my siblings under the careful wisdom and tutelage of my parents.

With this apprehension of melancholy sadness and sobriety comes excitement.  This day that I have looked forward to for so long has finally arrived!  I don't feel very worthy or proud in one respect.  There were times I hated doing school, as I'm sure every child feels at some point.     There were many days that I didn't care if I learned anything or not, for, quite frankly, there were times I was rebellious and didn't want to learn anything.

There were days when the work was harder than usual and I wanted to quit.  Then there were days when I was so lazy I just didn't want to do the simplest things.  Nevertheless, although there are things I regret, especially not making the most of my time and trying to learn all I could, I am very thankful for the time God gave me to learn, and the little bit of knowledge I have acquired in these twelve years.

I could not have succeeded if it had not been Christ who strengthened me (Phil. 4:13), and my parents who urged me on.  I can say, like Robert E. Lee, George Washington, Charles Spurgeon, and many others have said in the past, that I owe everything to the wisdom, guidance, and teaching of my parents.  Most young people do not realize until they grow older how much influence their parents really have on them, and how much they owe everything to the love and care of the ones who raised them.  I want to carry on the legacy that my parents have tried to instill in me, so that not only will they be proud of me, but so that my children and other future generations will be taught the same things my parents have taught, and continue to teach me.

I am thankful for the direction they have led me in.  Without their guidance I would be wandering and lost right now, with no direction, no futuristic goals, no dreams to live out, and certainly no purpose for my life.  Everything I am and ever even dare to hope to be can only be credited to my parents, who have always been faithful, even when I wasn't faithful to them.

3 John 4 says that, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."  I want to be a cornerstone, polished after the similitude of a palace (Psalm 144:12).  I don't want to be an example of what a child should not be; instead, I want to make my parents proud.

This is not just an ending, but a very bright beginning.  My school days have ended, but so much life is still awaiting me.  All I have to do is live it out.  First and foremost my goal is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever in everything I do, as 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

One cannot have a wonderful, fulfilling life outside of Jesus Christ.  Without Him no one can be anyone.  A life without Christ is fleeting, unfulfilling, and completely worthless.  Christ is the only thing, but everything to live for!  Without Him there is no direction, no purpose, no goal, and no meaning to life.  My hope is to live a long, happy, and productive life, as I'm sure every human being hopes for, and that can only be accomplished in Jesus Christ who is sovereign over all of life.

Secondly, as a new beginning looms in front of me, my futuristic goal is to become a wife and mother, as God has ordained for women.  I don't see a homemaker's life as drudgery or a slave in chains under patriarchal tyranny.  Instead I understand that true biblical womanhood is a woman's greatest calling.  A woman is not just a wife and mother, but an entrepreneur, a helpmeet, a giver of progeny to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, and so much more!  She is most successful in any work in her own God-ordained territory: the home.

What I have learned in these past twelve years will be the foundation for the rest of my life, as well as putting it into practice, not only in what I do, but when I begin to teach my own children in later years.  The principles and life lessons I have learned were designed to continue to teach me and lead me in the direction I am heading.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  -Proverbs 22:6

This is a big step I am taking, of one ending and another beginning, and it is my prayer that I do not fail in the tasks God has given me.  Presently my goal is to serve God in whatever capacity He leads me, whether it is the seemingly mundane chore of daily life, a trial I am tested with, or a brand new adventure that I have always dreamed of.  My prayer is that I always remain faithful to the calling therewith I have been called, as I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, as He leads me throughout life.

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him; and He shall direct thy paths."  -Proverbs 3:5-6

As the old words ring true:
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

The Old Gray Uniform

Folded and tucked away in a wooden drawer
Lays an old tattered suit of gray
Blood and mud has long stained its color
From a battlefield where the soldier lay

Once he fought for his native land
To protect her purity from uncouth invaders
He battled courageously against blue bellies—
Men who were freedom-haters

Now his uniform lays forlorn
There's not much occasion to take it out
The sight of it usually brings tears
Memories of a bloody bout

The soldier's back was once young and strong
But now he's bent with age
He will never forget the Southern struggle
Of warring against a tyrant's rage

He was once the emblem of the South
Young, strong, and fervently proud
But now he's a forgotten old man
Whose voice is not so loud

Yet he is still just as proud
He still walks with a firm step
His old musket, though a mockery to some
Will always shadow his doorstep

His gray uniform once had a purpose
To fight Liberty's battle
But now—forgotten like its wearer
Is thrown into the mud by prattle

The old gray uniform is an emblem
Of a glory forever long gone
Of a day when the man was young
And his gun was drawn

The old gray uniform is still in battle
Of fighting evil invaders
Men who don't understand liberty
Wicked men who are God-haters

God is Good...All the Time?

Scene 1: A happy-go-lucky Irishman sitting in his fields of ripe, golden wheat with a huge smile on his face.  The sun is shining brightly, the sky is blue with white, puffy clouds lazing around, and birds are chirping gaily.  It is the perfect day.  "God, You are just absolutely amazing!  This day is perfect, my fields are ready to be harvested, and I feel so happy to be alive!  Life is grand, and God, You are so good to me!  Yep, God is good."  He nods his head in affirmation of what he just said as he looks about his beautiful wheat once again.  "Yes, God is good, all the time!"

Scene 2:  The puffy white clouds have tuned black and menacing, while the sun no longer shines.  The wind begins to pick up dangerously as storm clouds threaten to unleash their fury.  The happy-go-lucky Irishman now has a furrow between his brow as he gazes up into the sky and then back at his wheat.  Harvesting was to begin tomorrow. Thunder roars, startling the Irishman.  He runs for cover as the clouds suddenly open up and let loose torrents of pouring, gushing rain.  He ducks into his barn, soaked to the skin.  Worry lines increase on his forehead.  What had happened to his perfect day?  Stark fear springs into his eyes as he hears an unwelcome sound.  He prays his ears deceive him.  But no, his eyes confirm it.  It was hail.  "No, oh no, my wheat.  God, why are You doing this?!  What happened to doing what is best for me?  Don't You understand, that wheat is my livelihood!  What will I feed my family with if I haven't any money?  God, You're supposed to be good all the time!  No, please no.  God, if You truly do what is best for me, stop this hail before it completely destroys my crop!  God?  God!"



Just what is a fair-weather friend?  Someone who is not steadfast; able to be relied upon only when things are going well, much like the Irishman in the story.  When everything was going according to his plan, he trusted and relied upon God.  Yes, God was good then.  But as soon as things didn't go according to the man's plan, he lashed out at God.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28

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