First of all, I have a wonderful husband who worked a week to pay my way to this conference even though he didn't get to go. He didn't enjoy the fact that we were gone for the weekend, especially since Gabe turned one on Saturday, but he always portrayed that in a way that let us know that he simply missed us... not that he was upset that we were gone or jealous that I was at the conference without him. He entrusted me to the care and protection of Matt for the weekend. My brother and Amber stayed at Matt's house too, so they were around plenty, but there was a lot of time where they were hanging out with their friends from college, which resulted in me spending a good deal of time with Matt himself. Now, of course, Matt is a trustworthy man (as proven over a long period of time), but Chet's trust in me (and ultimately in the Lord) is motivation enough to maintain faithfulness in our relationship. After all, who would want to ruin something so great? Chet and I are able to call one another to be above reproach while also trusting one another completely to be faithful. Some people may think this is crazy, but I am so grateful for this aspect of our relationship. What a gift from the Lord!
I am also continually reminded of the gift of a brother and sister-in-law who are some of my best friends on the planet. I realize that this isn't always the case in families, so I do not take this for granted. Whenever we're together, I cannot help but turn my eyes to the Lord in praise.
(Matt, Me, Vernon (my brother), and Amber, and my growing neice or nephew)
And now for the story of my dear friend, Matt... some of you who read this blog already know who he is and others don't. However, I don't think I've clearly communicated to any more than two or three of you why he means so much to me. Matt and I met in high school. Because of our activities and such, we kind of ran around with different groups of friends for the first few years, crossing paths outside of school only occasionally. I'm not exactly sure what happened that we started hanging out all the time our senior year (maybe the fact that we had 6 of 7 classes together), but such was the case. There were a lot of things happening in my life at that point. I was in a not-so-great relationship with a guy who had graduated already and was off at college; my parents were going through a divorce; I was concerned about my brother; and I was less involved in our church for a variety of reasons. Through all of these situations, Matt was like a rock for me, and his mom created a home that was a haven for me. Matt helped me through Calculus, made me laugh just by speaking (if you ever meet him, you'll know what I mean--he's hilarious!), could encourage me without a word, helped me find a dress for graduation, and generally provided a bit of normalcy in my life at that point. He granted me the privilege of riding in the "Silver Bullet", the large silver station wagon that he drove at the time. He was a true gentleman, always looking out for me and protecting me from all sorts of things--all without making me feel like I couldn't take care of myself.
It was just like the old days! We had the best time! I got to hear all about his girlfriend (I hope I get to hang out with her this Christmas, because she sounds really great). He showed me his office at the Target Corporation. He took me to some of his favorite places to eat (Brit's Pub, Eli's, and Joe's Garage). He helped me find a dress for Megan's wedding. (I told Chet he probably needs to write Matt a thank-you note for this one! :) Chet hates to shop, and Matt's still great at it, so it worked out fabulously.) We watched a few shows on HGTV, talked about current events, spent time with my brother and Amber, laughed hysterically at the Miss Teen USA clip on YouTube, and went for a couple of longer walks around the city. He was always right on time to pick me up from the conference center when the sessions were over so I didn't have to walk downtown at night by myself, and he was always interested to hear how things were going. Basically, nothing's changed... except for the fact that we live 900 miles apart, I'm married with two kids, he's got Jen, and the Lord has totally changed my life since high school. Okay, so a lot has changed, but it appears as though his friendship to me hasn't. He still made me laugh, listened to my passions and desires, encouraged me with words or without, protected me, and made sure I had everything I needed. He'll probably never understand what a blessing he is to me.
And, once again, I'm so thankful to Chet for trusting me to spend time with a guy who, to Chet, is practically a stranger. They've met and had lunch together before, but for all intents and purposes, they don't really know each other except what I tell them about each other. I know they'd have a blast together, but so far, circumstances have caused their time together to be limited. In any case, I praise God and love my husband even more because he maintains a godly jealousy rather than a possessive lordship over me.
It was also a huge blessing to see some friends I haven't seen in a long time...
Jason Calcote sang with the conference worship team, and I was able to catch up with him for a minute. Jason is one of the most humble, God-honoring guys I know, and he happens to be one of the most passionate pray-ers there is. What a treat to see him... and hear him bringing it on the stage!
Rob Satrom was there with a group of college students from his hometown. I was able to talk to him and was so encouraged by his friendship. If you're reading this blog, Rob, thanks for being faithful to pray!!!!
I saw Pastor Mark and Brenda Janke for a minute on Saturday morning. Kind of funny, because they live practically down the road here in Louisville, and I haven't seen them in a few months. I pray that this conference was especially encouraging for them as they persevere in their endeavor to grow Grace Church of Louisville. What a blessing they are to our community!
I also ran into the ever-cheerful Haddon Anderson and was able to meet his beautiful fiancee, Karlyn. I actually met her before I even knew she was engaged to Haddon, which was fun! Tears came to my eyes as Karlyn told Amber and I that she had just received a phone call that morning from one of the women she had discipled in Guinea two years ago... and the woman was still walking with the Lord! Halleluia!!!
Finally, I'm praising God for Chet's mom, Glenna, who took such good care of my boys and made sure that Gabe had a really fun first birthday; for Shane and Shane, who labored to write and perform the music on the Pages CD which filled my heart with joy in the Lord the whole way to and from the conference; and for Ladan and Gabe, who gave me the most amazing homecoming reception a gal could ask for... may they jump up and down with smiles from ear to ear when they see me for as long as I live!
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