An unexpected blessing.

On December 31st, 2022, I made a promise to God. My promise was that I would give God a year to show me His Glory. During that year of growing in Him, God showed me His Faithfulness and His Mercy during... but, He also showed me what life looked like when I put Him first.

After a year of dedicating myself solely to God, in wait for His next mission and ministry for my life, God sent me the next journey. On Easter Sunday, after a day of celebrating God's Love and his gift of salvation, an unexpected conversation turned into a cup of coffee. Little did I know that that cup of coffee would become another opportunity for God to show His unwavering, overwhelming, merciful love for me by pairing me with Carlton.

After a brief courtship and numerous moments of God revealing His predestined purpose for us, we decided to heed God's plan for our lives and become unite in marriage. Our story is not only "ours". It is a testimony of how God can take two people with seemingly different plans and align their lives for His Glory.

Unexpected, yet timely Blessings often present themselves in unexpected ways. Such was the case in early 2022 when I felt The Lord telling me to research and be prepared for a new season of courtship & blending of families following widowhood & being a single father. Who The Lord was preparing for me mattered far less than me being prepared for her. Thankfully, that preparation was swiftly followed up on with a new look/glint to “Sister Ashley” at church (and if I’m telling the truth, it was after some reconnaissance work when SHE asked to be MY Facebook friend).

Jokes aside, knowing that I did not plan to bring just anyone into my or my daughter’s lives as a potential partner, a season of prayer and putting God to the test ensued with what I call my “Gideon tests” (see Judges 6:36-40 for context). In these tests, I prayed/set out specific parameters for The Lord to put in place IF this sister was who HE wanted me to ask out for a cup of coffee. Number One – I didn’t want any one around, “all up in our business” (a unique situation as the only time I would likely see Sis. Ashley would be on our church campus – which ALWAYS has people around). And Number Two, I didn’t even want my daughter around when I asked (another rarity b/c she was quite literally my shadow at church). The latter reason was b/c as previously stated, I was very particular as to what The Lord was doing. If Sis. Ashley wasn’t meant for me, then I didn’t want any confusion for my daughter.

Fast forward to one week before Easter 2024. I’m coming down the stairs of in the back of our church, and who should come into the back door but… Sis. Ashley. A brief conversation followed – “Hey Sis. Ashley, how are you? How’s your week? Etc. etc.” Ended with, “okay, you have a great day. Thanks you to.” Ashley walks down a different set of steps, and the voice of God hits me… “YOU FOOL!” I gave you EXACTLY what you asked for (insert facepalm emoji here).

An immediate prayer of, whelp, Thank you Lord, but if you truly meant for me to ask this young lady out for a cup of coffee, I’m going to need you to do the same thing… AGAIN, just as I asked for (Gideon Test = no one around, not even my daughter).

Here’s a good commercial break for me to share that I always consider “Jesus to be my matchmaker.” So when He brought someone into my/our lives for me to court, I knew she would likely be “The One” for me to court 😉.

Ok, back to the story, which picks up exactly one week later on Easter Sunday morning, 2024. I “just so happened” (FYI the Holy Spirit), to be coming up some stairs in a similar area as the prior week when I hear Sis. Ashley’s voice in the church office reporting a vehicle with a flat tire in the parking lot. Now, I don’t know who you are kind sir or lady who had a flat tire that morning. But I thank you for your sacrifice as this was the next opportunity I was not going to miss. So I politely (and not stalkerish at all) hovered around the office, waiting for Sis. Ashley to exit.

More pleasantries were exchanged, followed by the ask to treat her to a cup of coffee to which she readily 😉, agreed. Now, here’s also the point where Ashley and our daughter will get on me if I don’t fess up, that I broached the coffee outing as an opportunity for me to get to know her as a “potential mentor” for now our daughter. To which I confess this “Abraham, she’s my sister” moment of fear (see Genesis 20:1-12 for context). But at the end of this coffee outing, I fessed up that this was really an opportunity for us to get to know each other, and begin a potential courtship.

Almost six (6) months to the day of that first coffee later, The Lord moved at his pace allowing us to culminate a Blessed courtship, including not “dating in the dark” and “keeping the marital bed undefiled” as an example to our daughter, and any one else who needed to see that The Lord can and will bring His biggest & Best Blessing, when you do things His way.

I love you my Ishah (wife/WHOA-man of God).