Daddy: Strong, wise, protective, hard-working, honest, faithful.
Each of those words merely scratch the surface of who my Dad is & the kind of man I view him as, not to mention the kind of man he's proven himself to be.
My Dad has been my constant, my leader, my headache (due to his overly playful self at times!) & the man who held my fragile heart in his hands. He knew that the heart which he held would one day belong to another & he was simply keeping it safe in the mean time. He took his job seriously, treasuring the gift which he'd been given... & I've gotta say, my heart's extremely thankful & I think he did a wonderful job.
As a little girl, I can think back to many wonderful times where my Daddy would play "Sack-of-potatoes!" & throw me over his shoulder as if I were just that. I remember him tucking me in, reading me stories, blowing on my belly until I laughed so hard I could barely breathe & telling me the cut on his chest was really a worm under his skin (I can't believe I actually believed him!). Truth is, my Dad was the only man in my life.. God gave me to him before He gave me to anyone else... so the task of transferring that headship was not going to be easy. I mean, it's only natural that the dad loathes the young man desiring his daughter, right? It's only natural that the dad despises the young man "stealing" his daughter from him & taking her away... it's only natural, right? RIGHT.
Now, you may be thinking "Where is this going? I'm so lost..." but for suspense purposes, I had to add a little confusion, or a twist (so to speak).
It is only natural that the process just explained functions the way which was just laid out... but the neat thing is that, if done right, a true love story is not scripted in the "natural realm" but in the supernatural one! GOD works things out according to HIS will... not US doing what WE want to make US feel good!
So, this is where it gets exciting.
The dad, my Dad, who I had seen protect me from everything- big or small...the dad who'd saved me from "night monsters", spiders & bad dreams. The dad who'd come to my rescue once I'd fallen or even at times, intentionally done something ridiculous, was now about to meet a young man asking to possibly court HIS little girl. This would only naturally end up with heated words & sore fists, right? WRONG. Because this is one of those super-duper-exciting-supernatural love stories! :)
It was the fourth of July when my Dad stepped into Skinny's to meet Brandon for the first time. I'd equipped him with a list of questions I wanted asked, but little did we know that Brandon also came prepared with a list of questions, much longer than mine! Upon speaking, my Dad was amazed as he watched/heard nearly every single question written on my list being asked to him about me. My Dad later said that in that moment he could tell Brandon & I had the same heart. He told me that he simply looked at Pastor Blackburn as if to say "Did you tell him what all we said in our meeting???" & Pastor Blackburn immediately said "Brother, I promise I didn't tell him anything!". My Dad was impressed by how Brandon carried himself. He didn't cower or act intimidated by the situation, but instead acted like a mighty young man of God, stepping out to do what God had told him to. The meeting went amazingly well & I like to tease that it was pretty convenient that Brandon met my Dad on the fourth of July.... because the fireworks exploding in my heart matched what was going on up in the sky! ;)
After my Dad's meeting with Brandon on the fourth, there was a time of mentorship to take place. Brandon came to work with my Dad for two days... one of the days he nearly starved Brandon- the poor guy... my Dad gets busy & forgets to eat sometimes, the next day.. Brandon brought his lunch :P
I found the time of mentorship very neat because Brandon got to see my Dad in action, doing what he does best. There was a more casual setting to get to know one another & the thought that Brandon would go spend two full days working for "free" was crazy... but in the end, he was doing it all for me...so it was really the greatest paying job of his life. haha
(During the week of July 4th, I also met several times with Brandon's mom, Mrs.Susan. We got to spend time together talking, in prayer & reading through "A woman after God's own heart". She was finding out things about me to see if I was compatible for her son.. It was all so amazing because while some may call it a time of "interrogation"... I call it a time of seeking God & developing relationships. I wouldn't have done it any other way!!)
Brandon survived the two days with my Dad. He walked away without any injuries (hooray!) & got permission to call me that upcoming Wednesday.
Each second passed by so slowly, what felt like forever, but finally Wednesday night came around.
*Ring Ring*
My Dad's phone began to ring, my heart pounded faster & faster... I was about to speak with the young man going to such extreme measures just to simply TALK to me!...
Finally, I was handed the phone.
"Taylor?"
"Yes?"
"Hi, This is Brandon Blackburn..."
I know, I know. I'm totally going to leave you hanging... but hopefully you'll tune in next time for Promises Fulfilled: Part 4! You'll get to hear how our first conversation went... & find out what came of it. Once again, I've just gotta say- All glory be to God! I am beyond thankful for the Lord's gracious hand in my life. I pray you never hesitate to lift up praise & thanks to the One who blesses so abundantly, loves unceasingly & causes ALL things to work out how HE designs them to. Never think your life is by chance or a mess of meaninglessness, because I can assure you that YOU were indeed created for a purpose & if you choose to look to Him, He'll show you the way :)
-Taylor
Each of those words merely scratch the surface of who my Dad is & the kind of man I view him as, not to mention the kind of man he's proven himself to be.
My Dad has been my constant, my leader, my headache (due to his overly playful self at times!) & the man who held my fragile heart in his hands. He knew that the heart which he held would one day belong to another & he was simply keeping it safe in the mean time. He took his job seriously, treasuring the gift which he'd been given... & I've gotta say, my heart's extremely thankful & I think he did a wonderful job.
As a little girl, I can think back to many wonderful times where my Daddy would play "Sack-of-potatoes!" & throw me over his shoulder as if I were just that. I remember him tucking me in, reading me stories, blowing on my belly until I laughed so hard I could barely breathe & telling me the cut on his chest was really a worm under his skin (I can't believe I actually believed him!). Truth is, my Dad was the only man in my life.. God gave me to him before He gave me to anyone else... so the task of transferring that headship was not going to be easy. I mean, it's only natural that the dad loathes the young man desiring his daughter, right? It's only natural that the dad despises the young man "stealing" his daughter from him & taking her away... it's only natural, right? RIGHT.
Now, you may be thinking "Where is this going? I'm so lost..." but for suspense purposes, I had to add a little confusion, or a twist (so to speak).
It is only natural that the process just explained functions the way which was just laid out... but the neat thing is that, if done right, a true love story is not scripted in the "natural realm" but in the supernatural one! GOD works things out according to HIS will... not US doing what WE want to make US feel good!
So, this is where it gets exciting.
The dad, my Dad, who I had seen protect me from everything- big or small...the dad who'd saved me from "night monsters", spiders & bad dreams. The dad who'd come to my rescue once I'd fallen or even at times, intentionally done something ridiculous, was now about to meet a young man asking to possibly court HIS little girl. This would only naturally end up with heated words & sore fists, right? WRONG. Because this is one of those super-duper-exciting-supernatural love stories! :)
It was the fourth of July when my Dad stepped into Skinny's to meet Brandon for the first time. I'd equipped him with a list of questions I wanted asked, but little did we know that Brandon also came prepared with a list of questions, much longer than mine! Upon speaking, my Dad was amazed as he watched/heard nearly every single question written on my list being asked to him about me. My Dad later said that in that moment he could tell Brandon & I had the same heart. He told me that he simply looked at Pastor Blackburn as if to say "Did you tell him what all we said in our meeting???" & Pastor Blackburn immediately said "Brother, I promise I didn't tell him anything!". My Dad was impressed by how Brandon carried himself. He didn't cower or act intimidated by the situation, but instead acted like a mighty young man of God, stepping out to do what God had told him to. The meeting went amazingly well & I like to tease that it was pretty convenient that Brandon met my Dad on the fourth of July.... because the fireworks exploding in my heart matched what was going on up in the sky! ;)
After my Dad's meeting with Brandon on the fourth, there was a time of mentorship to take place. Brandon came to work with my Dad for two days... one of the days he nearly starved Brandon- the poor guy... my Dad gets busy & forgets to eat sometimes, the next day.. Brandon brought his lunch :P
I found the time of mentorship very neat because Brandon got to see my Dad in action, doing what he does best. There was a more casual setting to get to know one another & the thought that Brandon would go spend two full days working for "free" was crazy... but in the end, he was doing it all for me...so it was really the greatest paying job of his life. haha
(During the week of July 4th, I also met several times with Brandon's mom, Mrs.Susan. We got to spend time together talking, in prayer & reading through "A woman after God's own heart". She was finding out things about me to see if I was compatible for her son.. It was all so amazing because while some may call it a time of "interrogation"... I call it a time of seeking God & developing relationships. I wouldn't have done it any other way!!)
Brandon survived the two days with my Dad. He walked away without any injuries (hooray!) & got permission to call me that upcoming Wednesday.
Each second passed by so slowly, what felt like forever, but finally Wednesday night came around.
*Ring Ring*
My Dad's phone began to ring, my heart pounded faster & faster... I was about to speak with the young man going to such extreme measures just to simply TALK to me!...
Finally, I was handed the phone.
"Taylor?"
"Yes?"
"Hi, This is Brandon Blackburn..."
I know, I know. I'm totally going to leave you hanging... but hopefully you'll tune in next time for Promises Fulfilled: Part 4! You'll get to hear how our first conversation went... & find out what came of it. Once again, I've just gotta say- All glory be to God! I am beyond thankful for the Lord's gracious hand in my life. I pray you never hesitate to lift up praise & thanks to the One who blesses so abundantly, loves unceasingly & causes ALL things to work out how HE designs them to. Never think your life is by chance or a mess of meaninglessness, because I can assure you that YOU were indeed created for a purpose & if you choose to look to Him, He'll show you the way :)
-Taylor
