Promises Fulfilled-Part 7

We've talked about a LOT... & I bet it's hard to believe there's even MORE to share... but that's the case! I pray that as we continue to walk down memory lane, you rejoice in this love story & delight in the goodness of our Heavenly Father! :)

The night after Brandon & I met, it didn't take him long to ask my Dad for permission to enter into a courtship relationship.... one day to be precise. I met Brandon on Friday, July 8th, & by Sunday, July 10th, he'd already spoken with my Dad & gotten permission to ask me to begin courting him. Naturally, as I sat on my couch looking at an overwhelmingly handsome man with such a precious heart, I was over joyed at the thought that HE wanted to be with ME! God sure had done something amazing by bringing us together, if only I'd known what all was yet in store! I began to cry after hearing Brandon say "I've never been on this path before, as you've already heard me mention... but I couldn't dream of sharing the journey with anyone else. I want to be your best friend and I want you to be mine. Taylor, would you do me the honor of giving me your hand and heart in courtship?".   If you will, imagine hearing someone say those words to you...would you not be drawn to an emotional state as well?! After crying for a bit, I finally managed to say "Yes" and was jolted into an array of feelings I'd never felt before! Many of you are probably thinking "They only knew each other (officially) for ONE DAY before courting???!" Well... since it was such an abrupt and sudden ordeal, we wanted to be sure that we took everything to the Lord in prayer and got to know each other a little more before entering into anything official. The four following days entailed Brandon and I talking on the phone more and spending LOTS of time in prayer... by the time July 14th rolled around, Brandon and I were still at complete peace with things and knew that God truly had brought us together.

July 14th was the day my life began to drastically change. Here I was, a young lady who had never been in a relationship before, a young lady who had (for so many years) waited on God to provide her "Prince Charming" in HIS due time. My family and I, in addition to Brandon's family and the Sorah's went to the Blackburn's home for a Courtship Covenant Ceremony. I didn't know what to expect, this was all new territory and while I was slightly nervous...I was blissfully happy! When I walked into their living room I was taken back by what I saw. The fireplace was beautifully decorated and overflowing with flowers, the courtship covenant was centered in the middle surrounded by candles and directly over the fireplace a sign hung which read "Tay-Tay said yes to Blackbird!".

<<<<Let me rewind for a moment>>>>

On June 14th my Mom, sisters and the Sorah family went to a flag flying ceremony for CAP...That was the night they first laid eyes on Brandon. Upon finding out his name, my Mom and Mrs. Sorah teased on the way home about the young man and how "you never know what God's doing!"... That upcoming Wednesday I walked into the children's room at RFF and said hello to my sweet Jane Sorah. The moment she saw me her eyes grew wide and she began jumping around yelling "Tay-Tay! You've gots to say yes to Blackbird! You've gots to say yes to Blackbird!" I was very confused and went to the nursery to ask my Mom and Mrs. Sorah what in the world she was talking about. That's when it dawned on us...Little Miss Jane (5 years old) had overheard my Mom and Mrs. Sorah talking about BlackBURN- she misunderstood and thought they were saying BlackBIRD... but she got one thing right...I needed to say YES if the young man came calling. Ha! From then on out, Blackbird became Brandon's nickname. Oh, from the mouth of Babes....Janie- what wisdom you possess.)

Now, back to the story.
Mr. Blackburn sat us down before hand and shared the outline for the evening. I thought the night was going to be a simple ordeal but Brandon went ALL-OUT instead. At the beginning, Mr. Blackburn opened with a word of prayer, after that we went around the room and talked about what we were thankful for/what God was showing us through my and Brandon's relationship. It was such a special thing to hear all of our siblings talk about how they wanted to have what Brandon and I had, and that they were going to wait just like we did. There's nothing greater than hearing your loved ones say they're going to follow Christ in all things.
After we went around the room, Brandon and I knelt in front of each other and exchanged "vows". I'm sure many of you are confused and even wondering what the point of that was. As Mr. Blackburn (also known as Pastor Blackburn) recited vows which we repeated, we were making a public statement of the seriousness of our relationship. Brandon and I were not going to enter into a relationship lightly or with the mindset of "oh, well... if I don't like something about him/her then we'll just break up and move on...there are plenty of fish in the sea.." but instead with the mindset of knowing that Christ had called us together and it was our duty to fight for what we cared about, work through issues that arose and not allow the flesh to have any control over our lives.
After the "vows", Brandon was able to further step into his masculine role as leader and initiate/woo me. He shared his heart in even greater detail, brought me to tears once again, and after he finished talking about the joy of being at the place we were... he said he'd written me a poem. Ladies (& gents), I know... you can pick your jaws up off the floor. I was stunned too, especially once he read it to me.

I'm sure you're curious as to what it was so I thought I'd type it up for you to read.

::BRANDON'S COURTSHIP POEM TO TAYLOR::

Taylor's my white rose sent from heaven,
That only my eyes see,
No young man has ever known her,
Only mine she'll ever be.
She's the sweetest rose of color,
This young man ever knew,
Her heart is pure with virtue,
It sparkles like the dew.

I joyed so when I met her,
She quickly stole my heart,
And I know by God's good grace,
Our love shall never part.
She's the lily of my valley,
My bright and morning star,
She my God sent rose of Sharon,
My angel from afar.

She the one with whom I'm safe,
God's answer to my prayer,
And I know that while I'm living,
She always will be there.
She my gift, my joy, my glory,
Of virtue she's the best,
She the one in whom I sing,
And my love shall ever rest.


Once he was finished reading that breathtaking poem, he reached behind the displayed courtship covenant and pulled out....a Zales bag! I could hardly believe it! When I opened it up, inside sat a diamond key necklace! I've never quite felt so showered with love as I did that night... Words cannot do Brandon justice, to say the least.

I felt quite lacking in comparison to what all Brandon had done/said. I had no poem, I had no necklace (not that he'd want one haha)... all I really had were tears. I'm sure many of you have had those moments where you're filled with SO much joy that all you can do is cry? Well, I was at that point... times 10. I couldn't say much... I talked about how I was at such a loss for words. I thanked Brandon for giving me the "key to my heart". I expressed how grateful I was to Brandon, our families and most of all to God... I said "I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for the two of us... I know it's going to be something great!".

After we both shared our hearts, our Dad's came...laid hands on us and prayed over us. The best part about courtship, to me, is having my Dad fully approve of the one I'm with. That's always been so important to me... What an amazing thing it was to have our Dad's publicly give their blessing and set that example for our siblings. Once we finished with the "program", his parents signed the courtship covenant (written by our Father's), followed by my parents and ending with us. Many people have asked, and I'm sure wondered, if we feel that signing a courtship covenant is the only way to enter into a relationship. To answer that, I'd have to say no. To be honest, I'd never really heard of it until meeting their family. The intent of the covenant was to state the boundaries we set in place for ourselves and to Biblically show the importance of why we "refrain from this" or "wait for that". It was also a means of accountability, we both signed the covenant thus saying that we were committed to each other, God and our relationships to one another and Him, acknowledging our accountability to Christ- secondly, our parents signed the covenant stating that THEY were going to hold us accountable and do all that they could to help us succeed in our relationship and path of purity, thirdly... the public signing and declaration, if you will, in front of our families and the Sorah's invited everyone to hold us accountable and to show them the transparency of our relationship. While it's not mandatory... It has been a wonderful blessing and daily reminder of the two hearts God joined together for one purpose...to bring glory unto Himself.

This has been a rather lengthy post but I pray it's been encouraging, enlightening and inspiring. Be blessed and stay tuned for Promises Fulfilled Part 8! <sheesh, that's hard to believe! :)

-Taylor

:Promises Fulfilled - Part 6:

Well, I believe I left you on the edge of your seat yet again...this whole wedding planning process sure has taken up all of my time!...not to mention the other bajillion and one things I've been preoccupied with. Writing blogs has been the furthest thing from my mind, to be honest, but obviously it's still been on all of yours since I've received countless messages asking when the next post will be up!

Haha, You guys are the greatest.

Hopefully this will bring a smile to your face & warm your heart as we embark on the next part of
"Promises Fulfilled"! :)

We'd just finished talking about the words Brandon and I shared in regards to what God was obviously doing between the two of us. Upon Brandon and I sharing, we moved into a time where our parents were able to share what they thought about the whole ordeal. What a beautiful time that soon followed... getting to have each parent who'd raised us and knew everything about us (good AND bad) share their take on the events was truly amazing!

First, the mom's spoke. Between the two of them they shared the beauty they saw in everything...
they talked about how they'd watched us (Brandon & Taylor) stand strong against the world with a bigger goal in mind (the goal of true purity!) and how we remained steadfast for we knew our stance would someday pay off. Our Mom's talked about how they felt like the time of "payment" had finally arrived for us... because God had provided each of us someone who stood for the SAME things... we were like minded, passionate and on fire for God.It was so wonderful hearing them talk about how they always knew that God would provide... but they never expected Him to provide as He did! I must say, I never thought that God would do things the way He did, either...but God knows best! Can I get an amen! ;) It's been said once before, in regards to my & Brandon's relationship, that it's as close as you can get to the Garden of Eden experience...where God literally hand made & gave Eve to Adam.
What an amazing thing to be compared to!


Once the mom's finished sharing, the dad's were up... my Dad went first.
I will never forget the moment I'm about to share with each of you for to say it was a "priceless moment" would be an understatement. When my Dad began to share his heart, it didn't take long for emotions to stir... in no time I watched as my Dad cried over the joy and love he felt for Brandon. The reason why this is so moving is because I've only seen my Dad cry a handful of times (maybe four) and to know that one of those moments was over the young man who was pursuing me....Wow...
My Dad said "Brandon, when I look at you I am so proud. I can honestly say that I love you like a son... and I'm grateful to God for you." It's always been extremely important to me that my Dad not only approve, but LOVE the man I would someday marry.. that tender moment spoke more to me than most people know for it confirmed a lot in and of itself...
I think, after reading that quote, it's easy to understand why.


After my Dad concluded his time of sharing, it was Mr. Jon's turn.. which would also prove to be an extremely moving moment. As Mr. Jon began to share he was also drawn to tears as he spoke of being younger, praying and asking God to bring him his wife...shortly after continuously praying that prayer, God answered by bring Mrs. Susan into his life. After sharing that story Mr. Jon spoke of the night Brandon was born, as he wept he replayed going to the hospital, holding Brandon in his arms and dedicating his life to the Lord. In addition to that, Mr. Jon said he prayed for Brandon's future wife...he prayed the prayer he'd prayed which brought him Mrs. Susan.
There, sitting in the middle of a restaurant... it didn't matter, God was moving and there was no stopping it.. Jon began to sob to the point of Brandon consoling his Dad. Fighting through the tears Jon finally looked up at me and said "Taylor, tonight I know that you were the young lady I prayed for so many years ago and have continued to pray for ever since."


As you can all imagine, the power of that story brought us all to tears and we sat in complete amazement as we, once again, watched the Lord reveal a little more of His plan.


(Food for Thought: Now, I know I may be partial to my story because, well... it's the one God gave to me... but I pray that the Lord has and continues to touch your lives through my and Brandon's testimony. When I think about the word "testimony" I think about being tried and tested in order to have something to share...
Brandon and I stood for purity, we were tried, tested and are now able to share because of it. We are not perfect, we fall just like everyone... but we do not allow those brief moments of failure to stop us... we press on. When it gets tough, we draw closer to God! Please, never be afraid to stand strong for the Lord or the things
He calls you to. Never let the failures of yesterday determine the success of your TODAY! No, it may not always be easy... but as you can see throughout this unfolding love story.. the price is VERY small compared to the pay off! "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8)

We left the restaurant after four lovely hours of eating, talking, praying and making lasting memories. Once we left, Brandon took us all to play Putt-Putt which provided many laughs as I found that Brandon and my Dad are EXACTLY alike- super competitive! Ha! Well, they always tell us ladies that we'll marry someone just like our Dad, right?
(If that's true, I'd be pretty blessed because my Dad is the best!) :)


I will never forget the night I walked to my door and saw Brandon for the first time. I will never forget the honor, respect and kindness he showed me..I will never forget the way he properly pursued and "wooed" me, but most of all I will forever be impressed and in awe of Brandon's amazing love for the Lord. THAT is the most important thing... everything else is just additional blessings... and lemme tell ya- there are a LOT! God is SO good! :)


Be blessed my friends!,
-Taylor

:Promises Fulfilled- Part 5:

Hello again!

Before we get going, let me start out by saying sorry.
I'm sorry I left you all sitting on the edge of your seats for so long! In all of the madness that is wedding planning plus adding life in general into the mix, you might understand my lack of time for posting...but I'm here now & I hope you took my warning to heart. Ladies, & possibly guys, some tissues may be required for what you're about to behold. I know I sure would have liked to have been warned! ;)

Mkay, shall we begin? :)

I sat in front of Brandon, excitement & nerves pulsing through my veins. Little did I know I was sitting before the man I would soon marry (MUCH sooner than I thought! Ha!). He was strong, confident.. everything a man should be.. yet there was something so special about him. Brandon possessed such tenderness & care. As we sat there, contemplating our dinner selections, I heard my name called from across the room. I curiously turned my head, only to see the waitress carrying 18 white roses over to me. Shocked & confused, I accepted the roses & then watched as 18 pink roses were brought & placed before my Mom. She & I looked at each other... then to Brandon, at which point he leaned over & handed each of us a card. Mine read (Yes, I memorized the card!) "Taylor, the count of each rose represents each year of your life & the color represents the purity & beauty I praise & thank God for. I not only believe that you are my hearts dream & desire, but the answer to a lifetime of prayer. Brandon." I began to cry, of course, at the beautiful gesture, words & fact that Brandon had written the card BEFORE ever even meeting me. How moving that was! I leaned over & then asked my Mom to read her card. "Mrs. Angie, Thank you for the part you played in assisting God in the miracle He performed in preserving Taylor to be that beautiful Proverbs 31 woman. Brandon". Yupp, you guessed it. My Mom & I then sat there, crying together! I jokingly said "I'm at least glad these roses are in front of me because I don't want you to see me cry!" to which Brandon's Dad responded "Yes, well that may be so, but Brandon has requested the roses do not remain in front of you for the entire evening." We all had a pretty good laugh & went on about the evening.

The purpose of the evening was to give Brandon & I time to meet, talk & "share our hearts". In courtship especially, but hopefully in every relationship, the man initiates & the woman responds. Brandon was to initiate sharing his heart, desires, intentions, etc... to which I would then have the opportunity to respond & share my heart. Once that was finished, each parent was given the chance to share their thoughts/feelings on the entire thing. The duration of our time at Saltgrass was 4 hours, but the time passed so quickly.... it felt as if the night had only just began.

(I will now state some highlighted moments from the proceeding conversations)
When Brandon began he stated his number one desire was to glorify God, his second to honor our parents & their sacrifices/willingness to bring us to where we were that night & his third being to honor me in everything he said & did.
He asked for grace & understanding as this was all new to him (as it was to me) & while he wanted everything to be perfect for me, he knew full well he would most likely fumble & stumble, so he asked for me to show mercy-of course, I agreed.
He said "I want you to know that you are the most beautiful young lady I have ever met, both outwardly & inwardly... it's your inward beauty that makes your beauty so beautiful."
He went on with saying "I believe you're a Proverbs 31 woman" & he touched on how the Bible says that such a woman's price is worth far more than rubies. I was touched & brought to tears when he said "If that was true in the days of the Bible, image how much more true it is in our modern day America. Taylor, you are a pearl of great price & I know that you are worthy of my losing all & leaving all in order to properly pursue you."
He then talked about how thankful he was & how his prayer was that he'd be proven worthy of me.

I sat there dumbfounded.
I thought "I'm supposed to follow THAT?!" Oy.
I fought through the tears & managed to say a few things.
"Brandon, I'm the one who's in prayer to be found worthy of you. I feel like for the first time I'm seeing what a man claiming purity truly looks like. This is a road I've also never been down before, & while that is a bit scary, I know I wouldn't want to walk down it with anyone else. I know we only just met, but I feel I've known you my whole life.. I feel I have finally found the one I've been waiting for. When your Mom came over not long ago, we spent time in prayer & I found myself having to literally hold onto the couch to make sure I was still sitting. I seriously felt as though I was floating."
I explained that while praying, I saw a lock & key.. I said that I realized God showed me that He'd equipped Brandon with the key to my heart.
(I'm not sure if all of you know, but at the age of 14 I wrote a song, titled Key, for my future husband...)
I also asked him for grace & mercy.. that I'm nowhere near perfect & that I have a tendency to embarrass myself-I told him that I was extremely excited to see what all God had in store for the two of us.

(Here are the beautiful roses I was given!)

I think this post is long enough so the next blog will touch on what our parents said & what else happened that evening! You didn't think I'd actually stop leaving you hanging, did you?
;)

-Taylor

Promises Fulfilled: Part 4

"Taylor?"
"Yes."
"Hello, this is Brandon Blackburn..."

I do believe this is where I left you hanging, so I guess I shall be kind & pick up here. ;)

Moments before the phone conversation, my heart was racing & I was pretty much a nervous wreck. For some of you, you're daunted/slightly confused by simply the term "courtship"... but let me assure you, I was just as ignorant in regards to it too. While courtship had always been our plan, the entire happenings were uncharted territory for me. I didn't know what to think, how to feel, what to say or what to expect. I'd done that silly little thing where you rehearse in your head what you're going to say... I had come up with witty comebacks for a conversation which had yet to happen. I'd practice how I was going to sound the first time he heard my voice... but when push came to shove, all I managed to mutter was "yes." That's it. Just "yes." How incredibly boring is that? I could have said "Why yes it is." in a cute, dainty sounding voice... but I nervously said "yes" instead. My nerves were on the brink of fried. Little did I know though was that he was just as nervous as me.

While on the phone he asked me a little about how my day went & I did the same... but then he got straight to the point (after saying "Thank you for taking my call" at least three times). Brandon told me he'd spent time with my dad & had gotten permission to ask me to dinner that upcoming Friday. I, naturally, said I'd love to & we made plans for us & our parents to go to Saltgrass Steakhouse.

Our first phone conversation lasted all of about three minutes. Brandon probably set a record for saying "Thank you" in one conversation, seeing as how he thanked me for talking to him/taking his call about seven times-no joke! haha
(Note: Our first conversation was on speaker phone & in the presence of both sets of parents. While some may think that's strange, even then we were striving for accountability. There should be absolutely NO part of a relationship that needs to be kept hidden from the parents. If you have to be secretive, you need not be doing it! Simple as that. Besides, I was thankful I had my parents there to support me & help me remain breathing. haha)
Come to find out, after we'd gotten off the phone.. both of us said to our parents "Wow! I was so nervous but he (/she) made that so easy! I felt so comfortable talking to him (/her!)"
:)

I'm sure you're all ready to hear how that Friday night went- "The Meeting". I guess a good place to start would be this.
I was pacing my kitchen floor like you wouldn't believe. Back & forth & back & forth I went. I think I nearly made a path in our tile floor! I was "all dolled up" & ready to go...excited but EXTREMELY nervous!
*knock knock*
I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing. Once I gained control of myself again, I looked at my Mom & we had a mini freak out moment. haha
My Dad answered the door since I was still freaking out a bit... He respectfully shook my Dad's hand but then I saw him ducking his head around my Dad's trying so hard to see me. (I don't think he knows I caught him ;P)
When I finally made it to the door & was able to truly see him for the first time, five words popped into my head.
Tall. Dark. HANDSOME. & Blue Eyes!
*Swoon*
I know, I nearly did. I thought "Oh my word. Is this really someone here for ME?? Pinch me, I must be dreaming!" But it was for real you guys!- I'm sure you're laughing at me as you read this. That's okay, I don't mind... I'm sure I acted just like a little giddy girl. Haha.

Once we got into their van, I met his dad for the first time. He asked if he could begin the evening with prayer, so we prayed. I was so blessed by that because I was once again reminded of how much God was involved in the events taking place.
On the ride over, we talked & talked...even did a little "fly catching" (I like to joke about that.) due to the abundance in the van. What always cracks me up is how we were sitting. In a big van such as theirs, there are lots of rows. Brandon & I were sitting on the first row- I close to the window & he nearly falling off the edge of the side. I don't think we could have gotten any more away from each other if we wanted to! (I like to joke about that as well.) Later Brandon told me he was trying to be respectful & distance himself as to not make me uncomfortable... but it made me laugh because I felt like I smelled really bad or something!

We finally pulled up to the restaurant & were seated. Brandon told me to get anything I wanted- He was paying for everything. (I loved that because he didn't just pay for ours, but for our parents too. What a swell guy, eh? :D )

That night was overflowing with thoughtful surprises, heartfelt conversations & memories that will last a lifetime. Seeing as how SO much took place, I'm simply going to have to wait & post on that later... but I wanted to post this so you weren't bursting at the seams due to anticipation-however, I may have made it worse. Who knows. haha
Promises Fulfilled: Part 5 just might leave you in tears, so come prepared with a box of tissues (ladies & gents.)! You have been warned ;)

-Taylor

~Promises Fulfilled~ (Part 3)

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

Promises Fulfilled: Part 2

Time passes so quickly, as I'm sure most of you would agree. I plan on trying to write more frequently, but I do apologize for the delay in my posts! Now, where was I? Ahh yes... the beginning...That's always a wonderful place to start ;)

On June 14th (my wonderful Momma's birthday!) my sisters, Mom & the Sorah family went to a ceremony for the Civil Air Patrol to support some local Boy Scouts the Sorah's knew. My family (minus myself & my Dad) had no real reason to be there... but God sure did. Unknowingly, that night ended up being the night my Mom first saw Brandon. It is said that he stepped into the room in his uniform & demanded the utmost attention. The way he carried himself & received a prestigious award earned him nothing shy but the title of a man. Naturally his unbelievable looks caused whispers to stir, especially between that of my Mom & Mrs.Sorah. "Oh my! Isn't he handsome!"- "Ha! Don't think I'm opposed to arranged marriages!". Comments such as these were jokingly thrown around... but little did we know the joke was on US... because God had been mightily moving, starting back in April when my Mom had that funny conversation with our friend from co-op (see Promises Fulfilled: Part 1 if you've yet to read it!).

That evening, once my family got home, my Mom was mentioning the remarkable young man she'd seen that night (We didn't even know his name at this point..) to me & how impressed she was with him. She jokingly let me know that "you never know what God's doing...". Oh, how little I valued her words & how little she realized the weight of them.. I shrugged them off with a laugh & smile & went about my life.
When looking back on the events of the 14th, my Mom & I were shocked to replay something funny happening in the pool earlier that day. My Mom & I were out swimming & through casual talk, I mentioned the fact that I felt ready to meet who God had for me & I prayed that God would bring him into my life SOON. My oh my, God sure does answer prayer, doesn't He?! I am still amazed to see just how good & quick to answer He is :) The week of the 20th my family went to Missouri to visit my Grandparents, while on the trip it was brought to our attention that Brandon's dad, Pastor Jon, wanted to set up a meeting with my dad. Upon our arrival, they set a meeting time for July 1st. The purpose of the meeting was to see if Brandon & I were compatible. The dads, who know their children inside & out, would be able to figure out things such as religious beliefs, personal preferences, etc. If Brandon & I disagreed on everything, big or small, there would've been no point in our meeting one another.. so the dad's met to see if they could/would give their blessing for Brandon & I to meet. Also, one other neat thing worth mentioning: The week before the 1st, Brandon's mom & dad called my parents EVERY DAY to talk & pray together. I was amazed to watch the friendships form between all of them!

God is SO good! I pray this story proves His love & faithfulness to all of you as much as it's proven evident to me. Remember to stay tuned for the next post, Promises Fulfilled: Part 3, because we're about to find how my protective Daddy dealt with meeting my possible pursuer. *Dun-Dun-Duhh* ;)





~Promises Fulfilled~ (Part 1)

When I turned 14, my Daddy took me out to eat for my birthday & presented my purity ring to me. He told me that by accepting the ring I'd be making a commitment to my future husband but also be making a commitment before him (my dad) & God. After talking to him in more detail.. I decided the path of purity is what I wanted to pursue. Ever since that day I've tried to always live above reproach & glorify God in all things.
(Note: I am human, I mess up, make mistakes, fail & fall like everyone else... but my heart desires to always honor God.)
Once my declaration of purity had been established- I prayerfully, & with the assistance of my parents, developed a list of attributes & characteristics that I desired in my future spouse. My objective in doing that was to eliminate young men who were the furthest thing from what I knew I needed or what God wanted for me. By forming my "list", with the help of my parents, I knew what I wanted, needed & would be approved of by my parents without having to date around from guy to guy trying to "figure things out". I knew that God already had my future husband picked out for me & since HE knows all things I thought seeking Him made more sense than trying to date around until I thought I got it right.
So, I created the list & began the waiting game. There were young men who came in & out of my life who acted or said they were interested but would run away as soon as the words "I'm saving my first kiss for my wedding day..." escaped my lips. There were young men who came in & out of my life claiming to care but God's plan included a young man who not only claimed to care but backed up his claims with actions. While I wondered if God would ever bring the one He had for me into my life, while I tried to combat the comments of distant family members telling me I was missing out on the best time of my life & I needed to be prepared to be single forever because "if there were a god" he wouldn't bring me "someone like that"... I waited, knowing they were wrong & that God would be faithful like He always is. Little did I know, God was working in a wonderful young man's life... helping to preserve him & keep him... all for little ol' me. :)

I teach a class called Decidedly Different for young ladies ages 12-18 at a local homeschool co-op. A mom who attended that same co-op had seen me around, gotten to know me some over the years & was impressed by what she saw.. so she casually told my mom one day; "Oh, I know of a wonderful young man I would LOVE to introduce Taylor to! He's a pastor's son & has all of the same values as she does, especially when it comes to purity... but he's career military & I just couldn't do that to a momma." Now, if any of you know the relationship my Mom & I share, you know we're the best of friends... so naturally her response was "Thank you for not doing that to a mother!" & that was about it. The conversation & thought of something developing between the two of us died.. or so we thought. Several months later though, God began to mightily move resulting in 3 weeks later, me entering into a courtship relationship with a young man who I would have never dreamed I'd come to call "mine".

This is just the beginning of a several part post on the crazy journey of mine & Brandon's courtship story (So be sure to stay tuned for there is still much to come!!). It's rather long.. but to try & quickly tell the story just doesn't do God justice nor give Him enough credit. He's done so much in our lives so I want to clearly represent Him & His marvelous handy work in the lives of two people who chose to defy the worlds way of doing things & embrace His idea of purity instead.

{ Brandon & I enjoying a fine day of blue skies, set painting & laughter (: }