The Promise Bride
A Fall into Love story written by Gina Marie Welborn
I first heard the call in July 1987. As I had ever summer since 5th grade, I joined four thousand other students for a week in attending Falls Creek, one of the largest Christian camp in the world, located in the Arbuckle Mountains in southeast Oklahoma. One sweltery evening in that naturally air-conditioned tabernacle, while sitting on a rock hard wooden bench, I heard God whisper to me that he wanted me to marry a man who would be a pastor. Logically I yes. Who wouldn’t want to marry a man in the ministry?
Umm, me. In my perspective, pastors’ wives had perfect hair, manicured nails, and spouted scripture like it was water. In no possible way would I fit “the mold.” (As I type this my left hand is blue because I forgot to wear a glove when I colored child #4’s hair.) Every pastor’s wife I knew fit that mold. Ugh, the responsibility of being a Proverbs 31 woman wife.
So I told God no. And I was miserable but happy because God stopped pestering me. Then in January of 1988, I attend the Youth Evangelism Conference. This time God spoke in that voice. If you’ve heard it, you know it, and you listen. I said yes and meant it . . . mostly. After several dating relationships and one engagement, I reached the point when I couldn’t continue ignoring God. He wanted me to marry a pastor. Well, the only way that to make it happen was go to where pastors (or wanna-be-pastors) corralled. I hightailed it to the Baptist Student Union, made a list of men called into ministry, and then start dating.
Hubby was #4. We first held hands during a college retreat at Falls Creek. He proposed to me one Sunday morning at the end of the worship service. At that time he was the youth and music pastor of the very church that (24 years and 5 churches later) we now attend. Instead of serving on the staff of a church, he now ministers to churches by helping them save money on insurance coverage. In all the years I was a “pastor’s wife,” I never fit the mold. I tried for ten years. It made me miserable. Being me is much easier. Even easier was letting go of being me and letting God make me into being like Jesus.
I know authors who talk about God calling them to write. Not me. In my life, I’ve had two calls I know came from God: (1) to forgiveness and new life in Jesus and (2) to marry a pastor. Over the years, love has ebbed and flowed. Marriage is hard. Marriage is also a rich blessing.
In two weeks (Nov 14th) my husband will have open heart surgery to repair a birth defect – a bicuspid aortic valve. I can’t—don’t want to—imagine life without him. While the surgery has a 98% success rate, I have moments of worry. In those times I speak truth: I know God is able to heal my husband. I know God can. But even if God doesn’t, my hope is in God alone. I know this because I know God keeps His promises.
God will fight for me. –EXODUS 14:14
God will never leave me. –DEUTERONOMY 31:8
God will strengthen and help me. –ISAIAH 40:10
God works for my good. –ROMANS 8:28
God will meet my needs. –PHILIPPIANS 4:19
He keeps His promises to you, too.
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Author Bio:
She’s a member of Romance Writers of American and American Christian Fiction Writers, and she serves on the ACFW Foundation Board. Sharing her husband’s passion for the premier American sports car, she is a lifetime member of the National Corvette Museum and a founding member of the Southwest Oklahoma Corvette Club.
Gina lives with her husband, three of their five children, several rabbits and guinea pigs, and a dog that doesn't realize rabbits and pigs are edible.
You can sign up for Gina’s newsletter via her website: ginawelborn.com
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Book blurb for The Promise Bride (A Montana Brides Romance):
“. . . a swoon-worthy romance!” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars, on The Promise Bride
Determined to save her father and siblings from a crumbling Chicago tenement, Emilia Stanek becomes the long-distance bride of a Montana rancher. But when she arrives in Helena, a rugged lawman shatters her plans with the news that her husband is dead—and deeply in debt.
County sheriff Mac McCall can’t afford to be distracted by the pretty young widow, not with scandalous secrets emerging as he investigates his friend’s suspicious death. Mac’s gruff order that she leave town at once only spurs Emilia’s resolve to take ownership of her late husband’s ranch and face his debtors. But as her defenses soften, Emilia begins to accept Mac’s help, feel compassion for his own wounded heart—and learns that trust means taking a leap of faith . . .
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Buy Gina’s book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
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Book blurb for The Promise Bride (A Montana Brides Romance):
“. . . a swoon-worthy romance!” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars, on The Promise Bride
County sheriff Mac McCall can’t afford to be distracted by the pretty young widow, not with scandalous secrets emerging as he investigates his friend’s suspicious death. Mac’s gruff order that she leave town at once only spurs Emilia’s resolve to take ownership of her late husband’s ranch and face his debtors. But as her defenses soften, Emilia begins to accept Mac’s help, feel compassion for his own wounded heart—and learns that trust means taking a leap of faith . . .
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Buy Gina’s book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
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Connect with Gina:
Facebook profile - https://www.facebook.com/ginamarie.welborn
Facebook Author page - https://www.facebook.com/ginawelbornauthor/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/gina_welborn
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Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gina_welborn/
Inkwell Inspirations team blog - www.inkwellinspirations.com
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This is just a small thing, but one weekend we were invited to something at 3 different houses, and we DID NOT WANT to go! But we KNEW that God was telling us to go, so we did. We were so humbled when at each stop, the people (with tears in their eyes) told us how they had prayed we would come. It was a very humbling experience, even though we obeyed God and went. Sometimes it is easier to hear God when it's something you DON'T want to do. I enjoyed reading this post!
ReplyDeleteWell to be honest I’d just do it anyway. In the past Father has asked me to do things I’d rather not do but as I grow in my relationship with Christ I realize it’s more about my willingness to obey than about how I FEEL about what I’m asked to do. So I ask for grace and just do what He ask. Easy? No! But doable🙂
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