Shannon here: Barbara J. Scott shares the unique story of how she met her husband. Comment or answer the question to enter the drawing for a copy of her Historical Romance, Dreams of My Heart, book 1 in the Reluctant Brides series. Deadline: April 7th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Barbara:
My husband Mike and I probably have the most bizarre and unusual love story you’ve ever heard. We met in a cult. No joke.
In 1976, I was living in the Chicago area and was hired by the international office of this cult headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area as the editor of their slick magazine to lure other unsuspecting people into the group. My future husband ran the printing presses for the magazine and printed a variety of books that were pedaled at every conference.
I can hear you now. What were you thinking, girl? I had a bachelor’s degree in English and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for several years, but I wasn’t raised in the church and had an insatiable curiosity for all things New Age. What was the name of the cult? I choose not to say, not out of fear, but because I hate to give them any publicity. The group still exists, but when the rents in Silicon Valley soared during the tech boom, they moved to another state and built some sort of temple.
The first person I saw when I walked into the California office was Mike. His eyes widened, and he immediately did an about-face and retreated to the warehouse. We had both been in bad relationships. Two years earlier I had divorced my first husband, and after Mike’s marriage ended, he had decided you could put every woman on a slow boat to China as far as he was concerned. So, I can’t say it was love at first sight, but thirteen days later he proposed…and I said yes. I think he liked my spaghetti. It was the first decent meal he’d had in months.
My husband is the most romantic man I know. He will shop for days for the right anniversary or Valentine’s Day card, while I usually rush into Walmart at the last minute and grab something off the rack.
The day Mike proposed, he planned lunch for us at Alioto’s Restaurant on the San Francisco Wharf. Neither of us had two nickels to rub together between us, so I think what he spent came out of his food budget. Not that he ate much more than rice for every meal.
After lunch, we walked from one end of the wharf to the other, holding hands and laughing at the antics of the seals. Then he suggested we visit Golden Gate Park. How fun! Right? I had no idea he was going to propose to me. I only knew I was in love.
Later I found out Mike had spent part of a day scoping out the most romantic spot in the park—a tall hill under a shady tree with the city spread out before us. He parked and retrieved a blanket and basket from the trunk of the car. Then we walked to the top of the hill where he spread out the blanket and set up a cassette tape player with romantic music. My memory’s a little hazy. I know there was lots of kissing involved.
Lying on my back with the blue sky above, he leaned over and told me how much he loved me and asked me to be his wife. Then he put his hand over my mouth and told me he wanted me to think about it. He didn’t need an answer right away. Wasn’t that considerate? I didn’t need to think about it. We were both “crazy” in love, crazy being the operative word. He couldn’t even afford an engagement ring. I waited until the next day to say yes. It was early in the morning as I recall.
We often say the Lord loved us so much He moved heaven and earth to put us together to find our way back to Him. Despite all the naysayers, we will celebrate our 42nd anniversary on June 27. If you think our “cute meet” and proposal were odd, wait until I tell you about the wedding.
About Barbara: After a career spent acquiring and editing books by numerous bestselling Christian authors, Barbara Scott has returned to her true love—writing. Barbara and her husband Mike live in the Nashville area, with their two Chihuahuas, Riley and Sissy, both rescued from puppy mills. Reading, writing, and research are her passions. Want to know more? Connect with Barbara at www.BarbaraJScott.com.
About the book – Dreams of My Heart: Feisty Irish bride Kate O’Brien McKean asks her Texas
cattleman husband Buck for an annulment in Dreams of My Heart, book 1 of The Reluctant Brides series, setting off a chain reaction of events that endangers them both. The historical romance, set in 1875 Montana Territory, releases April 1 from Mountain Brook Ink.
Can’t wait for the drawing? Order your copy now. The e-book is available for pre-order: Dreams of My Heart – Amazon
Question for Readers: Were you raised in church? How old were you when accepted His gift of salvation? If not raised in church, how did you find Christ?
Come back March 30th for Barbara and Mike’s two weddings!
I was raised in the church and was baptized at age 14!
I went to Methodist church as a child, and found Christ and accepted Him at the age of 24. Now a proud Southern Baptist pastor’s wife.
Barbara, I had no idea you had such a back-story. Remind me to tell you sometime how God sent Kay and me a FedEx that we should marry, even though I was a widower and her first husband had divorced her. He surprises us, doesn’t he?
I was raised in church, and knew the Bible. But it was when I was in my teens between 14-16 years old that I realized the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. At sixteen I asked Jesus to be my Lord. Sadly my church had not taught much about the importance of a personal commitment.
I was raised in church and accepted Christ as my Savior at 12.
I went to the altar in a little Baptist church to give my life to Christ when I was 9. My older brother and sister took me because they had joined the youth group. During my high school years, I was invited to church by friends. Some were Baptists, others Methodist, and another Catholic. I loved Jesus, knew basic children’s bible stories, but that was the extent of my Scriptural knowledge. Parents, train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.
Blessings to you all!
I was raised in a Catholic church, baptism after birth. Holly communion at 13 or 14.
Brought up in Baptist churches and was saved at six at my mother’s knee. Been attending Baptist churches ever since. Met my husband at church and we both have been serving in our local church since we moved here 23 years ago.
I was raised and still am a practicing Catholic. We are baptized as infants (I think that would be the same as a christening), and then at about 13 (8th grade) we are confirmed (I think that would be the same as accepting Jesus in protestant religions)
Wow! Now that is an amazing story! And you are an amazing person! Also a super amazing editor.
I wasn’t born in the church my mum left my dad and took me with her and raised me in the world at age 5 i toold my granny that i want to go back to my dad and she took me back my dad is a christain he took me to church always and i accepted christ
We lived in huge cities with ginornous churches when I was a kid. My parents were both raised in a tiny church. They never found a church in the city that they felt comfortable in, so we didn’t go. But my mom always told me stories about Jesus. I went with two different friends to church and vacation Bible school until I was 12. Then we moved back to rural Arkansas where my parents were raised. We went every Sunday and Wednesday to the small country church they’d been raised in. By this time, I had it in my head that if you were a good person, you went to heaven. When I was 13, my friend kept inviting me to her church and telling me that I had to get saved. Then I met my future husband, when I was 14. He was troubled and I invited him to church. He went with me and asked me if I was saved. Even though he was troubled, he’d gotten saved as a kid and his dad was a preacher. I asked him how to get saved and he told me. I figured out eventually that he was a pothead and we broke up. I finally told Jesus I was a sinner and asked Him to be my savior that summer. That pothead ended up rededicating to Christ and we got back together later that year. I ended up marrying him and he’s a preacher now.
I love your story, Shannon. I’ve read bits and pieces of your “love” story on your blog, but it was beautiful hearing how your true love story and your salvation love story weave together.
I like to see people’s faces when I tell them a pothead led me to Christ 🙂
I was raised by a single, non-believer mom, but the Lord had his hand on me from a young age. I craved church, Scripture, and Jesus from the time I could read. Crazily enough, there was this elderly Jehovah Witness who came by every Saturday and if my mom was feeling generous with her time, she would invite her in. At one point, my mom was given or purchased a Bible story book from her, for me. Not understanding the differences between religious sects, I devoured that Bible story book. I so desperately wanted to learn about the Bible and to go to church. My mom asked the Catholic neighbors if I could go with them. I went a few times, but then was invited to a church where I attended Sunday school and their Wed. night Prims and later Mission-ettes. During those years when I attended church on Sundays and youth ministries during the week, not one person ever told me that I needed to be saved or accept Jesus as my personal Savior. It was at 12 years old when I began babysitting for a family who brazenly loved the Lord. I spent as much time as I could with them, peppered them with questions, and soaked up everything they offered. It was that family that laid it all out for me and right before I turned 13 I attended a Pastor Rich Wilkerson event for teens where I accepted Christ. Unsurprisingly (since it was the 80’s,) his message was about evil and Satan. LOL. Yet, it was a message spoke to me, since I had an obsessive fear of anything I deemed “evil.” It’s crazy to think that a Jehovah Witness Bible story book might be that which planted a seed. That’s how I know God uses ALL THINGS for His glory!
I began going to church as soon as I was old enough to be in the nursery. I made my profession of faith at age 11.
I was raised in a Southern Baptist church from the age of one week old. My older sister waa planning on being a missionary and was told, “Before you can be a missionary off somewhere, you first have to start at home”. So she started on me and lead me to the Lord at the age of 8 yrs old, one Saturday night. After kneeling beside the bed and praying for forgiveness of sins and asking Jesus to be the Lord of my life, He was faithful to His word and has been the Lord of My life for 59 yrs thus far.