Shannon here: Lori Ramsey shares how she met her husband plus a chance to win a e-book copy of her Contemporary Romance: Embracing Life. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter. Deadline: Jan 25th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Lori:
God Intervened When I Met My Spouse by Lori Ramsey:
Back in 1993 I had just turned 27 and woke up that morning single and very depressed. Growing up I wanted nothing more than to be a wife and mother and I honestly thought by the time I had turned 27 I would have been one. I woke up at 4 a.m. that day and headed to the living room. Without turning on a light, I knelt at the sofa and poured out my heart. I told God how I desired to be a wife and mother. Then I told Him, not my will but His. I asked Him to pour the desire in my heart to do His will. I promised Him whenever I felt the urge to feel down about my single status, I’d give it to Him. I promised I’d live my life as if I’d be single the rest of my life and that I’d devote it to Him.
Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4
I admit, I struggled, my heart wanted a family of my own and yet I moved ahead with life, focusing on my career. I planned a career move from being an F&I manager to a writer. I signed up for correspondence courses and anxiously awaited the arrival of the books to start the course.
In the meantime, I continued to rise early and greet God in prayer every morning. One of my good friends had invited me on a camping trip in late October and I politely declined, thinking I was too old to be hanging out with college aged kids. She was in college at the time. She told me if I decided even at the last minute, the invitation was open to join her on the camping trip.
On the Wednesday before the camping trip I was praying early that morning. I clearly felt God telling me to call my friend and go on a camping trip. Later that day I made arrangements to go and by Friday I was in her car on the way to the campsite. I casually asked who would be camping with us. She mentioned several, many of whom I had yet to meet, including a 21-year-old college student named Phillip. She wanted me to consider possibly dating Phillip but I laughed inwardly, dismissing it because they are too young for me, a woman of 27 years.
Once we set up camp, I had yet to meet the others, as they were off hunting. My friend and I were at the edge of the creek when Phillip came back. My friend grinned at me. I want to pause to say I always wanted to marry a rugged mountain man. When Phillip walked up, he held two dead squirrels in his hands, a pistol in the other, wore a pair of faded blue jeans, a long john shirt and camo hunting vest along with hiking boots. I’ll never forget the way he looked. My friend introduced us. I said hello.
The first time you audibly hear God’s voice, it’s startling. I’d never heard Him with my physical ears up to that point. The moment I said hello to Phillip, God clearly said, “You just said hello to the man you’re going to marry.”
I kid you not!
I became flustered, because at that point I had no intentions of dating a man over six years younger than me. But God’s voice kept going in my head and I had a hard time ignoring it. I kept denying I wanted to have anything to do with the man. I even threw out a fleece to God the next day.
“God, if Phillip is the man I’m to marry, then let him wear a plaid flannel shirt today,” I said as I watched him remove the long john shirt. He was standing at his truck and I was hidden behind my friend’s car. Sure enough, Phillip put on a red and black plaid flannel shirt. I nearly passed out!
Still, the age difference threw me. But I had heard His voice. Phillip and I found ourselves on a walking trail the next day, our friends had run off and he was being a gentleman and walked along with me. I made it a point right then to talk about all the forbidden topics in politics and religion. I wasn’t about to hook up with someone who didn’t agree with me fully on those two topics.
The amazing thing about our walk, every time I mentioned something he’d proclaim, “Me too!” And every time he mentioned something, I’d proclaim, “Me too!” It turned out even when I was brutally honest about my views with religion and politics, he matched me perfectly.
Suffice it to say, he proposed just two months after we met. We married just shy of six months after we met. We have six children and are about to celebrate 26 years of wedded bliss this April! Never doubt God’s intervention or His voice!
the Ramsey Children
About Lori: Lori Ramsey lives in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains with her husband of 25 years and her children. She loves God and Jesus and attends church regularly, serving with the Light the Lake Ladies Ministry. Her passion of writing has led her down a path of telling stories. She loves to show people in real life struggles who overcome and thrive with Jesus as their Lord. She writes Christian romances under the pen name Ann Laurel. Ann is her middle name and Laurel is the middle name of her oldest daughter and a derivative of her name, Lori. IO:
About the book – Embracing Life:
follow her path back to life and love as she comes to grip with life in Valley Springs after being absent for over a decade. Discover the truths of what happened along with her in this gripping story of recapturing life through faith and love.Embracing Life is book 2 of the Valley Springs novel series. It can be read as a stand-alone novel. A contemporary Christian romance.
humbled
peaceful
I have a winner! Shelly McFalls won the drawing. I appreciate Lori for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.