Married to the ministry.

I mean...Married to the minister. Youth minister that is. Ordained youth minister to be complete.

Ok and so we aren't so married yet but soon.

And in these months of engagement I have prayed that the Lord would prepare my heart for things I would never imagine. I asked him to give me a peace about why we had to have such a long engagement by keeping close to me. Preparing me to be married in the ministry. Helping me learn how to surrender anything that I needed to to be a better wife for my husband.

And let me warn any fellow passive pray-ers, if you say it you better mean it.

I have been a methodist all my life. I know the norms of the denomination. I understand why we do things the way we do. I know what not to do. But the Lord wasn't satisfied with me being so comfortable the way things were. No! He had to go and shake things up. And by shake I only mean totallyshakethingsupbymakingmechangedenominationsandbehappyaboutit kind of shake up. No biggie right? Wrong!

It is so hard to change what I have always known. To leave behind the church that meant so much to me. To join a church that my soon-to-be-husband belongs to and not my parents. To totally switch denominations. Become a baptist.

Have I mentioned its hard? Because it is. And I think it was so hard for me because I had to be baptized. I think baptisms are precious when its a youngster who just recieved Christ. Or an old man who just surrender to the 20 year chase of the Holy Spirit. But me? I have been a believer for 3 years and have done fine without baptism. Besides, we don't really do that in the methodist church. Its just not as common. You can tell I have had a stong struggle in my heart about it because I have written about it before.

I knew it was coming. But I was mad.

And then we go back to the Lord. You remember when I asked Him to do something insane during this long engagement that He couldn't do if we were married? Well He did. And He did it big.

Long story short, I was baptized this weekend. N got ordained in the most beautiful ceremony and at the end he performed his first act as an ordained minster...he baptized his fiance. Me. The Methodist-turned-Baptist.

It was everything I needed it to be. Me, God, and N. Mom and dad were there. Ash and Chris. The in-laws. It was beautiful.

So all that to say-be careful what you pray for. He is listening and sometimes, there is no haste to His answer.