20 Years Ago, My Family Was Born...

This season marks the 20th Anniversary of the season of definition that would give birth to my marriage and ultimately my family. I could not imagine what my life and family would look like today without August, September, October, and November 1999.

Carrie and I were dating in August 1999 when we both moved away from home in Mingo County. She moved to North Carolina, where she started a new job and settled into a new life with her family there in East Bend, NC. I moved to Cleveland, TN to begin my Seminary education at the Church of God School of Theology. During my first week there in Cleveland in late August, she decided that she no longer wanted to maintain a long-distance relationship. Our relationship of almost three and a half years ended that night. I didn’t realize it immediately, but my life for the remainder of 1999 would be wrecked! As I sought God to recover from the pain of the ended relationship, I got a clear Word from heaven that it was NOT over. I was called to pray!

A journal I kept to document the journey..

I had never known true intercession, you know the kind of intercession that bears a burden in prayer every day. I literally wept the entirety of September and October 1999. I wept and prayed and wept and prayed every day, mostly in the shower, where snot is easier to deal with, ya know? As this season of prayer lingered on, God began to speak to me about future plans. It’s interesting how closely related the Hebrew words are for “wilderness” and “to speak.” It’s just like God to move his children to the wilderness and then begin to speak to them there. As I followed Him, I began to make plans for a May wedding! We always wanted to get married on May 19, the day I asked her to date me. Yes, you read that correctly! In the midst of this season of great pain in intercession, there in Cleveland, TN, I began to pray and make preparations to be a husband.

Day 1 (Oct. 7, 1999) of the journal I kept on the faith walk that lead to my marriage.

I had always wanted to kinda know where I was going before I got married, but here I was walking by faith, because trust me when I say, “I could see NOTHING clearly!” We weren’t even dating, we were 5 hours apart and our lives seemed to be moving further apart than the 5 hours and 300 miles. God, however, knows how to overcome the miles and circumstances and give birth to something new out of the impossible! To show the Lord that I had faith, I sent her 7 peach roses on October 19 as a sign of the fact that there were 7 months until May 19. I thought it was a great idea! She didn’t really think so, but stood firm on her decision to move on. Paul says, “Love suffers long…” and sometimes we have to wait on God’s process, but Paul assures us that “love never fails!”

In November 1999, the Spiritual nature of what I had been carrying for more than 2 months began to change. I encountered a moment that seemed to be a tipping point. I had had enough of all the pain and really began to cry out to be removed from the burden of it all. I couldn’t see any fruit from my labors and constantly battled in my mind to what was really true. Was it over? Was it not? I just didn’t really know! This is why trusting God is so important. He knows and most often, we do not! One day, all of a sudden, the weight inside me began to lighten and the burden became more bearable. I began to take my first steps to my new life in Cleveland without her, thinking, “Maybe, I was wrong and it’s really over!”

I had been asked to preach my first sermon in late November and I was making preparations to preach at my home church in Delbarton. On the day that I left to return home to visit for the weekend and preach my first sermon on the “Comfort Zone” of all things, I received a phone call from Carrie that revealed a very different Carrie than the one I spoke with during this season of great pain. She had been very adamant that the relationship was over, and then during this phone call, she was different. If I hadn’t have returned into the house to get one last thing before leaving for Mingo, I wouldn’t even have received the call. But during the call, I told her I had to go, we were leaving for home. “Like Williamson-home?” she asked. “Yes, I will be preaching my first sermon this Sunday,” I said. “You are preaching on Sunday morning at Church?” “Yes, Kevin (my roommate) is in the car waiting for me, I have to go,” I said, not wanting to speak with her. I was done with the pain, know what I mean! She responded, “I’m coming home too.” If I wasn’t confused before this moment, I was now!

“ At 12:55 AM on January 1, 2000, I asked Carrie to be my wife! SHE SAID YES! and my family was born!”

The weekend went great, but I returned to Cleveland seeking clarity from the Lord. Now, I really needed to know His Will! As with the preceding months, He showed Himself very close to me and confirmed what I had been hearing for more than 2 months. I was so thankful to get a clear “Yes” that the season I had suffered had now yielded a harvest. At 12:55 AM on January 1, 2000, I asked Carrie to be my wife! SHE SAID YES! and my family was born!

7 Reasons To NOT Take Your Wife Hiking On Your 19th Anniversary

1. Labor

   Too much like work. It's not very relaxing! 

2. Heat

   Because hiking is not often conducted indoors or in colder times of the year (at least, not for us).

3. Sweat

   It effects her differently than it does you.  There’s makeup and stuff.

4. Restaurant Closing time

   Closing time for the only restaurant close by is inconvenient. 

5. You Get Rushed

   Because #4, you get rushed and miss wonderful natural attractions and moments that you otherwise would enjoy.  You cannot run and chat at the same time.

6. Hills that you MUST climb!  

   What goes down, must come back up. Also, if #4 applies, there is added difficulty and stress 

7. No Lovin’

   Chances are at the end of the day, you  are expecting to get some... well 😉❤️!   And you have almost killed her trying to get back in time for dinner.  (Obviously, we could single this down to 1 reason..)

After You Have Suffered A While...

    Suffering is not something we, as Americans like to experience, but in the Bible, suffering is far-too common to ignore as the people of God who follow the road map of Scripture to navigate our lives and families, as God orchestrates HIS-tory to usher in the Everlasting Kingdom.  

    In 2000-01, my family faced a great deal of challenge and pain.  This was a very transitional period in our lives, Carrie and I had just celebrated our first wedding anniversary and we moved home with no job ready for us, but it was the loss of a sister way too early in life that just about brought us down.  My 14-year-old sister-in-law suffered an ATV accident that would claim her life instantly.  We found ourselves in a season of great mourning, asking God a lot of questions and trying to understand it all.  In the same 6-month window, we would move again and transition jobs twice.  Then in 2005, after several years where we worked hard to try to build our family, fighting for financial and job stability and having our first child,  Carrie experienced a miscarriage while waking on a cool morning in April.  It's these types of situations and seasons of great difficulty that cause one to look deeply at suffering in Scripture, to seek to comprehend suffering from God's perspective and properly interpret these excruciatingly painful experiences in our own lives.  Since those days...  years ago, I have gathered much from Scripture on suffering and pain. One of my favorite verses is found in the first Letter of Peter (I Peter 5:10) that states, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."   In this, Peter states that suffering is something we WILL face, but after the suffering, God will work to bring stability and strength to our lives. 

““Suffering is not the end...””

    Recently, I was scheduled to preach on the weekend of the 16th anniversary of the ATV accident that claimed the life of my precious 14-year-old sister-in-law, Toni Ann Preece.  When considering what God would have me speak on, I was lead to the Book of Ruth and the life of Naomi.  This sermon follows Naomi, mother-in-law to Ruth and her challenging season followed by God's working in her life to stablish, strengthen, and settle her.  I hope the Lord gives revelation knowledge to those who struggle and suffer to shed His light on the experience from the Word of God as you check out the sermon below.  God Bless!  

"God, I love this..."

    This past weekend, our family traveled south to Pigeon Forge, TN to meet up and spend some time with our North Carolina family.  We were blessed by my company with tickets to Dollywood, and we are never a family to turn down a good trip, esp. when there are roller coasters involved.  Friday was a great day!  We ran ourselves ragged hopping from coaster to coaster and having a blast!   One particular coaster we were in line for only accommodates riders by 1 or 2's, and by the way the numbers worked out, I would be riding this one alone.  While riding the Wild Eagle in a car by myself, (Wild Eagle) being one of my favorites at Dollywood, I began to worship God and tell Him about all the fun I was having.  "God, I love this!  I am having so much fun and I wanted to tell you about it!  Thank You so much!"   

An adult riding all alone is not a Kodak moment I wanted kept... but oh well!

    In our modern day, to many people, our Heavenly Father is nothing more than e911.  While it is true that He is "our very present help in time of trouble,"(Psalm 46:1) our Father God wants to be more than simply a way out of difficult and uncomfortable places.  Remember in the beginning, God came down and walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden when there was NO sin, NO difficulty and NO trouble in the world.  Also remember in the end, there will be NO trials, NO tears, and NO death! (Hallelujah to God!)   The God of Eternity wants to know you! He wants to walk with you! He wants to hear from you, not just in trial and difficulty and need. He wants to share in times of fun and pleasure.  Tell Him when you are happy. Tell Him about the things you enjoy.  It's called relationship!  Worship Him in times of blessing.  David said, "I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me." (Psalms 13:6)  I know for me, when I share with God in my joy, worship and praise to God is a natural result, and Scripture tells us that God inhabits or dwells in our praises (Psalm 22:3).  It's GOOD to have God around!  It's BENEFICIAL to have Him close!    He loves us and wants to be where we are.  This is a good thing!    

“Tell Him about the things you enjoy.  It’s called relationship.”

    How would I feel as a father to my children, if all they wanted to talk with me about was what they wanted me to buy them?  How would I feel if they only wanted me around when the WiFi was out?  Would I enjoy hearing only about their problems? NO!   I want to know what makes them happy and sad, what brings them pain and what brings them pleasure!  I want to know them. God wants to know us!  YES, cry out to Him in your difficulty, trust Him with your needs, but also speak with Him with great thanksgiving when you are filled with Joy!  He wants to hear about it all!    

What Being a Mother Means to Me - A Mother's Day Testimony

    Carrie was contacted to be a part of the Mother's Day Service this year at Regional Church of God.  This is the testimony she shared.  Toward the end, she shares a story about a dream our son had concerning our child that was lost from the womb. Check it out.. 

Play Well Together

      Summer is always a wonderful time!  For us, summer means cookouts, swimming, get-togethers, celebrations of all sorts, travel, and lots of fun!  Who could forget vacations?  We love to travel!  We love to travel in packs, most of the time including the extended family.  While the beach (somewhere) is a frequent hot spot for us, there have been a few occasions where we as a household venture out, just the 4 of us, and do something different.  It's just us, and I must admit, we play well together!  For vacation 2016, the 4 of us packed up the Explorer and ventured up to Cedar Point.  It was the first time for all of us.  After Hershey Park, I vowed never to go to another amusement park until our kids were tall enough to ride everything! I just couldn't stand the heartache of those words, "I'm sorry son, you are not tall enough to ride that."   Once he surpassed 54" in height, we were all set!  I have wanted to visit Cedar Point since Millennium Force hit YouTube, so this year, we set our sights and Google Maps destination on the Hotel Breakers and off to the fun we went! 

    We have a Family Mission Statement that we try to remain true to.  One such goal is that we just want to be fun and adventurous together.  We want to try new things, stay in all 50 states, and travel to the coolest places of the US. The world is too scary these days, so just the US for now :) !  I hope all families have as much fun as we do!  We laugh together, act crazy at times, and try not to get into too much trouble with hotel staff!  We find that it builds relationships and fortifies love for one another!  It's a good thing!   Family is the basic unit of society and we must learn how to get it right, so as to perpetuate healthy families! "God, please provide grace for healthy families!" 

     Vacation 2016 was a great time together, we had a great time and so much fun!  We were out everyday until the park closed and definitely got our money's worth out of it!  I pray you and yours have a great and safe Summer 2016!  God Bless and enjoy our highlights video from Cedar Point!