She Said Yes!

In the course of the last year, I have walked through an amazing season. As you would know, the loss of Veronica was the greatest shock of my life and one that has shaken me to the very core of my being. It has been a year of soul searching and seeking the heart and the purposes of the Father for my life and my family. I have worked very hard in this last year at maintaining a proper balance between my personal sense of recovery, healing for my family and of course, the ministry of the district. Some days have been filled with delight and some have been tough to even get up in the morning and move forward. While I still can't find the answers that I would desire in my own heart, I have come to a place of peace, knowing that my Father desperately loves me and my children, and He has a hope, a promise and a future for our lives.

The purpose of this blog is to share some really exciting news. I will get to that, but I have to ask you to walk with me briefly on part of my journey in the last few months, to lay a foundation...here we go!

After Veronica went home to be with the Lord, the word of the Lord came to me that “you will remarry, but don't look around your life...your wife is in California.” What a relief that was knowing that I wouldn't have to pursue a natural course of seeking after relationships. I assumed that one day I would move to California, and God would bring somebody into my life. I relaxed and began focusing on my life, returning to my job and giving needed attention to my family. I was very much at peace, not having to worry or focus on anything in my life except what was required of me.

At the end of May, we were delighted to host the Foursquare Connection in the great city of Atlanta (had to throw that in) and I was honored to serve as the convention host. As you might could guess, that is a huge responsibility and an enormous task. I was busy from the first day to the very last! At the beginning of the week, I had left my suite and was headed to the elevator for an early morning meeting when the Lord spoke to me again...this time it was only two words...”She's Here.” I knew immediately what God was referring to. Now, I'm on full alert...I didn't know exactly when, where or how but I felt like there would be a significant connection that would eventually materialize into a relationship in the future...or at least that's what I thought. I went the entire week and nothing! It was literally the last session and the very last song and I chocked it all up to having not accurately heard the voice of the Lord...I've made that mistake before I thought I had made it again. At the end of the song, while ministry was taking place, I ventured over to the right side of the auditorium to speak to one of our pastors, when I saw her!

I looked up and saw a young lady walking from the altar back to her seat and every sense and every thing in me went on full alert! I had no idea who she was, I didn't know if she was married, I didn't know how old she was...and I didn't know where she was from. None of that deterred me however. I was determined to say hello and introduce myself. I stationed myself at the front of her section and waited for her to come around as she was leaving...as she got closer my heart began to pound, my knees began to grow weak and I started to sweat...I felt like a young kid all over again!! She was getting closer and closer and the moment was upon me...I reached out my hand and all I could think to say was...”have we met”? Seriously? The great articulate man of faith and power...the convention host and all I could say was “have we met”? She was gracious and we introduced ourselves...guess where she was from? California! Well, that was a start!

Afterwards, I found her on Facebook and asked her to be my friend, she accepted and we began a friendly exchange of letters during the course of the next few months. Obviously, she was curious as to what I was up to and I was curious as to what God was up to. I find myself in the midst of recovering from the greatest loss of my life and at the same time, I have a unique sense that God is bringing this woman into my life. As we continued to dialogue through FB, I discovered more about her and all that God was doing in her heart and life, and I can tell you that this is no ordinary woman.

I found out that she was a graduate from Life Pacific and Azusa Pacific and had been an elementary school teacher for eight years. Eventually, her father who is a Foursquare pastor, asked her to come on staff as the youth pastor at their church and she has now served in that role for 7 years. She serves on the Foursquare Cabinet representing the Greater LA district, and obviously is an ordained Foursquare minister. I am delighted to introduce to you through this letter, Michelle Long. Michelle's parents, John and Angela Long serve as the senior pastors of Praise Alive Worship Center Foursquare Church in Monterey Park, Ca. Pastor John also serves on the Foursquare Board of Directors.

There is so much that I can tell you about Michelle, but you will be meeting her for yourself in the near future and will discover the amazing woman that she is. I do want to share this part of her life with you, however...Michelle is younger than I am, but I am the first relationship that she has had. She made a decision as a young girl, that she would guard her heart and her life and would not surrender her heart to a man unless she knew that it was God's choice for her life. She carries an amazing anointing on her life and besides serving as the youth pastor of their church, she is also a very gifted and anointed musician who not only leads worship, but also plays the piano and has a deep passion for worship.

I have to make a long story shorter...but I am writing to you today to let you know that I have asked Michelle to marry me, and she said yes! From the very beginning of this relationship, I have submitted this entire process to not only Tammy Dunahoo, the General Supervisor of The Foursquare Church, but also to Glenn Burris, the President of The Foursquare Church and have carefully abided by the guidelines and mandates that they saw to be wise. I have submitted this to Michelle's parents as well as to Chuck Shoemake, the national counselor of The Foursquare Church and have found their blessing on this decision and can come to you with absolute certainty that God has brought us together, has led us throughout the past few months and has brought us to this place of decision. I am so excited to share this with you and I know that you will rejoice with myself and Michelle! I can hardly wait for you to meet her. My family is very excited...my kids love Michelle and have developed their own relationships with her as well. In fact, both of my girls were with me in California when I proposed to her. You'll love this...I took her back to a little Bistro in Santa Monica where we had our first date, and my girls went over early to deliver roses, engraved glasses for a toast, and make sure everything was set up perfect...I love those girls! It was awesome!

We have set May 21^st as our wedding date. Because our wedding will be in California, we will do several receptions around our district, so that you will have a chance to meet her personally. Whew! There it is! I know that some of you might have some questions for me and I would love to speak with you personally if you desire. This has not been an overnight process, but I haven't had the liberty to share it publically until this time. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers and can hardly wait until you are able to meet her in person!

I spent almost 24 years of my life with an amazing woman of God! Years of great joy, ministry and family. I miss Veronica deeply and to think that I had those years with somebody of her caliber and now God is bringing Michelle into my life, blows me away! I told somebody that it has to be the divine favor of God, because I'm just not that good. He has smiled upon me and I am so thankful to share the rest of my life with a woman who loves God, is called according to His purposes and wants to share her life with me. I love each of you and thank you for being a vital part of this journey with me that we call life...