Monthly Archives: July 2007

How Luke and I met

When I was 12 years old, Bro. Mark Gedeon became the new pastor of our church, Springdale Free Will Baptist in Oxford, MS. He had six children, and because I was not used to having many kids at my small church, I attended church out of curiosity. I immediately became attached to the whole family, especially the oldest three: Luke (12), Ruth (10), and Rachel (8). After the Gedeons had been at our church for six months, I was led to Christ by Luke’s mom and sister, Ruth.

Luke and I both liked each other at the time, but neither of us was brave enough to tell the other person (although we both had a common spy (Rachel), who was willing to give away a little bit to each of us). After about a year, Luke and I actually got brave enough to reveal our feelings for each other and began writing letters to each other.

When Luke and I were 15, my parents got divorced, and I had to move away to Abbeville, MS while he, at the same time, had to move on since his dad was no longer pastor. He eventually ended up in Southaven, MS.

For several years, we kept up with each other through letters and my occasional visits to see his family. Eventually we lost track of each other and actually saw other people, but neither of us was ever in a relationship anything close to serious.

While I was attending Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, MS, I pulled out my 300 page journal that I had written about Luke between the ages of 12 and 15, curious about what ever became of him. Oddly enough, he was wondering about me at about the same time.

In September of 1999 while I was attending Ole Miss (in my home town) and he was attending Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, TN, Luke called and arranged to meet me at Shoney’s in Oxford, MS. We had an interview-type meal and learned a little about the life goals of one another.

We began courting in October. Since we had a long distance relationship, our main source of communication was through email, but we managed to talk on the phone and visit from time to time, also. We were married six months later in April of 1999.

Some would say we had a short courting/engagement period, but we had actually known each other for eight years! No one else could have been a better match for me than Luke Gedeon. I’m glad God brought us together!

Bethany’s First Chat

Bethany loves the computer. This morning she got access to a computer and started hitting keys to her hearts’ delight. The only problem was that she was typing them in a chat window with Luke, who was sitting in the next room. She actually hit enter and was completely surprised when Luke said, “No, Bethany,” when he couldn’t even see her. I guess Bethany chatted at a younger age than anyone else in the household. Those computer gurus just keep getting younger and younger!

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Tied Down? – by Edgar A. Guest

“They tie you down,” a woman said,
Whose cheeks should have been flaming red
With shame to speak of children so.
“When babies come you cannot go
In search of pleasure with your friends,
And all your happy wandering ends.
The things you like you cannot do,
For babies make a slave of you.”

I looked at her and said: “Tis true
That Children make a slave of you,
And tie you down with many a knot,
But have you never thought to what
It is of happiness and pride
That little babies have you tied?
Do you not miss the greater joys
That come with little girls and boys?

“They tie you down to laughter rare,
To hours of smiles and hours of care,
To nights of watching and to fears;
Sometimes they tie you down to tears
And then repay you with a smile,
And make your trouble all worth while.
They tie you fast to chubby feet
And cheeks of pink and kisses sweet.

“They fasten you with cords of love
To God divine, who reigns above.
They tie you, whereso’er you roam,
Unto the little place called home;
And over sea or railroad track
They tug at you to bring you back.
The happiest people in the town
Are those the babies have tied down.

“Oh, go your selfish way and free
But hampered I would rather be,
Yes rather than a kingly crown
I would be, what you term, tied down;
Tied down to dancing eyes and charms,
Held fast by chubby, dimpled arms,
The fettered slave of girl and boy,
And win from them earth’s finest joy.”

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