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Looking for a great gift?

Michael's updated book Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith,
Love, and Laughter," is finally here! ($13.95) Visit the link below to
preview the book! Personalized autographed copies are available at
no extra charge and we pay the shipping for you! An E-book version is
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http://www.hearttouchers.com/books


Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and then allow
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PayPal, Checks, and Money orders accepted! The book is also available
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TRUE ROMANCE

by Karen Harper DeLoach

When I was a little girl, I dreamed that one day my Prince Charming would come.
Fairy tales tickled my imagination.  Maybe I would be lying asleep on a white, lacy
canopy bed when, like Sleeping Beauty, my Prince would drop a soft kiss on my
lips.  I would awaken to a romantic new life.  Or maybe he would ride up to my
house on a white steed.  The slipper would fit my foot, and we would ride off to
the castle together to begin living happily ever after.  I dreamed of someday, far-off romance.

When I was a teenager, I dreamed my Prince Charming would arrive in a 1965
red-hot Mustang convertible.  The muscles in his arm would ripple when he
opened the car door for me.  The wind would blow through my hair as he laid
rubber and we drove off into the sunset together - to live happily ever after.
I dreamed of not-too-distant-in-the-future romance.

When I was a young woman, my dreams were more practical, yet forever tinged
with romance.  My Prince Charming, handsome and tall, would be a strong,
stalwart bread-winner, my protector from the storms of life.  Yet he would also
be a romantic who would celebrate every little occasion with elegant red roses
or friendly nosegays of daisies.  On more important dates, he would surprise
me with romantic getaways and candlelit dinners.  Oh yes, my soon-to-be
husband was the perfect man.  We would live happily ever after.  I dreamed
of love and a romantic life.

When I was a middle-aged woman, my perception of romance changed.
Passion was a luxury to be savored; fairytale daydreams reserved for special
occasions.  True romance showed up in the day to day ordinary events of life.
Times that my Prince Charming remembered I liked strawberry-frosted doughnuts
when chocolate was his favorite.  Rainy nights when I came home late, and he
ran out to my car to see if I needed help.  Those late night moments when he
craved a bowl of ice cream and brought me some, too.  The times of sickness
or hardship or loss when nothing in life was romantic in the least, and yet his
presence brought comfort and reassurance.  The romance of middle age was
not fluff and spun sugar, but solid and safe and sweet.

Now, I'm an elderly woman.  My dreams are of the past - of the satisfying
life I lived with my Prince Charming.  He was a good provider, always my
protector.  Even when his muscles weakened and his hair thinned, his
handsome demeanor never faded, never failed to move me.  Flowers didn't
rain down on every occasion, as I thought they would.  The romantic getaways
were few and far between.  If we dined by candlelight, I was the one who lit the
candles.  Yet our love never faded; it only grew.  And now he's gone, and our
life together on earth has ended.  I can only cherish past romance.  I dream
of seeing him again one day in Heaven.

And yet, as I lie on my bed at night, I know I'm not alone.  The Creator of the
universe, the Lover of my soul, will never leave me or forsake me.  He is my
provider and my protector.

As I lie here, He reminds me that He has been with me from the beginning.
Before God formed me in my mother's womb, He knew me (Jeremiah 1:5).
He saw me when I was a little girl dreaming of fairy tales.  He was calling me to Himself,
even then.

When I was a teenager, dreaming of young romance, His thoughts were on
me.  "‘For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. ‘They are plans
for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'" (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).
He continued to draw me to Him.

When I was a young wife, desiring romance amidst the humdrum of daily life,
His promise was for me.  "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your
heart's desires" (Psalm 37:4 NLT).  His promise was not just for this earth but for eternity.

And in my loneliness for the love of my life, God reminds me of His promise "...the
sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more, for your Creator will be your
husband.  The Lord Almighty is his name!  He is your Redeemer, the Holy One
of Israel, the God of all the earth" (Isaiah 54:4b-5 NLT).  Even in my old age, He
is drawing me.

God the Father plants that longing for romance in our hearts.  And though He
blesses us with romance, love, and companionship in our earthly relationships,
what He really desires is for each one of us to have a divine romance with Him.
No matter what our age or gender, He desires a personal relationship with us.
If we surrender to Him, He will sweep us off our feet, and we will live with Him
happily ever after for all eternity.

"May I have this dance?  A divine romance?

I'll take you by the hand and waltz through eternity.

Put your trust in Me.  Will you let Me lead?

I'll sweep you off your feet,

If you'll let Me have this dance."
(from the song May I Have This Dance? by Stephen Hinkle)


Karen Harper DeLoach
deloachmechanic@frontiernet.net

Karen is the author of Thirty-one Years and a Stumble.  She is co-author and
compiler of Musings, Meditations, and Memories of One Slightly Dysfunctional
American Family.  Her stories have been published in several anthologies,
magazines, and e-zines, including HeartTouchers.  To read excerpts from her
books, please visit her web site at http://karendeloach.tripod.com

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Creation Q & A


Darwin's Day

 
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false
teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." (2 Peter 2:1)
 
Thousands of clergy have signed "An Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science."
On the Sunday closest to Charles Darwin's birthday, these "pastors" eulogize him
and endorse evolutionary science as compatible with the Bible. Here are five reasons
why this idea is grossly wrong.
 
• The Bible has absolutely no hint of ages of evolutionary development. Forcing
the "days" of Genesis 1 to mean "ages" doesn't line up with Scripture
(Psalm 33:6-9, 148:5-6; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 4:11; etc.).
 
• Evolution is not observed at all today. Empirical science is based on observation