Fw: NEVER BEEN KISSED: A HOME-SCHOOL LOVE STORY
Posted by: amazinggraze <amazinggraze@...>
From: <ManyPigs@aol.com>
To: <amazinggraze@valkyrie.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 9:03 PM
Subject: NEVER BEEN KISSED: A HOME-SCHOOL LOVE STORY
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NEVER BEEN KISSED: A HOME-SCHOOL LOVE STORY
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Saturday, June 9, 2001
Deep in the Hill Country of South Central Texas, on a quiet ranch,
the world is about to change. There are no newspapers, there is no public
fanfare -- but most of the more than 600 people gathered know they are
about to witness something that the majority of Americans will never
experience: A truly pure woman is about to covenant in marriage with a
truly virtuous man for the stated purpose of building a multi-generational
legacy for the glory of God.
This is a true love story -- the kind of which you rarely hear about
these days. From their childhood, both groom and bride had purposed to let
their parents direct them in all things. Both had demonstrated an unusual
ability to submit their wills to that of their parents'. Both were willing
to allow their parents to guide the process of preparation for maturity
and marriage, even when this meant taking a very different path from that
traversed by friends and peers. In fact, both had purposed to have no
other romantic relationship than the one reserved for the spouse God would
give to them.
When they stand at the marriage altar today, both bride and groom
proclaim to the world that this is their first love. It is true love. In
fact, today, they will take their very first kiss -- Ever! -- With anyone!
-- And they will do it at the moment they are pronounced man and wife.
But this love story is about more than just the bride and groom. It
is about two families, an entire community of believers, and a new
generation of children who are being raised to embrace and emulate the
pattern for life preparation and marriage being modeled today by the happy
couple.
Though the bride and the groom are only in their early twenties, this
story is actually more than three decades in the making. It is the story
of two sets of parents, both first-generation home educators, who
understood the Scriptures to commission them to raise their children in a
manner set apart from the world. Both sets of parents embraced this
commission, and for decades both sets of parents have prayed and planned
and prepared for this very moment.
For these parents, this marriage is a victory. It is a vindication of
the fact that God's ways work. It is yet more evidence that He is the God
of the covenant who honors promises and blesses obedience.
But even more is going on. A major deposit is about to be made in the
spiritual bank account of a community of believers. For the local church
congregation of more than 150 who are gathered as witnesses, this is the
first time that two members of their own assembly have come together in
marriage. In a real sense, this couple represents the first fruits of a
young church, which from its inception has been dedicated to praying for
the marriages of its young men and women. For two years they have prayed
for strong families. They have cried out to the Lord that he would be
merciful and provide godly spouses for their children. They have asked Him
to raise up another generation that will build on the principles of family
revival their parents have embraced -- home education, multi-generational
faithfulness, biblical patriarchy, covenant keeping, virtuous womanhood,
and courageous manhood.
Today, the little children of the congregation will be watching. This
too is a blessing. It means that they are growing up with the right kind
of examples around them. It means that there is the wonderful hope that
they will grow up in a spiritual community where it is normative for young
men and women to grow up in purity.
The groom is Joshua Goforth. At the ripe old age of twenty-one, he
has already distinguished himself among his peers as a man of vision,
spiritual focus, and excellence as the graphic designer extraordinaire for
all three of the Vision Forum catalogs (book catalog, All-American Boy's
Adventure Catalog, and the Beautiful Girlhood Collection). Joshua, who
joined Vision Forum immediately upon completion of his home education, is
one of a growing number of home educated students who are demonstrating
that a little bit of entrepreneurial vision, a lot of effort, and some
good old-fashioned practical experience is a superior method of life
preparation than a four-year journey through the halls of Babylon (a.k.a.,
the modern college experience).
With just moments to go before the wedding begins, I am standing and
praying with the groom. He has given me the awesome privilege of assisting
his father and father-in-law in officiating over the marriage. His last
words to me as a single man sum up the message of this wedding: "I know I
am not worthy of this woman, but I also know that God is doing something
really special here, and He is doing it for future generations."
The lady of the hour is Miss Noelle Wheeler, the twenty-four year old
daughter of evangelist Richard "Little Bear" Wheeler. Vision Forum readers
may recognize her as the girl who graces the cover of the Beautiful
Girlhood Collection with such genuine sweetness and femininity, or as the
author of our best-selling book DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY. Anyone who has met
Noelle knows that she possesses a refreshing innocence and precious
naiveté that only comes from a girl who has been raised around the sweet
aroma of Christian holiness. Today, she is focused on one thing: preparing
herself for her new earthly Lord (1 Peter 3) with whom she will focus the
rest of her life in the service of Jesus Christ as they purpose to seek
the Lord for many children and commit their marriage to a joint-dominion
work for the glory of God.
The marriage commences. It is perfect in every respect. Beautiful
sunlight from the Lord and a pleasant breeze accompany the lovely strains
of music which proceed from the outdoor gazebo by which bride and groom
will take their vows. As I share a message of encouragement to the couple,
accompanied by the vows of their covenant, I can sense a true spirit of
hope and glorious expectation coming from the many well wishers gathered.
But one last event is yet to take place. With just moments to go
before bride and groom are pronounced man and wife, the father of the
bride rises to approach the couple. He takes his stand before me. In his
own inimitable style, Little Bear Wheeler reaches down to the ground and
reveals a replica of the massive sword once carried by the original
"Braveheart," William Wallace of Scotland. Raising the sword with both
hands he proclaims the following words, which I will attempt to paraphrase
below:
"Kneel Joshua Goforth... In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I
commission you to take my daughter. I have raised her with a sacred purity
as few girls have ever been raised. Today, I give her to you. You are to
be the loving lord in your home and over her. Cherish and love her and
never forget what a rare gift God has given to you. Keep the sword in your
house forever. When your children rise up and ask you 'father, whence
comes this sword,' you must answer them that 'This sword was given as a
charge by my father to me as a reminder that our family would forever be
followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the covenant of marriage is
sacred and never to be broken.'"
Last night was my ninth wedding anniversary. As my wife Beall and I
reflected upon the joys of our own marriage and the supreme happiness God
has given to us, we were also able to rejoice in the new marriage we
witnessed a month prior.
We rejoiced because the world is now a better place. We rejoiced
because a promise has been kept. It was a promise given millennia ago to a
great man named Abraham. It is a promise that was affirmed by Solomon and
echoed in the words of the Apostles. It is a promise that more and more
parents are claiming as they dedicate their children to the service of the
Lord, as they fulfill the substance of the Deuteronomy 6 mandate by
walking alongside their children through home education, as they turn
their hearts to home and from the debilitating philosophies of our
culture, so that they can raise warriors for Jesus Christ.
I was there. I witnessed it from three feet away. It was sealed
before the public with a vow and a kiss -- a very special kiss, the kind
you don't hear about any more. A kiss of purity and innocence -- a genuine
first kiss.
Wake up happy tomorrow -- you serve a God who keeps His promises!
Thank you Father, for reminding us that God's ways work.
Thank you Father, for vindicating parents who have stood
against the world, year after year, in the home education
of their children. Thank you Jesus, for praying fathers
who have turned their hearts to home. Thank you Father,
for noble and pious mothers who have labored in the
trenches of daily homemaking. Thank you Father, for
raising up a generation of young men and women who we
can actually set before our little ones and say --
"follow their example." Thank you for the marriage of
Joshua Goforth to Noelle Wheeler. We are all better for it.
To view pictures from the wedding, please visit our Web site:
http://www.visionforum.com/sp/sc/010719wedding.asp
Standing Amazed in His Presence, I Remain,
Your Friend,
Doug Phillips
President, The Vision Forum, Inc.