Home     |     Sitemap     |     Contents By Peter & Rebekah Laue, Pagosa Springs. Colorado Published in the January – February 2004 Edition of “The Testimony” In February of 1972, Rebekah, that special person who was able to love me just as I was, came into my life. I wasn't looking for her, and had I known that she would eventually become my wife, we probably would have avoided each other. The encounter came on one of my frequent walks that had been prescribed by my doctor. While walking one day, I noticed a church on a hill. The architecture of the church intrigued me. I walked up to it and tried the door. It was locked. I looked around for signs of life. I found the secretary, Rebekah, in the church office, introduced myself, and why I would like to look around at the church. She was glad to unlock the church. While she was doing that, I candidly asked, "Does your pastor talk about the Holy Spirit in his sermons?" A glow of recognition came over her face. My spirit and her spirit connected. I looked at the unique architecture and the use of adobe bricks. I thanked Rebekah and turned to go. She invited me to stay a few minutes and have a cup of coffee in the church office. I can't remember any details of our conversation, but I do remember that Jesus was at the center. We both recall there was great peace, joy, and freedom during the few minutes we spent together; and we both sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit. How and when people experience the presence of the Holy Spirit varies, but those who know Him know His unique presence. It may be a special physical warmth, waves of rest and relaxation, a supernatural sense of well-being and peace, unprovoked tears, or even a physical manifestation like a tingling sensation. Several weeks later I found myself going back to the church for another cup of coffee. As time went by, the intervals between my visits became shorter and shorter. Each time we visited, there was that unmistakable presence of the Holy Spirit as we shared our hearts about Jesus. We had many cups of coffee in that little church office; and I wondered later how Rebekah got all her work done. Outside the church office we did not see each other. Neither of us was attracted to the other in an emotional or a physical way. I choose to believe that Jesus worked in a sovereign way to unite our lives and to make my life whole once more through marriage. It wasn't too long after we met that I felt compelled to see the movie "The Ten Commandments," directed by Cecille B. DeMille. I had seen it before, but felt compelled to see it again. In a driving rain storm, I drove alone some 25 miles to an unknown part of San Diego where the movie was playing. I watched the movie alone, although I believe I was accompanied by a host of angels. The movie deeply affected me. In fact, it was responsible for shaping the rest of my life. Although I did not feel that I was Moses, I identified with much of what had happened to him up to the point he was exiled from Egypt. I was totally lost in the story. Those who have seen the film will probably remember the priest of Midian who had seven daughters and Moses was asked to choose one of them as his wife. Zipporah, one of the daughters, asked Moses,   "And which one of my sisters did you choose?" Moses' answer was, "None of them." Zipporah replied with these words: "Our hands are not so soft, but they can serve. Our bodies not so white, but they are strong. Our lips are not perfumed, but they speak the truth. Love is not an art to us, it is life to us. We are not dressed in gold and fine linen; Strength and honor are our clothing. Our tents are not the columned halls in Egypt; But our children play happily before them. We can offer you little; But we offer you all we have."   I realized, at that moment, that I did not need the Queen of Egypt as a wife, but a shepherd girl like Zipporah. I could hear Rebekah speaking the above words into my heart. It was a strange phenomenon, quite supernatural. Without much further deliberation, I asked Rebekah the next day to be my shepherd girl. To do so was not particularly easy, because there was no romantic involvement; nevertheless I seemed compelled to propose to her. Rebekah was not the kind of woman I was physically attracted to. And Rebekah, too, was astonished at her reply when she said, "Yes." I was not her "type" either. We believe the Lord directed our footsteps and that our marriage was His choice. Our only desire was to be in His Perfect Will. I can assure all who read these words that the Holy Spirit is the best matchmaker. Now, I'll let Rebekah tell you her views of our meeting. The Lord worked rapidly to establish a rapport between Peter and me, and He did it by quickening my spirit when Peter asked about the pastor's sermons. It happened as I was unlocking the church door that I knew we were on the same frequency. Peter enjoyed the tour of the church, and when he turned to leave, I was very much prompted to ask him into the office for a cup of coffee. It was from a coffeepot that my spiritual mother, Lois Crowley, had given me and it was kept going constantly. He accepted. Our conversation was focused on Jesus. When he returned in a few weeks for another cup of coffee, I again enjoyed talking with him. I could see that he knew Jesus in much the same way that I did, and so we could enjoy Jesus and each other at the same time. He sometimes would get lost in thought in the middle of a sentence or not remember the direction of his conversation, but this did not disturb me. I understood very well, for I always had a problem in concentrating on what I was saying and in expressing myself. I could feel the delicate balance of his soul. When he returned more and more frequently, I started to get a little nervous, for I could not do my work and talk to him, too. One day as I was trying to mimeograph the church bulletin in a little workroom, Peter followed me in and insisted on talking to me. He asked me if I would be his shepherd girl, and the words, "Yes, I will," slipped out before I realized what I was saying. I thought, "Now, what does that mean?" I put the words out of my mind because of the task at hand. The next day he returned. We went into the church to pray. I shared some of my problems, and he reinforced his desire for me to be his shepherd girl. Again, I said yes. Later, doubt started creeping in. I would sit at my desk and try to work, all the while arguing with the Lord about this situation. "No, Lord, You know I don't need a man. I can handle things better without having to worry about another man. You and me, Lord we can do it alone. Besides, Lord, you know that my ideals are very high, and I don't know a man alive who could come anywhere near fulfilling them. It just isn't possible." On and on I went, day after day, telling the Lord that I could not possibly afford to be connected with Peter. I said, "He's a nice man and all that, but definitely not my type." Sitting at my desk one day, I was once again telling the Lord that I was too bruised emotionally to possibly consider any relationship, the Lord spoke to my spirit in such a strong, clear voice that I was shocked. In a tone so strong and commanding, He said, "This is the man I have prepared for you, now you take him!" I immediately stopped my tirade and said, "Yes, Sir!" I turned my thoughts so completely to obedience that I never had another doubt in my mind that Peter was to be my husband. Meanwhile, Peter was having his own doubts. I had two small children to raise, and the responsibility seemed to overwhelm him. He blithely told me that I could set a wedding date, but when the day drew near, he backed out and said he couldn't handle it. He would tell me that he might call me in the evening, but then again he might not. Every evening at nine o'clock the phone would ring, and we would talk for hours. The Holy Spirit's presence was so incredibly strong during these conversations, and He would teach us and show us so many things, that I decided to keep a journal. I didn't keep it going very long because there was so much to write that I literally developed writer's cramp. Even though Peter was hesitant, I proceeded to make a quilt with symbols of the church embroidered on it and to clean and clear out dresser space for him. There was only joy and expectation in my heart for the big day! The day before the wedding, I dropped by Peter's place to give him a message and found him furiously scrubbing the floor on his hands and knees. He hardly looked at me as he told me of receiving a letter from a relative stating that this marriage was all wrong, and that God would withdraw His blessings from Peter's life, were he to go ahead with it. This information did not bother me in the least, for I had heard from God and I knew. I did not feel a need to try to convince him that our wedding was right or that the writer of the letter was in error, but just left him scrubbing away. The next day was beautiful, hot and summery. Peter had a radiance about him that was very powerful. Pastor Lusk, of the Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, where we met, officiated. We had a small gathering of close friends and family to witness our coming together. Peter told me later that he had determined to stand against his relative's attack; and the moment the pastor pronounced us man and wife, the spell was broken. The Lord had brought us safely through another testing time. Editor's Note: Peter & Rebekah have been married for 30 years - a marriage indeed orchestrated in heaven. This beautiful LOVE STORY was excerpted from a book which they wrote and was published in 1983. The title of the book is "The Wood Blossom - A Search for Sanity in an Insensitive World." The book has been renamed “To Hell and Back.” Anyone wishing to read it may contact Peter & Rebekah Laue via e-mail at: LukeFour18@gmail.com or visit their web site: www.stretcherbearers.com. An electronic copy will be sent free of charge. Home Sitemap    |    E-mail Us    |    Contents All writings by Peter, the Lord's Scribe and Storyteller and all paintings by Rebekah, the Lord's artist are copyright free.