October 25, 2008

***Here is the letter that was sent to family and friends upon Larry and I getting engaged.

I am getting married!

Yes, it's oh so wonderfully true! I have been dating Larry for close to a year now and our time together just continues to become more and more precious. He travels some for his job and he has been in South Africa for the last month. I was so bummed because he was arriving home on Saturday and I was in Vegas for work until Sunday. I was just dying to get home and see his face.

On Saturday night, a large group of the MBF staff went to take pictures in front of the Arc de Triomphe after dinner. I was so exhausted and just wanted to go to bed so that I could see Larry the following day. We took a series of pictures and then we were going to change angles for another photo. I turned around and thought were about to take another picture and so it was not odd that someone had their arm around me. I went to get ready to take the picture only to look to my left and see that it was LARRY with his arm around me. So. completely. shocking.

I just kept yelling, "What are you doing here?" I was so happy to see that face and beard of his! He did not immediately drop down on one knee...we went over to a tiny cafe outside the Paris hotel and the server brought out wine from South Africa (where Larry had been the last month) and as much as I love wine I was just too excited to drink it!

Larry told me the most precious things that night. And it was absolutely perfect in every single way.

I felt a peace and joy that transcends all understanding and that is what I am most grateful for. By the grace of my sweet King, He has kept me waiting (even when He knew it caused pain) for this man who loves all of me. The good and the bad. He is honorable, gentle, loyal and challenges me with his kindness and depth.

For those of you that know what a rough road the last few years have been for me...the fears of never getting married, of not being good enough to be a godly wife, of not trusting in the Lord's plan for me....thank you. I will forever be indebted to your prayers, encouragement and your ability to hold me up when I could not even lift my own head. Thank you for speaking truth when I could only see lies. And I know that Larry thanks you too. Because of you all...I am finally ready to risk myself and become his wife.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday night. There are none of the actual proposal...just the surprise of seeing him in Vegas!
http://picasaweb.google.com/courtney.michele.coker/Engagement?authkey=dtPcd5vFBms#

I wish I could call you a personally right now but hopefully I will talk to each of you very soon!

For His glory...

Coker-Causey Announcement

Hello blog world! I sure have missed you.

As most of you already know, I am soon to be Mrs. Larry Ray Causey II. Still a crazy thought! Our wedding is May 8th in Healdsburg, CA. Larry and I decided on a small family wedding for many reasons. And we can't wait to share that sacred moment in time with you through pictures and storytelling. We are also planning to have a reception in Texas this summer, but no details have been finalized, so more information to come on that little shindig. I am definitely in the countdown phase of this crazy season. Only 65 days, 9.3 weeks or just a couple months to go...however you prefer to look at it (Ahem...Matt and Geof). I am so excited to step forward and do life with Larry Ray. He proves to be more than I ever deserved over and over again. And it leaves me only able to cry mercy. He is merciful, isn't He?!

Well, enough wedding talk for now. Like I said, most of you already now all that any way. But, Larry and I do have some very exciting news to announce. It's kind of a big deal because this is one of the first decisions that Larry and I were asked to make together as a couple. I know that this is just one of many "first" for him and I. Okay, okay...I am sure that you are sitting on the edge of your seat in suspense, right?

When Larry and I return from our honeymoon we will begin packing (our very, very new home) and heading up to our new home in McKinney. And we are not talking booming city McKinney but rather country, out in the middle of nowhere McKinney. Larry and I have accepted a part-time position at Cornerstone Ranch, which is a group home for special needs residents. Larry volunteered with the staff and several of the residents all through college while at SMU. He was involved in YL Capernanum which is an organization that brings the Good News of Christ to high school kids/adults with disabilities. Early on in our relationship I was privileged enough to join Larry at a couple of events where I was able to engage with these young adults. And my heart melted. All fears that I carried about feeling uncomfortable with special needs just subsided. For the first time I knew that these amazingly transparent people could teach me so much about myself and this God that I only want to love more.

Back in August, Larry and I made our first visit to Cornerstone. I (surprisingly) felt at home. I had such a quiet peace and life felt "slower" there to me. I secretly tucked a prayer inside my heart that one day Larry and I would be more involved in Cornertsone. Little did I now that the Lord would, in His grace, answer that silent prayer. Last month we were asked to consider moving to Cornerstone to work part-time three nights a week with the residents. And over the last month Larry and I have prayed, visited Cornerstone, and talked a lot about the what the gain would be over the loss. And we just keep coming to this place of feeling like the losses presented were worth losing for the chance to engage this opportunity.

So, we will be packing up the new townhome, moving to McKinney, saying goodbye to the convenience of our friends and family, leaving a new church that we love and throwing ourselves into this community called Cornertsone. Did I mention it's out.in.the.middle.of.nowhere?

Larry and I will still be keeping our full-time jobs. MBF has been gracious enough to support us in this opportunity and they are providing some flexibility with my schedule. Thank you, Kim and Jim! And Larry will still be able to travel the world with Buck and edit from home. Larry will work one day/week with the residents while I am at MBF and then three nights/week we will help the residents with dinner, evening activities and bed time routine. Really we are there to help provide structure for the residents. They are all pretty self sufficient. I can't wait to be sitting at the dinner table with them, admiring their most perfect faces and listening to their stories!

I would love for you to join us in prayer. We know that many people think you should take your first year of marriage kind of easy and "get to know each other". And Larry and I both desire that deeply. But we also desire to do something together that will bond us in a beautiful way. And I pray that this will happen through serving the precious residents at Cornerstone. Please pray for Larry and I's marriage and that it will be an easy transition, pray that we will be able to balance all that life requires (MBF, Buck, Cornertsone, time with family and friends, marriage, church, etc). Pray that we will find a healthy church in McKinney to attend. And pray for Cornerstone, that we are the right fit for this job, pray for the rest of the staff (by name: David, Cynthia, Doug and Miranda) and the residents (by name: Amanda, Laura, Will, David and Jason). Please just covers us in your sweet words lifted up to heaven.

Lastly, should your heart be moved towards Cornerstone or our efforts there, then please feel free to donate to the ranch by clicking here. And (for our closest friends and family) please know that should you choose to donate to Cornerstone in lieu of a wedding gift to Larry and I, that our hearts will be filled with much joy and thanks.

Here is the link to Cornerstone Ranch (I kept it from you throughout this whole blog so you would read to the end. Aren't I sneaky!?) Please take a look at our future home!

There's so much that I still want to say...so much left unsaid. But there will be time to tell you all about it throughout this next year! Oh, and we are not selling the townhome. We will rent it out during our year commitment and then make a decision after that.

Thank you for your love and support. We love you so much!

A little of my heart from before...

Here are a few blogs from the old blog that really meant something to me. Enjoy!

Roxy
**Update: Roxy now has the most wonderful home and she comes up to the office frequently to say hello! She will even jump on you and just let's you love all over her. Can we say RESTORED?

John Piper

Matt's Proposal

I got three dollars...

Nathan's One Year Anniversary

My Date with Nate

The Hawkin's Goodbye

Sunrise and the Desert

Last Night

Enzo the Escape Artist

Coming on the Clouds Part Deux

Hi friends,

I have not written a thing over on the old blogspot for months now. I just started to feel like I was posting meaningless stuff that served no one but my own vanity. At times I had nothing to say, only wanted to be seen I suppose. And so, I stopped.

But, my hope has always been that I can share a little bit of truth from the joys and sorrows of my own life and that in those mere glimpses of life, that I might be able to provide someone, anyone, with either hope or just an ever-needed sense of commonality. Nothing about my life is so glamorous that I need to share daily snippets with you all. But, I have a life given to me by Christ, and in that I am ever changing from a dirty, rusty, old, jagged, tarnished, clanging piece of metal into a shiny, lovely piece of silver. For the Lord tests us so that we are refined like silver (Psalm 66:10).

So then, back to my hope…that through these words and life experiences, you will look deep into the “silver” and see only the face of Christ. May He beckon you always.