A Redeeming Love - Chapter 3

I think that every story of romance is worth telling.  As I recall my own, I myself am amazed at the woven tapestry of love, heartbreak, tough lessons learned and bliss.

I hope you’ll join me every Friday this Summer for my Summer Romance Series:

A Redeeming Love

Chapter 1,   Chapter 2

Chapter 3
In April 1995 I graduated from Pepperdine and left Malibu.  It would be about a year before I would return to Southern California and once again attend Malibu Presbyterian Church.  From the time I first saw the handsome man in the navy blue suit in church, to the time I returned to Malibu, I hadn’t thought about him.  I had no idea who he was and I was preoccupied with trying to figure out life after college.  Because I once thought I’d meet someone in college and marry shortly thereafter, I didn’t have any career passions or goals and was waiting for God to give me some vision.  Romance and dating were far from my mind.  Looking back now, I guess I did meet that man in my last 2 months of college.  But it would be another 9 years before he’d become my husband, so I needed to pursuing some kind of career!

 I was embarking on the new adventure of living in Los Angeles as a single, young woman and looking for a job!  Luckily my brother was dating a Recruiter at the time and she helped me find a job.  All the while I was very active at Malibu Presbyterian Church.   I finally was introduced to the handsome man in the navy blue suit.  His name was Roger Newquist and he was the Associate Pastor of College and Young Adult Ministries at the church.  I was smitten.  He was handsome and a pastor – what could be better?!

I sang on the worship team and at Thursday night rehearsals he would drop in sometimes.  I could barely contain myself.  We were introduced several times, “Roger, this is Raeanne Jones.”  He’d nod and shake my hand, I’d be thinking, “yea, I met you last week, and the week before.  Don’t you remember my name?”  Now I know that he did know my name and thought I had a boyfriend so he acted disinterested!

Through a few crazy temp jobs, I finally landed a job at E! Entertainment Television and a whole new set of adventures began!  I was living with 3 amazing girlfriends in a fabulous penthouse apartment overlooking the ocean, I was working at a “low budget cable network” where I met interesting people and got to make a few TV appearances myself!, and I was loving my church family and all the ministry opportunities there – life was full and rich.  All of the newness was a wave I rode as long as it kept coming.  I still didn’t really know Roger, but my heart skipped a beat every time I saw him.  I had never been so attracted to a man.  Because I was shy around men, I didn’t know how to get to know him.  I was not bold enough to approach him and our circles didn’t cross much.  For now, just seeing him on Sundays and the occasional Thursday rehearsal would give me a little something to dream about… until we ended up in Utah together the following summer.