Our Love Story
:: page 27 ::

The selection of my best man
On my way to the airport, I wanted to talk to one guy: my future best man -- Todd Reid.

His blond hair and blue eyes hinted of Robert Redford. Needless to say, he never had a problem getting a date throughout his school years. His quick wit and expansive vocabulary meant that I could always rely on him to keep even the most dull of circumstances entertaining.

We had met years beforehand when I first came to work at KSLR. At the time, Todd was working for Artesia Water which became one of my sponsors. One day, after I had been given a tour of their plant to be able to better describe what made them unique on the radio, Todd was tasked with dropping me off at work.

I could tell from his first comment that he didn't know the Lord. "So, I hear you work for some religious station" he said, trying to connect with me.

"Well, to be specific, it's a Christian teaching/talk station. We feature sermons and practical advice from a biblical perspective throughout the day, and I host a political three-hour talk show every weekday afternoon from 3-6."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's pretty cool," said Todd. "I'm a huge talk radio junkie. Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, you name it, I can't get enough."

"You should check out my show sometime."

"I might just do that. Where is it on the radio dial?"

"630 on the AM dial."

"Okay. I'll give it a try today. What are you talking about?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't read the papers or looked at the internet. I've been with everyone at Artesia throughout the morning."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that your show starts in about four hours and you have no idea what you'll be talking about for three hours?"

"That's right."

"I think I'd be a bundle of nerves."

"Well, unless it's an author I'm interested in, I typically schedule topics and guests throughout each show that are right out of the latest wire reports. I want my show to be totally fresh. I don't want to regurgitate old news. I want to tell the listeners what they might not know yet, as well as provide a Christian perspective."

"Cool."

Six months later when I joined Bible Study Fellowship, lo and behold, Todd was there. "Well, you're the last person I expected to be here."

"I know what you mean. Me too," Todd acknowledged.

"I don't get it. How did you even find out about this Bible study?"

"Well, my boss is a Christian. And he encouraged his employees to consider attending BSF. So, I just showed up. The next thing I knew, my BSF small group leader asked me over the phone if I was sure that I was going to heaven. I told him no, but I hoped so. He shared with me how I could be sure and I prayed the sinner's prayer with him right then."

"Wow! Now that's exciting."

"Yeah, it's all a bit new," Todd said with a smile.

Over the years, Todd and I became good friends, attending Harvest Fellowship, going on a bunch of single retreats, and talking about the various Christian women who had piqued our curiosity.

So, as I was headed to the mall, I clicked on Todd's name on my cell phone. It rang in Phoenix.

"Hello."

"Well, guess what?"

"What?"

"In a matter of about an hour, I'm getting on a plane to Dallas to ask Amy's parents for her hand in marriage."

"What? You're kidding?"

"I mean, I remember in early December when I flew in for Glenna and Will's wedding in New Braunfels. You had said that God kept prompting you to propose to Amy, but I didn't actually think you would listen to Him," he said as he chuckled under his breath.

"Very funny."

"Now wait a minute. Are you totally sure? I mean, this is it McManus! There's no turning back. Are you convinced that she's the one?"


Continued >> The selection of my best man (cont.)


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