On this day, Sept. 28, 1991, I married Jeff Mooney. It was an exciting day but I had no idea what exciting adventures lay ahead of us!
I married Jeff because I was crazy in love with him. I loved his zeal (though at that time it was without as much knowledge), his passion for God, his sense of humor, his ability to make me laugh. I loved it that he called me sweetheart and that he would listen to me for long periods of time. I loved his piano-playing, his open and honest approach to everything and that he would say he was sorry if he hurt my feelings. It did not bother me that we had no money, that the job we would be doing would just barely coverd our expenses and that we had no idea what we would do after that two year job. “Young, in-love, and ready to take risks with Jeff”; that would have been my facebook status 18 years ago!
As soon as we got married we headed out to Kansas to live for a couple of years as we worked on a project for the Southern Baptists. Other than missing my family and friends, we had a great first year. Kansas was very different and we explored it, enjoyed the snow, the prairie, the slow-paced lifestyle of small-town mid-west etc. However, Jeff became restless that second year. Not restless about being married to me, but restless theologically. He was getting anxious about not being able to answer some significant questions about the Bible and about God. He could not be happy with short, simple, Baptist-life answers. He struggled with eternal security, with understanding redemption and tons other topics.
This led us back to school. We moved back to AL for him to study at Beeson Divinity School. It was an oasis for a very thirsty man. He dived in with great eagerness and immediately began to change theologically. It was scary to me as he questioned every doctrine we had ever accepted without question. However, I began to see him strengthen like crazy…he was changing and growing stronger as he fed on strong theology but still somewhat restless as he struggled to figure out what he would do with all this knowledge. At that time he did not think he was “pastor material” nor did he think he had the “call” to pastor. Two years into his master’s degree, he was asked to substitute teach in a Hebrew class. The students really liked him and encouraged him. A new goal emerged…teaching at the university level. This led us to Louisville, KY for Jeff to work on a Ph.D. in Old Testament. We really had no idea what we were signing up for and by this time we had three kids in tow.
It took 6 1/2 years to complete the degree because of job responsibilities, family responsibilities and the amount of study required, but the end product was worth it.
My husband today is still the zealous, passionate, man that I fell in love with 19 years ago; the difference is that today he has much more knowledge to direct his zeal and tons of growth. He still makes me laugh, listens to me, calls me sweetheart, and apologizes when he hurts my feelings I still see the young man that took my hand at the altar 18 years ago today; but I also see what he has become; a man committed to the gospel, a man who loves Christ passionately, a man of integrity and principles, a man of quiet strength and sometimes not-so-quiet strength, a man who loves generously, invests regularly in people, a man who loves his children deeply, a leader, a teacher, a pastor, a friend, a counselor, …. the list goes on, but my favorite title for him is “Angela’s husband.” Today my facebook status is “not as young, more in-love, and absolutely willing to take risks with Jeff for another 18 years!”
I love you more today, Jeff, than I ever could have imagined possible 18 years ago!!!!!!!!!!