A Story For Valentines Day

She’s the best-selling author of Home Another Way and Watch Over Me. He’s the man who writes Romantic Fiction and speaks nationally to singles. But when novelist, Christa Parrish, and speaker, Chris Coppernoll got together, God had His own storyline in mind: Love

Chris Coppernoll: I stood signing copies of my second novel, A Beautiful Fall in 2008 at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando, a conference for writers and Christian booksellers. Some of the ladies from David C. Cook publishing had been teasing me about being a romance writer and yet still single, while I signed copies of books and talked with the conference attendees standing in line.  I’d once told God if He wanted me single forever, that was fine.  But honestly, I felt like I’d waited all my life for someone who had never arrived. I believed God could do anything, turn fish and loaves into a meal for 5,000, turn stones into worshippers, even deliver the love of my life from a gathering of book readers, if He wanted to.

“I’m a writer too,” Christa said. I remember thinking she was beautiful, young, smart. An aspiring writer I’d meet for 60 seconds and likely never see again. I remember we talked for a few minutes.  She said her first book, Home Another Way, hadn’t come out yet, but that’s about all.  I did find myself glancing around the 25,000 attendee exhibition floor afterward, hoping for another glimpse, but she nowhere to be found.

Christa Parrish: Okay, I admit it. I actually stood on Chris’ line because I thought he was good looking, even though I had told a good friend days before that “I could never marry a writer.” But when I looked at his hand, I was certain I saw a wedding ring.  Of course, he told me later that I was absolutely mistaken – he’d been divorced nearly five years at that point. Could God have put that image in my mind because it wasn’t His time yet? I don’t know, but after deciding Chris was “married,” I chatted with him for a couple minutes about writing, took his book, and left. I didn’t think of him again.

CC: Back in Nashville months later, a pastor friend asked me if I engaged in any “social networking”?  “Like, Facebook?” I asked. “Isn’t that for college kids?”  No, Alan assured me. It was a place for connection, and I can’t say I joined for any other reason than it felt like an opportunity to be faithful. A week later, a small, stamp size photo appeared on the right hand side of my Facebook homepage. A beautiful woman in a white blouse and necklace, long black hair, a random friend recommendation from Facebook. I added her to my friend list and thought nothing more about it.  It didn’t register with me that this was Christa from the book conference in Orlando, the same writer whose first novel, Home Another Way, just happened to be matched with mine on Amazon.com. Two novels from the millions of books sold through Amazon matched together in a “buy two and get another at a special price” deal.

CP: When Chris “friended” me on Facebook, I still though he was married. I figured he didn’t remember me, that had just been one of those “People you may know” who pop up in the sidebar of the homepage. I didn’t bother to look at his relationship status until, months later, he posted that he was writing an article for Lifeway about single parenting.  I sent him a message, asking about the article. “I’m a single parent, too,” I messaged, but by then, I had pretty much decided I didn’t want to be married again. I knew, however, God could have a different plan. “Lord, if you want me to remarry, you’ll have to drop the guy in my lap. I’m not going out looking for him. And he’ll have match my list of ‘must haves’ – then I know he’s from You.” Since my list included some rather odd requirements – such as a willingness to live in a yurt and a desire to serve God in an intentional community – I figured I was safe. I would never meet anyone who matched my list.

CC: My daughter and I celebrated Thanksgiving with my large family in Michigan. As a tradition, all of us always go somewhere together, to the movies or shopping. That year we shopped in a bookstore in Lansing and that’s where I saw a large display of Home Another Way. It stood like a beacon flashing to get my attention.  I thought Who is this girl?  When I returned home to Tennessee, I contacted Christa on Facebook and mentioned seeing her book everywhere and asked if I should read it?

CP: “I read yours,” I told him.  He suggested a book exchange; he’d send me a copy of his first novel, Providence, and I’d send him Home Another Way. I thought, What? Is he too cheap to go out and buy a copy?  But I sent it anyway, praying about what to write in the card. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.

CC: Being a “work-from-a-list” kind of guy, I sent my book the next day. But after a week I’d still not received Christa’s. Then two weeks passed, then three, and still no book. I started feeling like a heel for having suggested the book trade. She was a busy single mom. She didn’t have time to sign, package, and ship off books to some author she’d met half a year earlier and who she really didn’t know.  At last, I made it to the post office to pick up my mail. My PO box was stuffed, and there was a plain, brown package with the address handwritten in colorful ink. The return address: Glens Falls, New York.

I tore open the package. Inside was Christa’s first book, inscribed “May God bless you and your writing journey. Happy reading! Your sister in Christ.”

There was something else inside the package: A handmade card.  It was creative, perfect, and personal.  On the cover were four stamped scenes from winter: A snowman, mittens, a snowflake, and ice skates.  Inside, there was a second note. Who was this girl?

I’d only stepped into the post office wanting my mail, but left feeling an unexpected surge of emotions.  Whoever she was, Christa was definitely on in my mind and in my heart. How was this possible? Back in my office, I wrote Christa a short ‘thank you’ email and pushed send.  She didn’t reply. A few days later, I posted my thank you on her Facebook page. Again, there was no acknowledgement.  I was looking for dialog, the start of some connection, hoping that we could get to know one another so I could see if there was something to these inexplicable feelings of infatuation. I read her Facebook posts with more attention, noticing the striking similarities in our interests, beliefs, and convictions. Christa is the most fascinating and attractive woman I’ve ever met, but no matter how many places I left “thank yous”, Christa wouldn’t  respond. Finally, I asked if she’d let me interview her for the radio show I host, Soul2Soul.  Surprisingly, she agreed.

CP: I wasn’t purposely trying to avoid him. Well, okay, maybe I was a little. But by the end of the phone interview, there was a twinge of something. He seemed nice and I started praying, “Lord, is this going anywhere?” Still, I was extremely hesitant. After my disastrous first marriage, I really was nervous about entering into another relationship. In fact, I hadn’t dated anyone in the almost nine years since my separation and divorce.

CC: More weeks of praying and waiting, just listening for God’s direction. I knew He wanted me to pursue her, but just how do you pursue a woman who lives 1000 miles away? We’d connected a little by phone, but was it realistic to call Christa again out of the blue? Or drive up for a visit? We needed a forum to get to know each other.  I prayed again, asking God to show me how to bridge the 1000 mile gap.  The answer came: Scrabble. Christa adores playing online Scrabble, so I asked if she’d play me.

CP: When Chris messaged me on Facebook asking for a game of Scrabble, I agreed.  What a great way to pad my stats, I thought, knowing he wasn’t a Scrabble aficionado. While we played, we chatted back and forth, getting to know one another. As we talked, I began to realize God had answered both my prayers. Not only had He dropped a man into my lap – one I certainly wasn’t looking for – but He also had given me my list. Yes, Chris was everything I wanted in a husband, everything I thought would be impossible to find. I knew then I would marry him. Not that I told him that. Of course, come to find out later, Chris was thinking the exact same thing.  God meant us for each other.

CC: A year after we’d first met in Orlando, we agreed to meet a second time at the Oregon Christian Writers Conference in Portland. By now, we’d moved from Facebook Scrabble to five-hour phone conversations every night, and reading Oswald Chambers together every morning.

CP: By the time we left Oregon, we planned to be married in October. Yes, it seemed fast to some, but we were certain God was calling us to commit our lives to one another. We were on His timetable, not our own. We sought both the Lord’s will and godly counsel as we planned the wedding, never unsure of the plans we were making, the plans He was making for us.

CC: There were so many crucial moments when we needed God to whisper His blessing over our tender relationship, and every time He was there.  Watching Christa walk down the aisle toward me, I experienced an overwhelming feeling of God’s timing, His goodness and generosity. The beautiful stranger standing in a book line was now my bride and my best friend. We held each other’s hands as the pastor read our vows: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

Christa squeezed my hands. He was joining us, had joined us, would join us together in a special bond of His own creation.  The most romantic story we had ever heard, God chose to tell us by having us live it.

Make sure you come back Monday – we’ll be profiling Chris’ new novel, Screen Play. And on Tuesday, these wonderful author’s will give away a romantic gift basket of chocolates, their new novels, and a handmade card just for the winner. Tis’ Valentines Day after all, so we thought we’d share the love with you!