Marriages, and More Marriages

I have been marrying couples for a few years, and I usually have two or three weddings per year.  However, this year I have had the privilege of officiating the marriage ceremony of several couples.

It has been such a blessing to partner with these couples in their progress towards marriage.  In our premarital sessions, we have the opportunity for honest conversations about the real issues of life, and how marriage is intended to work.  God’s plan for marriage was designed to reflect His relationship with His people, which is why the institution is so important.  I’ve written briefly about marriage here, here, and here.

We’ll be praying for these sweet couples!

Peter and Meredith
December 28, 2008 (not quite this year)

Dave and Tricia
March 28, 2009

Phil and Brandi
May 2, 2009

Tyler and Erin
June 27, 2009

Billy and Bethany
July 11, 2009

Brian and Michelle
October 23, 2009

Brian and Christine
October 31, 2009

Ten Years: From S1 to FLC and Beyond

In early August, I celebrated 10 years of teaching the same Bible study class at my church.  We began together as Singles 1 (S1), but later dropped the S descriptions, and the general plan was to start using teachers’ last names.  We decided that choosing a new name would help in building a new class identity, and ended up calling the group the Foundations LIFE Class (FLC), a place where young single adults can set the foundations upon which to build the rest of their lives.

Not only did a 10-year anniversary remind me how old I am, but far more importantly, it was a reminder that life is short, and that opportunities to serve God by serving others are too important to take lightly.  I thank God for the privilege of growing alongside this wonderful group of young adults!

This was taken this past Sunday, one of the rare times we meet in groups during class time.

Groups again.

Although we have FLC folks at our home regularly, I could not find a recent shot, so this is from our annual kickoff lunch from about one year ago.

Here’s the whole gang at our annual fall retreat in October.  What a blessing!