Archive - Marriage RSS Feed

The Wedding Must Go On…

May 31, 2011 in Family, Funny Stories, Marriage, True Stories with 6 Comments

Today, Leah and I celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary.  In honor of our anniversary I’m going to tell you a story regarding our wedding ceremony which is only known to those who were in attendance or by those who have been fortunate enough to have been told the following story.  Everything in our ceremony was going off without a hitch (no pun intended).  The bridal party made their entrance at the proper time, the singers sang on key, and the bride was beautiful!  There was celebration, tears (happy tears, of course), and the audience loved the bagpiper.  As Leah was looking into my eyes and saying her vows, there was a very loud noise.  Since the noise came from behind me I felt like it would be rude, especially with Leah saying her vows, to turn around; however, whatever had transpired captured the attention of Leah as well as the guests.  There was a gasp throughout the church.  My curiosity had been peaked so I attempted to ask Leah what had happened by mouthing words and using subtle head gestures.  The only thing I could gather was that someone had passed out.  About that time I see out of the corner of my eye that my dad and a couple groomsmen were carrying a bridesmaid by the hands and feet out the side door.  At this point I figured that the wedding should be delayed until we knew the condition of the girl, but the Pastor conducting the ceremony nodded that we should continue…so we did.  I guess he was licensed to do wedding AND funerals.  Following the ceremony we discovered that the bridesmaid had passed out and then hit her head on the wall.  Apparently she was just feeling a little lightheaded.

Oh well, the situation warranted lots of laughs and is something that we will never forget.  How about you?  If you are married, what’s the craziest thing that happened on your wedding day?

Caught on Video (14 Years Ago)

March 15, 2011 in Family, God, Marriage, True Stories with 1 Comment

This past weekend  we had some friends over to our house and, for some unknown reason, my wife popped in our wedding video.  Leah and I were married on May 31, 1997 (almost 14 years ago) and watching that video brought back some good memories.  Our friends, our family, our bridesmaid who fainted during our vows, the Irish dancers, the bagpiper, and so many other moments were captured on that day.  I listened to my words.  I watched my body language.  I relived the moment my wife walked down that aisle.  All good memories.  Looking back to that moment fourteen years ago made me realize that our wedding was only the beginning.  Sure.  Our wedding day was a confession of our love and commitment to each other, but those words must be lived out every day following.  For better or for worse.  For richer.  For poorer.  In sickness and in health.  I meant those words fourteen years ago and I mean them today.  Marriage has good times.  Marriage has hard times.  During the good times we are thankful.  During the hard times we are prayerful.  But, no matter what, the words which were spoken on our wedding day must be the heart cry for each day.

Whether you are married or not, all of us have (or can have) a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, which somewhat mirrors a marriage.  A relationship with God begins at your moment of faith in Jesus’ death for sin, His burial and resurrection which guarantees eternal life (1 Corinthians 15).  This confession of faith is similar to the wedding day where the relationship begins.  When hard times come, look back to the day of your faith.  You received God’s forgiveness, love, and mercy then and those things are still available today.  If God loved you then, He still loves you now.  If He forgave you then, He’ll forgive you now.  If God extended His mercy then, He will grant you mercy once again.

For better or for worse, God will not leave you.

The Following Story is Rated R

September 23, 2010 in Marriage, Readiness, Relationships, Reputation, Sin, Temptation, Thoughts, Weakness with 3 Comments

There is a sexually explicit story written by Solomon in Proverbs 7 which stars a naive young man and a prostitute.  I don’t remember this one being told in my Children’s Bible Story Book.  The story goes something like this.  There was a young man who lacked common sense (7:7), so he decided to walk down a street known to house a prostitute (7:8-9).  Dressed in a seductive outfit (7:10), the woman came out to meet the young man and greeted him with an embrace  and a kiss (7:13).  I’m sure he liked it.  The woman flattered the youth by saying that she had been trying to find him and that he was the ONE for whom she had been looking (7:15).  She was lying.  She begins to describe in detail the bed that was awaiting them, how they could “drink their fill of love until morning,” and enjoy each others’ caresses (7:16-18).  The immoral woman even put the young man at ease by assuring him that her husband had gone away on a long trip and would not return until later in the month (7:19-20).  He couldn’t resist her scintillating words, so he gave into her advances (7:21).  Solomon writes, “He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter.  He was like a stag caught in a trap, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.  He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life” (7:22-23).  Although these words were written thousands of years ago, this same scenario plays itself out in lives everyday.  The characters may be different and the story may vary, but the process of temptation is the same for all.  Temptation leads to lust.  Lust leads to sin.  Sin eventually leads to death (James 1:14-15).

In my mind, this young man made an avoidable mistake, which ultimately led to his sin.  His mistake is found in Proverbs 7:8, “He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house.”  He knew she lived there.  Everyone knew where she lived.

If you want to keep yourself from walking into sin, you might want to quit frequenting the road of temptation.

A Sappy Valentine's Story…

February 13, 2009 in Marriage, True Stories with 0 Comments

I enjoy being a part of the blogosphere. Statistics have shown that there are well over 100 million blogs, so sometimes I just feel like a small speck amongst many; however, I enjoy the outlet of writing and the interaction it provides. Through blogging I have also met some new friends as well as reconnected with old ones; but the thing I enjoy most is telling real life stories about myself, my family (even though they might not always appreciate it), and those who enter my life each day. So in keeping with “letting you into my life” and in honor of Valentine’s Day, I am going to tell you the juicy love story of how I met my wife. Before you continue reading, you should know that this is my version although it may subject to the harsh editing of my wife. So…here it goes.

My love life for the first two years of college was described when Three Dog Night sang a song called One which at some point says, “One is the loneliest number.” Sure…I remained busy playing soccer and hanging out with friends, but I still had not found that love connection. All that changed at the beginning of my junior year when a gorgeous woman with long, straight, and flowing hair caught my eye. I have never been a very forward guy when it came to asking girls out, so I had to plot a course of action (i.e. involve others in making sure she noticed me). To make a long story short, I found a mutual friend who knew this “yet to be identified” woman and paid him lots of money to drop my name. He agreed to do so, but then I found out she was going on a “friendship date” with one of my best friends. After burying his body…just kidding…I talked to my good friend and did find out that it was just a casual date, so I begged him to drop my name. He was happy to do so because he knew I could beat him up. Eventually I discovered her name was Leah (pronounced Lee-ah, not Lee) and I got the courage to ask her out. What gave me hope is that I had seen hundreds of guys during my first two years of college who dated hot girls and they themselves were, let’s just say, ugly. This is also proof that there is a God. Since we went to a Christian college which some would describe as a military school, our first date was a speech recital. I can’t remember what the recital was about, but I just remember the feeling which came over me as I sat next to her. It’s the same feeling I have right now as I type and she is watching Criminal Minds. If she is scared tonight, she will want to hold me! Leah met every qualification I had: she was hot and she was willing to go out with me.

Of course there is a lot more to the story, but now we have been married almost twelve years (if I get that wrong, I’m dead) and have two beautiful kids. I would not trade my life for anything. I love my wife and kids and thank God for giving me so much more than I deserve.

There is one side note which does not fit in anywhere else, so I’ll mention it here. We were recently looking back at one of the first photos taken of us after we started dating and she said, “You looked like a dork back then, but I changed you into what you are today.” That picture is the one featured here.

Was I really a dork back then?

11 Years Ago

May 31, 2008 in Marriage, True Stories with 1 Comment

During this time of year, Leah and I seem to be invited to a lot of weddings and every year it brings back memories of our marriage day (no, I don‘t run home and watch the DVD of our wedding). I’m not saying that in a sappy sort of way, but every time I sit through a ceremony it is a reminder of the commitment we made to each other on May 31, 1997 (that is today in case you are wondering). Now, we’ve been married 11 years and have two wonderful kids, are connected with a fantastic church, and my children are a part of a great school district (not that that is all there is to life). I have the opportunity to be on staff at a church where I love going everyday and Leah works for the Apple Online Store, which has been a real blessing. There are so many other things I could list, but in reality we have so much more than we deserve. If you would have asked us over a decade ago what we would be doing, we could have never imagined what God had in store for us. That’s not to say it has always been an easy road, but God has been so faithful every time. Since it is our anniversary I must say a few things about my wife, Leah. I’ve never lived a day in her shoes but I’m certain that being married to a pastor is not always the easiest calling. There are constant demands of my time, schedule changes, emergencies from church members, phone calls at inconvenient times, and the occasional negativity which can be associated with church. There are probably some times when she feels that everyone is watching us (and they probably are), but she never complains. I’m sure she has wanted to at times, but she has always supported our calling. Not only is she a pastor’s wife, but she is also a mother. Moms never get the credit they deserve and there have been many times when I have not been understanding of the tremendous amount of work it takes to be a good mom. Leah is the best mom! Our kids love her so much and you can tell that they genuinely enjoy being with her.Why I am writing this? I believe all of us should be thankful for those who are closest to us. It is possible to take for granted the people whom you really love the most because you know they will love you anyways. Even if it is not your anniversary, take some time to express your love for the person who means the most to you.