Our Wedding Goal

I love blogs...all kinds, and when I was planning my wedding I fell in love with a few wedding blogs.  Although the pictures always seemed to steal the show, I was always more interested in what the bride or groom had to say about their special day...what was it about, what stood out, and what memories they would hold onto forever.  After hundreds of posts, on various blogs, I found a void in those blogs...there were few, like 1% that mentioned the Lord, and not one that I came across that mentioned His glory.  What a shame!  Now, who knows what may have been edited from their posts, but still, it really saddened me; after all wasn't it God who created the institution?!  


So...I had to post a few pictures from our special day and share my thoughts on it all.  My wedding may not be the "typical", but it truly was a dream come true!


“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” - 1 Corinthians 10:31

From the moment we started planning our wedding we knew we wanted to use it as a platform for the Gospel to go forth.  We knew that this would be the one time we would be able to have all the people we love (both saved and unsaved) in the same place at the same time and wanted to use that as a prime opportunity to share the love and grace of Christ with each of them.  Our prayer was that of Matthew 5, that our light would shine forth before man.  We knew it was possible in the ceremony, but wanted to use our reception as a great forum as well.  So the Gospel message would be our focus and the glory of God our aim.  


We had the privilege of having our pastor, Philip DeCourcy, speak at our ceremony and lay the foundation.  And during our reception, our good friend and brother, George Igawa, spoke about the reality of the end of each one's life, and the saving power of Christ on the cross.  


We may not know the fruit that came from those two messages, but there is no doubt in our mind that the Gospel went forth, seeds were planted, and that God's Word does not return void!

And what will we remember most?  There are three things I will never forget about that day...


-The moment I saw the man I would marry for the first time that day...the look in his eyes, the deep loving eyes that said forever, and the strong arms that held me close.


-The hardworking servants who made it possible.  Our family and friends went OVER and above all that we could have asked to make that day a reality.


-The moment we said "I do" and sealed it with a kiss!

And our vows...these I will treasure forever.  We decided together to write our vows, mirroring traditional vows, and yet seeking to bring the picture of the Gospel into them.  


From Keith:

I, Keith, take you Vanessa, to be my lawfully wedded wife.

I vow my utmost and undying love, mirrored after the love Christ has for his church.

I will lead you on this journey called life and to our precious Jesus through humble acts of service.

I promise to nourish and cherish you, as I would nourish my own body.

I vow to lay down all my personal wants, needs, and desires for your betterment and growth up into all things Christ.

I promise to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, to forbear all, forgive all, believe all, conquer all, and persevere through all.

You are mine, and I am yours, until God separates us in death.

By the grace of God and through the power of Christ and the intercession of the Holy Spirit, this is my promise, this is my vow, this is my covenant to you; before God, and before men.

From Vanessa:

I, Vanessa, take you Keith, to be my lawfully wedded husband.

I vow my deepest love to you and to show that love to you by respecting you, putting myself under you, and submitting, as the church does to Christ.

I promise to help you in all things but foremost in your pursuit of our Savior through time in the Word together, humble acts of service, consistent prayer, encouragement and exhortation.

I promise to love you selflessly, patiently, and deeply; evidenced through bearing all things, in the darkest valleys and on the highest mountain tops.

You are mine, and I am yours, until God separates us in death.

By the grace of God and through the power of Christ and the intercession of the Holy Spirit, this is my promise, this is my vow, this is my covenant to you; before God, and before men.  I love you.

I am SO thankful for the gift God has given us in marriage, and my prayer is that He was just as pleased with our day as we were!