Photo Epistle #48-Gods Faithfulness

It has been a while since posting. I do have a great excuse…all four of my children were married from June to October. I posted about Shannon’s wedding in August and pretty much everything I had to say goes for the rest of my kids. However, giving daughters away is so much harder than letting a son go. The range of emotions is incredible! They both married well! Hunter and Aaron love Jesus with all their hearts. I feel so blessed to have them as sons of marriage.

Kaitlin was married here in Austin in September. I really thought I was ready. It hit me so hard as I was sitting on the front row watching them work through their vows. God she was so radiant! I remember looking over at my father in law and understood for the first time in 27 years why he hated me so much. So much in me wanted to hate this kid taking my daughter away from me. Yet something else in me loved him like a son! It was weird. A choice of which it was going to be. Hate or Love! I chose love and that desire to hate him went away and has never returned. With Shannon’s wedding, this did not happen at all. Chaney, his wife, not only is so easy to love, there was no desire to not love her. 

It really was a great wedding. In fact, I hope pretty much the dream wedding my daughter had always acted out through the years with her little sister Kelly. Yes that is Kaitlin dressed up as the groom and kelly as the bride:) I just have to say it again…having kids has been the best part of life.

In late October we all went to Colorado so Kelly could have her dream wedding in the mountains. In fact, we found a wonderful snow covered meadow in the woods on top of a small mountain right behind Pikes Peak. The main photo is from Kelly’s wedding. That’s Hunter jumping for joy! As I did in Shannon’s wedding, I performed the ceremony. Not easy when you are also the dude who has to give away the bride…in 10 degree weather. When half way through my sermon, I noticed my poor Kelly’s lips were turning blue and quivering, I just shut it down went to the vows part. After the vows wolves just inside the tree line began to howl. We all stopped and just listened to that wild sound. It was really awesome. I took it as a good sign since wolves do mate for life:)

I learned so much from all these weddings! I’d like to share a few gold nuggets The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to. The “Ark” for the New Covenant God has given us is our “Hearts”! (Hebrews 8:10) When we keep our covenants with God, we break the devils will. When we break our covenants with God, we break God’s heart. Our covenant in marriage is based on Gods covenant with us. Which the bible defines as a life long solemn and binding agreement between a man and a woman and God, which involves a walk into death, who’s lives reflect Gods love, producing a supernatural oneness between the two, withholding nothing from God! I have to confess the summary I just quoted came from someone else, whom I forget, but totally agree with. Also, I lost my wedding band years ago and really did not care. I hate rings! Well, there is a reason for the ring. Just like the rainbow represents one of Gods covenants with us, our wedding rings are a memorial to our covenant to both our spouse and God, to be recognized and respected by others. Finally, the name change thing. It’s become popular for women to keep their maiden names. I kind of hoped one of my daughters might do the same, until again the Holy Spirit pointed out to me in scripture that God changed Abram and Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sarah after making his covenant with them. Also, when we became Born of the Holy Spirit, our names were changed in Heaven to be revealed at a later date yet to be announced. So, it is good that our daughters change their names after making a covenant with their husbands.

Ok one last wonderful thing God taught me through this year of marriages. January 2011, my son Shannon comes to me and lets me know he will be proposing to his girlfriend, to be married in July. At the time, I was broke! Many bills unpaid and no work in sight. I went to my knees and begged God to bless me so I could give my son a great wedding and honeymoon. This weighed so heavy on my heart and manhood. Thank God I did not know what God knew what was ahead of me. It was soon after God spoke to me and proclaimed “He was in control and I was just along for the ride.” God told me if I would just focus on loving others in the way scripture teaches me, he would take care of everything else. In short, I did and He did. Last year was one of the best financial years I’ve had in my career. I do not have a single penny to show for it, but all the weddings and honeymoons are paid for with no debt. God is so faithful!

1 Thessalonians 5:23-25  23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

the Jesusfreak