The greatest love story

The Lord continues to remind Mr. D & I that our wedding isn't solely about us exchanging vows & celebrating our new life together. That special day is also about inviting our friends, family & coworkers who don't know Him, giving them the opportunity to learn about the greatest love story: how our Heavenly Father loved us so much that He sent His Son to live a perfect life, die the most gruesome death on the cross in our place & be raised from the dead 3 days later, overcoming the grave.

We are sinners so unworthy of His grace & yet He did this so that we could experience His unending, unmerited love. That's what a wedding should represent. The Bridegroom, waiting patiently for His bride - His people - to walk down the aisle into His embrace.

You are loved more than you'll ever know by Someone
who died to know you {Romans 5:8 paraphrase}

I want to encourage you - whether you're engaged, already married or whatever stage of life you're in - allow the Lord to use the relationships He's given you, the community & neighbors you have, for His Kingdom. Because His love? That changes everything :)

by faith alone

Our small group has been walking through a study called By Faith Alone. Each week, we dig into Hebrews 11 and study one of the characters whose very life was marked by faith.​

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac - all men and women who, despite what was in front of them - a sacrifice, a flood, unfulfilled promises - walked with the Lord. Y'all, the passage tells us that faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" in verse 1.

What an encouragement to know that generations and generations before us have gone through hardships, tests and trials ​and through their faith pleased God. Sometimes God calls us to leave our homes, like Abraham and Sarah. Sometimes God calls us to spend 120 years building a large boat despite not ever having seen rain before, like Noah. Sometimes God calls us to rely upon Him for the physical provision of a child, like Sarah. He might call us to a new job, or old relationship, or different plan than we had in mind.

Whatever the circumstance or situation we may be walking in, He is faithful and we can diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). He may ask to us to offer, obey, dwell, wait, move, give, bless, serve, share. And by faith alone, He'll give us the strength to do it.