Happy 50th Anniversary!

I am SO grateful that I (and the rest of my family) was able to be witness to the absolutely beautiful ceremony of my parents renewing their wedding vows after 50 years of marriage!

In a culture that has devalued the institution of marriage and made it a thing to suit the whims of the selfish individualism of our day, how much MORE glorious it is to witness a couple who has struggled through many ups and downs and demonstrate tangibly how to put sacrifice and commitment above transient self aggrandizement, and achieve such a remarkable milestone!

Marriage was instituted by God in the very beginning, it is not a creation of humanity.  It was meant to be an example, on earth, of the love that is contained within the persons of the trinity.

To be the most intimate of human relationships, an opportunity to learn how to put the needs of the "other" above that of the self. 

This is the ultimate expression of true love and what God has demonstrated so clearly in the sacrifice of Christ; emptying himself of his place in heaven to come to earth and die a criminal's death on our behalf, only to rise again and provide eternal life to all who trust in him alone. 

I am so grateful to God for giving the grace and to my parents for making the commitment required to make this day possible.  I count myself privileged and pray a blessing of peace and joy upon my parents.  It is my hope, that with their renewed commitment, this time built upon the foundation of Christ's love, that they will experience the true depth of relationship as God intended and that this same peace and joy will spread like wildfire to all their offspring, forever and ever, amen. 

                                                                                                        --Jamey

1 John 4:7-12:  "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."