I defy anyone with a heart to watch this video and not cry. This is one of the most humble, Christ-exalting things I have ever seen. I do not know this couple personally, but they graciously agreed to share their video and story with me for the blog and book. Here are the bride’s words about their wedding:
We wanted it to be very clear that our marriage was built on His grace and His alone. Both of us are pastor’s kids, with desires to serve the Lord in ministry. People kept saying, “You deserve this marriage.” “Look how God has blessed you for having waited to well in His time.” We both knew the many struggles we had with our sin during our singleness. We wanted it to be very clear that if the Lord blessed our marriage it was all because of Him, not because of anything in us. So, we had a time of public confession of sins, and then we nailed those sins to a Calvary tree “sculpture” that we prepared. As we nailed the list, our pastor read Col. 2: 16. Then we sang The Power of the Cross.
Please, take a few minutes and rejoice in the power of the cross and the great love of our Savior.
Aylin + Ethan from Studio 16×9 on Vimeo.
by Michael Reeves. This one is so good. I wish I could have read it years ago. The wit, beauty and joy with which it is written makes the author’s excitement contagious to the reader. It takes me a while to read books, but I picked this one up on a Tuesday and finished it on Thursday.
by Tim Keller. Coming in at just 45 pages, this is a great one for the busy reader. Keller builds a case for the believer to think of himself less (not think less of himself), using Paul’s words from I Cor. 3:21-4:7. Not only does Keller diagnose the problem, something at which he is incredibly gifted. He also graciously and lovingly points out the solution.
by Elyse Fitzpatrick. In two parts, Fitzpatrick looks at how God’s love transforms both our identities and our lives. I have about half of this book underlined, so it is hard to come up with quotes or highlights. But this is a freedom-granting, Christ-exalting book from the heart of a writer who wants her readers to know the deep, amazing love of the Father for His adopted children, and the Son for His bride.
- by Byron Yawn. Byron is my pastor. I know his heart for his church, and this book was written as a cry for us–suburban Christians in the heart of the Bible belt–to recognize that what we think is Christianity is actually “suburbianity.” Living in Nashville, we get it. There are more churches than trees. He writes, “You can’t assume people are less needy of the gospel if a church happens to be on every corner. Chances are they’ve never actually heard the gospel.” This is true here, even where everyone goes to church and claims to be a Christian. Byron’s heart is to awaken the church to a vibrant understanding of the true gospel–and understanding that compels us to go next door to our affluent suburban neighbors and actually share the gospel with them. It’s happening in my church, and it’s beautiful and exciting.
– my friend Marci Preheim has written this excellent book, subtitled “From Fundamentalist to Failure to Faith.” Based on two Bible studies she has taught the women in our local church family, this message has freed myself and so many women to serve God not out of our own efforts based on guilt, but instead as a natural outflow from our position of abiding in Christ. I will be posting a longer review of this book in a few weeks when it is available for purchase on Amazon.
– blogger and author Gloria Furman has been such a huge encouragement to me as I’ve labored in my writing, but even more importantly I have been greatly encouraged and challenged by her reflections on the “mundane” aspects of life on her blog, 
