Celebration

I recently went home to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful, mountain celebration with friends and family, bluegrass and barbecue, corn-hole and cider.

My Mom and Dad's story is the story of Cinderella and Prince Charming. But not like you think. It's the same as all of ours, the ancient story of redemption by our true Husband and Creator. The pursuit of the lost beloved by the true Lover. We all have challenges in our lives and only our Savior can redeem those stories of sadness and pain and turn them in to stories of glory to God. Their 40th anniversary celebrated such redemption. Friends and family have witnessed intimately or from a distance the journey of transformation my parents have been on. It's been a journey of death to self, forgiveness, learning to live in love, faith, trust and reconciliation. God loves to reconcile himself to us, as well as to each other. Their anniversary party was a celebration of God because he's the reason for celebrating, he makes all things new. Mom and Dad may have started out as Cinderella, but God is creating royalty. Their whole story isn't mine to tell, but God's mercy is and my parents are an example of the mercy God is constantly extending to all of us. He doesn't discard broken people (and we all are) he restores them. I'm thankful for my parents faithfulness to God and to each other in the hard times and the pleasant. Their example of yielding to the Holy Spirit, even and especially when it's painful, is an encouragement. I'm thankful for you both!


Isaiah 54:5 "For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth."

1 Peter 1:18-19, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."