20 Apr When Less is More
I love weddings!
We attend a small church (with a wide reach) in the inner-city of Dallas. Our church family meets in an auditorium adjacent to the Dallas convention center, and that’s where we worship on Sunday mornings.
Simple. Undecorated. Unencumbered. Not the sort of venue you’d think of for a wedding.
But what’s so cool, is that on occasion some couples have chosen to get married, or renew their vows, right there—after church. And that’s what happened this past Sunday!
When Two Become One
After a powerful sermon on the Biblical sanctity of marriage (watch here) some dear friends of ours were married! The pastor called the bride and groom to join him on stage…and Lisa and Dick walked down the aisle of the auditorium along with their family and closest friends as the rest of us applauded and cheered them on. I have goosebumps just typing this!
It was the sweetest ceremony ever, and nary a dry eye in the place. It was about as simple as you can get—but more profound than you can imagine—as everything was stripped away from the “event” of a typical wedding, to just the essentials of the marriage covenant.
Everything that was needed that day was completely and perfectly present: A man, a woman, a pastor, family, and friends—and the Master of Covenant Ceremonies, God Himself.
I will not forget the main thing—and the miraculous thing—about that Sunday: In a most nondescript, ordinary setting, God did the extraordinary and joined those two God-loving people together in the holy covenant of marriage. And right there, before our eyes, the two became one (Mark 10:8). Only God can do that. And what God does, He does beautifully, perfectly well.
❤️ Something to Think About
A bush in the middle of a desert is ordinary. But a burning bush in the same setting… Well, you get the point. The most extraordinary, miraculous moments I’ve personally encountered with God have come in the midst of the most ordinary, mundane circumstances and places in my life where less became more. It doesn’t take a lot to make a miracle when God is in it. It just takes God.
One More Thing
Thank you to each of you for your encouragement and prayers last week for my still-recovering left foot. I’ve been amazed at how the swelling and pain have dramatically improved since I’ve been regularly taking the Lord’s prescription to be gentle with myself, do less, rest more. I bet I’ve said, Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord! 100 times a day! Obedience works, y’all. It just does.
And thank you, also, for your feedback on This Beautiful, Ordinary Life. I write this prayerfully, with you in mind and on my heart. And I’d love to know what’s been on your mind and heart these days, and what’s happening in your beautiful, ordinary life.
Until next week, don’t forget that you are greatly and dearly loved by The King. And let’s live our beautiful, ordinary lives like it!
I love you!
xo – P❤️