Yep, I’m a big Princess Bride fan! Always have been. Some of my closest friends and I still lisp on occasion because of this movie. And this line was the first thing I thought of when we decided the night would be about love. The Proverb behind the theme is 18:22 - He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.
So we started with an open mic of people sharing the Proverbs from that week’s reading that really stood out for them. Pretty funny – there’s good stuff in there! Then we sang a couple songs: Because of Your Love (Hughes) and Foreverandever, Etc (Crowder). I introduced our testimony time by showing that clip from the Princess Bride. And then Con and Beth Kellerhals took the stage.
Con and Beth have been married I think 35 years (correct me if I’m remembering that wrong!) and they agreed to share their love story with us. They turned it into a Top Ten List. “Top Ten Ways to find True Love and Have a Happy Marriage” was the title. They worked in pictures, video and music. It was awesome! The video is in 3 parts on youtube…
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
For you non-video watchers, here is their Top Ten:
#10 – Marry the person God has planned for you
#9 – Surround yourselves with Christian friends and role models
#8 – Never go to sleep angry with each other
#7 – Be sure you share common values & beliefs, but allow for individual differences & interests
#6 – Be your mate’s greatest encourager and fan
#5 – Keep the romance alive
#4 – Build a relationship of trust and mutual respect
#3 – Agree on the big stuff, and don’t sweat the small stuff
#2 – Make family a priority
#1 – Keep God at the center of your marriage
Then Andrew & McKenzie did an awesome skit. It was inspired by this one – if you want to watch it. Pretty funny!
We used some of Eric and I’s wedding vows to say a prayer thanking God for the love in our lives – more than just the romantic love, but the friends we have and the love we share with God himself. As we thought about those love relationships in our lives, we prayed together:
I take you as a gift to be my companion
I will serve you with tenderness and respect
I will provide Christian leadership in our relationship
I will weep with you in sorrows and rejoice with you in blessings
I will live with you a simple, just and peaceful life as Christ has called us to live
I will forgive you as we have been forgiven
I enter into this relationship
To give and to receive
To speak and to listen
To inspire and to respond
I shared that my favorite part of weddings is the line: With all that I have, and all the I am, I honor you.
I challenged folks to approach all their relationships with that mindset. If in every opportunity, you looked at that person you’re interacting with and thought, “right now in this situation, with all that I have and all that I am, I honor you.” what would our world look like?
Then we closed out singing: Beautiful One (Hughes) and Unchanging (Tomlin)
These words from our vows became our sending forth:
The grace of Christ attend to you
The love of God surround you
The holy Spirit keep you that you may grow in holy love
May there be truth and understanding in your relationships
May you enjoy length of days, fulfillment of hopes and peace of mind
May God bless you and keep you always – AMEN.
Here are our prayer requests this week: (Anyone can ask for prayer, just let me know! You can talk to me or drop one of our prayer request cards in the worship space Drop Boxes.)
:: Jackie Anderson is still traveling a VERY rough road. Pray for the details to come together. For hope and healing and willingness to hang on tight!
:: Sonya Cooper’s Aunt – Mary – is back in Mexico for more treatment and is feeling good. Pray for healing and hope.
:: Pray for Katie Thompson’s grandparents - the grandmother’s hip replacement surgery went well, but the grandfather has some dementia issues and the situation is difficult.
:: Pray for Lynn Kelly – she’s doing good, but still struggling with several recovery issues. Her sister-in-law is also battling cancer – her name is Susan.
:: Tony got a job!! Pray that it goes well as he begins to get his feet under him again. He’s also suffered the loss of a dear friend (like a mom to him) so pray for strength in this time of great grief.
:: Pray for Christa and her sons – they desperately need some transportation. And a place to live. And she needs a job.
