The Wedding

Day 19/30

"Don't ask me to leave you and turn back.  I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live.  Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.  I will die where you die and will be buried there.  May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!" - Ruth 1:16-17(NLT)

I've done weddings in backyards before.  Actually, I've done more backyard weddings than church weddings.  So, that didn't really seem out of the ordinary to me.  But when I read the start time of the ceremony to be 3:31 PM, I should have known something was up.  As I welcomed everyone and introduced the bride and groom, the bride's two daughters... adult daughters, mind you... burst into song.  Just as I thought this must be a joke on mom & dad-to-be, mom herself (yes, the bride) joined in.  I thought maybe I had stepped onto the set to Grease III - The Wedding or the Rocky Horror Wedding Show.  Taking my cue as a proper traditional pastor, I improved my own musical ode to the moment when I busted out the Black Eyed Peas, "I gotta feelin... I gotta feelin'... that tonight's gonna be a good night... tonight's gonna be a good, good night!"  Yes, I sang.

Then we get to the part where I ask them to exchange rings.  He places the ring on her finger and it's all good, right?  So, when I ask her if she has a ring for him, she says, "Well, he's already got part of it."  Yeah, I had the same blank look on my face as you do right now.  The groom holds up his hand showing a ring tattoo around his ring finger, and says, "I've just got to get the stones done."  At which time, he walks away... yes he did! ...the groom walks over to a porch where the bride's son... adult son, mind you... finishes the ring tattoo on his dad-to-be.  A tattoo in the middle of a wedding ceremony - Incredible!

I totally took this photo with the camera on my phone and uploaded it to Twitter& Facebook right then. Yes, while performing the wedding.

And the whole thing ended with all the kids lining up and the groom's 90-something year old dad handing out a quarter to every single one of them!  I ended up with my 4-month old's quarter in my pocket.  What a great wedding with some great people!  Afterward, the groom said to me, "Unpredictable and fun; that's how I expect this marriage to be."  I love it!  And... I got a feelin' that tonight IS gonna be a good good night!

Comments

Cindy Parks said…
Awesome!!! 10-10-10 Gotta love it!!!
11:26 PM
Sarah said…
enjoyed reading your post. that's my family (groom's side) that you are talking about, and yes they are amazing. My grandfather has been giving "grandpa quarters" my whole life and i believe it started with the oldest grandchild who is now...50?!? There are around 30 of us grandkids, not to mention great and great great! It is an amazing family to be a part of, and God has truly blessed us.
4:10 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Choosing your worship style.

Image
The above photo is from a youth convention in 2001... and yes, that is yours truly with the ponytail.

One of the biggest battles within Christian congregations is "worship style." Now, one on the outside looking in, may be wondering, "Battles? Isn't there enough going on in the world to not be having battles amongst yourselves?" One would think so... wouldn't one. Never the less, this is an issue that has caused major fights between people who have chosen to continue the mission of Jesus (yes, that was a loaded statement; read it again if you like).

To some people, style is everything. To others, the One being worshiped is everything. To others, they just show up out of routine or duty.

Most people in emerging generations understand that the word worship has been taken out of context, and that it really has more to do with how you live day in and day out than what songs you sing or what rituals you partake in once or twice a week (more or less). The &qu…
Read more

Preach on, Ladies!

Image
Recently, the religious community has been in a renewed upheaval due to something a well-known preacher wrote/said about women in positions of church leadership.  I typically stay away from debates and arguments, as I see they rarely (if ever) help further the mission of Jesus for His followers.  I write this blog post, not necessarily as a response, nor an argument, but simply an acknowledgment of where I stand.

Complementarians hold a theological view that men and women have different, but complementary, roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, religious leadership, and elsewhere. It is in this camp where women's roles in church are to complement (work together with) men's roles, however the roles are clearly defined that women cannot preach/teach or be in senior leadership. Unfortunately this has led to a view that women's roles are secondary to men's.

Egalitarians hold a theological view that all people are equal, and that men and women have equal standi…
Read more

Investing in Others (What is "discipleship")

Image
I continually find myself thankful for those who have invested in me.  Men and women who have mentored or coached me (maybe without realizing it), by befriending me and engaging in thought-provoking conversation - speaking into my life, as well as listening as if I may have something to say.  Some continue to invest in me, as I continue to grow and develop as a person... others may have been involved in my life for a short season.  But for each and every one of them, I am thankful.

One such friend is John McCallum (in the pic above with his awesome wife, Dayna).  John is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Hot Springs, AR.  I met John (I think for the first time) at a prayer luncheon for pastors when we happened to be seated at the same table.  During the conversation, he mentioned to us other pastors at the table that FBC had a full fitness center/gym, and would like to offer a free Family Membership to any Senior Pastor of the churches in town.   A few weeks later, I took him (and …
Read more