Our Expanding Family

On October 22nd our family expanded when our daughter Robin married Eli Price. They have been seeing each other for the past year-and-a-half or so and were engaged this past New Year's Eve. 

The wedding was a beautiful ceremony at the Pond at Crossroads Church. Friends and family gathered to celebrate with us on as beautiful a day as I can ever remember. When Robin told us she wanted an outdoor wedding in October in Southwest Louisiana I had more than a little concern over the threat of hurricane season! It was a bright sunny day with perfect temperatures. Thanks Lord. 

The ceremony could have served as a Pinterest show case! We had spent our Thursday family gatherings making stuff for the past several months and all the crafty, hippy, folksy decor was adorable.  Additionally, the flowers were beautiful, the brunch menu for the reception was delicious and Robin was absolutely stunning! 

We had such a great time getting to know Eli's family the week leading up to the wedding. They are from the Atlanta, GA area and just could not be more charming. We're so thankful Robin has married in to such a sweet family. 

I had the honor of walking Robin down the aisle as well as officiating the communion portion of their ceremony. Eli's pastor, Aaron Shamp of Redeemer City Church did the main officiating and tied a really good knot! For the communion service, I used my dad's Bible. It was a special way to include him in their ceremony. I know he would be so proud of Robin and I know he would warmly welcome Eli into our family.

So many people have asked me how it felt to give my daughter's hand in marriage. Being a pastor for over thirty years I have counseled so many people who struggle with marriage. It is enough to make a dad apprehensive about who his kids might marry. I can say with all sincerity that I am so at peace with Robin's selection of Eli. He is a kind, thoughtful, considerate young Christian man that I know is going to take great care of my little girl. I told him so at the wedding after giving him Robin's hand. It was a private moment between he and I and it took a few seconds. When I sat down by Donna she immediately asked, "Did you threaten him?" I did not. I welcomed him into the family! 

Kentucky

Donna and I joined Scott and Kara Holmes (Scott is the District Superintendent of the LA Assemblies of God) and Eric and Annabelle Treuil (Eric is the Assistant Superintendent of the LA Assemblies of God) in Louisville, KY last week for the 2016 General Presbytery meeting. Annually, representatives from each district convene to do business on behalf of the nation-wide fellowship. I have the privilege of serving along-side Scott and Eric as a General Presbyter for the Louisiana District.

We had a good meeting. Some important decisions were made including the choice to stand by our 100-year ethic of abstinence concerning the consumption of alcohol. Go to the PE News website to read the position paper  that was adopted by the Presbytery in order to get an understanding of our stance on this issue. 

While we were there we got to enjoy a little leisure time. It's always a blessing to get to mix a little pleasure with business. Donna's love language is traveling, you know! Who knew there is so much to do in Louisville, Kentucky? (It was our first time to visit Louisville.) The city of Louisville itself is known mostly for horse racing, baseball bats, bourbon and basketball. (Not necessarily in that order.) The state of Kentucky celebrates some of it's favorite sons: Mohammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone and Colonel Sanders. (Not necessarily in that order.) It is an impressive city that has done a great job preserving it's rich history while embracing the ever-changing culture of modern-America. 

Here's a picture of Scott and me in front of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat manufactory where they've been making baseball bats for over 100 years! 

We got to take in the newly opened Ark Encounter. It was incredible. The true-to-life-sized structure was mesmerizing and the three decks of exhibits and strong apologetic material arguing for the validity of the Ark and the great flood was impressive! Christian scientist and Historians make the case for a young earth and do a great job explaining a lot of questions skeptics have had concerning the story of Noah's Ark. They also have a nice exhibit on the preservation of the Inspired Scriptures and a petting zoo that includes camel rides! The Ark Encounter is a little over an hour-and-a-half drive from Louisville, but is well worth it! 

We also enjoyed the Mega Cavern and it's trail of underground zip lines. This was some of the most fun I've had in a while! I highly recommend it! 

The Making of Freedom

Our July Message series was called "Freedom." For our opening video we chose to use a different format than we have ever utilized before: Shadow Puppets. We have had a lot of complements and inquiries into the making of the video, so I am posting this behind-the-scenes mini-documentary along with the video itself. Hats off to Marshall Hunter, Aaron Thomas and Chris Deville who created and performed the puppetry, filmed and edited the piece. The song is an old spiritual I grew up singing as a boy. It features Glenn Lancon on vocals. The piece was arranged and recorded by Coy Watson and Aaron Thomas who really captured the feel we were after. I'm so blessed to get to work with these amazing artists every day! Enjoy.

Book Review - Love Does by Bob Goff

Love Does by Bob Goff reads like someone's journal. When I say someone, I mean someone who has lived one of the most exciting, inspiring, engaging lives ever! The book will have you laughing, crying, dreaming and, most importantly, DOING! I feel like I have accomplished a few things with my life, but this book makes you take serious inventory of what you've done, what you're doing and what you're going to do! Love Does is not only the name of Bob's book, but also the name of a ministry he's founded that addresses the needs of sex trafficking victims, the impoverished, human rights violations and educational concerns in India, Uganda, Somalia, Iraq and Nepal. It turns out, through Bob Goff's life - love does a lot! 

The book is an easy read and is really hard to put down. It's the kind of book you want to keep close so you can pull out every now and again and experience the inspiration it provides again and again. 

I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I'm more afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter.   - Bob Goff