weddings

A Beautiful Wedding

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Tonight I was privileged to be a part of a beautiful wedding ceremony.

I don’t mean beautiful in the sense that there were flowers in abundance and a picturesque setting. I mean beautiful as in a God-honoring, worship-ful, Gospel-centric ceremony where Jesus took prominence.

I’ve been to lots of weddings in my lifetime, but very few where the bride and groom were secondary to Christ and the Gospel. I think that reflects of two people with servant hearts whose marriage will be about the both of them serving God together better than they could apart.

Of course, the bride was lovely. While all eyes are on her as she walks down the aisle, I still love to catch a quick glimpse of the groom as his expression changes once he sees her. Sometimes it’s shock and awe. Sometimes it’s tears. Sometimes it’s overwhelming joy. Always it’s priceless.

I’ve been to much more elaborate (and costly) ceremonies where the marriage didn’t last six months. Big weddings don’t have to mean misplaced priorities, but I’ve never been to a small, quiet ceremony that focused on God that didn’t turn into a blessed marriage.

Thanks, Jeff and Megan, for inviting me to share in the joy of your wedding. I feel blessed to have been a part of it. My prayer echoes that of the pastor that your marriage will be a manifestation of heaven on earth and a demonstration of how much Christ loves His church.

 

A Week in the Life of a Big Pimpin’ Blogger

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So, you ask, what’s been going on in the very exciting and adventurous life of one Greg Johnson? I couldn’t be more glad you asked. The answer? Not much.

Well, I’ll let you decide. Thursday, I made yet another pilgrimage to McKay’s Used Books, CDs, DVDs, and Just about Anything Else Electronically That You Can Imagine. I traded in about 100 old CDs for an iPad 2 and season 4 of Lost.

Friday, I went to the mall a.k.a. Cool Springs Galleria to buy my friend Lara a wedding present and to do my usual scoping out of any new stores. I found a gift for my friend and registered to win a 2013 Mini Cooper. My odds are 1 in a million, which might tempt some others not to even bother, but I figure if I don’t try, my odds are exactly 0 in a million. So why not?

Today, I attended my friend’s wedding. It was beautiful and she was radiant. There was a magnificent stained glass window and a church organ that would raise the dead and make them weep for joy. Yeah, that kind.

They had a swing dance band at the reception and the usual awesome post-wedding food where the calories don’t count. I wish. I ate, I danced, I ate some more, then they served dinner. It was a good night.

I’d love to win that car. I’ve even prayed about it (as selfish as that sounds). But if some other blessed soul wins, I’ll be just as content to drive my ’95 Jeep Cherokee with its 18 MPG in the city and 190 horsepower engine. Yeah, I’m a big pimpin’ daddy in my slick ride with my newly added Spongebob ornament hanging from my rearview mirror.

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All that to say I’m still more blessed than I deserve (even if it feels lately that I’ve been friend-zoned for all eternity by every female who has ever lived. But that’s another topic for another blog).

And I typed all this on my new (at least to me) iPad 2. Woot!

Things I Love 21: This Blog Series Is Old Enough To Drink (If It Weren’t a Baptist Blog)

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island hammock

“Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control, let go of my own way, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy’s fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love and whisper a surprised thanks. This is the fuel for joy’s flame. Fullness of joy is discovered only in the emptying of will. And I can empty. I can empty because counting His graces has awakened me to how He cherishes me, holds me, passionately values me. I can empty because I am full of His love. I can trust” (Ann Voskamp).

My list continues at #551.

551) Going back to swing dancing at Centennial Park on July 13.

552) Conversations with people of different faith-traditions where we both learn something new.

553) Embracing my own uniqueness instead of giving in to the pressure around me to fit in.

554) When I finally realized that the song “Father Abraham” was about the Abraham from the Bible and NOT Abraham Lincoln.

555) The joke about what a vegan zombie craves– “Graaaaaaains!”

556) That true belief is active and results in actions– works if you will. It’s not mental assent; it’s putting hands and feet on faith and living it out every single day.

557) That defining what truth is and is not is not up to me.

558) Getting coupons for free Chick-fil-A sandwiches.

559) The random way my brain works and how it makes all my conversations extremely unpredictable yet very interesting.

560) God being so much bigger than my fears and doubts and questions.

561) Knowing that my eternal security doesn’t depend on my skill at playing Candy Crush Saga.

562) Knowing my ultimate hope isn’t in a president or a republic, but a King and a Kingdom.

563) Half-priced shakes from Sonic.

564) The thought of never having to take another math class as long as I live.

565) The movie That Thing You Do!

566) The conversation I had at Best Buy with Jamie (who I will probably never see again) where I completely lost track of time.

567) Chihuahuas that fit into tea cups.

568) Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens (is that how the song goes?)

569) The perfect cup of Earl Grey tea.

570) Capturing a magical moment in a photograph.

571) Running through a sprinkler just I used to to when I was little.

572) The uncomplicated faith of a child.

573) Fireworks on the 4th of July.

574) My friend Lara getting married (and me getting an invitation to her wedding to see a prayer of mine getting answered before my very eyes).

575) That I still have 6 months to finish my goal of watching all of the 9 nominees for 2012’s Best Picture Academy Award.

576) Never having to watch Life of Pi ever again– once was definitely enough.

577) Hugs.

578) Every single cartoon featuring that loveable dog named Droopy.

579) How a faithful pet can actually lower your blood pressure and reduce stress.

580) Hearing my cat Lucy snore.

581) Making peace with the past– all of it.

582) Cool Hand Luke– because it is such a great film.

583) Truly worshipping in spirit and in truth.

584) Government square pizzas like they used to have when I was in grade school.

585) All of the people who follow this blog faithfully.

Another Prayer for My Future Wife

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I have an idea of how we will meet. We will run into each other at a local coffee shop, one with lots of charm and quirkiness. We will settle into an easy conversation. For me, it will be like I’m at home with you. Like putting on an old favorite pair of sandals.

I pray you are at rest in Jesus today. I pray you are constantly amazed at how your Abba is in love with you. May He ravish and captivate your being and continue to bring out your true beauty, a Proverbs 31 character and a face that glows with Jesus.

I pray that God will make us friends first. Then one day, I will look at you and know that I don’t have to look anymore, for I will have truly come home to your smile.

May I AM bring healing to those deep wounds from your past so that they no longer bleed into your present. May Jesus redeem every hurtful word and deed done to you so your testimony can bring healing to every person in every nation.

May you fall even more in love with Jesus each day and run after Him with every fiber of your being. May you be bold and unashamed to live out the Gospel, knowing that you are the only Bible some will ever read. May people look at you and see Jesus, speak with you and hear His voice of truth, feel His healing hand with your touch, and be filled with a deep longing for Immanuel just by having met Him in you.

I wait for you patiently and eagerly. It will be more than I deserve and better than my wildest dreams when I become

Your beloved husband.

Things I Love

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island hammock

I was inspired to create this list by a book I’m reading called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. The goal is to see life and everything good in it as a gift from God. So here goes part 1 of the list:

1) The smell of the air after a thunderstorm.

2) Rain on a tin roof.

3) Sunsets on the beach.

4) My family– every single one of them.

5) My friends– all of them, too.

6) Life.

7) Downtown Franklin on a cool Saturday night.

8) The way a new bride glows on her wedding day.

9) The way a new groom’s face lights up when he sees his new bride in her wedding gown for the first time as she walks toward him down the aisle.

10) God’s heart for the orphans and the widows– basically, those without a voice.

11) My cat Lucy

12) Cheg-nog from Starbucks.

13) Chocolate chip cookies from The Frothy Monkey (whether they are truly gluten-free or not).

14) Good music.

15) Good movies.

16) Good books.

17) Savannah, Georgia.

18) Being a greeter every week on the Kairos greeter team with the best people in the universe!

19) My addiction to caffeine.

20) Fitting into size 29 jeans.

21) That my Abba Father is still very fond of me after all this time.

22) True love.

23) The feeling of taking off dress socks.

24) Swing dancing.

25) Ultimate frisbee.

26) Kindness lived out and grace extended.

27) Waking up to a new day with new mercies and a clean slate.

28) The unguarded joy of children over the smallest things.

29) The Advent season with its gaudy decorations and cheesy songs and the reminder of Immanuel– God with us still.

30) That every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.

31) That I can fail big and stick around and make ’em wonder why I’m still smilin’!

32) For more lists to come in the future.

A Different Take on Weddings

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I went to the wedding today. It was lovely, as just about all weddings are. As usual, many people put a lot of time and thought and effort into the planning and preparation.

Many people would say that the wedding day is all about the bride. That it’s her day to shine and it’s all about her. I would disagree. It’s not the bride’s mother’s day either, even though she’s dreamed of this day since her girl was little and serving imaginary tea to her dressed-up dolls.

In my humble opinion, the wedding day is all about Jesus. Or it should be. Anyone who really understands the depths of marriage and all its symbolism knows that it’s more than just the union of two people. The Bible in Ephesians reminds us that marriage is a picture of just how much Christ loves His Bride, the Church, and gave everything for her.

A biblical marriage is a lived-out testimony to that great love of Jesus for the Church. It’s about two people coming together to not only serve each other, but to serve others in a way that’s better than they each could individually.

I haven’t been married, but I know that marriage is hard. Probably harder in this anti-marriage culture than ever before. Only two people under the Lordship of Christ and each in love with Jesus can not only sustain a marriage and thrive in it. Only the indwelling Spirit of Christ can overcome the innate selfishness of two people that really shows its ugly head after the marriage begins.

So I’m happy for both the bride and groom. Nothing gives me more joy to see the bride in all her radiance walking down the aisle, looking more beautiful than ever. Nothing makes me smile than seeing the groom’s face when he sees his bride for the first time in her wedding gown.

But nothing beats the joy that knowing when a wedding truly celebrates Jesus and exalts Him to His rightful place in the marriage. Nothing blesses my heart more than when a wedding ceremony is truly a worship celebration.

One day when I get married, I hope it will truly be celebration of the goodness and greatness of God. I hope that it’s not my bride’s day or her mother’s day, but a day that belongs most of all to Jesus.