The Blessing of a Wedding

It has a been a great weekend. One of my favorite ladies in my Bible study got married. Lauren was home because she wanted to babysit Sue & Bill's boys so they could go to the wedding too. We witnessed 5 baptism at the church service where Lauren goes to church in Durham. My heart is grateful to witness lives Jesus changes and works in.

Especially for the bride of this wedding, Donna.

She was Donna Christensen -- and those of you who went to Immanuel Bible Church back in the day (20+ years ago), you might remember her as the wife of then senior pastor Andy Christensen. And if you were around in the Christian community there, you may also be familiar with what happened. They had been married for thirty years when her husband announced he loved someone else -- he left her and his family for the church secretary he had an affair with. Needless to say, he left IBC as well. (He has since repented.)

But this second wedding wasn't about just a second husband. Its about Jesus. God did not leave Donna alone. Not only did she start/lead a ministry for abandoned women like herself, she wrote a book about how God used that experience to show Himself faithful. And by the way, her groom had not met her but had fallen in love with her because he read her book first!

Fast forward many years later -- many restorative and redemptive years later and Donna Christensen is now Donna Bos. I have only known her about a year and we have had a blast picking on each other in Bible study. She is a serious student of God's Word with a warm and giving smile, despite my snarky sense of humor directed at her. One day in class, there was discussion about wedding plans etc. and questions were being asked about colors, flowers, honeymoon and on and on.

"My goodness Donna," I remarked. "What do people at your age do on a honeymoon?" She turned bright red and glared at me with affection and responded, "You are a rat."

I love weddings. But I love when Christ is the reason for the wedding. When the husband and wife could have not met at the alter without the undeniable work of Christ. We were not blessed by this wedding because we are just happy for Donna, we are blessed by this wedding because only God does the miracles, only God knows the what He has in store for us, only God can turn what is bitter and painful into something that glorifies Him and changes us.

Just as I responded on the RSVP of her wedding invite: "WOO-HOO for Donna!!"