Big ups to my friends over at North Point Church for putting together this entire Christmas “mini-concert” using the awesomeness that is the ipad, and the iphone!
Thanks North Point, for using your God given creative gifts for awesomeness like this….!
Wow…I can’t believe that 3 years ago I stood in front of a chapel full of our friends and family, and said these words to my wonderful bride, Abbie:
Abbie
I, Rick / Give myself completely to you, Rick,/
To be your wife in marriage;/ I will submit to your leadership/
As I trust your guidance from the Lord/ and His Word to guide our lives;/
I will be faithful to God and to you
and I will never leave you;/
Honor, serve, & cherish you;/
And divorce,/ whether mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical,/
Will never be an option to me./
I will forgive you as Christ has forgiven me;/
I will encourage, challenge and pray for you./
And I will keep Christ/ at the center of our marriage./
And I will love with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength all of the days of my life
All this I vow/ to you and to God
I really meant and mean every single one of the words. The man who married us, and one of my closest friends, Don Munton, asked everyone in attendance that night to hold us accountable to these vowels we made to each other. I’m thankful that many of them have. If you are reading this, you to have permission to hold me accountable to these promises as well. This has really been the best 3 years of my life. I am beyond humbled that God allows me to live the life I live, with the people I get to live it with. I’m truly blessed. Thank you Abbie for looking past my ten million flaws and saying “Yes” 3 years ago…..you really are the most amazing women I have ever met. (And I”m not just saying that because you are my wife….!)
Oh, one more thing. If you know me in “real life” then you know that our son, Noah, is due the first week of January. I just wanted to say something to him real quick….
Noah, I’m not sure if we’ll have the internet by the time you are old enough to read, (who knows, we may be in the matrix by then) but if so, please know you have full permission to hold me accountable as well. If you ever see me treat your mommy in any way less then the way I wrote above, let me know. If I don’t listen, call my close friends. You have permission. I’ll never, ever, ever be mad at you for holding me accountable to that. My promise to you is that you will grow up in a home overflowing with love because your mom and I both have a love in us that surpasses all understanding. As soon as we found out you were in “there” we have been praying that one day you to would come to know this great love to. I love you, and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY can’t wait to meet you. You have some really cool toys, and I can’t wait to play with them with you!
/humbled.
rick.
I am sending out this blog post as my 15,000 twitter update. I worked hard yesterday coming up with a very creative idea for my 15,000 tweet (in fact I’m going to save it, and maybe use it for my 20,000 tweet). Last night as I was finishing it up, and getting ready to post it; I could see my wife through the open door in our bedroom reading her Bible, and I was overwhelmed with how much I love my wife. So I decided to scratch my “super, awesome, creative, and witty 15,000 tweet idea” to simply say – “I love my wife.” ALOT.
I could write a huge blog post talking about why I love her so much, and how amazing it is to have a wife that loves the Lord more then her husband, but since you probably don’t know her it probably wouldn’t be all that interesting to you. However; if you know my wife in “person” (of if my wife has treated your sick child), then you know how loving she is – and I’ll assure you, it’s not an act. She is just as loving, and sweet at home, as she is in public! I’m one incredibly, blessed husband.
So here it is, my 15,000 tweet – I love my wife!
{p.s. – Abbie, if your reading this – thanks for being such a great wife – your prayers, love, and support spurs me on! – I love you!}
