Week 2: Joy in Each Day

Since our anniversary dominated the weekend blog posts, I didn't get around to posting this but wanted to be sure and share. 

The first time Justin and I discussed who we wanted to marry us, we didn't come to any immediate answers. I've always been jealous of those couples that met in youth group and had their youth pastor, who had watched their relationship grow from the beginning, officiate at their wedding. Ironically, Justin and I did meet at our church's youth group, but we were just barely acquainted and both dated other people during high school. To further complicate the matter, youth pastors had come and gone throughout that time and we had no particular ties to any of them. While we struggled to choose an officiant, we both agreed on one thing--we didn't want it to be a complete stranger.

I don't remember who tossed out Robbie's name first, but I know it had crossed both of our minds. He was on staff at our church at the time and although he didn't know us well as a couple, we each knew him in some capacity. We also loved listening to Robbie preach and knew we could trust him to deliver a great message for our wedding, and he did not disappoint!

But more importantly than just being some figurehead in our ceremony, Robbie was our counselor.  I know some people may not understand or support the concept of pre-marital counseling, which is fine, but it was a non-negotiable point for Justin and me.  For us it just seemed backward--spending hundreds of hours planning a one-day event and virtually no time at all preparing for a life-long relationship? But that's reality for the majority of couples getting married today. 

Fast-fowarding to the present, it only made sense to me to ask Robbie to write Justin's letter for this week. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have encouraging and praying for my husband this week as we spend our first wedding anniversary apart than the person who helped us prepare our heads and hearts for our marriage. Thank you, Robbie, for your friendship and your investment in our relationship!

As I mentioned last week, the focus for this month is "joy". If you have no idea what I'm talking about please see my previous post here. Now imagine my surprise when I skimmed The Met's fruits of the spirit series to find another sermon for Justin and discovered that ROBBIE was the one who preached on joy! God really has a sense of humor sometimes. Click the image below to hear the sermon:

(Select week 3--The Vine: Joy)

Fair winds and following seas!

Stephanie