Congratulations Jason and Erin!

We had a wedding this past weekend! Congratulations Jason and Erin for planning such an incredible God-honoring wedding ceremony. And a special "thank you" to Scott and Julie Juedes for their willingness to have the wedding at New Covenant, allowing us to invite many of our family and friends.

I have prepared several slide shows for those who are interested. You can click on the slide show title to view it.

• Set up on Friday
• Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner on Friday evening
• Pre-Wedding Prep and Family Pictures
• Wedding Ceremony
• Wedding Reception

It was such an honor for me to have a part of the ceremony. Standing on the platform with my four sons is as good as it gets! I am so proud to each of them.

I also want to thank Steve and Linda Jenkins for helping greet and host, John Maurice for taking informal photos, and all those family and friends who helped with set up and clean up.

It was a wonderful weekend full of memories. We look forward to how God will use Jason and Erin in the months and years to come.

Time To Celebrate

We had a wonderful Wedding Reception this afternoon for Ryan and Natalie. We had a great turnout in spite of the snowy weather. It was so good seeing and spending time with friends. We need more excuses to celebrate like this! You can see a slide show of our time by clicking on the picture above.

We would like to give a special "thank you" to Frank and Barb Stephen, owners of Dostal Catering, who provided the great spread of food! Frank and Barb met Ryan when they were both serving on the Logos II together.

It was a great afternoon. It was a great Wedding Reception. It was a great time to celebrate!

You Are Invited!

Everyone in my "reader blogosphere" is invited to a special Wedding Reception on Saturday, January 13 to meet Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Pagel. Ryan was married to Natalie Davis in Stillwater, Oklahoma on November 18.

You're invited to stop by New Covenant Bible Church anytime between 1:00 and 4:00 PM to meet the newlyweds! Food and beverage will be provided. We hope to see you there!

Just Married

Natalie and Ryan are now on their honeymoon and we are back in Iowa. It was a little hard getting back to work after a full weekend. You can see a slide show of the wedding by clicking on the picture above. Once the slide show begins you can click on each individual picture to see a short caption. You can also set the slide show speed to control how fast the pictures scroll through.

Congratulations Natalie and Ryan. May you know God's richest blessing as you together seek Him.

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Pagel

Well, it happened! A wedding took place in Stillwater, Oklahoma today. I know I'm biased, but I have to say that I've never seen a more beautiful bride and groom. Natalie and Ryan looked radiant. The ceremoney took place at the Watkins Center located in the School of International Studies building on the Oklahoma State University campus.

Ginni Davis, Natalie's mother, transformed the banquet room into a space fit for a wedding using greenery, pillars, lights, a string quartet, fresh flowers, beautifully decorated tables, colorful sashes on each chair and delicious food. Ginni, you said that a good wedding needs plenty of greenry, sting music and good food! Kudos to you! You went above and beyond to create wonderful memories for everyone involved.

And special kudos goes to Danny Darnell, the Watkins Center staff person who assisted with the wedding and reception dinner. Danny is one of the most gifted, gracious and competitant servants that I have every met. He can do it all. He assisted with set up, Power Point and sound, served us food and drinks, helped cut and serve the cake, found a cuff link that Jason didn't even realize that he had lost, and effortlessly handled a host of other details. I told Danny that I wish I could pack him up and bring him back to Cedar Rapids with me! Thank you Danny for being our personal attendant today, looking after our every need.

As I sit in the lobby of the Fairfield Inn this evening typing this blog entry, I'm thankful for our family and friends who made the effort to be with us during this time of celebration - Milt and Ruth Nolting, Neil and Carol Middleton, Mark and Becky Flage, Steve and Sari Flage, Bob and DeLores Shuman, and Frank and Barb Stephen.

And of course I was the proudest person in the building today, with Jason, Josh and Jon all standing up with Ryan during the wedding. Each of them shared something during the ceremony about what Ryan meant to them. Wow! Does it get any better than this?

And in addition we gained a new daughter. Welcome to the Pagel family Natalie! You are awesome! And now, it's my privilege to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Pagel.

A New Journey

Tim and Brooke

We enjoyed celebrating with Tim Owens and Brooke Olsen (my niece) as they were united in marriage on Saturday. You can click on the above picture to see a short slideshow of the wedding and reception.

Weddings are a wonderful time to come together as family to celebrate God's goodness and provision. Marriage is God's idea - it's not good for man to be alone. A wedding marks the end of one season of life and the beginning of another.

Tim and Brooke, we rejoice with you as you begin your new journey together.

A Beautiful Weekend Continued

Jeff and Leah

We were able to help celebrate the wedding of Jeff Anderson and Leah Middleton on Saturday afternoon and evening in Rockford, Illinois. It was a wonderful time to be with family on this special occasion. Click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the wedding.

Leah was everything you would expect of a new bride. She was absolutely radiant and deeply in love with Jeff. It was a day to remember. A day when family and friends gathered to witness the miracle of two becoming one. Two people coming together to commit their lives to Christ and one another. To love one another the way Christ loves the church. This kind of love is a beautiful thing. Two people - one faith, one hope, one love, one purpose, one Lord. It was a beautiful weekend.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. Ephesians 5:31

A Prepared Bride

Tyler and Erin

It was my privilege to officiate the wedding ceremony for Tyler and Erin today. As you can see from the photo, they were all smiles. There were a few tears shed and a few moments of humor - like when the unity candle wouldn't light! But it all worked out in the end, and I was able to pronounce them husband and wife. We all enjoyed a wonderful reception afterwards complete with a wedding cake on each table.

It makes me wonder what the wedding ceremony in heaven will be like. Who will be there? What will we wear? The preparations are being made, the invitations have gone out and the ceremony is about to begin. Revelation 19:9 says blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. What a celebration it will be. John had a vision and saw the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And he heard a loud voice saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."

His invitation is a simple one. The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Whoever hears the invitation is invited. This is one party that you won't want to miss. Admission is open to all who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The invitation to us today is come. Don't delay, don't make excuses, don't refuse the call of Christ. Don't be left on the outside looking in. There is always room for one more person.

Moving Forward In Faith

Kim, Richard, Sharon and Sharon

I don't think there is anything more lovely than the smile on the face of a new bride. Our congratulations to Richard and Sharon who were married on May 28. My wife and I enjoyed being part of their Open House today at New Covenant. The glow on Sharon's face was impossible to miss and lit up the entire room. What a joy it was to be able to celebrate this new beginning with Richard and Sharon as they move forward in their new life together.

Life is meant to be lived looking forward, but sometimes we get stuck in the past. A wound that won't seem to heal, an unforgiving heart, bitterness, hurt, loss, unmet expectations and unexpressed grief can all hold us captive to the past. The loss of a spouse is a very difficult and lonely journey. Sharon has traveresed through the valley of the shadow of death and has successfully come out the other side. Ray gave Sharon a very special gift before he passed away. Ray told Sharon that he wanted her to feel free to find someone she could spend the rest of her life with. Ray's last days were spent looking forward to his eternal home and making arrangements for those he loved. Ray's life was an arrow that pointed people forward to the future, rather than an anchor that held people to the past.

Joseph, at the end of his life, gave instructions that his body was not to be buried in Egypt, but rather his bones were to be carried out when the children of Israel returned to the promised land. Joseph's bones were a symbol of the future, pointing people to the promises that God would one day fulfill.

What are you leaving behind that inspires others to trust God's promises and to move into the future with faith and confidence in God? On this special day, we celebrate with Richard and Sharon and the promise of a new life together. And we also pause to thank God for a faithful husband and friend who always encouraged those he loved to move forward in faith.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. Hebrews 11:22