Wow... Has it Really been 3 Years??

I typed this up on Monday or Tuesday with the intention of adding photos and posting it on Wednesday. Then time ran away, so I didn't get to it. Hence the 3 day late post, AND the double post...

3 years ago today was one of the best days of my life.

I got prettied up. 

 I took a bunch of photos

And most importantly,

I said "I do."

Taken at my best
friend's wedding
October 2011

Jerome and I have learned a lot over the last three years, and we're still learning. We're learning about each other and about marriage, and about who we want to be for the other.

It's been an amazing three years, but they've gone by so quickly. I know that when we're celebrating our fourth or tenth or thirtieth anniversary, I'll be saying the same thing.

When I said "I do," I didn't mean for that day. I didn't mean for the next few years. I didn't mean "unless we grow unhappy with each other." I said "I do" for my entire life.

I said "I do" to my husband and to God, and I made a promise, pledge, commitment, to both of them that I would be faithful, and loving, and respectful, and caring. But above all, that I would be THERE. My husband is my best friend, and I can't wait to see what the next three years bring.

Godly Marriage

**I want to warn the casual reader that I'm about to get real deep in something God has put on my heart recently. If you're not in a spot in your life where you're comfortable discussing God, you may want to skip this post 'casue it's full of Him.**

Recently, it's like God has been making me think about marriage -- mine in particular. no, there's not "trouble in paradise" but there are things that J and I agreed to when we got married that we've kind of fallen through on. The idea that he should be the head of me, to lead us in prayer/devotions/what have you is something that we took seriously two years ago as we said our vows, but we haven't particularly delivered on that promise.

There are verses all over the Bible, particularly the new testament that discuss the role of the husband and the wife. Husbands are to be the head of the family, and the wife is to submit to her husband. This makes people incredible on edge: "My husband will not control me." "That's right woman, I'm in charge."

Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church did two sermons about two years ago about the role of the man and the woman in marriage. I haven't listened to all of the one about women, but J and I listened to the message about men. Warning: He is BLUNT. I mean, he doesn't skirt around the issue. Towards the end, he even YELLS at his congregation (and those of us listening), telling men "shame on you" for not respecting women in a way that God calls them to do.

I also listened to this teaching from Marcus Mecum of Seven Hills Church (we went there one Sunday last summer as we passed through Cincinnati on our mission trip and were incredibly impressed). This one is about men's role in the church. It's not as blunt as Driscoll's teaching, but it is still very straightforward -- men have to counsel younger men in being leaders in the church. Women outnumber men in the church, partly because so much of the "church experience" relates to aspects that women identify with -- feelings and "talking" and whatnot. Young men are getting lost in the shuffle because older men aren't taking the time to mentor them, and older men aren't taking the time to align themselves with God's image anyway.

I'm trying not to be too preachy, because my husband and I have dropped the ball as well, but God intended marriage to be this way for a reason. "As goes the father, so goes the family, so goes the community, so goes the world." That was something a professor of mine said in one of my ministry classes in school, and I think it's incredibly true, especially now. If men would step up and take care of their families, we would start seeing a difference in the world.

Time to Enter Into Adulthood

It's moving day! Today and tomorrow, J and I will be working on moving out of my parents' house and his family's house into our own townhouse. It's all very exciteing and new and scary and all of the above. If you've entered into this phase of life already, you know what I mean.

I'm more excited than ever about Wedding Day. I had three wedding nightmares last night. Yes, three. (I visited some old friends and they had me talking about it for three hours, so I think I had wedding on the brain.) But before I woke from each one, there was a time when J and I would look at each other and call each other "husband" or "wife." in one dream, he picked me up and twirled me afterwards (which is TOTALLY not something J would do) and I just felt so elated.

Sorry, I'm a broken record. I know I've blogged about that before. Hee hee. I'm just soooooo excited!

Anyway, this weekend will be a busy one and we won't have internet at our place for a while (GASP, I know!), so my blogging will probably be few and far between for a while. We're hoping to get internet and cable hooked up by the end of January, once I'm working more and have a more stable income. But don't worry, I will keep you all updated.

For now, MERY CHRISTMAS!!!