For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Dinner at the Columbia
BETROTHAL: Wow! This is like the Christmas/New Year that keeps on giving. Giving, that is, in terms of excitement, and events, and love, and family fellowship, and our house being grand central for people and parties galore.
Yesterday Rebekah and I hosted all of the most immediate family for another big “A-Team” (Andrew & Alicia) celebration. That meant parents, siblings, and available grandparents too. This is why you can count 14 happy faces around the long table at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City (clockwise; Derek; Rebekah; Andrew; Alicia; Clark and Chris Pashby; Craig, David and Naomi Campbell; Grace and David Maul; Myrt Alexander; Stephanie and Brian Armes).
The “A-Team” – Andrew and Alicia
FAMILY: I’ve written quite a lot about family over the past few days. On the surface this emphasis may seem to contradict my expressed intention to write more on topical themes, but it’s my conviction that what we celebrated yesterday has a great deal to say about the state of our world – especially on the community level.
We all came together to say our resounding “amen” to the commitment and the promise of Andrew and Alicia’s decision to begin a new life together. It is a new life that has at its foundation the idea that the community of faith is both real and necessary to The Life-Charged Life.
COMMUNITY: It is critically important that we do all that we can to strengthen individual family units (and that’s what the “A-Team” will be when they return to Italy together after the big July 6 wedding event in Michigan). However, I believe an equally important part of this equation is the wider fellowship of the community of faith.
The power of yesterday’s time together was the understanding that this betrothal is a coming together not only of individuals but of families; not only of families but the community of faith; not only the community of faith but also the communion of the saints.
I guess what I’m talking about today is the positive relationship between a healthy society and the extent of the commitment of its citizens to vital, nurturing, discipleship-oriented faith communities.
BIGGER QUESTION: I believe that Andrew and Alicia are in a position to help create a world that is more clearly defined by peace, by love, by faithfulness and by vibrant community. And they’re going to be able to achieve that to the extent that they not only keep God’s kind of love at the center of their life together, but to the extent that they invite the communities they live in to know and to be grounded in God’s kind of love too.
Sibling love – Andrew and Naomi!
Rebekah and I are excited – of course – because our children are happy. Not only that, but we’re excited because of what such love can mean for this broken world when it is experienced and expressed in the context of the community of Living Faith.
Blessings to all, and if you are not a part of such a community, there really is no better time than now - DEREK
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
