celebrating 22 years of marriage

The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.

It was twenty-two (22) years ago on this day that I married Julie. She was then and still today a gift from God. We have had our battles, and we have had our blessings. This is a day to celebrate, to remember and to plan for even more days to celebrate!

Summer of 1992 brought me to an understanding that life was richer when we share it with people that we care about. I began praying for a wife and even asked others to pray with me for a life partner that would share ministry and more. I had no idea what God was up to, but I trusted that He knew what was best.

There was a night when it became evident that I was worried or putting too much effort on me finding the right person. In my heart and through the encouragement of others I gave this desire, to have a wife, to God and confessed that if He wanted me to be single for the rest of my life that I was learn to trust Him and be content.

Little did I know that when I gave God my heart that His plan would begin to come together. That happened in the last pat of summer 1992. Later that fall I began to pastor a church in Georgia and was ordained to ministry just after Christmas. It was the next week that God brought Julie across my path. It really was incredible.

The next few months were eye opening and began a great journey. We were married in Vidalia, Georgia, Julie’s hometown, on Saturday, September 4, 1993. As the old saying goes the rest is history.

3 awesome kids. 10 homes. 264 months. 8,030 days. 7 churches. Lots of holidays. And so much more. These 22 years have been full and have been blessed.

I want to say how blessed I am and how thankful I am that Julie is my wife. If you see her today, let her know how lucky she is. Wait. I mean if you see her today, tell her you are praying for her. Oh well, we will be celebrating this weekend!

1 Peter 3:7 NLT

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding … she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

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There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

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Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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