We just returned from our trip to Birmingham where I led worship at our mission work, Reformed Family Fellowship. As a result, I am exhausted! But, I don’t want to get a reputation for not posting here! So, I thought I would repost one of my favorites from my old blog. Also, I have a couple of very interesting blog posts coming up – and an opportunity for you to make a difference for Christ in your neighborhood! Details soon.

And an update on the note below – we found out this weekend that our first grandson will be born in early March. God is good!

And now, without further ado, a post that is almost a year old, but still moving to this father’s heart…

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On the 24th of November, in the year of our Lord 2006, our eldest daughter Christa Marie McDonald was given in marriage to Daniel James Kell Blanchard. Two young people with hearts excited not only for the future, but, also for the expansion of the Kingdom, were united this day. Daniel and Christa are committed to the cause of Christ and are eager to see what God has for them in the future!

Daniel, the sixth child of Greg and Crystal Blanchard (parents of eleven), is a homeschool graduate and now project engineer for a large construction company. Daniel’s current assignment is based in College Station, Texas. He first met Christa when he visited our Houston church. Later, Daniel approached me to ask if he could court my daughter. I am not sure he knew what he was getting himself into!

After successfully completing my 127 question courtship form (designed to protect my daughters from interlopers) our first official courtship commenced. The courtship itself was a learning experience for the McDonald home, as we balanced protecting our daughter’s heart while at the same time allowing Daniel and Christa time to get to know one another in a natural family setting!

Later, Daniel requested permission from me to ask Christa to marry him. I knew he would. God had allowed Christa to grow into not just a beautiful young lady, but also an industrious woman with a loving heart and many giftings and talents.

Wedding plans were complicated after our move to Illinois. Yet, God allowed all things to work together for good. The wedding preparations consumed our home for weeks as the McDonald ladies shopped, planned, coordinated, designed, and spent time together. Stacy and the girls hand made the decorations and cooked all of the food (except for the cake). Each passing day brought Christa’s departure nearer – our family wanted to make the most of the precious time that remained.

Initially, I had planed the ceremony to be officiated by a close friend. Later, Christa came up to me with tears in her eyes, confessing that she wanted me to give the wedding vows. I was honored by her request and agreed. The complication of giving her away was solved when my co-elders (Bryan Evans and Scott Price) agreed to help officiate the wedding.

Just before the wedding, Stacy and I met with Christa in the dressing room to pray with her. I let her know I was proud of her and that I was sure she would be a godly wife for Daniel and, should the Lord allow, a wonderful mother. Tears started to fall like rain. Christa’s mother comforted her and then joked about her smearing mascara. This brought smiles again and the processional began.

The wedding was a joyous and bittersweet occasion. All of our children (except for William, who slept through the event) participated in the wedding. Our oldest daughter, Tiffany, was the maid of honor and Melissa and Jessica, were the bridesmaids. Our youngest daughters, Abigail, Virginia Grace, and Emma, were the flower girls. They all looked angelic, the symbols of purity we pray for them to be. Our oldest son James stood as one of the groomsmen. Caleb had the distinguished position of ring-bearer.

Our church family rallied to help as well! Many thanks go to the Bandy, Candler, Evans, Price, Peiffer, and Tosh families! Without God’s blessing of friends, this wedding could not have happened! Our prayers that God would birth a true Christian community here at Providence Church are being answered!

The ceremony itself was performed with a sense of solemnity and rejoicing. We view the wedding ceremony as an act of worship. Thus, we had many elements one would see on the Lord’s Day: the singing of Psalms, the corporate confession of sin, the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, and a message from the Word (I spoke on the necessity for love and respect in the Christian marriage).

After this, Elder Bryan Evans asked the question, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” The transfer of authority had come. It was time to give up my little girl. Christa would no longer be protected under my roof, but would be joining her new protector, her husband, in her new home. Memories of her childhood rushed through my mind. After a moment of reflection, I responded, “I do.”

I then took Elder Evan’s place in the center of the platform and turned to address Daniel and Christa. I exhorted them to remember and consider that the vows they were about to give were holy, not simply promises to one another, but, covenant vows to God Himself. These were sacred vows that must be faithfully kept. After this, Daniel and Christa recited vows they had written. Then came the kiss. I won’t mention which flower girl wrinkled her nose.

After Daniel and Christa were united, the bridesmaids, Christa’s dear sisters, sang to them the following:

May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you forever. Grant you peace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor. Lift up your eyes and see God’s Face, and God’s Grace forever. May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you forever.

The congregation then sang the Gloria Patri and I gave the closing benediction.

And it was done. Christa became a Blanchard. The two became one.

The reception was a blur of pictures, feasting, and fellowship. Friends and family as far away as Texas and Virginia had come to rejoice in our celebration.

When the time of departure came, something remarkable happened – something I had never seen at a secular wedding. The send off was possibly the most touching testimony of the power of the Christian family seen that day. Christa, although full of hope and joy, broke into tears as she hugged each member of her family, repeatedly. And the family cried as well. The tears were a mixture of joy for the future and sorrow for the loss—the closing of a chapter. Christa’s role as a daughter at home had passed. Now she was a keeper at home and helpmeet to her new husband. Although she will always be a daughter and sister, she is now a wife and will, by God’s grace, one day be a mother as well.

God blessed us with Christa. From the foundation of the world, He ordained that she would be raised in our home. God also planned her marriage to Daniel—she was created for him. We serve an awesome God! As we watched God grow and transform Christa for His own glory and purpose, we witnessed the truth of God’s blessing of children. Psalm 127 has come to life in our midst.

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.