Pastores Wedding

Our wedding was memorable, fun, crazy, loving, and WET!

I laugh now about the madness with my wedding bouquet getting stolen, watching dear friends and family take away decorations from the pouring rain, cameras going on the fritz, everyone having to squeeze and stand inside the hall, and everything just darn going out of our control, but I tell you.... it was a most special day and Jesus I hope was indeed magnified.

The Rehearsal
Weather was perfect. Setup was quick and smooth. Cranes, paper decorations, and lanterns were hung. Music sounded lovely. Kitchen was prepared. Our pastor was helpful in preparing us for the ceremony outline. Helping hands were very much appreciated. Our wedding party was ready to go. My family and friends were running around doing last minute touches. We were a bit paranoid about the sprinklers going off to get the cranes wet, but little did we know that would be the least of our problems :p

Getting Ready
I made sure I slept early by midnight- but I still woke up at 5 am! I whispered- Im getting married today! But my sister told me to go back to sleep. When I knew others were awake a couple hours later- I shouted "IM GETTING MARRIED TODAY!!" I checked my phone and saw that it would be 70% rain... and I just thought... ITS OKAY! Two of my bridesmaids got us all coffee and breakfast. My friend Sarah did my hair impeccably and my friend natalie did my makeup beautifully! I could feel it getting more real when the camera crew came in- our friend Louie and Jon did videography and Reese did photography. Our friend Jason came in with a laptop and it was a compilation of videos from dearest girlfriends, family, and jose. It made me cry all hard!!!! We left in stealth to hide me from jose (my bouquet got stolen in the mean time haha) and we headed towards the venue!! I was a bit quiet but on the way there, there were girls handing out sunflowers if you honked just for the fun of it! It was darling. We arrived at the venue and it was GORGEOUS. Friends and family arrived earlier that day and set everything up. It was bright and sunny and I got to see everything as we envisioned it, and it was just darn lovely. My heart was overwhelmed with thanksgiving for the helping hands that were behind the scenes. The tables, the decorations, the signs and seating chart. It was perfect. As we continued to take pictures at the venue, it slowly began to pour down. I was taking pictures with my bridesmaids and I could see from the corner of my eye other friends and family run outside to take all the decorations back in so it wouldn't get soaked. Secretly I had hoped it would just stop raining before the ceremony so things could be brought back out. But God had other plans! It rained and we had a decision to make whether to bring the ceremony into a sanctuary. I still hadnt seen Jose at this point and we held hands talking with a door between us and I just said you know what, lets just do it outside! If everyone is here and is willing in their ponchos and umbrellas, lets get married in the rain! Everyone had kept me in a happy bubble and there were moving parts without my knowledge to just make things happen! Bridesmaids and family and guests were just so warm and joyful for this day. It was great! We prayed together and continued on with our day!

The Ceremony
I was most blessed by this hour. What a special hour. I walked down the aisle which was absolutely a treat for me to be so close to my daddy. Knowing he was giving me away to Jose whom he would have to trust his daughter with was so sentimental. We walked down in the rain, and I tried to smile and glance at as many people as I could, I didnt look at Jose until the very end of the aisle, and there my beautiful husband to be stood. We were called to worship our God and PJ declared the purpose of our marriage which was "to join together jose and i in holy matrimony... commended in God's word to be honorable among all.... not entered into hastily but reverntly, carefully, thoughtfully, soberly, and in the FEAR of GOD". PJ then asked the question of intent that we would live together in Christian marriage. Jose would love me, give himself up for me, comfort me, honor me in sickness and health, keeping only unto me. I would in return submit to him, serve him, honor him, and keep only unto him. We then continued to sing to the Lord for his goodness and I think a lot of guests especially liked the lyrics from the song Cornerstone... "through the storm, He is Lord... Lord of all!" We sang as it rained on us and the speakers were going in and out of tune. We sang loudly and with great thanks because He continued to be gracious in the rain. We read two different scriptures to remind us all of the meaning of marriage. We continued to listen carefully to PJ as he spoke to us from God's word. His main points:
1. what you must do in your marriage is- get on the same page, dont act in rivalry (manipulators or negotiators), consider the other more important, transform your interests to be fully integrated with your spouse.
2. Why We Cant Do It- We live in a cursed world where there is mass confusion on what marriage is today. Divorce, Porn. Intimacy outside marriage. Dissolution of meaningful marriage against us. Our spouse is sinful. Im sinful. Were selfish. We havent received our resurrected body yet.
3. There's someone who did!!!!- Jesus humbled himself, united to his people, didnt act in rivalry. An encouragement to Jose- Jesus loved his wife and did everything for his good. He sacrificed himself for her and washed her with the Word for her holiness. An encouragement to me- Jesus submitted himself to the headship and leadership of the Father even when he really desired another way. He trusted the Father. Submission is not a death sentence, it is an opportunity that leads to God himself. 4. Now you can- because Jesus forgives you of your failure and promises to empower you by His holy spirit to grow as husband and wife.
The gospel was then shared- reminding us that we are all slaves of SOMETHING- whether thats money, power, approval, healthy, physical appearance, family, physical intimacy. We are restricted by our priorities. Christians have Jesus. The kindest master who gave his life for His people and saves them from God's judgement.
We then proceeded to exchange vows. We would take each other for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and serve til death. We exchanged rings and did the sand ceremony which was hilarious. We didnt have enough sand so we just poured it as slowly as possible which filled the frame half way. We fake signed our marriage certificate as it was previously signed :p We were then pronounced husband and wife and we kissed. It was so sweet. HOORAY AND CHEERS!!!!

The Reception
The biggest blur of all. We had trouble taking pictures because people were scattered. Cameras were on the fritz from the rain. Chaos resumed. Seating chart was of no use because guests could no longer sit outside. 300 people were standing in a hall. I felt bad because people wouldnt be able to have seats and enjoy eating in a calmer environment. People would leave Im sure because it was just madness! We were taking pictures. I sent our MC to start serving dinner. We entered. We did our first dance. We ate our food all fast. We split up to say hi to as many people as we could. We danced with our parents. We had awesome speeches. Joses mama was so so sweet. She gave me a ring and bracelet. My mom continued to embarrass of me of how much trouble I was for 5 minutes. It was grande. I could see Marks love for Jose as he recalled their friendship. My sisters speech was my FAV. She is such a great speaker capturing our relationship, humor, and boldness all at once. Then a flash mob dance proceeded to an earth wind and fire song! It was so fun!!!!! We cut cake, I tossed my bouquet and it was hilarious seeing Jose throw a basketball to the single men. We danced. We took pictures in the photobooth with the brilliant and fun props my sister and her friends made. It was just a bunch of fun in the chaos. I was thankful for everyone who celebrated that night with us.

Sure there were lots of things that didnt go accordingly to plan. I spent lots of time and honestly money on things that ended up being left behind. But for reals, GOD IS SO GOOD. I cant imagine doing it again, or remaining bitter that I didnt have a dream wedding. God saving me from my sin and my depravity is what is glorious. The gospel being told to others that is the backbone of our marriage is what matters. Me being able to enter into covenant with a man I never deserved is a dream!!! God is always good, and that day is fleeting. The marriage is until one of us dies, and our time with God is FOREVER and ETERNAL. Gods name being proclaimed matters. Us making much of Christ is all that I could have ever hoped for. Thank you Jesus for an amazing day celebrated with people we love so dearly. <3

Our Honeymoon in the Bahamas

We came back from our trip from the Bahamas!!!!

We traveled the night after our wedding which gave us time to pack and visit our families as newly weds.

Jose and I are totally a mixture of homebodies and adventurers. Half of our trip was spent gallivanting around the islands in the waters and half of our trip was spend inside resting and recovering!

We ate a bit of everything here- mexican, chinese, bahamian, japanese, italian, and american food.

We were most satisfied with this place called cafe matisse. It was an italian place with a romantic ambiance being outside and candlelit. The food was just so flavorful and beautiful.

We also enjoyed eating at ichiban where the sushi and conch fritters were perfectly seasoned.

Here were other foods we were able to enjoy!
We drank our fair share of drinks- mango, banana, pina colada daiquiris, bahama mamas, margaritas!

We visited lots of places including the
Queens Staircase

The French Cloisters

Blue Lagoon Island

our beach right outside the Hotel

but pretty sure our favorite place was Atlantis!!! This place was killing me with the amazing water rides. The aquariums were neat as well.

The best part for us was staying inside when we needed rest and taking long naps, watching netflix, reading together, singing songs to the Lord, praying, talking and the cuddling. It is so nice to do that with my husband, with the one I am covenanted to, and is my favorite earthly treasure. I am so thankful to have a husband to enjoy the Lord with me :D

Easter

What a day to celebrate!

I wrote this on my instagram: Jesus Christ, the Son of God died on the cross, taking the penalty for sin that we deserved. He was raised on the third day that we might be declared righteous before God. What a love. What a cost. This is good news!!!!"

It says in Philippians 2: Christ Jesus who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

What a Savior to die for sins (we are ALL sinners and fall short of the glory of the perfect and holy God). Not only would Jesus die for my MULTITUDE of sins (harsh tongue, sexually impure, a liar, one who worships other gods, quick to anger, etc) but He would die for the sins of all of those who would believe in Him. Praying this gospel is being considered by those who read it, and God opens your heart to be inclined to Him. Thankful for Jesus!

Jesus' Mother and Brother

31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers[c] are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.

So Im sitting here at my church in between the morning and night service and I was just BLOWN AWAY by the good news of Jesus Christ once again. This passage talks about how being in the family of God does not come by your association in the church, or friends, or family or who I hang with socially, but by doing the will of God- REPENTANCE AND FAITH. yes, yes good reminders for me. What was like an explosion in my mind and heart was the last verse. PJ, my brother and pastor posed the question who does he list is his family and who does he leave out? THE FATHER. Jesus only addresses God the Father as father. Jesus only has ONE FATHER. Only when he is on the cross does he say “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Why? Because he was condemned as a sinner for YOU AND ME. He hung on the cross bearing the wrath of our sovereign God being treated as a sinner and not the the Son. He became sin who knew no sin so we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus became this so those who would believe in Him would be made God's family. dang.............

Thank you, Crossview!

I am thankful that Jesus is King and our High Priest. Although it seems SO SO bitter that Crossview is ending, it is awesome to know that God does everything for my good because I love Him. I wanted to give thanks for my almost 2 years at Crossview.

10 Things I loved about Crossview

The Gospel
The gospel message was preached to me every single Sunday from the pulpit. The gospel message was repeated to me by other members on days when I had unbelief, fell into temptation over and over, or neglected to be satisfied in Christ alone. I constantly need this truth and it was refreshing to receive it as often as I did. This gospel message is the good news that Jesus, the blameless and perfect Son of our Creator bore our past, present, and future sins on a cross and died for who would believe in Him. By his suffering and wounds those who would have faith in Christ have been healed and called out of darkness into marvelous light. Those who trust in Christ are now God's people and have received mercy. I am thankful this good news drove Crossview to live for Christ as its foundation and sole joy.

My Pastor
PJ...PJ....PJ. I love my pastor's preaching. I have learned a lot as I attempt to listen actively for 1 hour every Sunday. He exposits the scripture verse by verse giving context and application of the text. He gives solid points while God convicts and encourages my heart during the preaching. He encourages visiting Christians, our local church, and nonChristians. In addition Gods grace through him on the pulpit, PJ is a wonderful shepard to me personally. He has taken time to know me, encourage me, celebrate certain milestones with me, and rebuke me. He has certainly shown me areas where I have grown and areas where I am ignorant and am in need of God. I have been prayed for and cared for by this man. And finally in addition to that, I really see integrity and a lot of love in PJ.I see integrity in his willingness to be transparent to his brothers in fighting sin. I see the way he loves his wife and family and how they love me. That stems from his leadership. His vision for church planting and telling all the good news is so encouraging. I am looking forward to Lord willing continuing to be sheparded by him :)

My Sisters
OH GOSH. how do I not straight up start crying now! These girls will probably make me the most emotional as Crossview disbands. I will miss those who I wont be gathering with but do HOPE to continue to share life with them. Ive never had a more open honest loving grace filled relationship with a group of a girls. These women truly rejoiced with me and carried my burdens. There were moments of rebuke in times of sin but oh how there were sweet moments of God's grace as Jesus made me white as snow. These were tough questions asked of my heart, and tears as I dealt with the consequences of sin, but the words of truth that flowed from these women was so edifying. Ive read with these girls, have had hours upon hours of raw conversations with them, laughed together in all our silliness, were broken hearted together as we saw our depravity. There was no saving face, or pretending to be a Christian woman. We are all sinners, who are now saints because of Christ. I am thankful we had each other as a great gift from the Lord. They were lights to me. It was a means for Him to be glorified in all our interactions.

My Brothers
I think prior to coming to Crossview, I was jaded by men in my life who didnt really value or protect or care for a woman. I found it normal for a man to be sexual, crude, and prideful. For a season, I desired that in a man. I have been blessed a manifold times by the men at my church. I will miss these community of brothers being together. I personally have seen my own fiance grow so much specifically because of men who love the Lord, want to lead their wives well, truly learning how to be sacrificial servants, and hate sin. I will miss the absolute ridiculousness between these guys as well as real true love for one another. I enjoyed reaping the benefits of them being intentional, bold, compassionate, challenging, and loving.

Praying
It has been a joy to make prayer such an important and vital heart beat to our church. We would pray at least 5 times during sunday gatherings uniting as a church under the Lord. We praised the Lord, confessed our multitude of sins as a whole, asked God's to discern the text during the preaching, prayed as we were sent off for the week to make disciples and enjoy the Lord, and during communion as we broke break and wine. We had prayer lists which was helpful to remind us to contact others to ask how to pray for them. I had brothers and sisters a like pray for me throughout the week- in person, over the telephone, or text. We see prayer requests via email to the entire church and we are able to let them know we prayed for them. Crossview was imperfect, and we should have prayed more, I know I definitely should have, and need to continue to grow in this.

Singing Together
I loved loved loved singing with my church. The voices of broken sinners praising our God who is our hope. Ah-soooo good. While we are all different types of people gathering together, we have one voice singing hymns and psalms of praise. I came from a big church where I very much enjoyed the band playing and the loudness of the musical instruments. Coming to CV I came to learn and absolutely love singing hymns to a guitar. It was all about the gospel truth be embedded into the songs that called my heart to sing. Singing as a church certainly helped me bind my wandering heart to Thee. These were my fav songs to sing at Crossview: Jesus Paid It All, Before the Throne, In Christ Alone, How Deep, Jesus, Thank You, You're All to Us

My Local Church
One of the reasons why I came to Crossview was that I was learning the importance of the local church. Church Membership. Accountability. Being part of the body. This local church (although it was a 35 minutes drive away, 45 minutes if Jose's driving ;p) was my imperfect and yet perfect for me home church. These people discipled me and let me disciple them. In fact we were called to do just that in our covenant. I witnessed 3 excommunications for unrepentant sin, in which Ive seen 1 restoration and deep wrestling in the heart for the other 2. Ive seen only by God's grace has He kept me from stumbling into a nonchristian and a big reason is because God is using my local church to remind me of the good news.

Meeting Needs
The coolest thing I was blessed by was that our church was almost always meeting mental and physical needs. Ive seen bills paid, money given, homes shared, food given time shared to find housing or peace of mind. It was a blessing to see people who didnt even know a person that well give without hesitation, expectatoin, or strings attached. Thsi is because the Lord has given us MORE than we deserve. Our money is not our money- it is the Lords. Our time is ought to be spend glorifying Jesus. We ought to be cheerful givers. I saw displays of that time and time again and my heart rejoiced.

Eating Together
This was not just a tradition done after Sunday gatherings- but a part of life in order to bless one another. This is where a big chunk of my money goes to- but gladly so. I eat with people all the time in order to listen, speak, carry burdens and celebrate with them. Eating after sunday services were always wonderful- I got to see people give to the church to the provide lunch for others, serve others food, and then the speaking of truth after and sharing life was always beautiful to see. I hope to continue to eat with others and provide food for others whether on the street or in my own home in marriage.

Disciples Making Disciples
Oh how this was engraved into my head and heart during my time here. I saw the importance of not only being a disciple of Jesus but also being a disciple who wants to make disciples of Jesus. Following the great commission but also continuing to teach other women and encourage men in Christ! Ive seen members try to live this out on a daily and I will try to live the same way. One thing I would like to grow in at the next local church I am a member of are practical and good opportunities for missions either locally or overseas. I feel strongly about evangelism and gospelizing others and would like Jesus's help to shape me into Him in telling other the good news more often. Pray for me and this new season!

I am looking forward to to transferring to a new church. I will keep you updated on pending membership in the future.

Oh, Crossview! :'( Thank you for so much! Oh Jesus, My Lord - an even bigger Thank YOU!