Monday, May 10, 2010

Wedding Program

I never got a chance to post our wedding program. May I say that it was absolutely perfect without sounding too bias? :) Because it truly was the most beautiful wedding ever. :) Below is the outline of our wedding program to give you lovely readers who were unable to attend the wedding a glimpse of our day. :)





PRELUDE


LIGHTING OF CANDLES
“Sunrise”….. Faith Lisemby

COUPLE’S SONG PLAYED
Theme from “Fireproof”

SEATING OF GRANDMOTHERS & MOTHERS
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

PROCESSIONAL
“I Will Get There”

WELCOME AND OPENING PRAYER
Evan. Jack Daniels

REFLECTIONS ON MARRIAGE
Rev. Joel Lisemby

SONG
“More Of Him” … Pam, Sarah & Zach Smith
PASTORAL CHARGE
SONG
“I Do” …….. the Bride, Kristen Lisemby

MARRIAGE VOWS / EXCHANGE OF RINGS

PRAYER

BREAKING OF THE GLASS / THE KISS
PRESENTATION OF BRIDE AND GROOM
RECESSIONAL .……….. “To God Be The Glory”

Monday, May 3, 2010

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I'M MARRIED!!

Song of Solomon 2:16
My beloved is mine, and I am his...



*** Pictures and news coming soon! ***

Friday, April 16, 2010

Bride on the Go!

  • Fold wedding programs. Check.
  • Put up signs in designated places. Check.
  • Decide on parking. Check.
  • Decorate the wedding site. Check.
  • Decorate the reception site. Check.
  • Finish packing for the honeymoon. Check.....

Busy, busy, busy. A bride's work is never done.

I've heard it said that a wedding is the most stressful time of a girls' life and, after 14 months of planning my wedding, I am a believer! There are so many things to plan, decide, delegate, create, and prepare for.

Everyone has been working so very hard and I am forever grateful. God has done amazing things! He has performed miracles, using others to bless Grant and myself. This past year, I have definitely been reminded that my God provides! People have "mysteriously" showed up and have offered to do things we had no idea how we would do. God has blessed! He is good.

SO, tomorrow is the DAY!! THE day! Tomorrow is the day I have waited for and dreamed of my whole life. Tonight I will (hopefully) get some sleep. Tomorrow, I will get up, go get my hair done, come back and do makeup, then get dressed....and THEN (eventually) walk down the aisle to my groom! I will say "I do," I will pledge my heart, I will kiss him!!....and then we will ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after! It has been a long road to get to this point. It began when I was a baby when my parents began praying for me. And then the road led me through mountains and valleys. It made twists and turns and held forks in the road. But it eventually led me here to this place, where "forever" begins. The road will still go on. It has not dead ended, nor has it reached its destination. It has only paused at a rest stop. It has only turned on to "the Interstate" of marriage. It keeps going; it's not over yet. Tomorrow will only mark the BEGINNING! Like the sequal to a beautiful story, it isn't finished yet. Tomorrow at 2 o'clock, my life will take an exciting turn. My story will have a special twist! It's bittersweet, but SWEET nonetheless!

Well, I have to run....can't be late for my own wedding!

P.S. More posts to follow LATER! ;)

Wedding Prep and Rehearsal!

I thought I would share a few pictures of this wedding prep craziness!


The bouquets turned out lovely! Thanks to Mrs. Shannon Meyers for doing such a marvelous job!



Placing lights in the chapel, decorating the reception area.....wooo!


The flowers for the gorgeous centerpeices!



Now, for the REHEARSAL dinner! It was absolutely beautiful!





Thursday, April 15, 2010

The First Kiss

So in two days, I will stand before my groom in front of our families, our friends, and witnessnesses, and we will share our first kiss!

Am I excited? Yes!

Am I nervous? Definitely!

Will it be worth it? No doubt! (that's a big yes!)

People have heard me talk a lot through the years about purity and saving your first kiss for your husband/wife. I've said countless times that I do not believe it is a command from God (saving your virginity IS) but I do believe that saving your first kiss is an honorable thing. A couple of weeks ago, I was sharing my purity testimony with a youth group and I said that we need to begin practicing faithfulness, patience, loyalty, trust, committment, and honor - NOW! It IS attainable. It IS doable. And it IS beautiful! We have been conditioned to think kissing is not a big deal. People kiss on the first date, when they hardly even know the person. Teen shows on Disney channel show young people kissing on dates, and next thing you know, they break up. Yet, if you think about it, kissing is quite an intimate exchange. It’s foreplay that arouses our desire for more. But more often than not, it is viewed as an innocent recreational pastime. So many believe that they can go from one relationship to the next, giving away parts of their body and heart while promising so many great things, and then be faithful to their spouse once they say "I do." But it does not work that way. Committment doesn't happen when you put a ring on your spouse's finger. Committment and faithfulness begins now! Today!

Now, many people take my convictions (and the convictions of others) assuming that it is some sort of rule or law. Quite the contrary. I made the choice alone based on my feelings, my knowledge, and my desires; Not to be legalistic or to prove anything, but only because I felt called of God to go a step farther. There is no such thing as going overboard when it comes to holiness and purity.

Does that make me better than anybody else who has kissed? No way! Absolutely not. We are all sinners and we are all guilty of impurity. We all have certian areas of our lives that are filthy and unclean. And we all, including myself, need to work on cleaning our lives up every single day.

Far too many these days scoff at the idea of going above and beyond the call of duty where purity is concerned. Many agree that abstinence is the way to go, that it's God's way, but then they go ballistic on you and try to give you their "real world" lecture when you mention things like "I'm waiting for Mr. Right" or "I want to guard my heart" OR "I want to save my first kiss!"

**On a side note, It's strange how, the majority of the time, those words come up when you're trying to do all you can do to please God and keep yourself from harms way...from abstaining from the appearance of evil. Odd how people make such a big deal and give you a hard time about doing everything you can to be as far away from temptation as possible. Ironic that they spend their time trying to convince you to LOWER your standards. Anyway....

Throughout my life, friends, family members, and complete strangers have rolled their eyes at me (and dozens more like me) and have laughed at "those poor, sheltered children." They have exclaimed, "That is unrealistc!" I beg to differ. Granted, you will not find the few in bars, clubs, wild parties, dances or in Hollywood. You will not see them in the midst of the popular crowd. But you will find them in that certain group of people who are just....different. You will find them in Churches, volunteering at shelters or nursing homes, active with their youth group, witnessing on the streets - you will find them, but not hanging out with those who live for physical gratification and pleasure. You will usually only find it in those who are laughed at, jeered, made fun of, misunderstood, and misrepresented. Sounds like too high of a price to pay? Well, if you are one of the few, rest assured you are in good company. And FYI - it's worth it!

Those who scoff and say it is unrealistic, I would love to introduce you to my many friends who bask in the "impossible" and glory in the "unattainable." I would love you to meet countless boys, girls, men, and women (of all ages) who, through the grace of God, have gone the extra mile. Those of you reading who are among them, BRAVO and keep it up! :)

Now let me say this....for those of you who have not saved their first kiss, do not be discouraged! As I said before, it is not a requirement of God (although it must never be taken lightly that purity IS a command). Regardless if you choose to save your kisses or give them away (or have already done so), it's not about "right or wrong." It's about a DIRECTION of purity. Some go above and beyond the call of duty, some simply just obey orders. Regardless of who you are or what you chose, STAY PURE - in mind, heart, and body. That's the command of Jesus. I would encourage all to save their kisses, beginning NOW, no matter what has been done in the past. But above all, save yourself! Guard your heart and body. Keep the sacred things sacred. Remember that you, Christians, are a relfection of the Most Holy God. Remember that you are His light, His hands, His feet, His mouth, His love.


              Quotes by fellow nonkissers:

I want my kisses to mean something because with each kiss, I am giving part of my heart away, and I think a lot of times people don't realize that.

I have vowed to save my body, in -all- areas, until I stand by my spouse's side at the altar. Only then will I know exactly who I will marry, thus avoiding throwing away my first kiss to someone I will never marry.
 
I would like to challenge every person to save their first kiss until they hear the words, 'you may -now- kiss the bride'. Don't cheat your future spouse out of their deserved first kiss. And until I find my bride, I will save my first kiss for her. She will be the only woman I kiss....

I am 18 and have never kissed a guy. Purity is refreshing. :) I'm committed to keeping my mind pure as well as my body. It's not old fashioned, it's the way it was suppose to be. Satan has turned the norm into unthinkable in our society...


Leviticus 20:7
Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.


1 Peter 1:15-16
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Wedding Guestbook

Personally, I think our guestbook is GORGEOUS!! I had looked at several different guestbooks at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Wal-Mart and various other places but when my Mom found this one, I instantly fell in love with it! It's perfect!....very fitting for the style of our wedding.

A few weeks ago, when discussing the recent wedding purchases, I mentioned that we had finally bought the wedding guestbook. To my surprise, someone said, "So what will that represent?" To be honest, it didn't take long for the Lord to place a likeness in my path. While I was thinking of where to set up the table for the book that would be easy for the guests to get to, I was struck with the thought of another guestbook....a very important guestbook.

What is the purpose of the guestbook anyway?

Well, it is a keepsake reminder for the bride and groom of who attended their wedding. When guests arrive, they sign their name and take a seat. With all the hustle and bustle of a wedding, most times the bride and groom can't remember who attended the event so it's great to have a book of names to look back on and cherish.

So how is that spiritual?

What's the other very important guestbook?

Have you ever heard about God's guestbook? If you haven't, please keep reading! The Bible tells us about a very important "guestbook" in Heaven's courts. It is a book of names.

What names? Those who have accepted the love and salvation of Jesus Christ.

It is known as The Lamb's Book of Life. The very moment a person cries out to Jesus, asking His forgiveness and grace, and accepting His life for their own, their name is written in that great Guestbook. They are now invited to the wedding! Their name in that book means that they have a place reserved in Heaven. It means they are now a child of the Living God. Their name is in the book! It cannot be erased or scratched out. It's written with a heavenly, heavy duty permanent marker if you will! :) THAT is the other very important guestbook. And my wedding guestbook reminds me of it.

However, do not be fooled into thinking that you can slip into Heaven without signing in and enjoy yourself there. I'm sure there will be people who will forget to sign their name in my wedding guestbook this Saturday, but they will still be able to take a seat and watch me and my groom enter into a covenant marriage. They will still be welcome. But with God's guestbook, however, it does not work that way. No one can slip in late and have a place in Heaven. No one can get in without their name written in His book. And unlike a wedding where you can write your own name, in Heaven, Jesus does the writing. If He knows you, if He has called you and you have answered, if you have cried out to Him and accepted God the Son into your life, then your name is written by the hand of God.....not by your own doing.

I hope your name is written in God's Guestbook. If not, it can be! Don't wait. Do not hesitate. Jesus wants you to join Him. All of Heaven is praying you will come. All you have to do is call upon the name of God and accept His saving grace.

And then when the roll is called up yonder, you will be there.

Revelation 20:15

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

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