33 days to go... why is this taking so long?!?

Well, the countdown is progressing, though slowly, and things are starting to come together. Naomi has been doing a whole ton of work getting things ready for the wedding. I don't know how she does it all. I try to help when I can, but living this far away makes it seem like my involvement is somewhat limited. Even if I was living closer, I suppose there would still be things that I wouldn't be too much help at, like picking flowers and color schemes and such...

This last weekend was great. It actually was pretty busy with 'stuff', but the times we did have to just hang out and enjoy each others company was good. God gave us some good times of talking and learning and sharing, and that was great! God has been showing us both how awesome of a plan He had when He designed a man and a woman to come together and be able to support, love, cherish, teach, nurture, and understand each other. Marriage is going to be incredible, when we can express fully the love God has given us for each other.

So many times over the last nine months He has used one of us to meet the needs of the other through His grace and power. Each time it amazes me. So many things that I never even realized I was lacking have been met through Naomi's love and care for me. She encourages me, loves me, gently refuses to let me slip into the 'easy' way of living life, and shows me God's beauty and love in the things she says and does. She gives me opportunities to lead, to serve, and to see God at work in our lives. She stays with me even when I don't get things right the first time. She loves me despite everything, and that love can come only from a perfect Creator who designed us each to be exactly right for each other.

Another really neat opportunity God gave me this weekend was couched in a difficult situation for me. I have been praying for boldness in sharing my faith with others, and while I didn't have that opportunity exactly, He did give me a situation where He showed me His power and grace in speaking up and saying something even though it brought me way outside of my comfort zone. God gave me some words of encouragement for a man I know and respect very much, and it involved questioning a decision that from my perspective didn't seem quite right. I didn't know why God was leading me to say something, and I tried to resist it at first, but God made it pretty clear that I was supposed to speak to him about it. It was pretty scary. Who was I to question this Godly man in an area I felt unqualified to talk about? But I followed the Spirit's leading, and was richly blessed by Him to be able to have an honest and open discussion, and to learn from and grow closer to this man. He explained to me his reasoning and the leading that he was receiving from the Lord for the decision he had made. And God knew all that already, and whether or not anything I said made a difference is for the Lord to know. For me, it is good enough to know that for whatever reason, He wanted me to bring the subject up, and that by His grace I was able to get past my fear and say the words He had given me. It is an amazing thing to be scared silly by something, trust the Lord to provide, and then jump in headfirst. And it is truly a blessing to follow Him no matter where He leads. So maybe the next time God puts someone in my path with whom I can share His Word, I won't be so timid or reluctant to speak up.

Thank you, God, for your work in my life. Thank you for not letting me stay where I'm at, but for constantly leading and drawing me closer to You. I want to serve You with all my heart, and while that isn't always easy, and is never possible on my own strength, You give more grace, more strength, and more peace in the struggle. Thank you for being there in every season of my life, Lord. Thank you for the people you've put in my life to encourage, teach, grow, and love me. You are amazing, my Lord and my King!

39 days and counting

The invitations are mostly in envelopes, now, and should be in the mail soon. Those of you living overseas might not see them for a little while yet, but the rest should start showing up in mailboxes soon. Every day seems to go by slower and slower now... And in some ways, that's good. God still has things to teach us both while we're in this transitory stage of life, and He has definitely been doing that.

We started reading "Your God is too Safe", by Mark Buchanan a few days ago. We've been reading books together off and on since we started dating. Each reading a chapter at a time, and then talking about what we read on the phone at night. We've read "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge, "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge, "Boy Meets Girl" by Joshua Harris, and "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It's a great way to get talking about things that might not normally come up in conversation, and I highly recommend it for any couples out there doing long-distance relationships.

Anyway, in the first few chapters of "Your God is too Safe", Buchanan talks about living in 'the borderland'... that place in life between accepting Christ as one's Savior and plunging whole-heartedly into service of Him and His kingdom. It's a place where I've often felt that I am living. It is especially easy (for me) to fall into the rut of not sharing my faith with the people I interact with every day. Christ calls us to share the Good News with everyone. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19, NIV). That's a command that I fail at each and every day. God doesn't call every Christian to pack up and move to another country to spread the Word, but He does call each of us to witness to those around us. At work, at school, in the grocery store, on the bus. There are so many opportunities that I miss because of fear of what people will think of me, fear of rejection or scorn, or fear of making myself look foolish.

God has really been digging into this area of my life of late. Partly through reading this book, and also through my study of the Word each day and my quiet times with Him. I have a horrible track record so far, but I need to start somewhere. I just don't know where. I could really use some prayer for this. Thanks.

Lord, please give me the opportunities to share your Light with the world, and the boldness to say the words you give me. Let me not rely on my own strength or purpose, but to depend solely on You for each word that comes out of my mouth. Lord, take my pride, turn it into humility to serve in each and every way you would have me do. I desire to serve you, Lord, and yet I know that I don't have the capacity within myself for even that. I pray for your Spirit in my life to direct and guide my every step, and that every thing I do would serve to further your kingdom here on earth. Let me not fear man, but to fear You and You only, the king and master of my life.

40 Days!

40 days...

The length of time Noah and his family was in the ark, the number of days Matt Sullivan vows to stay celibate in the movie "40 days and 40 nights", the amount of time allowed civil servants in Malaysia for their 'haj' and the duration of Rick Warren's 'Purpose Driven Life' series...

...and...

the current countdown to our wedding!!!!!

Things are starting to come together quickly. Invitations are almost finished and should be in the mail this week, Naomi picks up her wedding dress for the final time tomorrow or Wednesday, we meet with the photographer this Saturday and start going over exactly what we want in that department... this is really happening! Thank you, God!!!!!

I'm still just a tad excited, and really, who wouldn't be? This incredible, wonderful, amazing, gorgeous, talented, sexy woman has agreed to be my wife, and the start of the rest of our lives is just around the corner!

So, yeah... I'm a happy man.

If you haven't checked it out yet, our wedding website is here, and if you're on Facebook, you can check out Naomi's countdown calendar to 'The first day of being Mrs. VanDoren.'