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Saturday, January 29th, 7:30pm. Bryan Griffin & Rachael Jetter united in their new life together as husband and wife and are now Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Griffin. What’s even more cool than that to me was that they had asked me to perform their wedding for them.

Bryan and Rachael have been friends of Stephanie and I ever since we moved into our new home a year and a half ago. They had built the home just next door. Since then, we have been as close as neighbor’s can be. While Bryan had beat me this past year as most athletic dad on the block, I took him on the greenest lawn on the block. He’s cleaned my gutters and I’ve done the weed trimming around his house. Bryan and Rachael have had us over for dinner and Stephanie and I have had them over. Our kids enjoy playing together. All of these are your typical neighborly things that most people share.

Bryan and Rachael are more than your typical neighbor’s though. They are very kind and caring individuals. This past summer, I was facing the decision to take the plung and to apply for a full time minstry position or if I should focus my efforts in the insurance industry and continue to do the ministry I do now. I enjoyed talking with Bryan about some of the thoughts that were going through my head at the time.

It wasn’t too long ago that Bryan and Rachael approached me and asked if I would be willing to perform their wedding. I’ll be honest with everyone… I don’t like to do weddings. I don’t do many of them so I am often as nervious on the platform as the couple that stands in front of me. However, when Bryan and Rachael asked, I couldn’t refuse. I wanted to be a part of their special day!

Just two weeks ago, I sat down with Bryan and Rachael to discuss their decision. I wrote an etire blog entry about that night and about their baptism the following weekend. I’m so excited that they have committed to have God be at the center of their relationship together as husband and wife.

I almost forgot, this past summer, I also became Bryan and Rachael’s insurance agent. WOW! So I’ve had the priviledge of gaining Bryan and Rachael’s trust as they have come to me for their insurance needs, their spiritual needs, and asked that I be a huge part of the most important day of their new life together.

What awesome neighbors they are. Want to see some pictures from the wedding? >>>> Read the rest of this entry »

Question: How do you tell your five year old daughter that her four year old friend from school has just passed away? Do you even tell her at all? Do you assume that she would eventually stop asking about why her friend doesn’t come to school anymore? How do you tell her without scaring her?

I’ve been praying about these questions the past few weeks. I suppose the answer could be different for each parent. If you don’t have an Eternal Perspective on life, it may seem impossible! For me, the answer came… You tell her the truth. You pray for wisdom on how to tell her. You are gentle, loving, caring, and remain aware of every emotion and expression that she shows. You hold her. You love her. And you tell her in a gentle way that actually brings relief and gladness.

The pictures below show my daughter, Meagan, and her classmates from Kid’s Academy Pre-School. I’ve altered both pictures as to highlight Meagan and her friend Carmen.

I recall when Meagan started school, she was so excited about all the new friends she made. She would come home and tell me about her day and all the girls she played with. A name that came up often was Carmen. I believe it was some time last year that Stephanie told me that Meagan’s friend Carmen had been diagnosed with cancer. My heart sunk as I learned about her situation. Read the rest of this entry »

This past week has been an awesome reminder of what it was that first called me into ministry. In two weeks, on January 29th, my friends Bryan Griffin and Rachael Jetter are getting married. They have asked if I would perform their wedding ceremony for them. Monday of this past week, I had the opportunity to sit down with them before the wedding to discuss marriage and what it takes to have a successful one.

We talked about “oneness” in marriage and how that is only possible if God is at the center of who they are individually and as a couple. We uncovered the fact that both Bryan & Rachael believed in God but had quite a few questions about what it means to be a “Christian” or Christ Follower.

Before the end of the evening, they had both overwhelmingly agreed that they wanted to have God at the center of their relationship and they wanted to make an official commitment to following Christ prior to their wedding day.

This Sunday, Bryan and Rachael joined First Church and I had the awesome privilege of introducing them to the church and baptizing them. I know that this was a very important week in their lives and something that they will always remember.

It was also a very important week for me. It was a reminder that ministry is not a giant to do list of administration. Having that discussion on Monday evening in their living room… Seeing the light bulb go off in their eyes… Watching two people accept Christ as their Lord and then immediately ask for a public baptism. That is the whole reason why I do what I do in ministry.

Bryan & Rachael, I want to thank you guys for your friendship, your faith, and your obedience to Christ in doing what you know in your heart is right. I feel confident that your marriage will last and I’m looking forward to doing your wedding more than probably any other wedding I’ve ever performed.

Moving into our new home has been such a blessing in so many ways. Only God knew ahead of time that we would meet such wonderful friends!

In Christ,
Cliff

Here are some pictures from the baptism…