Two become One

As of August 15, 2008, I am officially married. Here are the vows that I wrote:

Jody, 2,000 years ago God saved you and I from our sins and his wrath by sending his son for us. Christ lived the life that I ought to have and should live, and died the death that I ought to have died. What more can I say then I thank God for saving you and me. By his grace and patience, through our good times and bad times, God has brought us here to this point. So I know what you desire from me and I will vow it to you. And that is to follow and continue to trust in God and his grace. And it is by his grace that I vow to love you. I will love you with everything I have, and I will fight to love you more and more. With Christ as my example, I will strive and push to love you graciously, and not based on conditions. I will strive to love you sacrificially, by providing and protecting you and putting you first, above me. I will strive to love redemptively, loving and helping you become an increasingly more beautiful bride, by Christ being glorified in you. I will strive to love you with understanding, with patience, perseverance and humility willing to know and understand you more and more. I will strive to love you with honor. And with Christ leading me, I will lead you with love. These vows, that I have given you leaves a pretty high standard for myself, and so I am left desperate and in need of help. But I praise God for that help can only come from the cross. Jody, I can love and lead you because, and only because, Christ first loved me, and I praise God for that. And I hope and know that in our future together, starting now, until we get wrinkly, and up being called to glory, that Christ and knowing Christ, will bring us to the end. I love you Jody.