Happy Birthday To My Bride

18 years ago I met my future bride at a prayer meeting. What better place to meet your bride, right?  I knew from the moment I saw her that she was unique, not only beautiful on the outside (she is), but on the inside also. For the next few months I pursued her, and she ignored me. After a while though, she got tired of rejecting me, and we began to spend time together

In those early days I knew this was the women for me. She was stunning, loved the Lord with all her heart, and radiated kindness and love. She was everything I was looking for, and as I would discover over the years, so much more.

After a year of dating we were married, officially making me the luckiest man on the planet.  Life sped up, ministry happened, and we started adding kids to the mix. We started a church together and have experienced incredible blessings in our marriage, family, and ministry.

Today, Lori celebrates her birthday. I celebrate that she was born, and that God brought her into my life.  After 17 years of marriage, I simply enjoy her more every day. She’s more beautiful than the day I met her. She’s grown so much in the Lord and her ministry skill, she has no clue how much her spiritual maturity encourages those around her. She’s given me 4 incredible children and nurtured them in every way; she’s an awesome mom! She’s my partner in ministry and is a huge reason why Palm Valley Church is what it is today.  Her patience, strength and grace have helped me weather some huge storms in ministry; without her I doubt I would have made it.

So today I celebrate my bride, Lori. I love you honey, and pray that today and every day you will know how much you mean to me. I pray that God will bless you with everything your heart desires, because I know that your desires are wrapped in your identity and mission in Christ. I look forward to the days we have ahead and thank you for choosing to walk them with me. Happy Birthday!!