Whether you know it or not, you are living for something. You are choosing to bow down to, and you’re worshipping something. What are you worshipping?
The only time you can make a difference is now, be faithful with your todays. Dream for the future, learn from the past, but live in the present.
I made this blog because a photo of my husband and I has gone viral on the internet. I wanted to share the story behind the photo for the hundreds of thousands of people who found inspiration through this sweet moment we had.
The Story Behind the Photo
Moments before I was to walk down the aisle my soon to be mother in law came in the dressing room where my bridesmaids and I were all gushing with giggles and fluttering about finishing last minute details.
“Sweetheart, your groom has called for you!”.
In a nervous tizzy I said, “What?! I’m not ready! I have to get my shoes and…” She had already taken my hand and led me to a corner, where my groom was waiting. I barely sat down; I was filled with so much anticipation! So much excitement! So many nerves!
“Is he going to like my dress? Does my hair look pretty? Can he see me?!”
Right around the corner sat my soon to be husband, I so was nervous he might see me yet secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of him. In my excited state I was the first to speak,
“Hi sweetie! We’re getting married today!”
“I know baby and I want to pray with you before we do.”
There we sat around the corner hand in hand, and together we bowed our heads. People were rushing about; the wedding coordinator directing people here and there, the photographers snapping photos and the bridal party enjoying each others company. Yet in that moment, in the quietness of our hearts and minds, my husband and I were alone in the presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
My husband prayed that God would bless our marriage, that through thick or thin together we would never lose hope in one another. That instead of focusing on each others imperfections we would always rely on Christ’s perfection. That we would wake up every day and chose to love one another not through our own strength but by the power of Christ’s perfect love.
With our hands clenched tightly to one another together we said “Amen”, both with shaky voice and just like that I was whisked away to blot the tears off my face and put on my veil.
After my bridesmaids, mother, mother-in-law and every other girl in the room had finished zipping, curling, tucking and blushing me up I looked in the mirror. There I stood wearing my pure white wedding dress, ready to walk down the aisle to my Prince Charming.
See, he is not only my Prince Charming because of his incredibly handsome looks, or wonderful humor, or the fact that we have so much in common. He is my Prince Charming because he helped me protect the most precious gift that I owned, my purity.
Soon after we had started dating I nervously told my Prince that I was a virgin and planned to be until the night of my wedding; to which he replied he would have it no other way.
Throughout our dating relationship and engagement we constantly fought, what at times felt like a losing battle. We fought temptation with prayer, scripture and accountability. I had friends checking up on me if they knew we were together late at night and he regularly met with other Godly men to pray for strength. At times, especially as the wedding grew closer, we thought we were attempting to do the impossible.
“Why are we doing this?” I would ask in my weakness, and he would remind me, that it’s because God had told us too.
“I can’t do it, I can’t… this is too hard!” he would confess to me and I would pray for his strength.
When I walked down the aisle in my white dress, I looked straight into the eyes of the man that had laid himself down to protect and honor the wife that God had given him.
When his eyes first caught mine he looked into the face of the woman that had waited for him, the woman that would support him and love him for the rest of His life, through good times and bad.
I share all of this because in that prayer we prayed, which was captured here on camera we asked the Lord to use our wedding to bring Him all of the glory that He rightfully deserved. We had not gotten where we were by our own strength, but by His hand of protection on our relationship.
God has used this photo to inspire hundreds of thousands of people already and for that we are humbled and honored! I wanted to take it a step further and give God praise and thanks for how we arrived at that quiet corner, holding hands and ready to begin our lives together.
(photo by the incredible Kim Burke, www.kdburkephotography.com)
(Was blessed with a free room at MBS hotel last Thursday by my aunt. (:
I awoke on Friday morning, took the lift up to the 57 level - bible, journal, and poetry book in hand. And I sat on the deck, overlooking this beautiful city that I can proudly call home.)
You are YHWH.
The city bustles,
as its people tussle.
It’s unending,
this demand for pretending.
Why,
have we allowed life to slip by,
this fountain of life that’s became dry.
Where money’s god,
and promotion the lord,
and You have been ungratefully ignored.
But You are YHWH,
the light in sky’s grey.
You,
the depth of ocean’s blue,
the constant in a rainbow’s hue.
The beat in every heart’s red,
Not faint, but radiant instead.
You are God of this City.
Really blessed to have you girls in my life. :’)
No Condemnation
by Amanda Grace Teo.
You’re sitting at the back row in service, and just as you were about to get into your ‘worship mode’ and raise your hands to worship, a man walks in. He’s new, you realise very quickly. He isn’t dressed well, he carries a subtle stench of wet grass mixed with nicotine, and he has bruises on his arms. What is your first reaction?
After the service, he decides that he should join a cell group for young adults just as the pastor recommended for every newcomer. How coincidentally, he appears in your cell group on the next Friday night. He begins to share, at a level of vulnerability that none of the other guys in cell group has ever shared. He shares about his past, the way he manipulated, abused and hurt people. He confesses his addiction to cigarettes, alcohol and pornography. He shares that he has lost everything in life – family, money, friends, job and a home.
The men in the group are shifting in their chairs, their glares shifting you’re your leader to each other. They’re uncomfortable because most of your sharing time only went as deep as, ‘I’m not doing well with my wife…she’s just too controlling.’ You begin to observe that some are looking at this man, up and down, repetitively as he speaks. Your peripheral vision reveals that your leader takes out the bible and starts finding a verse, with his lips pursed tight. And then there’s you.
After a month of going to church and cell group every week, the man leaves. No goodbyes, no last notes, nothing. What do you do then?
Are you thankful that such a man has left your group? Are you silently glad that you wouldn’t have to put up with his stench and his incessant talk about his sins, because honestly, you’re afraid that you’ve to reveal yours soon too? Are you curious to find out where he would be? Are you breaking on the inside because a child of God has left your church and your connect group, without finding true Godly love, because all that he received were words of advice of how to quit and how to overcome his overwhelming obstacles?
We are not called to judge. We often see the plank in our neighbours’ eyes so easily, and being good friends, we do our best to help them remove that plank. But we don’t take time to stare at ourselves in the eye, and ask God for His mercy and grace because the plank in our eyes are far greater.
Unbelievers cannot stop sinning, because they have not received the forgiveness and grace of God to turn away. Believers can, but choose to continuing sinning despite being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to turn away from it.
Don’t correct a sinner’s action but lead him to fix his eyes on Jesus.
Don’t try to change their hearts because that’s God’s job. Just love them.
Written: 4 April 2013
Source: You Are My Wild
Advertisement - Baby Dance.
SUPER CUTE.
The Last Part
“Being the best friend sometimes takes a twist when the word “forever” gets involved. Is “forever” just a word? Or is it something that makes that last part of being BFFs, something totally special.”
Colossians 3:17
Honour
by Amanda Teo for Kingdom Call Camp 2013
According to the Oxford dictionary,
Honour is to have high respect for or to hold in high esteem.
But more than that, I reckon that honour is far greater than just respect.
We always say, if you want respect, you’ve got to earn it.
But can I also say, that we should all, openly and abandonly honour each other without having to earn it.
In Romans 12 verse 10 it says
Be devoted to one another in love. Honour each other above yourselves.
Honour isn’t just a passing compliment,
Or a gesture of love and encouragement.
Honour isn’t just given in convenience,
And taken back in an anger’s instance. Honour isn’t recognising someone in public,
And rejecting them when you find out they’re alcoholics.
Because honour?
Honour isn’t about…you.
Honour is given despite who he is or what he has done.
Honour is about valuing others more than yourself,
Seeing others higher than ourselves.
Honour is treating someone with integrity,
No matter who they are, to see them with dignity.
Honour is an outstretched arm of unconditional love and an overflow of God’s grace.
Because Jesus honoured us.
Jesus honoured…you.
We do not deserve to have Christ value our lives above His.
We did not work or earn His love, and that is His grace.
But God chose, He chose to see value and potential in us.
That despite our faults, failures and earthly lust,
He counted us worthy for His death on the cross.
What is honour?
Honour is the heart you carry in you,
Honour is choosing to extend love and acceptance, in everything you do.
Honour is the opposite of judging someone based on his actions,
And the synonym of looking for the best in him, a strength extraction.
Honour, honour should be found in the house of our King.
In His Kingdom where people are searching and seeking.
Where God has called us to love and honour each other,
Where God’s Kingdom…
HIS kingdom…calls.
Secrets
One of the things I really love and look forward to everyday:
Sharing secrets with God! (:
It’s so exciting, hahaha, seriously! Just the little moments when I get a revelation from Him, or when I give pieces of my heart to God, and He just says “Okay, this is just between us all right? Don’t tell it to anyone else.” Or when I come across a verse, video, sermon, or a song that spoke so much to me, and I’m about to share it online and God says, “I showed that to you, for you. Don’t just give it away to others through Facebook or your blog. It’s yours to keep and savour.”
WOW.
Really encourage and challenge you to share with secrets with Him too! Because it’s only in intimacy that secrets are found. (:
Still in search of mine.
