Our Daugther's Wedding Day

Our daughter's wedding was a wedding created with Christ at the center and dedicated to our heavenly Father on October 24th in the year of our Lord, 2009. I find it very interesting that Sadie's Great Grandmother, Sadie Bertha Bartsch's, wedding certificate to Jacob Bartsch from Cottonwood County in the State of Minnesota is recorded like this:

I hereby certify that on the 19th day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and thirty three at the home in said County. The undersigned, a minister of the gospel did join in the holy bonds of Matrimony according to the laws of this State. Jacob H. Bartsch ...and Sadie Bertha Wiegold...

Imagine, in these days how much the State of Minnesota would get attacked for having certificates that imply that marriage in such a Christ centered event...in the year of OUR LORD!

I'm thankful that here in America we can still rent a ballroom and have a Christ-centered Wedding between to followers of Jesus Christ. Two families in Jesus coming together. What a wonderful day it was. One of the highlights definately was having a first communion with Sadie and Ethan as a new family unit. The six of us, Ethan's parents and us along with the newlyweds broke the bread symbolizes Christ body and shared the "cup" symbolizing Jesus' shed blood for us. We actually dipped the bread in the cup, eat in remembrance of Him. Then the Father's prayed and Pastor Jeff closed the prayer as we all wept in thanksgiving to Him for bringing not only our "kids" together as one, but for what Christ did for all of us that have accepted his death on a cross as our salvation for eternal life. What a day of rejoicing that will be.

Then, there was the reception next door in the ballroom. Dancing, cake cutting, pink flowers and pink twinkle lights, a candy table with a Bridal shot with Sadie's favorite Grand Champion Chicken Mary on the it, food, fellowship and Bridesmaid's dancing! Sounds like a party to me.

What does America think is funny?

As I was ironing a table cloth today I was listening the TV. It announced upcoming shows for fall on the ABC network, with the catch phrase "Laugh with America" on ABC or something to that effect. The very next clip was a show in which the mother character says to someone younger than them, "You can ask any question you want?" To which the young lady replies back, "How many men have you slept with?" I stopped my ironing to look up at the TV in dismay, wondering "Why does AMERICA think that is funny?"



I went on to hear Actor Chris Rice talk of his new documentary on the VIEW. His documentary shows how black women spends millions of dollars each year on their hair and that in comparison with percentages is much higher than white women. Why that is worth documenting I'm not sure, but he then made a statement regarding David Letterman's recent plight of having affairs with his staff - If people make you angry you can call the police, if the but if you make your wife angry, "There ain't no one you can call!"



Which makes me think of this past few months and how we have worked with many couples to help resolves the "issues" they have between them that has stiffled thier marriage happiness.

Our 2nd Daughter to Marry

Our middle daughter and 3rd child in the birth order, Sadie Elizabeth, will marry her first and only boyfriend, from her Jr. High youth group, Ethan Hall. We are thrilled to celebrate this union October 24, 2009. They started their courtship last fall with a phone call to Roger from Ethan to court and seek to marry his daughter. The have bought an adorable little home in the heart of Omaha and are ready for a lifetime of love & commitment to one another In Christ.

The Silent Year...and one month

The silent year. Is this similar to the 400 silent years between the old and the new testament or maybe the 40 years that Israelites wander in the wilderness? To that I am not sure. I just know that our ministry has taken a huge turn since our last post in August of 2008.


We now find ourselves in the middle of New Membership classes at a new "Missionally Focused" church that meets in the center of our city, 30 minutes for our property. The end of January 2009 we felt very confident to leave the church we had been attending for 7 years. It was so neat how God defined our leaving within one single moment. It was an answer to prayer that God let us see beyond a shadow of a doubt to understand that our teaching and leading to the fact the marriage is a VERY spiritual institution, became the polar opposite of the way the church we were attending saw ministering to marriages. Are they wrong? Not necessarily, we just were confident God was taking us out.


Since leaving behind the marriage ministry that God allowed us to build at a local church 20 couples thus far, have called, emailed or come to us asking for marriage help. Help either in premarital coaching, direction, mentoring or most of the time, "crisis" help. Many marriage have come to us on their last leg. Many very close to ending. It has been no only a privilege but a blessing to see some of the marriages we have worked with see actual miracles happen in their marriages. God has helped us to help them unlock hearts and reconnect them in a way only Jesus forgiveness and abundant grace and healing can repair.

Isaiah 58:8 (New International Version)
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard

With that being said, (A true Mark Driscoll cliche') we have been doing lot's a marriage mentoring. We are also working slowly toward starting a faith based non-profit marriage ministry. We hope this ministry will help serve our very first vision..."To see the decrease of divorce in our local communities." PRAISE God he is directing our path. More news to come.