Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I am not sure that there is anything better in terms of promoting a positive message – especially one for the future – than a wedding where the young people in question are all bright, beautiful, hopeful and committed to living their faith out loud.

This particular marriage, coming just a few days after the maelstrom of negativity surrounding the election season, was the kind of shot in the arm we all need and a reminder of what is really important in life.

The nuptials featured our niece Jordan (Alexander), her now husband Bobby (Bennett), the Alexander side of Rebekah’s family, and a delightful cohort of enthusiastic young adults who know how to have a lot of wild and crazy fun but all in a spirit of decency and love and joy.

Rebekah and I talked with a lot of them, and there was a ton of genuine belief and confidence and promise in the room.

And here is the thing. The belief, the confidence, the promise, the sense of hope, the light and the joy are all rooted in the tangible and reliable fact of God’s promises in and through Jesus.

God’s promises are not only true but they are actionable. In other words, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to live victorious lives in response to the Good News message of light and love.

We can smile and laugh and clap our hands all we like, but unless we take that light and life into the streets and live into the truth of it with convincing belief, employing the kind of love outlined in the above scripture then…. well it would just be religion wouldn’t it? and not much at all to do with faith.

In love, and because the Jesus quality of love compels us to live – DEREK