38th Anniversary

Thank You God for Immeasurable Happy memories and Ripples from Thirty Years of ministry & marriage. Everyday Imagining and Gratefully Hoping for Heaven I am Tuned to Sing your Praise Aug. 23, 1980 I married Jim Mohler at Downey First Baptist Church at 4 in the afternoon. I can remember many details clearly! It was hot and I was recovering from strep throat. I accidentally burned my sister with a hot iron and Wil Triggs drove us to Huntington Beach for a second party before we headed off on our honeymoon. We wrote our own vows. Harold Adams and Jerry Martin married us and there was a sea of people who loved us almost as much as we loved all of them. That was 38 years ago. Again I am reminded of the difference one decision can make. If a stone is dropped into water along a quiet lake, a ripple forms that becomes larger and larger. The ripples are so much greater than the original impact of that single stone. The water ripples are like the impact of a single decision. When we made the decision to marry each other, we did it out of hopeful love. We had no clue what impact that decision would make on either of our lives; how could we?! But that decision created 2 human beings who are creating their own ripple effects. It impacted the trajectory of our lives and ministry.  It created waves of blessing and friendship. My takeaway on this 38th anniversary of that single decision is that everything matters and has an impact on someone, somewhere, even those I don’t know. What the world needs is those who will make some mighty waves. The students we have loved, the colleagues we have ministered with, the friends we have played with, the children we have raised all have been part of the ripple effect initiated by that first decision as we were part of other ripples before and beside us! It is not a question or whether or not any single decision will make a difference, rather it is what kind of difference will that one decision makes? It is my prayer that the ripples of our marriage will continue to send out immeasurable waves of grace, loving-kindness, joy, hope and Christlike forgiveness. Lord, I thank you for the privilege of making a splash with Jim for the Kingdom. What a joyful and refreshing ride it has been. Amen.