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| Ben and Courtney, bride and groom. |
There was quite a wedding this weekend. Yesterday, Jason Phillips, the Seattle Mariners' bullpen catcher, married Molly Ray in the bullpen at Safeco Field after his team's game versus the Reds. It was a small affair with only forty or so guests but it seemed a natural location for the ceremony, the place where Phillips makes his living. The real story is how they met. A year ago in May, Jason noticed Molly in the stands during a game and mentioned her to his bullpen mates. They urged him to make contact with the young lady. He said he would under one condition: the game had to go into extra innings. Sure enough, Mariner Kenji Johjima hit a ninth inning home run to send the game into extra innings where the Mariners finally beat Oakland in the fifteenth. True to his word, Jason wrote his name and phone number on a baseball and threw it up to Molly. When he returned to the clubhouse, he found a message from Molly on his cell phone. A date led to others which led to the altar, I mean the bullpen. Don't we wish it was that easy? It didn't say in the news accounts if Kenji Johjima was a groomsman but without his heroics, no date and no wedding. No doubt, that was the most clutch home run of Johjima's career!
There was another wedding this weekend which did not receive quite as much attention but was no less noteworthy. In Henryetta, Oklahoma, my nephew, Ben Hawley, married Courtney Jenson in her front yard overlooking a lake. (Henryetta, a scenic town of 6000, is best known as the home of legendary football quarterback, Troy Aikman.) About two hundred fifty friends and relatives watched as this young couple pledged their love in the sight of man and God. Ben's brother, Zach, did a brilliant job officiating, mixing humor and memories, the sanctity of the day and the depth of Courtney and Ben's love for each other and the Lord. In the crowd were old folks and children, the middle aged and newborns. I was impressed with the way the two families seamlessly worked together for the benefit of their offspring. The two families have this in common- Christ is at the center of their lives and on Saturday evening, the world got a peek at the next generation of both sides. It was a glorious glimpse. Ben is halfway though med school at OU and Courtney will begin her teaching career in August. One will save lives and one will change lives.... and the world will be a better place because of this union which both sets of parents have been praying for over the course of two decades. If you believe in the power of prayer, this truly was a match made in heaven. No internet compatability sites or baseball ice breakers, just the Lord answering the petitions of moms and dads. That's the best dating service ever.
Applicable quote of the day:
''A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short.''
Andre Maurois
To hear Paul Stookey's immortal, The Wedding Song, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1v84WKC6Pg
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
There was another wedding this weekend which did not receive quite as much attention but was no less noteworthy. In Henryetta, Oklahoma, my nephew, Ben Hawley, married Courtney Jenson in her front yard overlooking a lake. (Henryetta, a scenic town of 6000, is best known as the home of legendary football quarterback, Troy Aikman.) About two hundred fifty friends and relatives watched as this young couple pledged their love in the sight of man and God. Ben's brother, Zach, did a brilliant job officiating, mixing humor and memories, the sanctity of the day and the depth of Courtney and Ben's love for each other and the Lord. In the crowd were old folks and children, the middle aged and newborns. I was impressed with the way the two families seamlessly worked together for the benefit of their offspring. The two families have this in common- Christ is at the center of their lives and on Saturday evening, the world got a peek at the next generation of both sides. It was a glorious glimpse. Ben is halfway though med school at OU and Courtney will begin her teaching career in August. One will save lives and one will change lives.... and the world will be a better place because of this union which both sets of parents have been praying for over the course of two decades. If you believe in the power of prayer, this truly was a match made in heaven. No internet compatability sites or baseball ice breakers, just the Lord answering the petitions of moms and dads. That's the best dating service ever.
Applicable quote of the day:
''A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short.''
Andre Maurois
To hear Paul Stookey's immortal, The Wedding Song, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1v84WKC6Pg
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
1 comment:
Good luck to both sets of brides and grooms.
Pleased you had a good time.
Have a lovely day.
Yvonne.
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