– Footage by Grant & Kailee Dennis
– Editing by Caleb Darnell
Music Credit:
Wait on You – Instrumental – draw close
keep my heart tender – Beau Maddox
Flesh of My Flesh – John Lucas
All Your’n – Tyler Childers
Run It! – Chris Brown (feat. Julez Santana)
Industry Baby – Lil Nas X
Fraulein – Colter Wall (feat. Tyler Childers)
Can She Have This Dance – Drew Baldridge
Taste And See – John Mark Pantana
No Longer Bound – Forrest Frank (feat. Hulvey & Chandler Moore)
[Music] a [Music] [Music] a [Music] one two [Music] [Applause] [Music] 3 we all just turned all the way around [Music] girl [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] one 2 3 go [Music] [Music] n [Music] you’re so sweet hi thank you look so good sweet I’m sorry I have to do this see it they can I do it no you’re a beautiful bride on you you look so nice I know I kind of look the same but you look amazing you look great sweet wow we’re doing it yeah it looks beautiful Anya your dress is perfect thank you yeah it’s perfect I feel like a princess can I can you turn I want to see you oh the back is wonderful and and your mosquito bites from last night didn’t even show up that’s good okay oh I have a gift for you you do I have a gift first don’t look yet okay dude it’s nice that’s so I know I feel tingly oh I saw a little bit of it here oh open the first page you’re so sweet they’re just little letters can I guess you yeah my vow to Anya Anya for Buckle in this is like eight pages long from this moment forward you will be my wife and I promise to honor you and love you in faithfulness until the day that I die you look so beautiful today these last three years of our relationship have flown by loving you is so easy and you are truly everything I could have ever wanted in a woman you make my life feel like an adventure and I cannot wait for the actual Adventures we will go on in the future committing my life to you feels so natural and this moment has been a long time coming we’ve come so far to get to this altar we’ve endured so much pain experienced so much struggle and loss and given countless hours to deciding how to walk faithfully and yet despite our struggles we have been lifted up by the Hands of Christ we have been surrounded by so many people who have loved us served us and prayed for us Like Jesus Does and on the other side of these struggles our hearts are now more full and unified than we could have ever imagined despite my imperfections as your partner God has been so gentle to let me keep loving you and now by his grace he is letting me marry my best friend and as your best friend I promise to watch over your heart in a way that makes these loved ones before us feel secure they can rest knowing that where your heart calls home is a safe place I’m not a perfect partner you know my struggle is better than anyone you have prayed for me and wept for me you have loved me through my faults more graciously than I deserve you are the light of my life and when I see your face it radiates the joy and beauty of my savior when I look at you I remember that life can be lived to the fullest and when I see your smile I am filled with gratitude that God lets me be your friend when I hold you at night I’m given a peace that could not be replicated by anyone the thought of losing my sweet Ona Joy is a thought that brings me to my knees in grief I vow to never let anything or anyone come between us because if I do I can expect the wrath of Mama D from this day forward you will bear my name you will be my home and my family and my safe space and I will be your home and family and shelter but as your husband I take the impossible task of representing Christ’s perfect love for you and while I can hope uh and while I hope to remind you of Christ I can never be Christ For You I Will Fail you and we will need to continually lean on Christ to keep this Covenant going as I ultimately fail you I vow to fall at the feet of Jesus and lead us in Remembering our need for him I will need to be reminded of these vows daily in our marriage which is why my ring contains the inscription of Hosea 219 which reads from this day forward I will make you my wife forever showing you righteousness and Justice unfailing love and compassion and I will be faithful to you and make you mine and you will know the Lord today is our wedding day and our wedding day also happens to fall on the first evening of the day of atonement today we are made as we are made one with one another let us remember how Christ has made us one with God and let us strive for unity Daily as Christ pursues us even when we’re undeserving and as I read you the following promises I pray that God sustains Me by his grace to uphold them and that we can look back on these when we are old and gray and see that he was faithful to do so first I promise to plant you in good soil provide plenty of sunlight to always make sure you have water sorry that I always confuse you for my house plant instructions my bad now see did the joke land um first I promise to always love you and be gentle towards you I promise to care for you as God has called a man to serve his wife I promise to always be there when you need me I promise to even be there when you don’t need me I promise to diligently discern when to speak and when to listen and when to lead and when to follow I promise to remain sensitive to your needs and communicate my own needs openly and honestly I promise to not allow our desires as a couple to take priority over God’s desires for us as a couple I promise to bring us to God In Prayer if we ever need counseling I promise to eagerly pursue it with you I promise to fight for you and not against you I promise to forsake all others I promise to affirm you of the beauty that I see within you every day and I promise to stick by your side as your partner and your friend for rich or for poor in sickness and in Health For Better or For Worse until the Lord calls me home Above All Else Ana Joy I promise to be your best friend and never forsake you I love you and it is my greatest joy to become your husband I love you first I drew a little thing she made it pretty read I can’t read it hold on yes you can okay I do this twice you wrote it you wrote it in English right I used to write little poems when my emotions were too big to understand and most of my poems were about the love that was growing towards you one of my first poems was October 15th 2020 just one month before we officially became a couple and I wrote sh I wrote I don’t know what falling in love is like but I think this is it I’d be content in the Simplicity of forever loving you and Caleb I want you to know that I truly am content in the Simplicity of loving you what I thought I felt back then has only deepened and become more certain over the years that’s true see um and now with all my heart I can confidently say that I know what falling in love feels like and I know that this right here is it in you I find a love that fills my soul with hope and joy I see the remarkable man that you are becoming your unwavering pursuit of freedom in Christ and the way the spirit flows through you I’m overwhelmed with the certainty that our lives are meant to be shared I confess that I’ve been hesitant of vows and commitment fearing the vulnerability that it demands but when I look into your eyes and feel the gentle reassurance of your touch my heart opens up and I can’t help but offer my deepest vows to you you’ve shown me that being fully known and fully loved by you is the closest thing to experiencing the love of God and if he’s the safest Refuge I can find then you my love are the next safest place I’ve ever known Caleb my love for you is sincere and deeply int intentional and today I make these vows to you I vow to choose you even when it’s hard I vow to trust you even when I’m unsure I vow to actively pursue and wholeheartedly affirm you I vow to pray for you and cherish every moment with you I vow to forgive you and be humble towards you I vow to draw near in times of division I vow my life to loving you with unwavering devotion additionally I vow to spend my days loving and serving Christ is as it is through him that I can love and serve you and in all the unspoken unthought vows I pray that the Lord remains close to us guiding our steps and nurturing our love I pray that our love for each other glorifies the Lord becoming a testament of our satisfaction in him Caleb Darnell with every kiss you grace me with every day you selflessly sacrifice for me every reassuring word you speak to me and every prayer you lift up for me I feel as though I catch a glimpse of Jesus in you you’re not only my beloved but also my best friend and my greatest gift I could live a thousand lifetimes in a hundred places but none would compare to the beauty and happiness I find in this life with you come on thank you sweetheart that’s so sweet you look so beautiful thank you this dress is sexy yo cheers oh cheers yay my legs are so sweaty oh yeah I bet that’s hot huh it’s hot now yeah okay [Music] said keep my heart tend keep my heart p i beyar pouring out [Music] everything pouring out my heart keep my heart true just like a child I follow after you [Music] doing you just one see you on earth oh that you would have the glory let my life be praised to you [Music] keep my heart tend heart pure I want to be like Mary without alas jar pouring out everything pour it out in everything oh oh that you would have the glory just want to see you [Music] oh you would have the glory let my life be pra [Music] go all the way to un he’s got a sucker for you got [Music] [Music] AER spill I want to be spill I want to go all I want to be spill out I want to be spill out I want to go love [Music] [Music] Flesh of My Flesh born of my [Music] like a story told youve always known you took my breath in the daylight you stole my heart like a thief in the [Music] night today we are joined here to celebrate the union of Ana and Caleb who gives this woman to marry this man we do praise God from the we will rise we dust with love and [Music] never good up till the last few days please remain standing for a brief word of prayer father God we thank you for such a beautiful day as this Lord God I thank you for both of these individuals Ana and Caleb Lord God for their lives Lord God that they know you Lord God and that what is happening now Lord God that they have been called to marriage to be an example of your love for your church well God and we just we just want to pause in the middle of all of the festivity to look to you and just say thank you oh God that you are uh This Moment it’s just a testament that that you uh can make uh broken people Beautiful Lord God that you can make broken things Beautiful Lord God and in the midst of a broken World Lord God you do uh such beautiful things as this and Lord we just stand in awe of all that you’ve done well God and because of what we’ve seen you do already we have hope and Assurance for the the beauty that you will continue to bring out of their marriage going forward and so we just um are so honored to be able to stand around them today family and friends to celebrate them and to acknowledge them Lord God and with a unified voice just say yes we give this woman to marry this man and we look to it and as you would say uh Lord this is a good thing so L we thank you we love you it is in your son Jesus Christ’s name that we pray amen amen you all may be seated oh man today is a special day yes sir Anya Caleb it is such a great honor to stand here with the two of you this evening I remember meeting both of you uh independently at cream and sugar before you were even dating and thinking to myself I bet they’re going to start dating one day and I was right uh and while I was right about that between now and then so much has transpired that I could have never imagined um Caleb I’ve had the honor of watching you grow into the man of God that you are to today uh you have become a dear brother to me you’ve given me the honor of ministering to you you’ve ministered to me I’ve gotten to serve alongside you and what I believe is one of your greatest spiritual qualities that I’ve had the joy of witnessing time and time again brother is that you uh severely kill your sin and you are quick to confess and to repent and to turn from it and I have no doubt that the man standing before me right now is indeed a man after God’s Own Heart Anya my at the time oneyear old son knew you were a jewel even before Caleb did I remember him walking behind the counter at cream and sugar when we first got there and asking you to pick him up and give him a kids cup uh I’m like TSH what are you doing stranger danger and uh maybe he didn’t know you at the time but what I learned about him is he knows good people and indeed you are that’s right you’re so very dear to The Ragin family uh you’ve given me the double blessing not only do I get to stand here with you on your special day at your wedding uh but I got to stand with you in baptisma waters as you declared Your Allegiance to Jesus before the world and I’ve watched you live in light of that reality every day battling sin clinging to Jesus in difficulty humbling yourself before the Lord and radiating the kind of joy that comes from being the daughter of the king yeah and I have no doubt that the woman standing before me today is indeed a woman after God’s Own Heart I could go on and on about the two of you for a long time but I know that that would be to your shagrin because the highest hope for today that I know both of you have and in the entirety of your marriage is that Jesus Will Be The Sinner and that he be lifted up yeah so let’s lift him up uh Philippians 2:5-11 Paul paints a portrait of Christ’s love and his humil that ought to be true of all believers uh as well single or married and I want to read it and briefly unpack it uh as a form of encouragement to the two of you as you begin your life together it reads have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on the cross therefore God is highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father this is the reading of God’s word amen Paul intends this picture to be the impetus for Christian humility and unity two characteristics that are invaluable in a marriage the call is literally to have this picture which is yours in Christ in the Forefront of your mind and your dealings with one another shout out citizens Church sermon series um Timothy killer points to this very picture in his book The Meaning of Marriage listen to his words of wisdom he says we must say to ourselves something like this well when Jesus looked down from the cross he didn’t think I’m giving myself to you because you are so attractive to me no he was in agony and he looked down at us denying him abandoning him and betraying him and in the greatest act of love in history he stayed he said father forgive them they don’t know what they are doing he loved us not because we were lovely to him but to make us lovely that is why I’m going to love my spouse speak to your heart like that and then fulfill the promise you were make you’ve made on your wedding day and he goes on to say the gospel is this we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope you see having this mind which is yours in Christ isn’t a theoretical idea but a practical posture that you are invited to assume every single day of your life often people may think of marriage as being two halves coming together and making a whole that’s a false picture Others May think of marriage as to perfect or near perfect people coming together and making a Powerhouse and this too is false in reality the quintessential marriage is two broken Sinners wholly submitted and committed to Jesus promising to love one another the way they’ve learned love from him a love that is sacrificial IAL and gentle and committed to truth and abounding in grace and mercy the kind of love that partners with God in making your spouse lovely today Caleb and Ana in the presence of your family and friends you are committing your lives to this very kind of love you’re not committing to perfect bliss or Perpetual emotional high but to sober-minded decisive action from a humble disposition towards each other and I don’t mean that to sound cold and unfilling you must and you will feel and yet decisive commitment Covenant Love as the Bible calls it will keep you when your feelings won’t you see there will be inevitable times when you will not feel like loving your spouse this way and all the married people in the room said but your failure to feel does not release you from the requirement of Covenant love when you do not feel kind you must be kind when you do not feel gentle you must be gentle when you don’t feel patient you must still be patient and the list goes on the world will tell you that this is to be fake and to ignore your feelings but the Bible will tell you that this is being like Jesus and upholding your commitment yes which does not ignore but forms your feelings the more you follow Christ’s example in action the more you develop his character and heart so it is an extending to and receiving from one another Covenant Love by the power of the spirit that you get to participate in one another’s sanctification what a high call and a humbling honor today is not only Caleb and Ana’s wedding day as Caleb pointed out but it is Yom kapor uh if you aren’t familiar it’s a Jewish holiday um and not just any holiday but their holiest holiday that remembers and celebrates the atonement for sins what a reminder for us today that each of you are able to extend this kind of mercy and Grace to one another because grace and mercy has first been extended to you this is why the gospel is so essential to marriage from this day forward to G together you have the opportunity to display that kind of gospel love to the world every day and so in order for you to display this kind of love to one another you’ve got to remember some things Anya for you to give Caleb that kind of love you must love Jesus more remembering that on the days he’s not at his best God has placed you in his life to be a constant gospel presence always pointing him back to what’s true and gifting him your love at all times Caleb for you to give Ana this kind of love you must love Jesus more remembering that on the day she’s not at her best God has placed you in her life to be a constant gospel presence always pointing her back to what’s true and gifting her your love at all times because if your love for each other is a gift rooted in the love for Jesus your love can’t be earned and if it can’t be earned it is not dependent on the other person to act right or do well to receive it but as you abide with Jesus and receive freely from him you will be compelled to extend that same love to one another even in your lowest moments Caleb Ana I love the both of you so much uh it has been such a joy to be a part of your life and I’m just so excited to continue to be um in your life as you walk forward in marriage now as The Sweat Beads accumulate we shift to the vows uh we will have an exchange of vows and the bride and groom have elected to write and read their own vows and Anya you get to go first am you go I used to write little poems mhm we already read these and we’re going to cry again I used to write little poems when my emotions were too big to understand where’s my tissue and most of my poems were about the love that was growing towards you one of my first poems was on October 15th 20120 uh just a month before we officially became a couple and I wrote I don’t know what falling in love is like but I think this is it I’d be content in the Simplicity of forever loving you and Caleb I want you to know that I truly am content in the Simplicity of loving you what I thought I felt back then has only deepened and become more certain over the years and now with all my heart I can confident say that I know what love is and I know that this right here is it in you I find a love that fills my soul with hope hope and joy I see the remarkable man you’re becoming your unwavering pursuit of the freedom in Christ and the way the spirit flows through you I’m overwhelmed with the certainty that our lives are meant to be shared I confess that I’ve been hesitant of vows and commitment just fearing the vulnerability that it demands but when I look into your eyes and feel the gentle reassurance of your touch my heart opens up and I can’t help but offer my deepest vows to you you have shown me that being fully known and fully loved by you is the closest thing to experiencing the love of God same color and if he is the safest Refuge I can find than you my love are the next safest place I’ve ever known Caleb my love for you is sincere and deeply intentional and today I make these vows to you I vow to choose you even when it’s hard I vow to trust you even when I’m unsure I vow to actively pursue and wholeheartedly affirm you I vow to pray for you and cherish every moment with you I vow to forgive you and be humble towards you I vow to draw near to you in times of division I vow my life to loving you with unwavering devotion additionally I vow to spend my days loving and serving Christ as it is through him that I can better love and serve you and in all the unspoken and unthought vows I pray that the Lord remains close to us guiding our steps and nurturing our love I pray that our love for each other glorifies the Lord becoming a testament of our satisfaction in him Caleb dernell with every CH kiss kiss you grace me with every day you selflessly sacrifice for me every reassuring word you speak towards me and every prayer you lift up for me I feel as though I catch a glimpse of Jesus in you you’re not only my beloved but also my best friend and the greatest gift I’ve ever ever received if I could live a thousand lifetimes in a 100 different places none would compare to the beauty and happiness I find in the life I get to share with [Music] you I’ll try to go through it quick y’all know I’m kind of long- winded and I know it’s kind of hot so Ana from this moment forward you will be my wife and I promise to honor you and love you in faithfulness until the day that I die you look so beautiful today these last three years of our relationship have flown by loving you is so easy and you are truly everything I could have ever wanted in a woman you make my life feel like an adventure and I cannot wait for the actual Adventures we will get to go on in the future committing my life to you feels so natural and this uh this moment has be been a long time coming we’ve come so far to get to this altar we’ve endured so much pain experienced so much struggle and loss given countless hours to deciding how to walk faithfully and yet despite our struggles we have been lifted up by the Hands of Christ we’ve been surrounded by so many people who have loved us and served us and prayed for us Like Jesus Does thank you guys seriously everybody and on the other side of these struggles our hearts are are now more full and unified than we could have ever imagined despite my imperfections as your partner God has been so gentle just as to let me keep loving you and now by his grace he is letting me marry my my best friend and as your best friend I promise to watch over your heart in a way that makes these loved ones seated before us feel secure they can rest knowing that where your heart calls home is a safe place I’m not a perfect partner you know my struggles better than anyone you have prayed for me and wept for me you have loved me through my faults and great more graciously than I deserve and you are the light of my life when I see your face it radiates the joy and beauty of my savior when I look at you I remember life can be lived to the fullest and when I see your smile I’m filled with gratitude that God lets me be your friend when I hold you at night I’m given a peace that no one could replicate the thought of losing my sweet Ana Joy is a thought that brings me to my knees and grief and I vow to never let anything or anyone come between us because if I do I can expect the wrath of Mama D that’s for sure from this day forward you will bear my name you will be my home and my family and my safe space and I will be your home and family and shelter but as your husband I take on the impossible task of representing Christ’s perfect love for you and while I hope to remind you of Christ I can never be Christ for you because I will fail you and we will need to continually lean on Jesus to keep this Covenant going but as I ultimately fail you I vow to fall at the feet of Jesus and lead us in Remembering our need for him I will need to be reminded of these vows daily in our marriage which is why my ring contains the inscription of Hosea 2:19 which reads from this day forward I will make you my wife forever showing you righteousness and Justice unfailing love and compassion and I will be faithful to you and I will make you mine and you will know the Lord today is our wedding day and our wedding day as tomarcus said happens to fall on the day of atonement I thought that was pretty cool technically it’s tomorrow but it starts tonight um today as we are made one with one another let us remember how Christ has made us one with God let us strive for unity Daily as Christ pursues us even when we’re undeserving and as I read you the following promises I pray that God sustains Me by his grace to uphold them and that we can look back on these when we were old and gray and see that he was faithful to let us keep them first I promise to plant you in good soil provide plenty of site and to always water you hold on that’s the house plant instructions my bad she she needs to be all that all the time first I promise to always love you and be gentle towards you I promise to care for you as God has called a man to serve his wife I promise to always be there when you need me I promise to even be there when you don’t need me I promise to diligently discern when to speak and when to listen when to lead and when to follow and I promise to remain sensitive to your needs and communicate my own needs openly and honestly I promise to not allow our desires as a couple to take priority over God’s desires for us as a couple I promise to bring us to God in prayer and if we ever need counseling for this marriage I promise to eagerly pursue it with you I promise to fight for you and not against you and I promise to forsake all others I promise to affirm you of the beauty that I see within you and I promise promise to stick by your side as your partner and your friend for richer or poor in sickness and health for better for worse until the Lord calls me home above all else on your joy I promise to be your best friend and never forsake you I love you and it is my greatest joy to be your husband lovely oh man next after the exchange of vows we get to uh repeat the Declaration of intent on you again you get to go first sweet did you have them memorized no just kidding repeat after me I on you I on you take you Caleb take you Caleb to be my lawfully wted husband to be my lawfully wted husband to have him to hold to have him to hold from this day forward from this day forward for better for worse for better for worse for rich or for poor for rich or for poor in sickness or in health in sickness and Heth to love and to cherish to love and to cherish to till death do his part till death do his part Caleb I Caleb I Caleb take you Anya take you Ana to be my lawfully wedded wife to be my lawfully wed wife to have and to hold to have and to hold from this day forward from this day forward for better for worse better for worse for richer for poor for richer for poor in sickness or in health in sickness and in health to love and to cherish to love and to cherish till death do us part till death do us part amen next we’ll have the ex change of the [Music] Rings thank you this person me you again ladies first again you get to repeat after me I give you this ring I give you this ring as a symbol of my love as a symbol of my love my faith and our strength together my faith and our strength together and my Covenant and my Covenant to learn and grow with you forever to learn and grow with you forever let me place the ring on his finger repeat after me I give you this ring I give you this ring as a symbol of my love as a symbol of my love my faith and our strength together my faith and our strength together and my Covenant and my Covenant to learn and grow with you forever to learn and grow with you forever let me place the F the ring on her finger the finger on her ring which one oh man well that’s it I’m just kidding okay um it is my dear privilege by the power vested in Me by the Pastoral staff of citizens church and our holy God father son in spirit I Now pronounce you husband and wife you may kiss your bride follow me and Le me on everywhere [Applause] ladies and gentlemen it is my privilege and honor to introduce to you for the very first time Mr and Mrs Caleb and Anya Darnell it there ain’t no trying about it I’m on your my [Applause] [Music] ride Morel and fine hotels and all that in the middle everybody curtain drawn I want to taste with you got to in my days in pin the mus I ain’t refusing part of means it ain’t around I’m always talking to so I love you till my love give out I ain’t lying I’m all yours you’re all mine there ain’t two ways around it there ain’t no trying about it I’m all your you’re mine [Music] [Music] well good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Beth Rock y’all but more importantly welcome to Anya and Caleb’s wedding reception my name is Caron and I’m here with my buddy Patrick and we are going to be your hosts for this evening y’all we have an amazing evening plan but before we can get to that we got to bring out some very special people so if everyone would please get up on your feet and please turn your attention to this St to the right of me and please help me welcome the M of honor and best man Daria and Hunter [Applause] Elena and [Applause] up for Carolina and I now give it up for Taylor [Applause] and and Now ladies and gentlemen for the moment we’ve all been waiting for put your hands together from Mr and Mrs d [Applause] baby [Music] on champion [Applause] [Music] on the BS of the Old River there are loved her and left her now I can’t forget her she was my pretty FR line frine frine look up toward the heavens each night when when lamp Stars start to shine by the same stars above you I swear that I love you you are my pretty [Music] [Applause] when my memories Wonder a way over Yonder to the sweee heart that I left behind in a moment of Glory her face comes before me the face of my pretty fall line c c look up towards the heavens each night as a star start to shine by the same stars above you I swear that I love you you are my pretty falline [Music] [Applause] you are [Music] my for Mr and M going now [Applause] everybody all right now Caleb if you would please escort your mother Kathy to the dance FL for your special dance [Music] baby here we are white dress in a black TB first night with the same last name every eye hears on us and you look just like a Angel spinning around on this floor never been so in love never been so sure but baby when our s in and the next one begin cuz she have this Dan can’t she steal me for the next one just three more minutes for Mama and her son yes she’s going to I cry and so Li cuz in her eyes I’m still her baby boy yeah you know I’m your man but can she have these things all the things you love about me yeah I learned that from her how to love how pray how to be everything that you deserve and I knew from the moment I met you she was going to be over the moon and love you like I do so can she have this days can she steal me for the next one just three more minutes for Mama and her son yes she’s going to cry so alive cuz in her eyes I’m still her baby boy yeah you know I’m your man look she had this name and we count it down the days and say I do and I know this night is all about me and you [Applause] [Music] but can she have these things can’t she steal me for the next just three more minutes for Mama and Son yeah she’s going to cry so Al Li cuz in her eyes I’m still her B boy yeah you know I’m Your Man but can she have this [Music] Dan yeah can she had this [Applause] dance let’s do it one more time for Caleb and his amazing mother Kathy everybody now at this time I would like to welcome up Caleb’s dad Tim to the dance floor to give us a welcome blessing let’s hear for Tim everybody hey guys let’s hear it for our audio crew back here and all that they’re doing it’s here for the to crew we’re doing such a great and our food servers back here you guys are this of the best ever back here so we’re really excited about we want to welcome each and every one of you here we love each and every one of you there’s a special connection that uh people have come in from out of town you guys have flown in from out of town how many of y’all flew in from out of town you for doing that we thank you so much we got people from just all kind of different connections how many of y’all had uh a home group setting where you came to our home group and studied the Bible in our home group that’s great well we want to say I want to say personally from Kathy and I that we got the best daughter-in-law I’m going to sing a song in just a minute about that but how good is God they were born 6,000 miles apart 6,000 M apart and God brought them together miraculously give God a big round of I want to say speci thanks to my wife Kathy who has poured her heart and soul out to make this happen tonight yeah give her [Applause] a I see faces out there BR right here stay with us my son St us 2 years Kenneth where are you Kenneth Ken stayed with us for 2 years and like my son and just so many connections we can talk about each and every one of you and we’re just glad you’re here family thank you for showing up over here we love you all of our family you raise your hands over there thank you so much we glad you’re here most of all we want to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ let’s bow our heads oh wait a minute one more one more I was going to start with him I forgot to mention him you all make welcome to Marcus over here who officiated this and thank you for ministering to our son right here and daughter in-law so we appreciate that let’s bow our heads father God good gracious Lord Creator magnificent we love you father God you’re so good to us so good to us you give us so many good things that we’re not we can’t even be grateful for because they’re so good father we lift you up tonight we ask that you glorify that you be glorified by all of us in all that we say and all that we do we ask that you bless this marriage of Caleb and Anya that that you would be with them every second of every day of every year in the years to come that they would have a family that would be from you we honor you for doing that and giving that in advance and father God we just we just thank you for your mercy your forgiveness your provision Your Grace your goodness to all of us and we thank you Father God because you are so good and father we just thank you for all this food for all this pleasure for the fun that we’re going to have but this is a sacred event a very sacred event we recognize that that this is No Child Play here this is something that is ordained by you and you gave us this gift of marriage and we thank you for honoring these two people right here these your beautiful children Ana and Caleb father we thank you for the festivities tonight we pray all of this in the mighty name of Jesus and all of God’s people said amen [Applause] hey well you guys these amazing ladies over here have prepared an amazing dinner for every single person in this room let’s hear it for them and tonight it’s going to be buffet style so that means I will be coming to your table shortly to invite you that way but for right now please just sit back relax have the time of your life Love Is All I’ll Ever Need You and my delicacy come on come onner table come on come on to the dinner [Music] table you’re healing my heart when I’m drinking in you like jumping in the water in the summer of soothing my soul when I’m feing on you like eat M’s cooking in the afternoon now it’s the time to feast now it’s the time to Feast taste and see taste and see the Lord is good good good to me oh he’s good good [Music] yeah sweeter than the [Music] honey do one of the greatest things that I could say for marriage if you would put this into your relationships your marriage your boyfriend and girlfriend whatever it is is that the one thing that you want to do is to serve each other first serve each other first think about when you’re going to get something and the both of you are going to get something you initiate serving the other person first and Jesus symbolized that right at the end of his life when he came and he’s and he took his disciples and he washed their feet here’s the creator of the universe washing Senator feets and I think I think that’s a a incredible symbolism and I really appreciate on you and Caleb making this part of your ceremony I think it’s a really important thing that you’re doing and if you guys want to remember to serve each other first I’m going to sing a song that I wrote for for this very today is called days we dreamed about days we dreamed [Music] about this is the day that we waited for and now time finally here you are the one I always prayed I and hope for for oh so many years Jesus has given us the gift of each other and our beautiful [Music] love I swear I’m going to love you till the end of all time we from the Lord above we live in the days we dream the days we dreamed about we found the one true love that we just can’t live without take my hand look into my eyes we’re living the days we dream the days we dreamed about show us your favor help us to live for you eternally grateful in all we say and do Come Holy Spirit stay till the end of our days forever will follow in your holy ways and to each other always be faithful and true closer together I just want to be with you we live in the days we dream the days we dream to die we found the one true love that we just cannot live without take my hand look into my eyes we live in the days we dream the days we dreamed about we live in the days we dream the days we dreamed about [Applause] congratulations to you both um I’m going to go ahead and start with the groom Caleb sorry if I’m blocking anyway um I I am so unbelievably happy to have be you as a brother um you’re one of the sweetest people I have ever met you are so kind and outgoing and always willing to include others in conversations or simply just ask them how they’re doing um I remember first peeing you I thought you were a little [Music] odd um you were kind of bouncing off the walls and just being a little goofy and I was just like who is this kid I have no idea but now we know it’s Caleb do know um but honestly you are genuinely so funny and fun to be around you speak truth and wisdom and that’s something I honor about you I can see Jesus I can see that Jesus is shown evidently through you you never hesitate to bring him up and I love that about you and now Ona my annoying but sweet little sister I’m still in shock that you’re married not that I didn’t believe you would ever get married but we all knew she was going to be the first one I remember having late night conversations about who would be our future husband and where we would get married and have a honeymoon and here we are um you know all those little conversations that every little girl thinks about it might come as a shock to you all but Anya wasn’t always as sweet or nice as she may appear on the outside um I will never live this day down but I remember this one day we were pretty fresh out of Ukraine jumping on the trampoline outside um in our first home in California you had to decided to be a little evil and literally shove both of your thumbs in my eyes yeah um ever ever since that day I just kept telling people that I wasn’t related to her and that I was from China so that’s just that’s just how it went I don’t know so you can imagine the looks on everybody’s faces they were a little confused no it makes sense thank you um so yes we’ve had really good days but the best days oh really bad days but the best days outweigh those bad bad days by a million miles you are spunky and crazy but you have always been there for me sh want make [Applause] F no you guys you guys have no idea how an has [Music] always she did fly to Illinois for me after I had surgery when no one else could so I’m beyond grateful that God put you in my life as my sister [Music] okay anyways but I am really really glad you guys both found the one yall are the ABS and the best you guys are such sweet people individually but even sweeter together you’ll compliment each other so so well you are goofy and outgoing and sometimes a little crazy but that’s what having a best friend for life is about because it’s not always going to be so serious you guys don’t hesitate to lend a helping hand you can see Jesus shine brightly I can see Jesus shine brightly to the both of you to your’s future adventures together I pray that God blesses both of you in your marriage cheers come on y oh my goodness this is so exciting we’ve talked about this for such a long time I’ve known the Anya since I was about 9 years old and so now this day is finally here and it such a sweet blessing to see everyone here that Ador these two right in front of me I’m going to start with Ana ever since I was a little girl I always dreamed of having a sister that I could laugh with tell all my secrets to and of course Tackle by God’s grace that dream came true when I met Anya Joy Christensen now [Applause] Darnell anyna you have been my closest friend since the day I got stuck in a dress and you had to pull me out of it that moment sparkks such a special friendship living only 30 seconds from each other in California we timed it one day probably wasn’t safe just so let you know it was such a blessing we would go on so many safer runs to get fried chicken and chocolate cake also not healthy drive to the top of a hill and just talk so many memories of driving to Santa Cruz and hammocking and looking out the ocean having deep conversations with one another Ana you are so kind selfless spontaneous a great listener cuz I’m a talker and above all l a woman after God’s Own Heart Caleb I knew you were the one uh for Anya when she called me after a month of you dating crying with tears in her eyes of how much she adored you I remembered in that moment I was listening to her I just knew she had this deep love for you that was like nothing before I’ve never heard this girl talk about a man the way she talked about you Caleb she loves you so so deeply it’s so sweet how she talks about you and your care and your love for her you guys are so weird together but it’s [Music] great Caleb you are everything I could have ever imagined for my sweet sister Anya you are goofy weird compassionate compassionate intentional affectionate and you have such a servant’s heart and that is very evident it is evident in the way you serve and love and care for Anya Caleb you are a great example of what Christ unconditional love looks like you love my sister Anya the way she deserves to be loved the way Christ loves her oh man here are the tears I almost made it through I am so beyond grateful for God’s grace that he allowed the both of you to come together as one body one flesh I pray that the Lord sustains you and protects you as you both take this next step I love you both very much will you all please raise your glasses to Mr and Mrs [Applause] Darnell testing testing 1212 we are live local from win Texas if we are feeling good tonight can I get a [Music] yeah if we love Caleb on can I get a yeah yeah more importantly we look J just kind did a yeah yeah yeah all right um before I start and brag on these two right here I want to take the time to of course honor everyone who’s made it out here far and wide um families friends y’all are absolutely incredible Anya’s family and of course the Darnell’s y’all been like a second family to me and so y already know how we rocking I’m going to start with this one right here Anya I’ve never met a girl so competitive in my life um if y’all know Anya she’s a very competitive person no matter what it is to this day she will still say that we tide and speed knowing good and where I’m faster than her but I’ll let her have it it’s your day today I’m not going to do too much but I know one thing within playing games and getting to know Anya back at Conwood up to now is her heart and how she carries herself with Grace Po and I’m I’m just so glad that you and my brother here are together and I just can’t wait to see what the future holds for you Anya you’re such a remarkable woman and truly a spitting image of what God has designed a wife to be and just in every way and form uh truly a servant so thank you so much for being who you are uh not only to me but to everyone here what one who’s just been able to see you grow and these last couple years have always been a blessing just um not only seeing you evolve day in and day out wanting to do be better for yourself but also for Caleb and just for the future to come so thank you well well well well dirty T my bye um now me me and this dude go way back it’s uh it’s crazy how a simple question of uh do you like Sonic in second grade has led to 16 years now at this point man it’s been honestly a beautiful beautiful thing and so um growing up with Caleb has been nothing short it’s never been boring I’ll tell you that uh we’re both very odd people if yall know us uh we mat each other’s doof um and we just we live life to the fullest and so uh growing up with Caleb’s been amazing as I mentioned earlier uh the Dorell are like the second F to me and y’all have done absolute wonders not only for me but of course a lot of more people can attest in here for that and just such an open home so warm and welcoming and so from dancing for hours and just doing the just the weirdest stuff like when we were younger we would just we would have competitions on who would like snort milk out of their nostrils first from laughing like we just we just really vibed out and so you know if you know you know you know and so um one thing I can say about Caleb is [Applause] uh oh I’m trying I’m going trying um the Lord has really blessed me with a lot in these past 24 years and um from family to friends and the Lord he never he never makes a mistake or an error he does everything with purpose on purpose for purpose and one thing I can say for sure is with um the Lord has blessed me in my life to have Caleb and that wasn’t accident it was definitely on purpose so oh man [Applause] [Music] F yeah so um like I was saying um Caleb you are one of the most selfless people I’ve known blood could make us any closer than we already are and um I love you so much like I tell kale this a lot he’s a very humble person but he doesn’t know how much he means to me like that man he’s a huge part of my testimony um he him always opening his house inviting me to have home groups um learn more about the Lord maintain a a relationship and really dig deep and seek purpose through that man it’s it’s the most beautiful thing in the world and he was consistent with that oh always reaching out always inviting me making sure I was levelheaded you know deep conversations late at night just checking on each other that man Caleb always had my back and he was he was consistent in that that man really is really is selfish as busy as he is like he makes sure he put people the first so um and saying that um man dude you you absolutely Rock I want nothing but the absolute best for both you guys and um uh one thing I can say about marriage is of course sister Marcus touched on it earlier it’s about sacrifice and so it’s up to you guys daily day in and day out to always love each other uplift support care for be there for just be present be attentive for each other um it’s not going to be easy nothing good ever comes easy but I know with you too it’s very very possible and I’m just excited to be an uncle in the future um but aside from that y’all seriously Anya K look I love y’all to the mooning back plus property tax um if we can go ahead and raise up our glasses and uh toast the DAR Nails [Applause] man let’s K with everyone uh can we just give a real quick first of all who would want to follow that guy hand to Edward Elena if you and I have not met yet my name is Hunter uh if we have met you’ll know that in everything that I try to do I try to do it in the least normal way possible this speech will be no different I could spend a lifetime describing why I think Caleb and Ana make a beautiful pair together I could spend forever telling you about all of Caleb and I’s funny moments that some of which we probably regret a little bit and I could spend years describing to you all that is beautifully admirable about on so much so on all of these accounts that as I’ve sat and thought and pondered and how I would transfer them to you it’s proven impossible to derive them into sentences and statements that could be exchanged over the course of five or so minutes it would truthfully in my estimation be dishonorable to all that we’ve shared to to do something so demeaning to what we’ve shared together what youall shared together instead I would prefer for all of us together to corporately consecrate this moment when Caleb and Anya years from now think back on today there will be little moments that flash into the front of their mind uh for Caleb it might be the first time you saw Anya and all of her adoring Beauty steep down the aisle to take your hand forever for the pair of y’all it could be when you exchanged vows right out here uh it could be when you had your first dance it could be hearing your dad sing your song it could be all sorts of things but I do think there’s one more moment one more moment that I really truly hope flashes to the very front of their mind but for that to happen for this moment to exist we need to conspire together to create it would it be true of this moment that what is so explicitly true about the rest of your life is true now in this granular moment namely that Christ is at the direct center of it to this end and to this purpose I want to invite you all to take a posture of prayer now just to paint out a little bit of what this time should look like is I want to list a couple of things that I think would just be poignant for us to mention before God In Prayer on their behalf uh then I want to give you a moment to pray as you see fit for them and for their good and for their marriage and then I’ll close us in prayer then we can get on with the rest of the night but as I close in prayer do me a favor as I say the words of this prayer repeat them in your mind so that when this moment flashes into your mind years from now it has a voice join me in prayer pray that Ana and Caleb would together and individually continue to be exemplary models of Christ to one another pray that they would be as free from worldly struggle as possible pray blessing over them and for if the day of trouble does come would they be totally convinced that these days are numbered and that they serve a beautiful purpose in their life pray that God would protect their marriage from sin and its effects pray that they would be continue to be a source of Gospel Light and Life to everyone around [Music] them pray that God would continue to surround them with allies in the gospel as they do life together now a moment for you to pray as you SE it Lord of Heaven and Earth thank you for hearing us this evening we entrust Caleb and Anya to you please help us be vigilant in supporting them God we love you thank you for a crystallization of that love that we get to behold tonight and Caleb and on Amen thank you all please [Applause] no even in the Valley of the shadow of death I can take rest cuz the Living God is living in my chest every day I wake up feeling blessed and even if I don’t I see it that’s a test cuz I was lost until you found me now I know you’re all around me nothing I could ever do separate my love from you you came to set us free you came to set us free I am no longer B you can just say I this [Music] free you take the good and the Bad and the Ugly yeah you turn it around work it for me if it’s a storm no the r good for me right on my it up make it holy anoint my head oh Lord let me not forget oh Lord you been to too good to me don’t know where I would be without you you can’t I am no longer no longer you get a set then I look in my hand they look new and I look at my feet they do too cuz I’m free I’m free think God I’m free I’m free when I look at my hands they look good when I look at my feet they I’m free I’m free I’m free i’me when I look at my hands they look new and I look at my feet they do too cuz I’m free I’m I’m free they got I’m free I’m free [Music] FLH of My Flesh BN [Music] myone like a story told you’ve always [Music] known you took my breath in the [Music] daylight you stole my heart like a thief in the night [Music] now we spend our days beside you the beauty that is shared is beauty true we will share the wine we will share we will share our home we will share [Music] You Are My Shelter you are my heart flesh for my flesh B of my You Are My Shelter You Are My Flesh for my flesh B of my [Music] own you you hust me of my bitterness roll away my pride one [Music] kiss for we are clothed in [Music] mesty beneath our RS of [Music] poty You are my [Music] FLH [Music] myh you are my sh you are FL from [Music] [Applause] my one more one more [Music] and in the B
1 Comment
What a beautiful couple, and such a blessed event. Congratulations! 🎉🎉🎉