This past week my life has been more viscerally exciting in a matter of days than it has been all summer. Ive seen tons of people, Ive had a ton of fun, and best of all, I got to see Vincent and Kiko Howard get married. I guess Ill just give my top highlights in no particular order:
1) Josiah as the Master of Ceremonies: I think you would have had to have been there to truly comprehend the sight of Josiah yelling at a crowd of mixed ages "Im serious! Get your butts downstairs because Kiko's going to throw the freakin' bouquet!"
2) Matt back from Africa: The guy has been living in the bush for two years now, getting some fantastic experience in missions. Its great to finally see him permanently back in the states.
3) Phil back from Africa: We picked this guy up from the airport last week after he had spent five months helping to build a US embassy in Ghana. The guy has some seriously intriquing stories to tell.
4) Stephan Stewart the Marine: This guy had just rolled in from Marine boot camp. He also had to spend a night in jail on the way down for speeding. It was as if he had passed through the fires of hell just to be at the wedding, and he survived with honor and a girlfriend by his side to boot.
5) The Entertainment: Vince and Kiko pulled no stops when it came to music at their wedding. We got some nice jazz from Stewart and Kucks, a beautiful set from Anne Watts, and a rockin' into the night jam from Wardell and Dixon. I got to sing a Sam Cooke medley and Mr. Galpin provided some much appreciated poetry. And the guests truly danced the night away into the late evening hours.
6) Cole back from Seminary in Boston: Ive had some fun nights hanging out with Cole ever since he got back into town, and hes been able to give me the inside lowdown on seminary life and on living in the northeast.
7) Psalm 16: This is the Scripture that I got to read at the wedding. Im glad I was asked to read this passage, because its been an amazing passage to meditate on this week. The Lord truly does bless us with a beatiful inheritance: Himself.
8) The Look on Vincent's Face: The man was glowing, and shedding a tear or two, when Kiko walked down the aisle. It was one of the best Vince moments ever, a moment when the grace of the gospel of Christ was on display for everybody to see. All you had to do was to look at Kiko and then look into Vincent's eyes, and you could see firsthand the wealth of grace that God has bestowed on their lives.
9) The Rehearsal Dinner speeches: I particularly liked Lowen's, in which he said that Vincent is the classic case example of God taking someone you would expect to turn out one way and turning him into someone you would never expect.
10) Perry Moving Back to Town: So glad to have this guy back in Chattanooga. His moving back was unrelated to the wedding, but it happened at the same time, and Im so excited about living with him, Lowen, and Kieth.
11) Vincent's Reworking of "My Father's House" by Bruce Springsteen for the wedding ceremony. I can honestly say that this song has never sounded better, not even by Bruce himself, and I loved the new final lyrics written by Vincent himself.
12) Lookout Lake Bed and Breakfast: This is where all the festivities were held. Yeah, it was pretty hot and muggy outside and the lake was only half full, but it was still a beautiful place to have a wedding. I think it was a great choice.
13) Seeing Vincent's Family: I spent some time with Vincent's family up in Maryland a couple years ago and it was good to see his grandparents, his dad, and his brothers again. I was also glad to see Brae back from a year in China, her sisters finally new students at Covenant, and of course, Lowen, an old friend and new housemate who happens to have an awesome new girlfriend to boot. I also got to meet new members of the family like Vincent's Uncle Vincent and Vincents stepmom Donna. But I was sad to have missed seeing Vincent's uncle Damien and aunt Kate who had to stay back in Maryland.
14) Julian back from Harvard Law School: Julian wore an incredible pink shirt and tie to the wedding. It was a sight to behold!
15) Brent catching the garter. It gave me hope for single men in their late twenties.
16) All of the other many faces of great people I got to see this weekend: There really was a ton of people in town this weekend, and there was a ton of people from town that I dont get to see that much. Overall, there was simply a ton of people. And I enjoyed seeing every one of them.