On this page, I’ve posted a portion from my book “Simple Wedding Ceremony Planning Guide” on 3 ways to do your vows. You can use these to adapt, customize, or to get you thinking about creating your own. Also, as you scroll down you’ll find a list of verbs you can use to help you in your vow writing exercise. If … Continue reading →
My Dad, Louis S. Durkac, died this morning, September 4, 2019. He was 91 years old and the adopted father of 5 adopted children, and he himself was adopted. He died just 2 days shy of his 67th wedding anniversary with my Mom, Irene, whom he leaves behind in a fight against dementia. I am the middle child of the … Continue reading →
As far as the general order of the ceremony, there are 6 parts: Presentation of the Bride, Introduction to the Ceremony, Exchange of Marriage Vows, Exchange of Wedding Rings, Special Feature (sand ceremony, unity candle, etc.), Pronouncement of Married Couple. You can read more about these in detail in my book “Simple Wedding Ceremony Planning Guide” or just ask me! … Continue reading →
If you are blending families with your new marriage, it can be important to include some type of blended family ceremony – if it is appropriate and will not cause any backlash with an ex-spouse and your future relationships. Over the years I have seen some good ways to include step-children and some not so good ways to include step-children into your … Continue reading →
If you want to add a nice meaningful touch to your wedding ceremony, consider adding a sand ceremony. It is popular down here on the beach and is much like the unity candle ceremony that you may have seen in a church wedding. The idea behind it goes back to biblical times when covenants were made between two parties and the blending of … Continue reading →
Last Sunday at CrossHope Chapel we looked at Genesis 3:1-8 and the account of Satan approaching Eve, but not Adam. We talked about the probability that Satan had studied these new creatures, man and women, and apparently he saw reason to approach Eve first or at least initially. While I don’t exactly remember how it came up in that discussion, … Continue reading →
I realize that brides like a “sunset” wedding, and they are beautiful and have a certain romantic appeal, but there are some things to consider if you are wondering about the pros and cons of choosing to start your beach wedding in the morning, afternoon, or evening… SUNRISE: A sunrise or an early morning wedding is awesome. It is peaceful, … Continue reading →
Including a simple communion service as part of your wedding ceremony is not only acceptable, but an ideal way to include an important biblical element in the ceremony. Annually, I probably get about 8 to 10 requests for including communion as part of the ceremony. During a wedding ceremony, communion fits best just after the rings are exchanged and is … Continue reading →
Walk by faith and not by the world (2 Corinthians 5:7), Walk by faith because you have been adopted by God (John 1:12), Walk by faith because He has given you a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), Walk by faith because He has made you a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), Walk by faith because He has given you a … Continue reading →
Sunday at CrossHope Chapel we looked at Genesis 2:7 and the composite of man which the King James explains as “dust” plus “breath” equals “soul.” We later went into overtime when I couldn’t refrain from answering a question about the Lake of Fire and the loss of consciousness following the second death. Actually, I was asked what my thought was … Continue reading →
If one looks at the sequence of events regarding the 1000 years of Revelation 20 through an Historicist view, these 17 points would explain its progression: Jesus returns for His as promised in John 14:1-3 and detailed in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. The saints who have died in Christ will be resurrected. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. This is the … Continue reading →
What does Jesus mean by destroying the soul in Matthew 10:28? Let’s start by looking at the text, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 ESV). The Greek word used for soul is “psuche” and it is more often … Continue reading →
I do not require premarital counseling before I’ll officiate a wedding, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in it. I just believe that a couple must want biblical guidance in order to benefit from it. In fact, couples who themselves understand the value of premarital counseling and engage in some sort of “premarital counseling” reduce their risk of divorcing by 30%. I believe in premarital … Continue reading →
In my last post, Days of Creation, I addressed the contextual evidence for literal 24-hour days of Creation. In this post I want to address a theory about “Creation Time” rendering of the days of Creation in Genesis 1. I thought to add this to my article on Days of Creation, but decided it would make it too lengthy. Part … Continue reading →
Sunday as we wrapped up Genesis 1, I found myself out of time to talk more about the literal days of Creation, but below I have listed out 7 things that I believe need to be considered about the literal days of Creation. • During the 6 days of Creation, God specifically concludes “And the evening and the morning were … Continue reading →
When we look at the Creation account in Genesis 1 we find nine times that the phrase “God said” is used to describe the creation process. You will also see that after the record declares that “God said” to whatever He created a follow-up phrase states “and it was so” or “and it was good.” The encouraging thing for you … Continue reading →
I gladly officiate Vow Renewal Ceremonies across the beaches and areas of the Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida Gulf Coast. Vow renewal ceremonies are an excellent way to celebrate your marriage relationship and reinforce your commitment to your spouse. Vow renewals are best known for celebrations of a wedding anniversary, but over the years I’ve officiated vow renewals for many other reasons, too. … Continue reading →
Why does the Bible refer to the return of Jesus Christ as the blessed hope? Titus 2:13 says that believers are “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” We ought to be looking more for that appearing and less at the difficulties that often assail us. Years ago I … Continue reading →
As an introduction to the armor of God in Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11; ESV). Whether you like it or not, the devil is scheming against you – if you sided with Jesus Christ. He can not … Continue reading →
Last week Amir Tsarfati, whom you know from Jan Markell’s Prophecy Conference, got a lot of blow back on a teaching he did about recognizing the preincarnate Jesus in the Old Testament. In the video teaching, Amir mentioned Michael the Archangel as likely the preincarnate Jesus along with other examples like the Angel of the Lord references. Unfortunately, his followers … Continue reading →
I was amused by something I heard on a radio newscast today. A politician commenting negatively about the many states passing heartbeat bills, referred to it as being “a cluster of fetal pulsation.” A cluster of fetal pulsation? We should not be surprised at such silly redefining of reality in order to avoid truth, because we’ve seen it with marriage … Continue reading →
Whatever the trial, hardship, or fear of persecution as our world rushes headlong into these last days, don’t forget that our Lord has promised to be with you. The final words recorded by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew are “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). When Moses was doubting his calling … Continue reading →
War was first known in Heaven, not because it is holy, but because sin is so unholy. Revelation 12:7 says “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.” The chapter also gives us the account of Satan bringing war to earth against God’s people. The history of … Continue reading →
In 1923, my grandmother, Mary, was asked to be the maid-of-honor for her best friend’s wedding. As the wedding approached in her hometown near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mary wondered what the best man might be like. She had heard that Lou was also a recent immigrant from Czechoslovakia and also an available bachelor, but he wouldn’t be arriving until just before … Continue reading →