There is life after Christmas. You can count on it. I know it for a fact. Jesus said, "I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." John 10:10
In 1976, Dana and I were preparing for our WEDDING DAY that was soon to take place on January 1, 1977. She was in Beaumont spending Christmas with her family. I stayed in Fort Worth, counting the days until she got back, while serving on staff of a local church, and assisting Ron Harris with a Christmas Eve service.
Since 1976 Dana and I have been TWOgether for every other Christmas Day. We are looking forward to sharing many more. As always, the day after Christmas, we can't help but reflect on The Countdown to our wedding day.
The week of our wedding, the lady Dana enlisted to bake our wedding cake was in a car accident, and broke her arm. The florist had somehow misplaced her order for flowers. These were two formidable challenges but not impossible for Dana to set right. She got to work on it.
The night after our wedding rehearsal there was a deep freeze that quietly settled into the area. During the night the pipe's burst in the bridal room of the church, resulting in a flooded auditorium with six inches of water lapping at the altar where Dana and I would be standing.
I will never forget opening the door to the bridal room and seeing Dana's wedding dress floating in water. Her mother's scream was a sound I had never heard before and am glad to say I have never heard since. The fire department was called and when they arrived they were joined by 50 men from the church. They spent all day cleaning up the mess in time for the wedding.
Note to those born after 1977: This was an expression of total commitment on the part of these men. It was Bowl Day. I mean the original, one and only Bowl Day. There were no home electronic devices available to record the games being played that day. These men gave up the biggest football day of the year to be there for us. For Texans this is spelled...Priceless.
I decided we should not tell Dana what was going on that day. it was the first and the last secret I have ever kept from her, but I still stand by the decision. Don't judge me.
I left the church about an hour before our wedding, when the Fire Captain pulled the shop vac out of my hands, and ordered me, "Get out of here. Go get ready for your wedding." I went home and packed and grabbed my brown tux. That's another story.
I hadn't noticed that storm clouds had been moving into the area all day. About an hour before the wedding, an ice storm hit the city, closing streets, and shutting down DFW Airport. People ice-skated in their cars to our wedding. Some ended up in the ditch, and didn't make it to the church.
Fortunately God showed up. A young lady was saved at our wedding service that day, thanks to the messages and prayers provided by W. Fred Swank, Charlie Gilmer and my Dad, Don Miller. This year all three of these great men are in Heaven. They made a great team that day and tied a strong knot that has lasted 39 years. I miss them all, especially Dad.
At the close of our wedding Dana and I gathered with family and friends in the fellowship hall for the cutting of the cake and the reception. One of our favorite pictures is that of Dr. Curtis Vaughan, my New Testament professor. He presented us with a recent book he had completed, and wrote in the flyleaf, "Dear Gary and Dana, You have both meant much to me during my interim ministry at Sagamore. I wish for you the very best of God's blessings as you begin your life together." Curtis Vaughan I Peter 5:7 - "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you."
For the record, Dana found another lady to step in on very short notice to make the cake. Dana's Mom, Arlyne and her Step-Dad, Bill, jumped in when they got to town. They found flowers and decorated the auditorium while we squeezed the water out of the carpet and vacuumed it out of the building.
After the reception Dana and I said our goodbyes, and then slipped our way down the icy steps and out the door to our car. We couldn't see very well. The windows had an inch of ice over them and resisted defrosting. We found out later that the kitchen in the fellowship hall of the church caught on fire. The same Fire Captain came back with his team. He dryly remarked to my father-in-law. "Memorable wedding." We should have had him and the firemen sign the guest book.
Weeks before our wedding my sister, Joy, had booked the first night of our honeymoon at the Bridal Suite of The Marina Hotel at DFW Airport. We planned to stay there one night and then drive to Ruidoso, New Mexico for a week. Some of you may recall The Marina was the only hotel at the airport in those days.
Since the ice storm had closed DFW Airport, all flights had been cancelled leaving many people stranded. When Dana and I arrived in the lobby of the hotel, it looked like a scene out of the fall of Saigon. Only the helicopter was missing.
People were standing 10 deep from the Front Desk, shouting and waving $100 bills in the air, willing to pay any price for a couch for the night. I am confident Mary and Joseph didn't use that kind of language on the innkeeper, the night they found out there was no room for them in the inn. But I digress.
Thirty-nine years later Dana and I still begin the first day after Christmas with The Countdown to New Year's Day. We believe what Jesus said. There is life after Christmas. Those who know Jesus as their Savior, not just a baby in a manger, will discover the truth of His words.
NOTE TO SELF: An abundant life is found in Jesus. No one offers more. Accept no substitutes. No matter what obstacles you may face in life, PRAY! "Casting all your cares upon Him," reveals Jesus is always there for you. He is never farther than a prayer away. The Countdown to abundant life begins with your next breath.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!