Hello Through the Word Family! Pastor Jonathan here, and we are deep in the wedding season right now! This year, a record number of weddings are expected—2.5 million couples will tie the knot! That’s a lot of toasts, cake cuttings, and a whole lot of “We are Family” from Sister Sledge. But with all those weddings, I bet none will have a Best Man’s speech as long as one delivered 20 years ago this week—when Pastor Kris delivered a 40-minute speech—as my Best Man.
This week marks my wife and I’s twentieth anniversary. We’ve officially reached that point where we have been married for more than half of our lives! And the secret to our longevity? Obviously the grace of God, but that grace often came through the wisdom of couples that have been married longer than us. Through pastors, friends, and great authors—we have learned how to love better, forgive faster, and even learned to share the remote.
Through the Word has four helpful journeys on marriage, where Pastor Kris has taken his Best Man’s speech and created 23 amazing audio guides! (Okay, they didn’t all come from the speech.) The audio guides cover topics such as “Unity,” “Love and Respect,” and “Making it Last.”
You can find the Journeys on the “Bible Topics and Extras” page on the app, or on The Bible App from YouVersion.
Kris is Heading to Africa!
This week, Pastor Kris is heading off to Kenya to visit his son Kaleb. Kaleb has been a part of the TTW Team for years—he was technically the first employee! He’s been in Kenya for a year, finishing a degree with Bethany Global University. Kris would really appreciate prayers for a great time of bonding with Kaleb, and for safe travels!
Of course, many of you know I lived in Kenya for 7 years, so I taught Kris some helpful Swahili phrases, such as, “Iko wapi choo?” (“Where is the bathroom?”) and, “Nisaidie! Simba anatafuna mguu wangu!” (Help me! A lion is chewing on my leg!”) Just kidding. But I did tell him to never, ever say, “Hakuna Matata.” It really does mean, “There are no worries,” but it is the best way to mark you as a tourist.
God Bless!
Pastor Jonathan