Catherine Parks - A Christ-Centered Wedding: Rejoicing in the Gospel on Your Big Day

Its your big day, at last! This is the day youve waited for, the moment youve dreamed about. But what if youre not meant to be the star of the show? This book will prove to you that Jesus Christ is meant to be the center of your wedding and, best of all, it will help you put Him there.

Tim Challies , blogger and author of The Next Story and The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment

In America, weddings have become a combination of a circus, a spectacle and a spending frenzy. Into this confusion step Strode and Parks, a mother-and-daughter team bringing genuine biblical insight and Christian clarity that will help us all think more rightly, more biblically, and more faithfully about weddings. This is a timely and important book.

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr ., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

We know the wedding day is all about the bride, right? Parks and Strode collaborate in A Christ-Centered Wedding to help you find the answer; and that answer is no. Practical, honest, and grounded in truth, A Christ-Centered Wedding is the perfect book for anyone thinking about saying those five important words: Till death do us part.

Trillia Newbell , author of United: Captured by Gods Visionfor Diversity

The church has been waiting way too long for this book. How many of us have sat through, or officiated at, train-wreck weddings, wondering how the glory of Christ came to be eclipsed in all this circus? I commend this beautiful book to couples pondering marriage, to families planning weddings, and to pastors seeking to navigate through the morass of the modern wedding-industrial complex. This book liberates us to see the wedding as the means to the marriage and not the other way around.

Russell D. Moore, Ph.D., president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Southern Baptist Convention

Catherine Parks and her mother, Linda Strode, have created an unexpectedly necessary tool for pastors and counselors or anyone entering into the planning of a wedding. The beautiful truth that the gospel informs and changes everything from how to plan a wedding to your standing before God is brilliantly displayed in A Christ-Centered Wedding . We hope you pick up this book and are as pleasantly surprised as we were by the holistic view that the gospel is for all of life.

Jessica Thompson and Elyse Fitzpatrick, coauthors of Give Them Grace

While other wedding books we read seemed to add to our stress by telling us how to make our wedding perfect, every time we opened this book we felt more excited for our weddingnot just to start our lives together in the way God intended, but for the opportunity to glorify Christ and make him known.

Jacob and Rachel Dellinger, newlyweds

Grounded in the gospel and chock-full of practical advice, Strode and Parks give brides-to-be much to consider for planning a wedding in light of eternity. In a season where it is easy to feel overwhelmed by centerpieces and changing relationships, this book centers a brides thoughts and affections on the God who never changes.

Gloria Furman, author of Glimpses of Grace and Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full

There are plenty of good books on marriage, but I dont know of any that helps a couple sort through engagement with a radically gospel-centered perspective. A Christ-Centered Wedding does that, and much more.

Deepak Reju, Pastor of Biblical Counseling and Families Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.

From the gospel to financesand everything in betweenParks and Strode will get you to the altar with your sanity and a heart of praise. This book is destined to become required reading for any Christian couple planning a wedding.

Byron Yawn, Lead Pastor, Community Bible Church, Nashville, Tennessee and author of What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him and Suburbianity

This inspiring but practical stage by stage book will keep believers minds on Christ. Attractive and practical ideas concerning every aspect of the wedding process are in this book, but its main design is to make your wedding turn eyes to Christ.

Jim Elliff, Christian Communicators Worldwide

Wedding planning too often centers on issues like flowers and the color of the bridesmaids dresses, with little thought given to how God will be exalted and how the gospel will be proclaimed on the wedding day. Here is a resource that puts the most important part of every wedding ceremony back where it belongs, front and center.

Bob Lepine, cohost, Family Life Today

Copyright 2014 by Catherine Strode Parks and Linda Strode

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-8114-1

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 392

Subject Heading: WEDDING \ MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND RITES \ GOSPEL

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Copyright 1999, 2000, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Also used: English Standard Version ( esv ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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To Erik and Tom,

our beloved husbands who, in Christ, bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things

Acknowledgments

While our names appear on this books cover, it is obvious in reading it that many people served us by lending us their words and ideas in order that the message of the gospel might go forth through this work.

Nearly three years ago, we sat at a coffee shop and dreamed about a crazy idea: What if we wrote a book about the gospel and weddings? The book you hold in your hand is a product of this simple conversation, along with the prayers, ideas, words, and help of many, many people. As first-time writers, we had no idea what we were doing. This book would not be in your hands were it not for the love and service of these people.

Thanks to Patti Hummel, who understood the book and championed it from the beginning. We also want to thank Dawn Woods and the team at B&H, who believed this book was needed and gave us so much freedom to achieve our vision for it. Huge thanks also goes to Bob Lepine, who gave us the best piece of writing advice we received: Make this about what youre for, not what youre against.

We are so thankful for all those who lent their own voices to this book. To those who gave up their time and wrote about their own wedding experiences, thank you. This book would not be complete without these stories. They shared their hearts with us, and with all who will read this book.

We were guided in this process by a few pastors who graciously allowed us to use their words and ideas to flesh out the message of the book. Thanks to Byron Yawn, Deepak Reju, Tim Challies, and David Platt. These men went out of their way in service of Christs bride, giving the church examples of gospel-rich wedding ceremonies.

Friends and family members have prayed, brainstormed, made suggestions, and encouraged us. Thanks to the Sandberg and Parks families, who answered Catherines desperate e-mails and prayed along the way. Thanks to Roger and Carol, the best parents-in-law a girl could hope for. Thanks also to Aaron and Laura, Pete and Jen, and Kyle and Liesl, who cheered and prayed and didnt think we were crazy. To the TTTwho knew your weddings would end up in a book? Thanks for lending us your stories and pouring out your love over the past twelve years.

Catherine would also like to thank a few women who have encouraged her during the writing process. Amber Newell knows me so well and helps me keep it real. Vadra Thatcher and Marci Preheim have prayed and taught me so muchyour words are all over these pages. Gloria Furman and Trillia Newbell went out of their way to encourage a new writer and became sweet friends in the process.