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Weddings

Albany Times Union, blog

Featured in Wedding Article

My good “in” with the Albany Times Union through my blog has produced several fruitful friendships. One them is Kristi Gustafson Barlette, social media strategist and staff writer, who writes about culture, trends, and relationships. Kristi interviewed me for an article on the benefits of premarital counseling for engaged couples:

Counseling. That one little word often conjures up images of trouble — either for you independently or as a couple. Many people believe turning to a counselor means you are weak or cannot handle life on your own. But, in reality, counseling — especially the premarital variety — can help you better understand yourself and your partner.

“Counselors are not just there to point out the things that are bad; they are also there for reinforcement and to point out what’s good,” says Amy Eisinger, an associate editor with WeddingChannel.com. “It’s not like you are going to discover this earth-shattering issue. Pre-wedding counseling is going to help you strengthen your relationship; it’s not going to break you up.”

Rev. Alan Rudnick, minister at the First Baptist Church in Ballston Spa, requires everyone he marries to go through premarital counseling. Couples meet with Rudnick three or four times before the wedding and take an in-depth look at their relationship. He is not a judge, and his church is not a drive-by wedding chapel. Instead, Rudnick establishes relationships with couples — and often with their parents, as well — that can last long after the duo slip bands on one another’s ring finger. “It lets us sit down and make the relationship qualitative, instead of quantitative,” Rudnick says.

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Waiting

Weddings, Wine, and Waiting

There is a story that we pastors often tell stressed couples before weddings to make them laugh:

During the wedding rehearsal, the groom  approached the priest with an unusual offer.

“Look, I’ll give you $100 if you’ll change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I’m to promise to ‘love, honor, and obey’ and ‘forsaking all others, be faithful to her forever,’ I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave that part out.”

He slipped the priest the cash and walked away. The wedding day arrived.

When it came time for the groom’s vows, the priest looked the young man in the eye and said,

” Will you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?”

The groom gulped and looked around and then said in a tiny voice, “I do.”

After the ceremony, the groom pulled the priest aside and yelled,

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Servant

Controlling Our Inner Freak

People love to watch a control freak melt down.  A popular reality show about overly controlling brides-to-be is now in its sixth season (what reality show isn’t?)   The show’s description reads:

“Who among us has not met a Bridezilla?” This reality series from WE takes us inside the hectic wedding preparations of brides-to-be who are determined to have the perfect wedding–no matter how many tantrums they must throw to achieve that dream. Every episode we meet a new bride who is more selfish and controlling than the previous one. This unique reality show, shows the life of brides-to-be and how they fight with their friends, family and future husband to get anything they want for their wedding and for it to be just the way the like it!”

One word: wow.

All of us have a little bit of a control freak in us.  We want things our way, on our time table, and we want to control.  Control freaks.  We have all seen them.  Crazy bosses, celebrity selfishness, bridezillas, and overbearing friends.  The need for control and power is in every aspect of our culture.  From government to Google, someone is always looking for power.  Someone is always looking for control.  There is a little control freak in all of us.  Things have to be just so, we feel possessive about our groups, property, or relationships.  But why?  Why do we have this innate need to be in control?

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