Kyle Oliphint Dot Com

The grief is deep when a loved one dies. The sadness of having to send a friend off on a new adventure far from you is palpable. Packing up and driving our first-born to college is on our agenda in the coming new year. I get a pit just typing about it. Goodbyes are hard. In every instance there is a longing to be together again. There is a heaviness to the memories, the pictures bring a new ache. We were born for one another; for communion and community. So every time we utter "goodbye", that little word precedes a tear at the "ever-presence" of that relationship. After the tearing comes the tears. As a Christian, I want to dig around and seek out hope and comfort and permanence when I'm grieving or sad or I ache.  I want heart-ache and unpleasantness to toss me to God, His Word and His promises. God's Word, specifically, Revelation 21:1-4 , does just that; pulls me to God and His promises. There we see that we will experience the reality tha

[A sleepless night provoked this post a few months ago. It sat in my draft folder until now. Reader beware.] Considering the prospect of giving my daughters away makes this dad think. As a minister I may even officiate their weddings. These are my initial thoughts of what I want to say to them as their dad, first, and as their pastor, second. Today, you enter into the covenant of marriage. As your father, I will walk you down the aisle and place your hand into your future husband's hand. In moments, you will hear the pronouncement, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." With those seven words everything changes. God tells us this in Genesis 2:24 . At this moment you leave us and cleave to one another in marriage. The whole covenant context changes. You are now his wife.  You've been raised as our covenant daughter. We promised to raise you in the fear and admonition of the Lord in and with the community of believers. We sought to do that. You have been such a