In honor of my son’s wedding and with the blessing of him and his bride, I post this message I read to them at their rehearsal dinner on 7/30/2026.
It is my pleasure to offer a parental blessing over this wedding. I’m going to start with a scripture verse I came across about two months ago, when I knew I had to write this.
It is from Paul’s second letter to Timothy, one of his students. He was a brother in Christ, and like one of Paul’s “adopted sons.” Paul dearly loved him.
2 Timothy 1:13-14 NIV
“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
Guard the good deposit.
This verse is a reminder that Paul spent a great deal of time and energy teaching and training young Timothy to become a leader in the church. Timothy was taught the truth of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Through that long-term, mentoring relationship, Timothy had many opportunities to observe Paul applying his faith to various situations, rejoicing when times were good, and being faithful when times were hard. As your parents, I hope that you have seen some of that in us.
Like Timothy, you have been given a good deposit, not just from your parents, but from your church and many others in this room. Guard that deposit. Do not shy away from learning more about God every day.
Read your Bible, not because you have to follow rules, but because you genuinely want to get to know God better.
Go to church, not because you have to, but because it is a good place to develop rich relationships, and to have a better understanding of how scripture applies directly to your life.
Pray daily, more than once, and let that be the first thing you turn to when times get tough. If times are good, let praise to God be the first thing you say.
Spend time growing your relationship with God. You may be tempted to believe that the most important relationship in your life is your new spouse, but that is not the case. In truth, the most important relationship in your life is the one you have with God. Nothing is more important than your relationship with Him.
Never forget you have an enemy that will do his best to blow little disagreements into big things. The Holy Spirit will help you identify these deceptions and teach you what you need to know, but you must be actively listening. In 1 Kings Chapter 19, when Elijah was running away from Jezebel and was exhausted and afraid, he was told to exit his cave and wait for the Lord. But the Lord‘s voice was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. It came later as a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11-13). You will not hear it if you’re not actively listening through prayer, meditation, and scripture reading.
Before you leave today, look around the room and see the people here who love you. All of us want nothing but your deepest success. At times, God will work through these people to meet your practical needs. But the most important person you will ever lean on is God himself.
I close with this again. “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit” who lives in you.
My son, it has been a joy to watch you launch into your adult life! Things have moved fast, but you were ready. We love you both and wish you a wonderful start to your new life as husband and wife!