An Anniversary
Another Day Along the Way
Friday, June 09, 2006
Three sixes. Some people wouldn't take the risk of saying or typing a six after two other sixes. A biblical mystery has left multitudes of people convinced that a 6 and a 6 and another 6 are too much to be close together.
But this week's Tuesday was 06/06/06. It was also the anniversary of Chris and Debbie Maxwell. Anniversary number twenty-five on June 6, 2006.
The Book of Revelation uses images and mystery to reveal God's truth given to John many years ago. A portion of the end-of-time drama includes a mysterious ingredient often labeled as the mark of the beast. Though the Bible is not clear and refuses to use specifics, people have spent 2,000 years revealing their own revelations about what that 666 mark of the beast actually means. Presidents, rock singers, movie stars, terrorists, and dead people have all been selected as the antichrist while meanings of those three sixes have been equally explained as birthdays, years of death, computer systems, bank accounts, and yes, anniversaries.
It has always confused me how we try to explain in specifics what the Author chose to leave unknown. It has also concerned me that we spend so much time on the uncertain and avoid obeying the specifics God declares.
While the three sixes have left the beast's mark unknown, I do know this about this week's 06/06/06. Debbie and I are still together. Though we've moved now to a new state and entered new careers, though we celebrated the 25th anniversary with me in Georgia and her in Florida, though difficulties and disappointments have merged with joyful fun over these two and a half decades, we are happy to still be one.
Our anniversary was much different than the mark of any beast. The 6-6-6 was a reminder of obedience to God, of forgiveness, of hope, of life, of better-or-worse, of in-sickness-and-in-health, of promises kept, of grudges released. Let’s call it this: love.
I love Deborah Oliver Maxwell. She loves me. We both love Taylor and Aaron and Graham. And we have realized that we are loved by our Maker. We hope to be marked by that love.
And, until the end of time or whatever we want to call it, that is a mark worth keeping.
Along the way,
Chris Maxwell
Powerful Statement: I do.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Three sixes. Some people wouldn't take the risk of saying or typing a six after two other sixes. A biblical mystery has left multitudes of people convinced that a 6 and a 6 and another 6 are too much to be close together.
But this week's Tuesday was 06/06/06. It was also the anniversary of Chris and Debbie Maxwell. Anniversary number twenty-five on June 6, 2006.
The Book of Revelation uses images and mystery to reveal God's truth given to John many years ago. A portion of the end-of-time drama includes a mysterious ingredient often labeled as the mark of the beast. Though the Bible is not clear and refuses to use specifics, people have spent 2,000 years revealing their own revelations about what that 666 mark of the beast actually means. Presidents, rock singers, movie stars, terrorists, and dead people have all been selected as the antichrist while meanings of those three sixes have been equally explained as birthdays, years of death, computer systems, bank accounts, and yes, anniversaries.
It has always confused me how we try to explain in specifics what the Author chose to leave unknown. It has also concerned me that we spend so much time on the uncertain and avoid obeying the specifics God declares.
While the three sixes have left the beast's mark unknown, I do know this about this week's 06/06/06. Debbie and I are still together. Though we've moved now to a new state and entered new careers, though we celebrated the 25th anniversary with me in Georgia and her in Florida, though difficulties and disappointments have merged with joyful fun over these two and a half decades, we are happy to still be one.
Our anniversary was much different than the mark of any beast. The 6-6-6 was a reminder of obedience to God, of forgiveness, of hope, of life, of better-or-worse, of in-sickness-and-in-health, of promises kept, of grudges released. Let’s call it this: love.
I love Deborah Oliver Maxwell. She loves me. We both love Taylor and Aaron and Graham. And we have realized that we are loved by our Maker. We hope to be marked by that love.
And, until the end of time or whatever we want to call it, that is a mark worth keeping.
Along the way,
Chris Maxwell
Powerful Statement: I do.
5 Comments:
good stuff Chris - Happy Anniversary to you and Debbie!!
Love you guys!
Happy anniversary. You two are super cool!
Happy Anniversary to you both!!!! And many many more!!!!! It's nice to see in a struggling world there are people who take the words in marriage and really live them!
A wedding a day...a marriage a life time!!! Congratulations!!!!
Noel :)
NoelbyGod
Can't believe it! I remember I met you right after you guys were married and came to First Assembly! I thought you two were the coolest couple I had ever met! Most youth pastors were old and wore suites and their wives wore pearls, dresses and had big sprayed hair. I had never met real christians like you two before! ;-)
OOPS! Happy Anniversary!!!!
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