Walking down memory lane

Last month, Kim and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. However, with our oldest son graduating and with so many other activities demanding our time, we postponed our brief celebration getaway until this week.

We chose to spend a few days in Memphis. Ordinarily, this may not sound like a romantic getaway location. But, to us, we have some very special memories here.

When Kim and I were dating, she lived in Lexington, Kentucky and I lived in Germantown, Tennessee. Among other things, I was on staff at Bellevue Baptist Church where Adrian Rogers was pastor. So, that little bit of information helps to explain the following pictures.

I proposed to Kim on this spot on December 14, 1996 after a performance of the
Singing Christmas Tree. This picture was taken a few months later.

Today, we got as close to the spot where I proposed to Kim as possible. However, that "spot" has been redone. It now has a
weeping willow, flowers, shrubbery, and a small waterfall.

Here's what happened to the spot where I proposed to Kim a little more than 20 years ago.

A friend got Adrian Rogers to sign one of his books for Kim and me as a wedding
gift. The title is appropriate. The miracle was that Kim said, "yes."

Here's a picture of Bellevue from the front lawn.

There are so many memories tied up in this place. In fact, the window of the Military Ministry
Sunday School classroom that I taught is visible on the third floor under the overhang.

We visited Adrian Rogers' grave today. His body is laid to rest beside their young son who died before he was 3 months old.

For a man who left such a huge imprint on millions (no exaggeration) of lives, the humble nature of his gravesite was a
testimony to the fact that he recognized that his life wasn't really about himself. It was about Jesus.
(And the "Jesus" sign is still hanging high above the pulpit in Bellevue's sanctuary.)

There are a few other pictures and an enormous amount of memories but I'll end my post here and get back to enjoying our celebration of 20 years of marriage.

Kim and Matt's 18th Anniversary Video

Today, Kim and I have been married 18 years. Here is a video of some pictures of Kim and me as we grew up and then grew together. The song playing in the background is "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. I sang that song to Kim at our wedding.

Matt & Kim's 17th Wedding Anniversary

I can't believe that Kim and I have been married for 17 years! I found a video of our wedding on May 10, 1997 and watched a portion of it. As I looked at those 20-somethings, I couldn't help but shake my head and say, "Wow, if only they knew what was ahead of them!"

Much of what lie ahead of us has been incredible! In a couple of years, God would bless us with our first son, Zach. Then, two years later, God sent our son, Sean. Finally, four years later, God gave us Joseph. As those three boys have grown older, Kim and I continue to realize just how God wonderfully blessed us when He gave each of them to us. They make us, as parents, look better than we really are. 

God has also blessed Kim and I with Himself. As we look back to our earlier years of marriage, we often realize just how spiritually immature we were. Yet, through our marriage, God has blessed us with some really bad times. Yes, you heard that right. I used the word "blessed" and "bad times" in the same sentence because God used them to draw us to Himself. Our relationship with the Lord is so much stronger and sweeter now than it was when we married. Yes, we've still got so far to go, so much more to enjoy but we've come so far in the last 17 years.

I am also overwhelmed by God's grace by giving Kim to me. I could not have imagined back in 1997 just how much I would be positively impacted by the special lady He was giving to me. I am not being cliche when I say that I am a much better man for having married Kim. I have gone much farther than I would have if God had not used her to help shape me into a vessel that is much more usable to the Lord.

God has also blessed us immensely as He has brought some incredible people into our lives. In truth, every single person we've met has been a personal masterpiece by our great Creator. Yet, some folks have stepped in and left their fingerprints all over our lives. Many of those extra special people were sent just as the right time.

If friendships make someone rich, then we are unimaginably wealthy. After our wedding, God continues to bless us with relationships. We have developed some incredibly deep and rich relationships in the churches that I have served in. It has always been a very hard thing to leave for the next assignment because we had developed such a family kind of love for the folks we served. We cannot adequately express how wonderful it is to continue to enjoy friendships in Lexington, Georgetown, Princeton, Brooksville, Murray and many other places along the way.

Life with Kim has absolutely been an adventure! And, if I had it to do all over again, I'd do it all over again ... as long as I'm with Kim!

But, hey, it's not over. The adventure continues. Who knows what God has yet in store for us as we walk into the future together! I'm just so excited that I get to walk that journey with my best friend, my Sweetheart, Kim!

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Here is a video clip from our wedding on May 10, 1997. I surprised Kim by adding a song to the wedding. I picked out a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that talks about my commitment to stay with and love her throughout the good and bad times. So, here's me singing a love song to Kim. After listening to me sing, you'll understand why she kept crying. lol