Cart ID093 - Wedding Reception - Part 6 
15 Dec 2008
Following are the blessings that my dad
read at the reception:
From Bill & Diana Waring of Lake Stevens, WA, near Seattle (author of Beyond Survival and Reaping the Harvest plus other historical/musical resources for home educators)
Our Father God, Though we as Your children are separated by a vast ocean, yet we can join together in this moment to ask Your blessings on this marriage. We ask that by Your Spirit, You would increasingly root Pete and Genevieve in Your love, that they would be equipped by You to see with spiritual eyes-and increasingly comprehend with their hearts and minds-the width and length and depth and height of Your love which passes human understanding. We pray for them that their love for one another would be rooted and grounded and utterly entwined in You, so that as they grow in their love for You, their human love for each other would grow ever deeper, ever stronger, ever more encompassing. We ask that You would fill them to overflowing with the fullness of God, that they may experience the riches of knowing the day-to-day reality and presence of our Savior, Immanuel, God With Us. And, that in Your presence, as Your Word declares, there would be fullness of joy. We commit this marriage and these two precious people to You. We ask this in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Love you guys,
Bill & Diana
From Alfredo and Carmen Torres of San Antonio, Texas (parents of my close friend,
Lourdes, one of the daughters in The Return of the Daughters, and a young woman who
has been a real example to me of servanthood and femininity)
Dear Pete and Genevieve,
Here is the blessing Alfredo and I have for your wedding day. Thank you for giving us this special privilege. Blessed be the Lord, God Almighty, who before the foundations of the earth knew that you were for each other. On this day He is uniting your souls until death. Together may you serve the Lord, Christ Jesus, with all your heart, mind and soul. May the love for the vision God has given you grow each passing day. May you both glorify Him in the works He has prepared for you to walk in. May you take every God-given opportunity to give the gospel to a soul in want or to serve a saint in need. May the God of life bless you with many, many children; that together they may co-labor with you to further the Kingdom of Christ on earth. May your love for Jesus Christ grow deeper each day. May He continue to knit your hearts together and grow your love for one another stronger year after year. God bless and Keep your marriage always. To God be the glory!
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13
From Geoffrey Botkin of San Antonio, Texas (father of Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin,
authors of So Much More, directors of The Return of the Daughters and close friends of
mine):
Dear Craig and Barbara,
Allow me to begin with this prayerful blessing: Pete and Genevieve, for the Glory of Christ alone, may you be the deliberate and conscientious parents of thousands of ten thousands, and may your descendants possess the gates of those who are determined to destroy Christendom from the face of the earth. May your children be as honorable with the Fifth Commandment as you have been, and may they all disciple millions of lesser-advantaged peoples in the Southern Hemisphere. May your family unity and example show many cultures the blessings of dominion as you extend the Crown Rights of Christ Jesus far outside the borders of Australia. May your blissful marriage recover and model the picture of the Christian home, and may your estate be a great incubator of economic success, civil society, righteousness and applied theology as you work together to build a multigenerational dynasty. And may the Lord your God sustain you both with ever-increasing happiness. So be it. Amen.
Since I have known Genevieve, I have regarded her as the kind of historical heroine about whom such a prayer and blessing would be fitting. This is one reason I have prayed so desperately to God to find her the right husband. Craig, the daughter you give away today has been very precious to our family for many reasons. In past years, I have prayed with great urgency for a good husband for Genevieve because she is such a special and important asset to the Kingdom of God.
It was with special urgency I was praying for her on her last visit to the US. I confess there were times I despaired of her finding a worthy mate in New Zealand and cried out with a mixture of emotions as Genevieve bravely and confidently returned to serve her earthly father, trusting her heavenly father for her future. She was magnificent in faith and her radiant love for her father was noticed and remembered by many in the US.
I want to tell you how sorry we all are we cannot be with you to see that victorious moment which represents God’s great sovereignty in joining Genevieve and Pete in covenantal marriage. Her marriage is especially glorious to me because it so vividly represents God’s goodness, his faithfulness, his majesty, his love and his providential plan for history in leading Genevieve to Pete at exactly the right moment in history.
Genevieve is one of the greatest heroines I know. Her testimony in standing with her father is now a popular story in the US which has become legendary for the right reasons. I believe this marriage will become legendary for the right reasons. With the greatest of affection and overflowing joy, I remain your faithful and loving friend,
Geoffrey Botkin
For the Greater Glory of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
Genevieve de Deugd
Issacharian Wife