Details ...
Wedding Day!
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Wedding begins at 4:30pm Central Time
(Invitation Only)
Wedding colors:
bronze/brown, black, and champagne
Registry Information:
Amazon and Crate & Barrel
Their Story...
Timothy:
Being a Christian has meant so many different things to me throughout my life, but it hasn’t meant nearly as much to me as it does today. I have been given an incredible opportunity to truly follow Christ’s example of “not my will but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42), and this is something that I will cherish through the rest of my life. I have encountered God in such a way that I am truly astonished at how personal He can be towards me in a relationship with Him.
I never believed it when people said that God always had a funny way of bringing people together, but can you guess who’s convinced otherwise now? For nearly a year, I lived in an apartment that Laura drove by on her way to work pretty much daily. We had eaten at the same places, seen some of the same things, and probably even passed by one another multiple times without realizing it. The timing may have been good, but it was never perfect, because it took a dating app for us to finally meet.
Laura has also been such an encouragement to me in all aspects of life. She has helped me push the boundaries of what I thought love was, and it has brought so much fruit into my life. She has helped me dive deeper into my relationship with God. She has encouraged me to love my family harder than ever before. She has helped me to become that man I always envisioned. - Timothy
After giving Laura some smart aleck remark about not really believing in “soul mates,” she decided to spend every day since then convincing me otherwise. And after all that we have been through together, let’s just say that she might have been successful!
Our success is due in part to the incredible support system that we have. Our families have been vital in our relationship, and I am forever grateful to what each individual person has contributed to our lives. We have received prayers, love, advice, encouragement, and patience from the people who mean the most to us. There are countless things that our families have done for us, but we remember every one of them, and we strive to bring honor to these people every day.
Being where we are today is no feat of our own, and I owe so much credit to the place that we both are honored to call our church, Remnant Fellowship. I’ve been prayed over in Jesus’ name on countless occasions, built relationships with some of the most incredible people, been shown how to strengthen my relationships with my family and friends, and learned what it means to really follow Jesus and have a personal relationship with God. I’ve grown in so many ways, and without this place, I would never have been able to lay down the pride that had taken over my heart.
Without this place, I would never have had the honor of getting to meet the lovely Laura Elise MacLean.
There are so many great things about this beautiful woman, but my favorite thing is that she is the biggest supporter and cheerleader I have ever met. To add to that, she is kind and loving to all whom she meets, and she has the biggest heart that is so full of love and joy. Laura is probably the happiest person I have ever known. She is someone I want to be more like every day.
Laura has also been such an encouragement to me in all aspects of life. She has helped me push the boundaries of what I thought love was, and it has brought so much fruit into my life. She has helped me dive deeper into my relationship with God. She has encouraged me to love my family harder than ever before. She has helped me to see how my gifts can be used to further the Kingdom of God. She has taught me so much. She has helped me to become that man I always envisioned. I look forward to getting to spend the rest of my days at Laura’s side being unified under God’s perfect authority.
Laura:
I am humbled and in awe of God to have a testimony to share and the blessing of a soon-to-be spouse to share about. God is everything and has done amazing things beyond what I could ever imagine! For everything good that is in my life, I first want to direct all credit and my deepest appreciation to God Almighty, and next to where I learned the how-to of having a personal relationship with God, my church, Remnant Fellowship.
Timothy is above and beyond anything I could have prayed for. He loves God with all of his heart, prioritizes reading the Bible and going to church, takes care of all my needs, joyfully serves others, and has a special love and attention towards family. I pray to never, ever take Timothy for granted, for he is the most miraculous answered prayer and gift from God that I have ever received! I love him with all of my heart and cannot wait to be married and start the rest of forever by his side. - Laura
I found out about Weigh Down Ministries as a spiritually-hurting 17-year old. I was in an all-consuming struggle with type 1 diabetes, weight issues, and a deep loneliness and lack of purpose, despite being surrounded by a loving family. My mind was on myself in all circumstances, and I had a complete lack of love for those around me. With my weight struggle, I had tried every diet I could find and spent my morning, noon, and night planning my next meal. I had always wanted to know God, but I felt far away from Him and even angry at Him for the medical condition that I knew would require hourly attention for the rest of my life. Why me, God? I finally got down on my knees in prayer and begged God for a better way. Within the week, I had randomly Googled ‘Christian weight loss’ and stumbled upon the “Weigh Down At Home” videos on YouTube! I watched the same video several times in a row and was set free with the words that I heard. I dropped binge-eating, dieting, and overexercising that day – to never binge eat again! I couldn’t believe it! Then I signed up to take a Weigh Down class, and in the first lesson, I learned how to listen to my body’s signals and respond to internal hunger and fullness cues. I cried when I read the verse that “Jesus declared all foods ‘clean,’”(Mark 7:19) and started eating regular foods again! (Anyone who knows me knows that I now love a McDonald’s cheeseburger with ranch!) In learning to eat normal foods in response to my body’s cues, my blood sugar completely stabilized, and I was able to peacefully sleep through the night, without worries, for the first time in years. Over the next six months, I lost 25 pounds and my diabetic A1C reduced by an entire percentage point. My doctors were amazed at the drastic physical and mental health turnaround!
However, all of those things were side benefits that paled in comparison to discovering a personal relationship with God and His incredible son, Jesus Christ! As the Bible came alive, I was filled with true joy, sincere love for everyone around me, and found a lasting purpose and meaning to life as I experienced my heart of stone melt into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). I learned that I was personally responsible for laying my heart out before God and letting go of anything that I was focusing on more than Him. As I denied my own selfish desires for overeating and overly focusing on myself (amongst many other things), the turmoil I had lived in was replaced with joy, peace, and love in increasing measure.
It has been ten years now since I first discovered Weigh Down, and I have lost about 40 pounds and possess the best health of my life – with zero complications after 21 years of type 1 diabetes! I no longer focus on food at all and have zero fears of regaining the excess weight. My anger about my medical circumstances has been replaced by a deep appreciation to God for a circumstance that has me depending upon Him daily, and I am thankful that He is providing an avenue with which I can help and encourage others along the same path. I am free in both heart and mind from all the pulls of the world that used to drag me down. I don’t know where my mental and physical health would be without the Weigh Down teaching, and will be forever appreciative to my late pastor, Gwen Lara, for taking the time and energy to teach me how to find a personal relationship with God.
As I was seeing such positive changes in my life, I wanted more! I began webcasting Remnant Fellowship church services in Canada with a small group. The loneliness in my heart had already been filled by my new relationship with God, and then my heart filled to overflowing as I began fellowshipping with others who also wanted to make God their everything and go further each day in love and humility, like the early Christians in the book of Acts (Acts 2:42-47). I began taking every opportunity I could to travel and visit the church location in Brentwood, Tennessee. I was astounded by the huge, strong, and unified youth group that welcomed me with open arms! Midway through college, God made a way for me to transfer universities and live in Tennessee full-time. I had an incredibly blessed college career, depending on God and praying over every step, and a full-time job waiting for me upon graduation in 2020!
I cannot skip mentioning that I could not have dreamed of having the friendships that I have now, which I consider one of my highest blessings. I have many best friends that are each unique in their personality and interests, but are the same in the way they point me to God and tell me the truth in all situations. I will never be able to adequately express my appreciation to God for the gift that these friends have been to me.
And now for the most exciting part! I had always dreamed about getting married and finding a companion with whom to spend my life. I dated here and there, but had never found my match. Eventually—and with tons of prayer—God led me to enter the online dating scene, which seemed completely crazy to me! Against all odds, Timothy and I matched a few months later...and the rest is history. I was immediately attracted to Timothy’s thoughtfulness and the kind and respectful way he treated me (his good looks and tall stature were a welcomed bonus). Although Timothy did not attend my church, we talked very early on about spiritual topics and seeking a relationship with God. Timothy’s inquisitive nature about what I believe and why I believe in that has encouraged me to more boldly share my faith without worry of what others may think. I was moved by the respect that Timothy had for me when he would ask me questions about my beliefs, because he actually wanted to hear and understand my answers. As we continued to date, Timothy began coming to church with me. As we started worshipping together, learning how to put God first as a couple, this only solidified my love for Timothy.
Timothy is above and beyond anything I could have prayed for. He loves God with all of his heart, prioritizes reading the Bible and going to church, takes care of all my needs (and wants), joyfully serves others, and has a special love and attention towards family. He has the most loving heart of any man that I have ever known and is constantly looking for ways to extend his love in a way that seeks no recognition (always done anonymously if possible). He is humble and seeks wisdom when unsure of what to do in a given situation. Timothy is incredibly inclusive and is always looking for new hobbies to pick up in order to connect with other people. As you can imagine, he has many hobbies and a plethora of gifts in sports, music, the outdoors, and with creativity - he has made my life much more exciting! Timothy is near perfect with his words, slow to speak and always considerate of how his words will be received (he is always raising the bar for me in this).
Since the day that we met, Timothy has only increased in all of the fruits of the Spirit, and to watch his joy in his relationship with God has been the joy of my life. When Timothy and I have met with obstacles or adversity in our relationship—as couples almost always do—he has valiantly persevered, re-declared his love for me, and encouraged me to persevere also. I am so thankful and indebted to the servant-hearted leadership at our church that have spent many, many hours helping and preparing us for a forever marriage. I pray to never, ever take Timothy for granted, for he is the most miraculous answered prayer and gift from God that I have ever received! I love him with all of my heart and cannot wait to be married and start the rest of forever by his side.
I pray to always shout from the rooftops that “God is everything!”
