64 Years of Marriage

My Grandpa and Grandma just celebrated 64 years of marriage on June 23rd.

What a wonderful example they have been to their kids, grand kids, and now great grand kids of a marriage that God has been in the center of.

Michael and I have just barely begun compared to this marriage.

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for loving the Lord and loving each other so completely. Your marriage is a testimony of how God is full of mercy and grace. It is a testimony of commitment and unyielding prayer of a believing spouse for an unbelieving spouse.

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I would like to share something my Grandma wrote in "The Journey of a Life-Line", an autobiographical history of her, my grandpa and other ancestors.

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God's Amazing Mercy!

I've entitled the biography of our marriage, "God's Amazing Mercy". In one sense, it might seem to convey a negative aspect to our union, for the work "mercy" always takes into account "sin" and implies something totally undeserved. Which is true in our case as with all others in God's family. But in quite another sense, it is meant to convey the positive and amazing "grace" that the Lord Jesus Christ has shown to both of us through that totally unmerited favor of His bountiful love! Indeed, this should be the testimony of every Christian couple, as they demonstrate to each other and to the observing world about them, what true love and commitment of the wedding vows which He has ordained as a permanent covenant bond for a husband and wife. Doug and I did not take our wedding vows lightly. "For better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health, until death do we part" were part of the clear understanding and binding covenant that we made to each other, as well as to God. Amazingly, one of us was not yet "born again" into God's Family, and the other was a "carnal" believer, at best. That is NOT a justification for our "disobedience" to God's Word, but required genuine repentance and God's mercy! The permanent glue of commitment, plus love is, for us, the very essence of a long, happy marriage. That word, "mercy", is an extremely important word in our lives. I shall ever be grate for God's Amazing Mercy!

written by- Sue Bradshaw (my grandma)

"The Mercy of the LORD
is from everlasting to everlasting
Upon those who fear Him,

And His Righteousness unto
Children's children,
To such as keep His covenant,

And to those that remember
His Commandments
to do them."

Psalm 103:17, 18

These pictures were taken on their 64th anniversary. Don't they look great?