Covenant Marriage

While Melinda was working hard at the bank...somehow browsing MSN became part of her job description (I know, babe, I have no room to talk)...she came across an article on marriage. One of the couples featured in the article (the husband of which is the lead singer for Christian band 33 Miles) discussed their Covenant Marriage. Melinda read the article, then did some research on this idea of a "Covenant" Marriage. She made some interesting findings.

In 2001, Arkansas became the third state to give couples the option to obtain a Covenant Marriage (CM) license (Louisiana and Arizona are the other two). Here is some of the information from NWAMarriages.com, a website that gives all the details of the Arkansas CM...

Arkansas' Covenant Marriage law offers couples the freedom to choose to be held to a higher level of marital commitment. Couples must receive marriage counseling prior to receiving a marriage license, including a discussion of the seriousness of Covenant Marriage.

Additionally, these couples will agree, up-front, that if their marriage should ever run into trouble, they will seek marriage counseling before a divorce will be granted.

Additionally, Covenant Marriages offer more limited grounds for divorce. Couples in a Covenant Marriage will not be able to seek divorce based on the ground of general indignities.

Under a Covenant Marriage, a couple may seek divorce only after receiving counseling and only for the following reasons:

1. Adultery by the other spouse


2. Commission of a felony or other infamous crime by the other spouse


3. Physical or sexual abuse of the spouse or of a child of either spouse

There are also stricter laws concerning separation (longer periods before a divorce is allowed) and they become even more stringent if minor children are involved.
Melinda and I are all about a Covenant Marriage. It pretty much sealed the deal for a wedding in Eureka. We were already considering it, because we love Thorncrown Chapel. We feel like God revealed this Covenant Marriage concept to us and is leading us in His direction. Part of that direction is a Covenant Marriage and a wedding ceremony at Thorncrown in Eureka.

"Jesus is Life"

Our second short-length film. Steven Curtis Chapman's "Jesus is Life". I had this brilliant idea that we should act ho-hum and bored during the verse and bust our grooves out during the chorus. Did we do a good job? :)

The venue...

Here it is: Thorncrown Chapel! When we finally get to say "I do," it will be here.
I've never seen the place in person, but Melinda tells me that the pictures don't do it justice.
Melinda made the reservation today, which is exciting and a little nerve-racking at the same time! We're going to go check it out in a week or so, so I can see it first hand. Eureka has become "our" place. We love it there. You cannot beat the catfish and cobbler in Eureka! Plus, we like the small community atmosphere and the town's kinda nestled in the country. Wait, what am I saying?
Who cares about anything else, it's all about the catfish and cobbler baby! The freak shows and having to pay for downtown parking are the only drawbacks, but they are minor drawbacks at best.
As you can see from our Eureka Springs post (and posts to come) we love it here! 

Fireproof

While surfing, I came across a movie that looks really good. I showed Melinda, and we both are anxious to see it. It's called Fireproof. Starring Kirk Cameron (better known as Mike Seaver to our generation), the movie is about a firefighter, his wife and the struggles they face in their marriage. It looks powerful! Since Melinda and I are all things wedding/
marriage now, this movie is attractive to us. Also, it has a Christian theme to it, which is always a good thing. Go check out the trailer at the movie's website (a link is embedded in the title above). This movie is the type of movie America needs! With so many marriage problems and divorces in this country and in the world, it's high time to respect and honor this God-ordained institution. Therein lies the problem: many people forget that marriage is ordained and sanctified by God. How could any couple expect their marriage to thrive if it's void of its Creator? Moreover, we as men need to fulfill our duties in marriage...

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her -Ephesians 5:25.

This is something I've been praying about with Melinda. We have a while before we walk down the aisle, but we want to be as prepared for marriage as we can be.

"See the Glory"

This footage is more recent. This high quality ground-breaking special effects thriller was shot on Father's Day afternoon. Ladies and gentlemen...our rendition of Steven Curtis Chapman's "See the Glory".

Jolinda Workout Video

This is how we get SWOLL

Team Babb blast off!!!

The first day of summer. The first day of our blog...holla! Aren't Saturday mornings great? I get to lay around and be lazy, while Melinda has to be at work ALL morning. Ha! It sounds like Melinda's pretty stoked about this here blog action. She keeps texting me about all the cool things we can do (i.e. upload pics and vids). I have a feeling a couple certain Steven Curtis Chapman "music videos" will be posted soon. :) Maybe I should go ahead and write a disclaimer for my "enthusiasm" on the videos. Eh, all in due time. Hey Melinda, get your rooty-toot-tootin' booty on here and write something! -JB