Dustin has left a deep impression on missionaries serving across Live|Dead with his dedication to God, as he has come to serve alongside us for summer missions trips. Now, he is a student who pours into his small group, loves his God and is newly married to a fantastic woman.

It’s my wedding day: I’m standing in front of the arbor, my best friends and brothers in Christ are standing to my left. Sam, the man who discipled me and loved me more than I loved myself is standing behind me as the pastor. Friends and family are all seated in front of me and the music starts. Melanie, my bride, walks out of the doors led by her father and everyone stands.

She is radiant, glowing, and beautiful, more beautiful than I have ever seen her. Dressed in her white dress, pure and undefiled she walks down the aisle toward me. With tears in my eyes, the small butterflies in my chest turning too much larger ones. I am nervous, joyful and most importantly in love. She is coming to me to spend the rest of her life with me. From here on out till death do us part, for better or worse, no matter what happens we will be one.

Then the still small voice, more real than words, said,

This is only a taste of the joy I will experience when I come for my Bride.

The vision is over, I’m standing in our normal Thursday night worship service at Chi Alpha (Christ Ambassadors on UTSA campus), it’s 3 months before my wedding day.

Making Her Ready

This vision was an insight into the marriage of Christ and His church. Just as Melanie was clothed in white, pure and undefiled, so shall we be. The Bride of Christ now is still tarnished beaten and bruised. She is missing an eyebrow, hair a mess, dress dirty and torn, only a tinge of the potential beauty. There are still millions of people who have never heard the Gospel; men, women and children born in darkness and despair without a hope to escape.

The Bride of Christ is incomplete and not ready to meet the Groom, but He will wait (Matt 24:14).

What do we do? How do we prepare ourselves for His return? We must not be complacent. We must be on mission, no matter where. You are in a mission field or you are the mission field, there is no in between. To be effective we must die to ourselves, our own visions and dreams, our own will and strength and rely on Him and His promises.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.” John 12:24

May the Bride of Christ be pure, undefiled and blameless.