My girlfriend laughed when I proposed to her

October 21, 2016 Bryant Rodriguez

Yaniz had finally gotten dressed up. She was beside me in the vehicle, and I could tell she was frustrated but there was nothing to be done about it now. When she had come out of her room in her mismatched outfit and lazy afternoon hair, I thought I would have to break the surprise to get her changed. I knew she would be mad if I had paid a photographer and she didn’t look her best. I had been conflicted, but I had kept my cool, and when her best friend Raquel came by, she convinced her to change.

Perfect.

Now we were on our way downtown in Raquel and Lucas’ Prius

Not Just Facebook Single

March 14, 2016 usethegrace

In case some of you did not know, our school has a popular nickname that plays upon all the dating, marrying, and lovemaking that our campus fosters! (Just this past Winter Break, two couples I know got engaged.) This is wonderful. Romance is pure and sacred, and holy, and worthy, but not all the time.

I am currently outside of those times when romance is healthy.

The Romance of Christ

February 14, 2016 usethegrace

Jesus loved a woman. Jesus purposed in His heart that He would marry this woman He desired. He spoke to the Father, got things arranged, and left home to meet the woman He loved where she lived.

“But when the fullness of time had come” Gal. 4:4

Before He could drop the question, though, He needed to negotiate the mohar, the price, He would need to pay for His wife. The price was steep, but He loved her so much that He was willing to go forward with it. Like Jacob laboring 14 years for the woman he wanted so much, counting it as nothing, Jesus would count as nothing the price He’d pay. Already, in His heart He despised the shame, agreed to the terms, and moved toward that young woman, beautiful like a costly pearl.

The Goggles Must Come Off | Summer Camp Chronicles

August 9, 2015 usethegrace

I felt ashamed because I was so eager to take this sacred song and let another human define its significance—again. How could I be so eager to risk my worship into the hands of another person knowing how fleeting human relationships can be?

I AM BEAUTIFUL feat. Kameron Carter and Cassie Matchim

February 3, 2015 usethegrace

I'm part of a ministry called BOOMMINISTRIES. We take the talents of others and give them a media platform to share them with fellow Christians. This is our latest video for the Valentine's season. A poem about beauty standards inside the church that ends with Jesus' affirming His interest in our personhood, and not appearance.

http://youtu.be/c9asHr5p8UQ