The Groomsmen

Originally posted on Feb 9, 09

I know that this is about a month over due but I was busy getting married. I wanted to give out a special thanks to the people closest to me who shared with me the biggest day of my life.

Jordan Wessling: Jordan is one of those guys that is too smart for his own good. He has a passion for philosophy. Sadly, it used to be theology but that’s another story. Every time we get into a conversation I can always count on him to tell me at some point that I’m, “sooooooooooo irrational.” Jordan is always trying to think about philosophical ideas and studies like his life depends on it. He’s the only guy I know that can study for the GRE for forty hours a week and actually feel like he’s not missing out on life. He’s an Asian in a white man’s body.

But when it comes down to it, I can also count on Jordan to give godly advice. His passion for being rational is motivated by a desire to be godly with that rationality. He honors God with his conduct and desires to glorify God with his mind. We can have deep theological and philosophical conversations and in the next minute we can talk about basketball, girls, and Boomtown. Having Jordan as a friend has enriched my life is so many ways. Thank you Jordan, for being one of my groomsmen.

Chris Hunt: Chris and I have a lot of the same desires although we have nothing of the same personality. We spent five weeks in Israel a few years back and have enough inside jokes to last us a lifetime. He has been a great example to me in how he treats his wife (Katie [Hunt] also treats him well). Chris and I were living in an apartment together when we were going through graduate school when he was dating Katie Cook. They were truly a godly example of a dating couple. It doesn’t surprise me that he is a good husband and that she is a good wife.



A side note for you girls, when you take good care of your husband their close friends notice and deeply appreciate it. I told Katie, Chris’ wife, that it was a blessing to know that Chris will always have good support from his wife. Chris deeply desires to be a godly man and to be involved in ministry. His wife Katie empowers and “makes him feel a hundred feet tall,” so thank you for being an example to me of how even a young couple can display years of wisdom.

Aaron Brown: There is something about Aaron that, I believe, is a gift from the Lord. He has the ability to look into a situation and discern exactly what may be going on and cut to the heart of the matter with good insight. I can always count on Aaron to give godly advice in any situation. Also, he is not afraid to confront people, especially me. He has called me out several times when I’m acting inappropriately or behaving ungodly. That is a mark of a true friend. There is something else that I didn’t realize until we graduated and Aaron moved back East. Because of Aaron’s gift of discernment, whenever he’s around I just knew that everything was going to be okay. I knew that he was going to give me some good and godly insight into the situation to help me understand what was going on spiritually and psychologically and allow me to be at peace with it and to deal with it appropriately.



Thank you Aaron for always being playful and fun but never compromising godly values in the process, for being a friend that would admonish and rebuke when necessary, and to be willing to do anything to support me in my time of need throughout the years.

Dominic Avila: I’ve known Dom since 7th grade. His older brother, Brice, sadly died in a motorcycle accident when we were in junior high, and that incident prompted us to start going to church. Since that time, we’ve had several peaks and valleys. Both of us grew up in a broken home. Our moms were the only ones around for us and we had to go through the school of hard knocks. But whatever it was, whether it be running around the streets of East LA, playing street fighter, playing chess into the late hours of the night, working out, training for basketball, or going to church – we did it together. There was a time, however, when Dom strayed for while and I had my worries. But he came back to the Lord and hasn’t looked back since. Both of us love studying the Word of God, playing basketball, and the Lakers. That is a three-cord bind that cannot be broken.



Thank you, Dom for being there for me. For admonishing me when necessary and pushing me to be a godly husband. I know that we’ll always be in each other’s lives and that our children will grow up together learning about all the stupid things we used to do (and some we still do) with Bryan. I know that both you and I want to stop the cycle of growing up in a broken home and be there for our family and future children. And I know that we will be there for each other.

Bryan Benavidez: What in the world can I say about this fool other then that he’s a fool! I’m just kidding (of sort). The big care-free-hairy-jolly-giant-headed-goof-ball I’ve known since the beginning of time, it seems. I bagged on him for six years because he choked Dom’s wedding speech. Here's the scene:

(Bryan was walking up to the front like he was walking to Brickhouse, all week he was saying how he was going to "rock the house" when it came to the best man speech.)

Bryan: In all the years I've known Dom, I've never seen him as emotional as I saw him last night . . .

deep awkward pause for about two painful seconds because he's trying to hold back his emotions like a broken damn. It doesn't work, his eyes begin to tear up and he couldn't say a word and ends the speech by lifting up his glass to toast and says . . . "shell we"? I said to myself, "THAT was rocking the house!?" I've been bagging on him ever since.



But when it came time for him to do the speech at my wedding, I have to admit, he came through. I was deeply touched with everything he had to say and the memorizes that were brought up. It really summed up our relationship nicely. We could be having a great time together talking about love, life, and the Lakers. Immediately though, we could also become serious, real, and transparent with each other. Bryan is a hard worker providing for his wife and three wonderful children. He’s been through some of the most trying situations but manages at the end of the day to always have a reason to smile (although that reason is probably me).

Thank you, Bryan for being the best friend you could possibly be. There is so much history between us and so many memorizes. I know that I could fill books with stories of God’s redemptive and comical journey for us. I won't forget the support and encouragement you gave me during the weekend of my wedding. Continue to laugh the way you do because it’s that laughter that reminds me, there’s always a reason to smile. And above everything else thanks for paying back the money you owe me. You forgot to pay the interest but thanks for at least paying the principle.