Wedding Officiant and Ordination
Hello, my name is Larry Asher, I am studying at Christian Leaders Institute to be a wedding officiant and ordination (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). Being licensed as a wedding officiant with the Christian Leaders Alliance is my first step, and then I am seeking ordination. Now, I want to share my life and ministry journey with you.
My Early Years
As a young child, my family was very involved in the church. Both of my parents taught Sunday school. During the week, my father had an occasional prayer breakfast with other men. My mother stayed at home, and she was a babysitter. Our house was filled with other young kids. My mom would go over her Sunday school lesson with the kids. They loved the stories. It was a great way to present the gospel to them and for her to practice her lesson.
Things changed in my teenage years. My parents put their faith to the side and began spending time in the bar – alcohol and partying replaced the Bible stories. They never denied their faith; they just stopped practicing. This lifestyle change was detrimental to their marriage and our family, eventually leading to divorce, ending a 26-year marriage.
In the meantime, I graduated high school and joined the Army. The on-again, off-again faith plagued me for several years. I always felt secure in my faith but lived in grace as I pursued worldly passions. I knew I was not living right. There were times I came back, putting the drinking and related lifestyle on hold to pursue my walk with God. Then, I would grow weak and give in to the world around me. However, the Lord never gave up on me. As I continued to seek God and His will for my life, He revealed himself to me. The times I strayed became fewer, and the joy I received from the world began to diminish. I wanted nothing to do with it.
Marriage
I met Rene in 1992. She had a real heart for the Lord. She and I were kind of in the same place with the world. I loved her from the moment I saw her. Her desire to know more about the Lord resonated with me. We began to spend more and more time in God’s Word. When we met, I was training to be a Green Beret, which consumed a lot of my time. Rene had just completed four years of service with the Air Force. She came back to North Carolina for my graduation but then returned home and began school in Nebraska. I was heartbroken, I thought she would stay, and we would be married.
Rene and I had only known each other for six months. For four of those months, I was gone on training. Then, two weeks after she started school, she decided to come back to North Carolina. Two weeks later, we married. It was a small ceremony outside in the rose garden of Fayetteville Technical College. We are approaching 30 years of marriage, have raised two wonderful boys, and now enjoy our grandchildren.
A Christian Family: Ministry Service
My life experience convinced me that I wanted a stable, Christian home for our family. I knew I could not do it alone; it had to be her desire as well. God blessed us. It has not always been easy, nor has it always been pretty. However, we have provided a stable constant example of faith for our family. God willing, we will continue to do so.
I like to say that we grew up with our kids. When they were in children’s church, we were involved with the ministry – spending time in the nursery and teaching. When they were in middle school and junior high, we taught those classes. We did the same with the high school and young adults.
Wedding Officiant and Ordination Journey at CLI and CLA
Now that we are empty-nesters, we sought out other ministry opportunities. We started the Asher Family Foundation working to support marriage and families. Our goal is to partner with churches and other ministries to support them as God leads.
Working to be recognized as a licensed wedding officiant will not only allow me to officiate our son’s wedding, but it is also the first step of my goal to be an ordained minister. My ordination will add credibility to the work of the Asher Family Foundation, which is the work the Lord has called me to. It will also demonstrate a commitment to studying the Word of God and competencies, which will lead to confidence in others, allowing us to serve them through ministry.
I am thankful to the Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) for the opportunity to pursue, first, being a Licensed Wedding Officiant, and secondly, a path to ordination, which I am currently working on. The journey never ends!
Author: Henry Reyenga
Henry Reyenga is president of Christian Leaders Institute and Christian Leaders Alliance.
