Dedicated

This picture was taken after the baby dedication service at church. There is much joy in devoting our new son (Nate) to the Lord. Though we did it in our hearts long ago, we made it public on this night. Our prayer is that our sons will grow to be mighty men of valor, strong in faith, true lovers of God and of His Word, who worship freely and speak truth from humble hearts. it's a big prayer...but we have a Big God. We fully expect Him to do great things in and through our sons, and we realize it is only by His grace that we can dedicate ourselves to parent them for the glory of His Name. Quickly becoming some of our favorite passages of Scripture are Psalm 127 & 128. Verses 3-4 of 127 says, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth." Well, maybe they weren't born in our "youth" (30's are young, right?) but they are our precious arrows. Jim Elliott said, "What are arrows for but for shooting? So with the strong arm of faith, draw back and let them fly at the enemy." With that, we entrust them into the mighty hands of our Savior, who loves them so much more than we.