A proud dad

It is fitting that my first post on our blog occurs after the birth of our first-born child, Sophia Grace. I didn't plan for it to occur at this time, but I'm joyful it has.

We named her Sophia, which means "wisdom" in Greek, as our hearts were won over by wisdom literature in the Old Testament. Wisdom and Folly are personified in the book of Proverbs, both calling out in the sixth chapter, "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" Both "women" have something to give to those who respond to their calls, yet the delights and eventual path of the partakers are vastly different. Wisdom leads to life; the path of Folly leads to death.

In Proverbs 8:35-36, wisdom says "For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself: all who hate me love death."

All who hate wisdom love death!

When God redeemed my life in 2001, I was in great need of wisdom. I still am. I had some friends from college who were attending Greentree Community Church and I started going with them. I was blessed to join the church and a community of believers who invested in me and took a lot of their time and energy to help me grow in my faith and wisdom. Amidst many blunders on my part as others were compassionate, faithful, and gentle in their correction and guidance, my heart was drawn to the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. I am in debt to many of you who read this post.

I rejoiced as I read Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc., gaining practical wisdom and insight. It became far easier for me to make decisions in life, obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, and know that my life had intention and direction. I try to read a chapter of Proverbs every morning. The thirty-one chapters match well with the typical thirty or thirty-one days in a month.

The name Sophia won our hearts as we began praying for her and journaling to her long before she was born.

I pray that Sophia grows to know the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I pray that Sophia's life is marked by wisdom, that she makes decisions in obedience to the Lord.
I pray that she is a blessing to others, living in such a way that others are drawn or called to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, the risen Lord.

We decided to give her the middle name "Grace" because we thought it sounded beautiful with "Sophia" and it reminds us, and hopefully her someday, of the undeserved, yet freely given, mercy we have received from God, our Father. I was a little slow in accepting the name because we have very dear friends, who we consider family, whose recently adopted daughter was given the name Grace when she came into the family. Anyway, this past week I grew to treasure the name. Great timing, right?




Baby girl and daddy's hand.


My wife has been an amazing mom to our little girl. I am so proud to be her husband. The Lord has richly blessed me.