My pledge of delight in God

       I can not believe I actually have a daughter. She is perfect, her little smiles and cries fill me up with such incredible joy. Now all the poopie diapers and interrupted sleep cycles do get a little monotonous but its well worth it. 

       It really is so incredible to hold her in my hands and kiss her cheeks. I get completely overwhelmed with so many different feelings- maybe this is similar to what middle school girls through all the time- God save me from those days!!

       One joy I received besides being there with Mercy during the birth and cutting the cord (which although quite gruesome wasnt that bad!) was that Mercy gave me the ability to pick out her middle name. 

       Now for those of you who dont know already, my baby girls name is Eden, yes like the garden. And although my father in law wanted me to name her Eden (eat'n) Chicken we wanted to give her a good name she could lean back on!

       For me, names are huge. I believe in the power and importance of names- look throughout the Scripture and you see countless times where the birth and naming of a child went hand in hand with that kids future and purpose along with the experience surrounding their birth. 

       So out of all my choices, I picked Isabelle, Eden Isabelle Clonts. 

       Eden meaning, delight or joy. And Isabelle, a version of Elisabeth, a vow or pledge to God. Leading up to Eden's birth Mercy and were countless taken aback by peoples graciousness and blessing. I think about the gifts people gave to us at our baby shower, they have been the biggest help to getting us started in this adventure. Then the love of some of our closest friends who have given beyond what they should have to just share their love. To the notes and thoughts that people have sent simply expressing their desire for God's blessing and happiness on our family- We have been overwhelmed. 

      But then it hit me. As I was walking in the hallway at the hospital, I named my kid, "My pledge of delight in God" because He has been so good to us, and the Holy Spirit let me know- no James- her name is the pledge of God's delight in you. 

       How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called Children of God. (1 John 3:1) 

       God has a faithful love, it endures forever. It sweeps us along its path of passion and purpose and if we let go of our facade of control we will be caught up in our Father God's embrace. Oh when was the last time you felt Abba Fathers hands wrap around you and pull you tight into His love, His consuming grace. 

       ....

      I was sitting in the hospital, we were in our room- worn out and beat up by the days birth before us and such a daunting task in front of us- I sat down with my bible and I was going to read to Eden. I told Mercy I wanted to read the whole Bible to her and I will at some point. But in that moment God said no, so I picked up in my devotion. 

     I opened my bible with Mercy by my side and looked at my baby girl and I began to weep. I cried, I did the whole, man hold it together face, everything but I just cried for a while. Finally I put my Lamaze breathing to work, and I started to read; 

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;         from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—         the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,         the Spirit of counsel and of power,         the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.         He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,         or decide by what he hears with his ears;

 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,         with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.         He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;         with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

 5 Righteousness will be his belt         and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

 6 The wolf will live with the lamb,         the leopard will lie down with the goat,         the calf and the lion and the yearling ^[a] together;         and a little child will lead them.

 7 The cow will feed with the bear,         their young will lie down together,         and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,         and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

 9 They will neither harm nor destroy         on all my holy mountain,         for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD         as the waters cover the sea.

That moment with my family I can not begin to describe to you- but this passage was like my prayer of dedication over my daughter- and more than anything may she be full of the knowledge of the Lord; covered, resting in and living out. 

More Pics are coming

So these are just a few and a lot of the good ones wouldnt load up for me- so dont be angry if youre left out!! 

Post Christmas Thoughts

Wow! Right now we have less than one month until my baby girl gets here!  How crazy is that! I have been going thru fears, worries, excitement and giddiness like a menopausal woman for the past month. Really you should try to call Mercy just to make sure she hasnt left me for all my wishy-washiness!!

Talking about leaving your spouse reminds me of my relationship with God right now and the trials God has me walking through. I recently shared with a good friend of mine that it seems like God has had me in the furnace, refining and testing me more recently than I ever remember. And like one of my favorite songs from singer/songwriter Greg Laswell, where my knees might bend and sway I will not fall. 

It has made me though love my wife more and more. I mean, Mercy has handled this pregnancy with incredible strength and poise. God kept her from too much sickness earlier but even now as she is barely getting more than 4 hours of sleep a night, I still see so much joy and strength in her. It reminds me of the verse in Proverbs that there is no wife better than one that fears the Lord and I know mine does. I love her for that more than anything else, and her carrying my baby only makes her hotter to me!! (sorry I will keep it all PG!)

She and I have recently been talking about stepping back into ministry. Whether as a Student Pastor or an Associate Pastor of Discipleship/Teaching, we really have no idea. But it really has made us talk about what we are looking for in a church. And it has made me see the beauty in the variety of ways God meets us where we are. I mean have you taken a look at the Bride of Christ recently! I know for most of us who have been in the church for such a long time, we see all of her faults, her exclusiveness, her lack in meeting our personal needs, or being our type of lady. But I am reminded that its thru the same eyes that see me as a Righteous son of God that see the Church as His Bride. How her beauty is highlighted by the Blood of Christ, and for all of her quirks and her mind not focusing on her betroved, She is loved. She is desired! Whether she is having a day of intellectual thought, or expressive worship, or she has been caught up in her past, or even forgetful of the face of her husband to be, She is still the chosen of God! Praise God for that! That He looks past all the different ways we all think she should be, and loves Her still with the same passion and commitment. 

That reminded me of my church home in Chapin, to switch thoughts real quick on you. I feel like I have kind of stood back from everything happening there and in doing so, have left some of my closest friends and family in Christ completely isolated from my love of them. I think about the people I worked with, like the ladies in the office who were such a joy to me. And an excuse to lolly-gag in the hallways checking on the state of their kids or the best teas. I think about the 8:30 crowd that I loved to get hugs from and all those kids whose journeys with God inspired me and helped push me to a greater fullness with God. 

I continue to lift that family up in unity of passion and action, that they might be the most powerful revelation of the character and person of God. May that happen in all the churches in Chapin and all of Columbia, that the churches of God would come together under the Holy Spirit and speak words of truth to the hurting and lost, building up the body of Christ in knowledge and love. My heart is with you even if I am not.