Baby Blessings

Last Saturday, our family was blessed. Reminder after reminder that we are part of a very diverse and rich (in heart) community in Korea. Our friends Leslie and Krista put together a baby shower for our son, with delicious desserts and sweet friends. We received some lovely, unique, and practical presents for our baby but more significantly, we were blessed with words for our little guy and for us as new parents.

Such wisdom and love, we wanted to remember and share some of these:

-Why do we have children? Not to make ourselves 'happy'. Great JOY comes through them...but also disappointments to learn from...they are a true blessing from God. Romans 5:1-5 "...And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

-Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Love God first, and then each other; children notice.

-that our son will know God's grace and His Provision...

-gain from God's word and other parents.

-recommended books:
The Mystery of Children by Mason
Grace-Based Parenting
Love & Logic Magic for Early Childhood
anything by Dr. Sears (Fussy Baby, Discipline Book, Nutrition, etc)
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
Happiest Baby on the Block
Making the Terrible Twos Terrific!

-Matthew 19:14 "Jesus said, "...Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

-Deuteronomy 6:5-8 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up..."

-What a great opportunity it is to raise a child amongst the RANCH children...full of the Spirit and purpose.

-Psalm 72:12-19 (written by David for his son, Solomon ~ BOLD and brilliant!)
For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help
He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray fro him and bless him all day long.
Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway.
Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.
May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun.
All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.
Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.

-and then our beloved brother Yong Jun's poem that he wrote:
"Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and I love you very much."