Baby Rue has been named!

Since Julie and I found out that we were having a boy, we have found that one of the greatest tasks that a parent can do is name their child.  What an incredibly weighty yet fantastic privilege!

For months we have gone back and forth between two names, looking at character traits and the Biblical importance of the characters.  When people have asked us his name, we replied with the same response to everyone, “We have a middle name, but we are between two first names.  One is a kick-butt Old Testament figure and the other is rather disobedient, but his place and message is crucial in redemptive history.”  The middle name is a family name on Julie’s side that goes back at least three generations.

So, without further delay, let me explain why we chose the name that we did.  When looking at this person’s story, we tried to not look on the person’s character, but rather what his story represents:

Though this man was rather disobedient, he sums up the importance of his story in one line:

“for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

This is emphasized in Jesus teaching when the Pharisees demand a sign from him.  His response to them was, “no sign will be given to it except the sign of…(this man).”

What is that sign?  It is that just as this man preached a message to the Gentiles, so does the coming of Christ show God’s loving-kindness to all of humanity.

Our prayer is that our son, Jonah Wade Rue, will be a light to the nations for Jesus Christ.  We pray that through him, God would be pleased have His glorious Gospel proclaimed to those in yet living in darkness.

Please pray that Julie would continue to have healthy pregnancy and the Jonah would be born, naturally, without complications.  Please pray that we would be preparing to be wise and discerning parents bringing him up in the fear of the Lord.  Pray that the Lord would have his hand on Jonah and save him at a young age, sparing him from much rebellion. And please pray that God would be glorified in our new growing family.

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**Our apologies go to Travis, who put the most effort encouraging us in a name.  “Kanga” would be cute for a kindergartner, but if he goes into business or…any career later in life, it might go against him.  Sorry to let your “hops” down.