Sunday, March 18th, was another beautiful, sunny, 80 degree day! That morning was very special to us as we had Josiah dedicated to the LORD in a small service with friends & family at Harvest Bible Chapel. (1Samuel 1:28) Pastor Marc Abatacola did such a great job with the dedication. He gave a short message first from Deuteronomy 6:5-9 & then us & 4 other families stood up in front to commit to raising our child up in the LORD. Pastor Marc asked each parent the child's name they are dedicating, the meaning of the name & why we chose it. We chose the name Josiah for our lil boy because of the meaning, the Lord saves, & because of king Josiah in the Bible who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. (2 Kings 22:2) We pray that for Josiah every night, that he would come to know the LORD personally at a young age & that he wouldn't turn to the right or left, but that he would stay on the straight & narrow. Pastor Marc then asked Dan to read over Josiah the Bible verse we chose for him, which is Zephaniah 3:17~ "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Pastor Marc then prayed over us, it was so special. What was also very neat is that after we all sat down, Pastor Marc went on to say, specifically to the guests who came, that by dedicating your child to the LORD does not by any means save that child. He wanted to make it very clear that salvation is a gift & a decision Josiah & the other children will have to make on their own someday. We as his parents cannot make that decision for him, & that is why we pray every day that Josiah would accept the LORD as his Savior early in life.
Later that day we had Josiah's 1st Birthday Party at church, & it worked out so perfectly! On the 3rd floor they have a children's playground that the kids had so much fun playing on! We provided a light lunch, socialized with all the guests, had the smash the cake session & opened gifts. We were amazed at the outpouring of love on our son that day & every day for that matter. We are so thankful for our family & friends who came, shared their support, & who helped out. It made it all the more special & a day I will never forget! Our good friends, Rich & Leeann, also took pictures at Josiah's party, so I will get those up soon.
It's crazy to think a year has already come & gone & our baby boy is growing up before our eyes. But I love watching him learn & grow & become such a fun-loving little boy!
Cheers,
Kate
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