Claire's Dedication

God has truly blessed our family with the arrival of Claire! Claire Elise was born on October 21st, 2008. She is an answer to our prayers. On Sunday, March 29th we dedicated Claire to the Lord. In front of our church family Terry and I made a commitment to follow God's command, Proverbs 22: 6 says, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." One of of the books that I am reading right now, That's My Son, says that train up means "to dedicate", which includes stimulating Claire to do good through guidance, discipline, and encouragement. The author states that a parent's main task is to receive a child as a charge from the Lord and then to dedicate them to God's ways. During this dedication, our church family also committed to come along side our family as we raise Claire in a home that has Christ as the center. The church gave Claire her first Bible and a letter that we will give to her on the day she receives Christ as her own personal Savior! This letter will explain to her how her family and church family made a commitment when she was only 5 months old to pray for her and teach her God's ways. Here is Claire and her daddy with her special letter!My mom, Terry's mom, Aunt Tracey, Uncle Brad, and cousin Sam came to church with us for Claire's dedication while Pop watched us on the internet! After church we all went to eat at Aubrey's! Before the service, we were explaining to Clayton how important this day was for our family and for Claire. He made a commitment to help teach Claire about God by reading her Bible stories. Please continue to pray for us as we raise our children to know and love our wonderful Redeemer!
Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. Deuteronomy 11: 18-21