Dedication

We dedicated Nicholas to the Lord today. This is where we proclaim that we are going to raise our son to know Jesus Christ and to follow Him. Often this is done when the child is a baby, but we didn’t have that luxury, so we made the commitment now. It is not something we take lightly. We truly do want to raise our son to become a godly man.

We practiced a little at home about what was going to happen. Nicholas seemed to enjoy practicing, but I knew it would be different once it really happened. And, thankfully, it was. I was a little nervous about going to the front of the church. I think the first couple minutes I was up there I could hardly move. Next thing I knew Nicholas was heading from Evan’s arms to my arms and I was able to relax.

Nicholas waved to people he knew. He whispered something to Pastor Jim, the Worship Pastor, who was behind us. He also asked to get down. But, the fact that he was acting like a typical 3-year-old allowed me to laugh, smile and relax. There was one other child, a baby boy, who was also dedicated at this service. Pastor Gordon dedicated the other child first. Then, it was our turn. It was very moving to me to realize what a blessing Nicholas is and what a great responsibility God has entrusted to us.

We publically acknowledged that we are going to raise Nicholas to know Christ and to help him follow God’s purposes for his life. When he is older we pray that he will make a personal decision to accept Christ and to follow Him. Then, we hope that he chooses to be baptized. For us, baptism is an outward sign of an inward faith. It is a way to show others that you made a commitment to Christ.

Back to the dedication . . . Nicholas saw that Pastor Gordon had held the other little boy when he prayed, so he was ready for his turn. He kept holding out his arms for him, but Pastor Gordon told him he would hold him in one minute. Finally, when Pastor Gordon reached for him, Nicholas turned away. He got a laugh out of the crowd. When it was all over, Pastor Gordon asked Nicholas if he wanted to talk into his microphone (he loves to try and touch it whenever he sees him in the hallway), but Nicholas said, “No!” Then, Pastor Gordon asked for a hug, which Nicholas usually freely gives to him, but he said “no” there too.

Overall, I was impressed by how well he did. Then, he and his cousin, Carter headed to class. We were so happy to have many family members there this morning to witness Nicholas’ dedication. I can’t wait to watch Nicholas grow up. I pray that God uses him in a special way.

Here are some pictures from today. I’m really not looking in any of them. Like I said, I couldn’t move much in the beginning, so there was no posing for the camera. Also, the lighting is a little weird, but my mom took a couple of good ones.






This last picture is pretty blurry, but I like it because we're all smiling!