What's in a name

Yesterday my son was born.  He is perfect!  His name is Rees Phillip Johnson, and I love him so much.  He is the child that Danielle and I always wanted, but feared we would never have.  We had finally, after 6 years of marriage come to grips with the fact that God might have different plans for our family than we originally thought.  After years of trying to get pregnant and painful monthly reminders of our failed longing, we gave up trying.  We always talked about having adopted kids in our home, and God put a sweet little 12 year old girl, Tuyen, on our hearts and we began the adoption process to bring her home from Vietnam.  We started the process thinking all the red tape had been cut and she would soon be ours.  She had been adopted by a family here in the US and then that family had failed to live up to the adoption and loaded her on a plane and shipped her back to Vietnam, with no one waiting for her on the other end.  The Vietnamese  government didn't claim her because she had been adopted by the US, the US government didn't claim her because the family never signed the citizenship paperwork, and the previously adoptive family would not claim her because they should be in jail for what they did and it is in their best interest for her to remain overseas.  Everyone agreed that this girl deserves a family, and someone should do something to help her, but no one wanted to actually be the one to accept any responsibility for her, even if they would only be doing it long enough to pass that responsibility onto us.  After several years of fighting and advocating for our daughter, the agency told us that she was not going to come home, and our hearts broke for our daughter that we would never hold.  God worked on our hearts, both in healing the rawness and in dealing with the idolatry in our hearts over NEEDING children.  We found ourselves at a place of peace in our hearts over whatever God's plan is for our lives and our family.  We assumed that that plan might only include the service that He has gifted us with in serving the youth and families in our church, and we were more than OK with that, we were excited!  Then God flipped the script on us again, which gets us to my little man.
"Behold I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD." Genesis 4:1
We had always talked about naming our child(ren?) with family names.  When we found out that God had opened Danielle's womb and was giving us a son, it did not take long for us to decide on his name.  We thought about him immediately in terms of being a little me.  I am a fairly simple man with a fairly complex history of how I came to be the man that I am today.  You see, there are 3 men that have been chief influences in my life:

My grandfather, Lee Rees, has been a steady influence for me on what it means to be a Christian man.  I remember spending my summers with my grandparents.  My grandpa worked nights, so I got to spend days with him.  We would wake up early, before the sun made it too hot to be outside in Phoenix, to go mow lawns and take care of the elderly ladies in the church, we would go and do projects together at the church.  I remember watching him fight for his marriage when they were going through a rough time, always kissing his wife and loving her, even when things are hard.  I have watched him always give of himself for the sake of the gospel.  I heard what it means to be a Christian when we went to church together, but I saw what it means to love the brothers in Christ and lay down your life for the sake of the kingdom, by watching my grandpa Rees go through regular life every day.  I pray my son loves the Lord and serves the body like his namesake

My father, Phillip Hunter, means the world to me.  Though we haven't spent a ton of time together, because my parents got divorced when I was young and I moved away when I was 5, I am still amazed at how profoundly like my dad I am.  It has always amazed me how much we look alike.  I have his military picture in my dining room, and frequently get asked when I was in the army.  The way I smile and laugh and love are things that my wife was amazed to see when she met him.  My dad has the biggest heart I have ever seen.  I love to watch him laugh and love his way through life with my other mom Donnette.  They have so much fun together.  He can love so completely and wholeheartedly.  I don't think you could spend much time with us and doubt in any way that I am my fathers son.  I pray that my son loves people, and enjoys life and laugh like his namesake.

When I was 5, my mom married my other dad, Jim Johnson (or Homie, as we effectionately call him).  I have watched him love my mom and serve his family faithfully for the last 27 years.  By watching him I have seen what it means to love your wife well.  I remember watching the way he looks at my mom and having no doubt about his adoration of her.  I have spent my life wanting and waiting for a woman to love the way he loves my mom.  I thank God he finally gave her to me in Danielle.  Homie is a teacher at heart and has always taken time to teach me about the things he is passionate about.  He explained to me how a cluth works, coincidentally after I burned the one up in my car.  He told me all about motorcycles, cars, bicycle gearing and explained how a carburetor works exactly like a toilet.  He helped me prepare for spelling tests and learn math.  He taught me about love and a loving life, and a life worth living.  I pray my son loves his wife and patiently teaches his children like his namesake.

I pray my son will look up to me as I have looked up to these 3 men.  I pray when my son signs his name or looks at his father he will be reminded to love the Lord, serve the church, love people, enjoy life, laugh, love his wife and teach his children with patience and understanding.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" Proverbs 9:10

"Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.  I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.  When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.  Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, forshe is your life." Proverbs 4:10-13