Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Like newborn babies...




These pictures of Selah were taken shortly after her first bath at home. Selah is doing well. If she is not sleeping then she is on the changing table, and if she is not there then she is gulping milk like there is no tomorrow.

Speaking of milk (It's late, and I can't think of another segue), I am going through 1 Peter in my Greek class. We covered 1 Peter 2:2 recently, which says in the NIV, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." Selah, who is just two weeks old, seems to long for milk like no other. At times, I think she would accept it intraveneously if she could just say, "Intraveneous it to me, please". But getting back to Peter's point, newborn babies long for milk, and we should long for pure spiritual milk, which is the word of God. It might be helpful to point out here that Peter is not writing to only brand new believers, he is writing to mature believers as well. So, Peter's exhortation applies to all believers to long for the word of God.

How about you, do you long for God's word? Boy, in all candor, lately I have longed for things such as a Michigan Wolverine victory, Detroit Tigers/Los Angeles Angels/Chicago Cubs playoff spots, sleep, and Starbucks coffee. I read the Bible daily, but I don't meditate on it throughout the day as I should. Oh, the missed blessings and opportunities, and yes, I confess, sin. Well, if you are like me, Psalm 119:36-37 will help wake us from our slumber; the KJV renders this passage superbly. "Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity (yes, even football and baseball!); and quicken thou me in thy way." May the Lord grant us steadfastness in seeking and satisfying ourselves in the milk of His word.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Sisters




Sofia and Selah are getting acquainted. Sofia is learning what it means to have a younger sister, while Selah is patiently enduring the prodding, pulling, and patting of older sister.

We are grateful to the Lord that Keri, Selah, and the rest of the fam are doing well!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Introducing Selah Brooke Sheckler





Kevin, Keri, & Sofia welcome Selah Brooke to the Sheckler family. Selah was born Monday, Sept. 10th, at 4:28 p.m. She weighed 7 pounds and 2 ounces at birth, and she measured 20 inches long. Selah has some nice hair that she must've gotten from her mother's side, and a cleft chin which is characteristic from her dad's side. We are grateful for those of you who have prayed for us.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17)."

Praise be to God!

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Mommy and Sofia


Mommy and big sister Sofia are excited about baby Selah. Selah's due date is just nine days away!

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Had enough suspense?

We have been unusually cruel to some of you for waiting so long to post another clue regarding the name of Baby Sheck. Should the Lord be pleased to bring Baby Sheck into this world as a girl (which the ultrasound indicated), she will be named Selah Brooke. Selah is a Hebrew word. Its origins are complex even for Hebrew language experts. However, we have liked a fairly common interpretation and we are going with it.

Many have said that Selah means suspension (of music); a lyrical pause that allows for an instrumental interlude. A time to reflect & meditate on the lyrics of the Psalmist during the song. We also realize that there are varying pronunciations for the name, but we are going to go with SAY-luh. (Incidentally, it only took one clue for Leslie Blair to mention this name. Way to go, Leslie!) The middle name, Brooke, is Keri's grandmother Overstreet's maiden name, which is also her sister Kelli's middle name.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Baby name is...

Hi everyone! We just wanted to let you know that the final results of our blog poll are in. With sixteen voters participating (fourteen more than Keri thought we would have!); 7 of you voted that our baby should be given a Hebrew name, 6 of you voted for a Native American name, 3 of you voted for a Greek name, and nobody voted for Other. Well, guess what, we intend to give our baby a Hebrew name! Just to let you know, we had already made up our minds on a Hebrew name before the blog poll began. Lord-willing, we are going to name our baby girl*....not so fast, we will give you some clues along the way. If you think you know it (family please do not disclose), please leave a comment.

Clue #1: The first name is found in the poetry section of the Old Testament.

This could be interesting!

*Just in case the baby turns out to be a boy we have to leave room for a way out!