My parents had girl's names picked for their three sons just in case. Dave, Scott, and I had the backup monikers of Marsha Ruth, Cynthia Ruth, and Kimberly Ruth in case we arrived on the scene as the fairer gender. (Mom's mother was named Ruth, in case you're wondering.) Unlike David and Stephen, our younger brother did not have a Bible name bestowed on him. But, Scott and his lovely wife, Karen, made up for it by giving their offspring Biblical names: Karis, from the Greek word translated grace; Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve; and Nathan, the prophet who confronted David about Bathsheba. Seth is stationed in Afghanistan and with his wonderful bride, Lauren, will welcome their firstborn to Planet Earth in November. Knowing the gender, my nephew and niece-in-law have chosen Noah as the name of their unborn baby. You can read into this whatever you want but last Wednesday night after Bible study in Kansas, Dave-Sally-Scott-Karen-Karis-me were talking outside in the parking lot. As a storm cleared out, what should appear in the sky but a Double Rainbow! And we know who the first rainbow was promised to by God- Noah, Mr. Ark himself! This boy undoubtedly has a bright future, written by the hand of God!
Baby names are very important in any society. They honor family members or friends or celebrities in the popular culture. Names from the Bible tend to be a constant in English speaking nations as do virtue names; Hope, Joy, Faith. Names don't have to describe the attributes of the child. In the past several years, students have sat in my classes with the names Tempestt and Tyranni, but both young ladies are remarkably gentle! Can names predict a youngster's future? Some sociologists believe so. In a recent interview on The Today Show and summarized in an article posted on msn.com, researcher David Kalist proposed that boys with certain names are more likely to end up becoming juvenile delinquents and ending up in prison. His most at-risk names?
Alec
Ernest
Garland
Ivan
Luke
Malcolm
Preston
Tyrell
Walter
There was speculation that having an unusual name might cause a boy to be teased, leading to bitterness and perhaps violent behavior. It seems a stretch to me but wasn't that the storyline of the Johnny Cash classic, A Boy Named Sue? We have all known kids who disliked their names; I had a player who kept requesting that we call her a variation of her name and in time, it stuck. Do names become self-fulfilling prophecies? The father of the 12 Jewish tribes was Jacob, whose name meant the deceiver. And if there was ever a dishonest Bible character, it was Jacob. But God changed Jacob's name to Israel and changed his life in the process. Do you know what Noah means? From the Hebrew, it's meaning is rest or peace. My great nephew evidently has a calm future! He won't be alone. In 2008, Noah was the 7th most common name given to baby boys born in the US. And, where did Steve rank on that survey? My name barely made the cut at #100. I've got some campaigning to do!
To read the article on names from The Today Show, please click on the link below:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31960846/
Applicable quote of the day:
"Names are not always what they seem. The common Welsh name BZJXXLLWCP is pronounced Jackson.”
Mark Twain
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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