On Saturday, Beth completed being 14 weeks and yesterday, on Sunday, entered into the 15 week.  She has even started to show (a little).  (How cool!!  Getting to see the baby!)  That means that there are (statistically) only 25 weeks left!!  That is just ridiculous!!  But as the day draws closer that Beth and I are going to be parents, there are times that we are scared and terrified and excited and ecstatic and worried about being parents and excited about being parents… the list goes on and on and the ups and down come, it seems, almost daily.

But as I was reading in the “Christmas story” of Luke 2 last week, there are two contrasting examples of Godly news being delivered to Godly followers.  First, we are told of the story of Jeremiah and Elizabeth who give birth to John, the cousin of Jesus, who prepares the way for the Lord.  Jeremiah is a Godly and upright man we are told.  Yet, when Jeremiah is told the news by Gabriel that and Elizabeth will be parents, Jeremiah’s fallen humanity shows up and he doubts the angel’s news and is punished until John is born.

Second, we are told the story of Gabriel visiting Mary and telling her that she is going to give birth to Jesus even though she is a virgin!  Mary responding in doubt or disbelief would be understandable and, from a human perspective, is almost expected.  Yet, she responds that she is God’s servant and He will use her.  What faith!!

I know that Beth and I’s most terrifying moments about becoming parents are myself not having a job yet, not having a house, not having health insurance, not having anything to provide for our baby… but neither did Joseph and Mary… Jesus, the King of Kings was born in a food trough, and so, Beth and I need to respond more and more, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute with “Lord I am your servant.  Let it be according to your plan.”

Beth's ultrasound photo

So, yes, the photo above does show a lovely ultrasound picture of a very healthy and active heartbeat of our little own Baby Robinson.  In the photo above the Baby Robinson measures at 10 weeks, 3 days, which puts his/her due date at June 19, 2010.   Beth and I are joyful parents-to-be what an amazing and awesome opportunity and responsibility.

The story starts about the end of July, beginning of August when Beth and I were looking for a puppy dog to add to our collection of animals.  The townhome that we are living in has a huge backyard, and Beth and I both were looking forward to taking a dog for our evening, after dinner walks.  We looked on the rescue websites and for some weeks were trying to see this cute puppy dog terrier/lab mix.  However, the picture was taken when the dog was still a puppy so when we met in-real-life, Fiona was more lab than terrier and larger than we wanted.  So, back to the online shelter we went looking for a suitable, sizable dog.  That evening we saw a dog from a litter of puppies just delivered and knew we had to go see her.  We arrived at the shelter on Saturday and fell in love with the cute terrier/dachshund mix, named her Hope, and had the wonderful beginnings house training a puppy.

All the while we are house training a puppy, I am thinking “Wow!  This puppy stuff is really amazing training for being parents.”  And “Well, truly we’re not ready yet, but the last time I had thoughts like this I was planning a wedding…”

But yes, we’re pregnant!  The pregnancy test was positive, really positive the “wait two minutes” didn’t matter!  So far it has been an amazing experience, growing our relationship and deepening our love for one another.  We’re truly excited about being parents!!  It is such a blessing that God has blessed us with!!  The countdown to June 19 begins!

If its a boy…. Johnathan Kaleb

If its a girl…. Hannah Elizabeth

I don’t remember the last time that I posted on here, but I do know that I was in the middle of posting the wonderful letters that my lovely and charming and amazing wife wrote for me through the course of our relationship, before we met, through our dating and engagement, and as we advanced into marriage.  I will get back to them when they are unpacked, because that brings me to my reason for posting…

1. Beth and I are going to be parents!!

2. Beth and I are moving back to the Washington, DC area.

3. Beth and I are still in awe of all the lessons we’ve learned!!

4. The Book of Revelation is AWESOME!!   I am soooo thankful that God has granted Beth and I salvation.  More so than words can express.

So, I’m going to tackle the exciting news first… the joy/excitement/terrifying/blessing of being parents-to-be.

Beth wrote in her testimony that

[p]arents are one of those people who have the most impact on your life, which means they have the power to cause deep wounds. All parents will cause some pain in their child’s life and children in their parents, but parents are supposed to love their children they are supposed to teach them how to live, they are to be an example.

As I craft this blog and craft my testimony for posting, two questions have been running through my mind: What wounds/example did my parents leave me? and What wounds/example will I leave on our kids? My fervent, humble prayer is that I set an example as an adoring, ardent, advocate of Christ and that my passion for His passion is used by God to change thier lives and lead my children to Christ! And as I have reflected back on my childhood and growing up, I have one main conclusion: that I am scared/worried of having people be disappointed. I see this in my relationship with Beth and friendships, not that it is a bad thing, but that in my relationship with my parents, I am most afraid of sharing my feelings because I am always second-guessed and I am constantly defending myself, leading to me feeling that they are disappointed and upset.

Sunday I had the amazing experience of sharing with my dad my call to preach, and his reaction was mixed. He wasn’t against it, he just wanted to make sure that I could feed myself, which makes sense and I agree that eating is important. But, I also know that God has called Beth and I, and He’s called us NOW!! So, that is going to be another conversation with my parents, one that terrifies me because I don’t want them to be disappointed, but I know completely that God is bigger than all that. That when Jesus called the disciples, they “immediately left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-22 ESV). So, I have no reason to doubt God’s calling. I have no reason to doubt God has called us now. Sure, it is terrifying and that is going to be an amazing/interesting/tough conversation with my parents, but we have to go now!!! I know that the details will all work out because God’s hand is powerful and mighty, and He is worthy of our obedience!!!

Numbers 23:19 (ESV)

God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?