Whats in a name?

Names have the potential to mean a lot. Not everyone puts a lot of thought into naming a child, but some do. Most parts of the world place great emphasis on what and why someone is named what they are named. In America not so much. Often in America, people choose a name mostly by whether it sounds good or not. Or whether the child's name would cause them to be made fun of in elementary school. These are good concerns, but in my opinion the meaning of the name should be of greater importance.

This picture to the right is of my father, Morris Carl Greene, Jr. He is in so many ways 'a true man'. I never hear him complain (even though I often think he has legitimate things to complain about). He has his priorities in order, and others recognize that in him. He is committed to church. He loves gardening. He provides for his family. He works hard. He also is an excellent grandfather.

Our third son, Noah Morris, is named after him. This is especially meaningful because my dad is named after his father. There is a lot of significance to the name Morris for our family. Valeria and I are so proud to have named our third son after my father.

His first name Noah comes from the Bible. Noah means "rest". In Genesis 6, when God sees the whole world as wicked. Noah is the only person on earth who found favor in the eyes of God. Hebrews 11 calls Noah "an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

So, Noah's first name comes from the Bible, and his middle name comes from my family. And both of those names have great significance to us.

This picture to the left is of Lucio Valenzuela and his wife. They are Valeria's grandparents. They are the mother and father of Valeria's father, Edgar. Unfortunately, I was unable to meet him before the Lord called him home. But from all that I hear and see, he was one awesome man. A man of true conviction and leadership. Valeria's family is full of commitment to the Lord Jesus and the Word of God. This wonderful, admirable commitment is due to the way God used Lucio in the leading of his family.

Our second son, Eli Lucio, is named after this Lucio. Valeria and I are so proud to name our son after him.

Our son's first name is Eli after the high priest in 1 Samuel of the Bible. Eli means "exalted is the Lord". Eli is the priest that Hannah gives her son Samuel to to be brought up in the Lord.

So, Eli's first name is from the Bible and his middle name is from Valeria's family. And both of those names have great significance to us.

Our first son, JJ, is named after his father... me. My full name is Joshua Carl Greene. Carl, as I wrote earlier, is a long time family name that comes from my father and his father. JJ is a Jr and has my exact name.

Joshua comes from the Bible and means "the Lord is salvation". Joshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus. Joshua is the one who God used to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land.

Then again, Carl is a family name.

JJ's first name is from the Bible and his middle name is from the family. Both of these names have great meaning and significance to me and Valeria.

I must say that in us naming JJ after me we are not trying to limit him. We know God has plans for him. And it is our deep desire, our daily prayer, and our continual parenting goal to see JJ become a faithful follower of our King Jesus.

Finally, that last sentence is not just for JJ either. Valeria and I love our sons. Their names have real meaning to us. And we pray that God would grow the three of them into humble disciples of the one worthy of following, namely Jesus.

So what's in a name? I say everything. Remember, Jesus's name had to be Jesus. Matthew 1:21 says "and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

Noah Morris Greene-- our third little blessing!!

These first several pictures were taken just a week or two before we welcomed little Noah into our lives! Our dear friend Emily took these pictures of us up at Jefferson Memorial Forest. Even in the womb, we knew our little Noah was going to be a good-sized baby and we were delighted to feel and see him move and squirm so much...just eager to get out and meet his expectant family! :)




On Sunday, October 10th, 2010 (10/10/10) at 10:51am, Noah Morris Greene was born. He weighed a surprising 8lbs 15oz (we knew he was going to be pretty big, but we didn't expect him to be that big!:). Noah went through a rough first several days...similar to his big brother Eli. Noah had fluid in his lungs which gave him a little difficulty in breathing. Therefore, he had to be given a little oxygen, antibiotics and he had to be well monitored for several days. This of course is never easy to accept, but we look back now and only have gratitude in our hearts for how the Lord brought him through it all and our little Noah is now a strong, healthy boy with good reports from the doctors. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!
Above is mami's first kiss to her little boy. Below is an overjoyed mami to see her sweet son doing so much better and close to going home!
Abuelita, Mami and Noah. What a blessing it has been to have my mom by my side on all three of my deliveries and a week after! She, like the rest of our families, is always such a help, which just makes it so difficult to say good-bye. We all can't wait for Pika to come back!
Proud grandparents- abuelitos for the third time! (Papaw and Mamaw were with us for the delivery and to take special care of the two big brothers during the hospital days. We are thankful for them, and ready for them to come back and really enjoy some Noah-time now! :)
Noah in Abuelito's arms...
Tia Natalia was able to make a quick trip to meet her nephew Noah. Though quick, it made such a difference to have her around then!
A happy and proud daddy with his third little "arrow" :)
Big brothers JJ and Eli waiting to meet their new little brother...
Always having fun...even in the hospital hallways!
Sweet baby boy ready to go home!
First introduction-- JJ and Eli are wonderful big brothers. They always ask for baby Noah, tell each other to be quiet because he's sleeping, always want to kiss him and hold him, and get so excited when Noah comes into the same room they are in! We are blessed beyond words with these 3 little boys!
Grateful family of 5 heading home sweet home!
Asleep on the ride home
Big brothers interacting with little brother :)
Baby face
Cute little mouth
Noah has long fingers and feet!
Biiig yawn
Wide awake...rare moment these first several days/weeks.
Sweet slumber
Mami kissing her little man, while enjoying a beautiful fall day.
Noah in mami's arms.
The 4 Greene men-- my boys! :)
Our fall baby
Sweet little sleeping face
More of sleeping Noah
Big eyes...curious to see if he will keep the light eyes (like our other two boys) or if they will change and get dark (as most would expect with the Ecuadorian genes involved:)
Our new, growing family. God is good! Thank you for all your prayers and for rejoicing with us on the arrival of our third little blessing. We can't wait to introduce him to you all soon!

Noah's Lullaby

When JJ was born (January 2, 2008), I wrote him a lullaby. I have memorized it, and I sing it now to all of our sons. I had thought that I would be able to write each of them a lullaby, but I have just adapted this one to fit them. It is pretty much the same lullaby. Either way, it expresses my heart in life and fatherhood.

**NOAH’S LULLABY**

Hush little Noah don’t you cry

Daddy’s gonna sing you a lullaby

I hate to see you crying red-faced with tears

Let me tell you ‘bout us in the coming years

The joy of rearing you can make this grown man weap

Right here in my arms you can fall asleep

& I’ll stare at your face & kiss your chubby cheeks

Watch you start to grow in the coming weeks

God gave you a great mother who takes care of you

In love together we will teach you what’s true

two big brothers J & E you can look up to

You become like them, yes I hope you do

It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life

Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife

Like serving other people & devotion to the sword

The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord

Son, I wanna teach you to throw and catch a ball

& I can hardly wait until you learn to crawl

We can walk to the park & I can push you on the swings

Raise you up right so you’ll appreciate things

I wanna teach you about pets like cats and dogs

And how to catch lizards, turtles, & frogs

I’ll show ya how to catch fish & how to bait a hook

And how to treat a girl and how to read a book

And how to play with kids and not be weak

Playing outdoor games like hide and seek

I wanna teach you about bruises, scars, and scabs

And how to play wrestle and throw left-hand jabs

I’ll teach how to ride a bike & how to climb trees

I‘ll teach you about caterpillars, birds, & bees

I wanna pick you up when you fall & scrape your knees

Teach you how to pray, and say “yes ma’am” & “Please”

& we can walk to the creek, I’ll show you how to skip a rock

I’ll show you how to play sports & how to wear a jock

I wanna teach you how to not get upset by jokes

& how to be grateful & respect your folks

Noah, I wanna teach you how to love your mom

& how to read the Bible, a daily Proverb & Psalm

It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life

Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife

Like serving other people & devotion to the sword

The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord

Son, I wanna teach you how to be a man

How to look ‘em in the eye & firmly shake their hand

How to keep your word & always work real hard

How to pay your bills on time & how to mow the yard

I’ll teach you how to keep a job & not be lazy

How to speak the truth in love and not be hazy

I wanna show you how to love & how to be a friend

And when to compromise and when to take a stand

And how to apologize and also how to forgive

Son, these are simple lessons on how to live

And life is not easy, it can be quite hard

Keep your eyes on Christ & don’t be caught off guard

It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life

Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife

Like serving other people & devotion to the sword

The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord