First, there's the basics. Ezekiel means God Will Strengthen. When you combine this with the story of Ezekiel the prophet, you understand why God needed to strengthen. Ezekiel had a crazy big ministry for his life. But with that, he had a hard road... a hard message... a hard call on his life. But God regularly gave him the strength to walk out all that he was called to do.

Next, there's Richard. Richard means Nobility. In Ezekiel 2:1, just after God showed up in front of Ezekiel and he falls on his face, God tells him to stand on his feet. A man of honor, a man of nobility, that's a man who is called to stand in the presence of the King of Kings.

And then, there's the story of Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a wild man. He didn't fit the societal norms of his day. God called him to do and be someone who was obviously set apart. That's our son. We will not raise our son to calmly fit into society. We are joining God's plan for this man to become a fire-breathing, kingdom-bringing, world changer. His ultrasounds show he is made for this... moving, kicking, turning, always on the go. He might be loud in church. He might dance and shout in restaurants. He might sing to his Heavenly Daddy when the rest of the world is quiet. And most of all he just might make waves that make you uncomfortable. Because he is destined to be God's wild man.... God's prophet... God's chosen vessel to make earth a little more like heaven. THIS is our Ezekiel.

And by God's grace, we get to be a part of that amazing process from birth through as long as God allows us to watch. SUCH a privilege...