Dedication Day

I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
I Samuel 1:27-28 New Living Translation

I think as parents, we want a lot for our children. We have dreams for them that exceed any dreams we may ever have for ourselves. I'm no different. I want so much for Marisol: happiness, success, achievements. But if I could only have one thing for Marisol, my prayer has always been the same -- to be wholeheartedly, passionatly in love with Jesus Christ. We want Marisol to embrace our faith, not because of us, but because of who God is.

We know one day she'll have to make the choice to follow God for herself, and we pray she makes the right one. We know we have a huge responsibility in helping make that happen. To show our commitment to that and thankfulness to God for such an amazing gift, we had Marisol dedicated.

Cory and I love our church family in Ohio and have always felt their prayers and support lifting us up. That's why we made the decision to have Marisol dedicated at our church in Ohio. Pastor Steve did a beautiful job Rachel played piano and sang to "You'll be in my Heart" sang by Phil Collins in Tarzan. It was beautiful and I wish we had video. However, check out some pictures below.

Above is one of my favorite verses that is commonly used in dedications. We also have a cross in Marisol's room that has verse 27. I truly feel that way about my girl -- she's the child I've prayed for, and I am blessed she's been trusted in my care.