Well, unless you’ve never seen an ultrasound image before, you’ve probably figured out that Katy and I are going to be having a baby. We’ve known for over a month now, but we needed to wait to tell everyone because we wanted to tell our families face-to-face at Thanksgiving. It was really hard keeping this one under wraps, so it’s been really great telling our friends these past few days (which reminds me, I’ve got a few calls to make today).

So a baby, huh? Yep. The first question everybody asks is, “Were you trying?”. Well the answer to that question is, “heck no”. Don’t get me wrong…. we’re absolutely thrilled and happy that we’ve been given a child. Katy and I have talked and dreamed a great deal about how great it’s going to be when we have children. It’s just sooner than what we had in mind. We were doing all the things that young married couples do to “control” when they have children….it just so happens that God had a different plan than us.

Which brings me to an important point. A long time ago I was talking to a friend of mine about the fact that he and his wife were expecting and how they decided to have children and what place birth control has in God’s soveriegnty, etc. We both ended up pretty neutral on the subject, but one thing he said really stuck with me. He said, “Sex doesn’t make babies. God does.” And considering our current situation and the blessing we’ve recieved, I believe that more than ever.

Is God sovereign in the conception of a child? I think so. The funny thing is, I think most Christ-followers believe that, but we still try to wrestle that soveriegnty for ourselves with science. Again, don’t get me wrong….there are a ton of legitmate reasons to try to control when you have children. One of the keys to building a family is to build it responsibly, so you can provide for your children when they come along. It’s just funny to me how believers (myself included) say they believe something, but have a hard time living that faith out. Who said the Christian faith is easy?

Anyways, that’s just a side note to how God is currently changing our lives and bringing us something we have long been wanting, just sooner than later. I’m not about to argue God’s will and wisdom in all of this. Katy’s about 8 weeks along now, and we’re expecting the baby around July 6th. Just as we were getting settled in and things were getting in a groove, God’s tossed us a pretty hefty life-changer and things are going to get crazy once again (and I assume for the rest our lives), so please keep us in your prayers if there’s room on you list as we start looking for God’s provision and preparation. It’s pretty crazy to think about the fact that pretty soone there’s going to be a “wee Merritt” (as Bradshaw would say) running around the house. Needless to say, all of this will provide plenty of good blogging material, such as the fact that I don’t know the first thing about taking care of a baby. Katy will have to teach me quite a bit. Pray for me.