Also like his big brother, Jude is an apostolic book in the New Testament.  The key phrase of the book of Jude is “contend for the faith” or fight for the faith.  Our reliance on God over the past 10 months has been paramount.  Naming our bundle of joy Jude is our “shout out” to Faith. Not only have we had to trust God, but we have, once again, experienced His unfailing love and faithfulness.  ”Our God is able”. This phrase is only mentioned three times in the Bible.  My favorite is found in Ephesians 3:20, “Our God is able to do exceedingly more than we can ever ask or imagine according to the power at work within us“.  This phrase is also found in Jude 1:24,  “To Him who is able to keep us from falling and present us before His glorious throne without fault and with great Joy“.

The Book of Jude is all about fighting for the Faith.  This little book is filled with examples of God’s faithfulness and the importance of us trusting God and being faithful. Our little Jude will always be a reminder to us of God’s Faithfulness and His overwhelming presence in our lives.  Even though it is extremely difficult at times, we must fight for the faith. We pray that Jude’s life brings glory and honor to God and points others to His faithful love.

His birth day was yet another gift of God’s faithfulness and presence.  We were beyond anxious as we anticipated Jude’s birth.  I was convinced he would arrive early.  However, he overshot his due date by 3 days.  We almost induced 2 days after his due date but cancelled the night before.  We decided to wait and trust.  Everything worked out just about perfectly.  He arrived just in time to give us precious private family time.  Titus and Lily (with the help of our good friend Wendy) were able to come to the hospital shortly after they woke up Saturday morning and come in to meet Jude just a few short minutes after he was born.  Titus was even able to cut his umbilical chord!  We realized Jude’s birth date was significantly meaningful as it correlates with other significant dates throughout these past 10 months.  We found out Luke needed chemotherapy on May 2, (Jude was conceived that weekend, before Luke started chemo).  Luke’s RPLND surgery was on his birthday August 2, and just six months later Jude was born, February 2!  Love it!  God Provides!

Our precious gift is a month old today.  We have so enjoyed this first month of getting to know our little guy and watching him grow and change.  This month has been full of snuggles, kisses, and overflowing hearts.  It has not been without stress and challenges as we adjust to our new family dynamic, and as we continue to restart life after cancer.  Titus and Lily are amazing with Jude.  They love him so much and their gratitude for his presence in our family constantly shows.  ”Thankful praise” perfectly describes our family’s heart!