THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

May 14, 2025

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I'm not a huge fan of Shakespeare, but recently a quote from one of his plays came to mind. It's from Romeo and Juliet and was spoken by her.

The two of them had fallen in love, but due to a family feud, they weren't supposed to associate with one another. Had his last name been anything else, it would have been fine. Juliet tells Romeo, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Juliet is saying that his name is meaningless. His name could be anything else and it would be fine for the two of them to spend the rest of their lives together. Even if he had a different name, that wouldn't change the type of person that he was inside or change anything of importance about him. She gave a rose as an example. If the rose was called by a different name, it wouldn't change anything about it -- it would still look exactly as it does and have the same sweet aroma.

When I was born, my parents chose my first and middle names, then gave me their last name. The last name of Horton showed that I belonged to them and was their daughter. It was a name that I respected and was proud of. My mom's last name was Parton, and I was proud to be associated with that family, also.

When Jon and I married, I chose to take his last name. I wanted everyone to know that I was Jon's wife and was proud to change my last name from Horton to Gray. It was an honor to take on my husband's last name.

I still have the DNA of being a Horton and Parton, they are still my blood family and I love them, but I am now known as Loretta Gray to represent Jon and I becoming united as one and the two of us becoming a family unit. I love Jon and am proud to carry his last name as my own.

I have been studying and teaching a Bible study at church on the book of Acts. Reading about the new believers has made me think about the responsibilities of taking on a new name -- christian.

When we make the decision to follow Christ, we take on His name: Christian. That means that we become children of God -- we become His sons and daughters. We become representatives of our Father. How we live our lives should bring honor and respect to our new name. We should be proud to take on that name change from unbeliever to christian.

Let's choose to honor the name of Christ and honor our Father by being faithful sons and daughters. He loves us with an everlasting love that will never change, even when we mess up. Let's return that love and run to Him whenever we need forgiveness. May we be bold, brave christians and be proud to represent Jesus!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

When couples become parents, their kids get their name, too. They get all the rights that come with the name. But they also get the responsibilities. If they get into trouble, it reflects on the whole family who share the name. I couldn't count the number of times a younger sibling either has teachers who expect too much of them because their older sibling excelled, or expects trouble from the younger sibling because their older sibling was difficult. In extreme cases, the parents might be dragged into school for detention or suspension meetings, or even court.

When I married Loretta, she didn't take my name. I gave it to her. I trust her not to misuse our name or bring dishonor on my family name.

When we take on the label Christian, it is much the same. It is possible for someone to claim the label Christian without asking, but I'll assume that is rare. Either way, Jesus did offer Himself for us all. And we reflect on His Name for good or for bad.

In the same way that teachers might groan about "those Hitlers" because the older cousin rampaged across Europe, many people get a terrible impression of "those Christians" because one person claiming to be Christian was hatefully judgmental.

So please be careful how your actions reflect on Christ. Bring honor to His name just like you would bring honor to your family.

ON THE MENEWE:

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low until everything is melted and heated thoroughly.

Serve with tortilla chips, Fritos, or crackers.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Two of my sister's granddaughters attended church with her on Mother's Day; which also happened to be my sister's birthday. Jon and I met them at a restaurant after church to take my sister out for a birthday lunch. On the way there, my sister's 11 year old granddaughter told her, "I'm really glad that Aunt Loretta doesn't have any grandkids to focus on, so we get more of her attention." It's a win-win for me, too! I get kids to spoil and spend time with, but not the responsibility and expense of raising them.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

The circumstances we ask God to change

are often the circumstances God is using to change us. - Max Lucado

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org