When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and

relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy and they shared her joy on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and they

were waiting they were going to name him after his father zachariah but his mother spoke up and said no he's to be called john

they said to her there is no one among your relatives who has that name.

Then they made signs to his father to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a

writing tablet and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, his name is John. Immediately his mouth was

opened and his tongue set free and he began to speak,

praising God. All the neighbors were filled with all and throughout the hill country of Judea,

people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it asking,

what then is this child going to be? For the Lord's hand was on him.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Just about a week ago now, I attended parent-teacher conferences for Hank and Simon,

which at this point in my parenting life, I'm pretty used to.

There's no mystery or anxiety associated with these meetings for me.

I could tell you what the teacher's going to say before I even walk into the classroom.

Well, he's doing great, generally tracking academically.

He is a bit of a talker though, isn't he?

Such a social butterfly, which reading between the lines means your son is tracking academically

but will never, ever be quiet and still.

So I'm sitting in that classroom in this little desk chair made for a

seven-year-old, which feeling like Buddy the elf, you know, side notes. Those of you in public

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