Saturday, January 24, 2009

The Fruit of My Loins

I am proud to be able to announce the birth of Markus Xavier Bird born at 0640 on the 24th of January 2009, weighing eight pounds and fourteen ounces (big bubba!). My wife Naomi was a brave little trooper and she did exceptionally well in what was an unexpectedly slow labour. During the birth I was mainly on back rubbing duties, but I did manage to read quite a bit of Johnathan Knight's Christian Origins book as well.

Naomi and I had a deal, I select the name for a boy and she selects the name for a girl. We both had the power of veto and Rafael Aurelius Amadeus Bird did not make the cut. So I picked the name "Markus" because the Gospel of Mark is my favourite Gospel and I like the spelling of "Markus" in Markus Bockmuehl's name (and I also like Bockmuehl's scholarship, esp. his book on Jesus, Philippians commentary, and the volume on Jewish Law in Gentile Churches). The "Xavier" part has nothing to do with St. Francis Xavier (the missionary) or Charles Xavier (leader of the X-men), but simply because I liked the sound of it and I once worked with an excellent military lawyer named George Xavier O'Kane who was a good man, but was falsely accused of being complicit with the mistreatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq. I always wondered what the "X" in his initials stood for and when he told me, I thought that it made for a good middle name.

May Markus be red-headed, irenically calvinistic, and above all, be a lover of God and a follower of Jesus Christ.

22 comments:

geoffhudson.blogspot.com said...

May he be granted the freedom to choose his path.

Juan said...

Congrats and let the fun begin!

Unknown said...

Most excellent! Congratulations to you and your family!

Josh McManaway said...

Congrats!

Dr. Claude Mariottini said...

Michael,

Congratulations on the birth of your son. May Markus Xavier Bird be all the things you wish for him and more.

May you and Naomi enjoy this wonderful blessing from the Lord: “Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD” (Psalm 127:3).

Claude Mariottini

Michael Pahl said...

Congrats to you all! That is great news!

Matthew D. Montonini said...

Mike,

Congrats, my friend!

Gordon Kennedy said...

Thanks for sharing this good news with us. I pray that Naomi and Markus Xavier will both keep well and soon be home with you.
May you and your family know great joy and peace.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to you and your wife! May God's blessings be upon litle Markus.

Marty said...

Mike!

HUUUUUUGE congratulations to you brother! What a wonderful gift from God!

Andy Rowell said...

Congrats and well-named. Glad for you in your joy.

Alison B said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Patrick G. McCullough said...

Congrats!! Welcome to the club! I say that as only a little over a month into membership myself. I pray for no post-partum complications... we've had a few.

I tried to get grading done during the labor, but didn't really get anything done. I can't believe you actually got reading done!

Why pray for irenic calvinism, when he could just be an Anabaptist instead? :)

steph said...

'Fruit' of your 'loins'!!?? You read a book during the birth?? You name the boys??? and this one after a dubious military person???? and then turn him into you? I hope he has the freedom and courage to think for himself.

Congratulations...

Ben Myers said...

Congrats to you and Naomi! I have a son myself, and I highly recommend them!

As for this remark: "I did manage to read quite a bit of Johnathan Knight's Christian Origins book as well" — I hope to God you're joking; and if not, I hope to God your wife (not to mention Markus) one day forgives you...

Anyway, best wishes to all of you — and please return to Australia soon, before all these little Birds start speaking with Scottish accents.

hrobins said...

Congratulations to you both! God grant you many years.

Ben said...

Congrats! Too bad he won't ever be a 'great' scholar since he only has one middle initial.

andrea said...

Yeh! A baby boy, congratulations Naomi and Mike. What a great name.
love
Andrea and Jimmy

Antony said...

Every blessing to you and your family.

sujomo said...

Congratulations Naomi and Mike!

What chemically interesting initials for the red-headed Aussie born in Scotland! MXB sounds like a combination of a metal halide with boron which might well be a superconductor at room temperature!

cheers,
sujomo

Danny Zacharias said...

Congrats Vater! He's being born into a wonderful family! Slick name too!

Stephen C. Carlson said...

Belated congratulations!