Zachary

I have a newfound love of Zacharys. Being single, it's always good to discover patterns in your affections so as to be quick to respond to the right guy. Now, this love of Zacharys is akin to my fellow blogger, Katrina's love of Gerard Butler. But, not quite as bad...maybe.

My first Zachary love is Zach Quinto, who plays Sylar on Heroes. I'm an uber fan of this show, even though they have experienced a sophomoric slump this season along with the writer's strike. The character of Sylar is the super villian of the show, stealing people's powers by - brace yourself - slicing their heads open to extract the workings of the power from their brain. There is debate on exactly what he does once the brain is open, but let's just stop that visual right there. I was so enamoured by his ultimate powers that when I got a new computer on our company's network, I asked them to name it Sylar - the all-powerful computer.

You may wonder why I would love such a horrible character/actor. Maybe it's my assasination lineage. But, the real reason I fell in love was when I began to see interviews with Zach, the actor, not the character. He is the most humble actor I've seen interviewed in a long time and a quiet, serene sort. Given his humility and the fact that he's not anything like his character, proves his great gift of acting. Anyone that can pull off that character so well and effortlessly, and convinces me, gets high marks in my book. And, during one of the online cast commentaries, he brought his dog. I like his style. I'm excited that he's been given his due by landing the role of Young Spock in the upcoming Star Trek movie. I'm not even a Trekkie and I'm psyched about seeing the movie.

Then there is Zachary Levi. My second Zachary. When the show, Chuck, premiered I was intrigued by the premise of the story line. Computer geek turns secret agent after downloading the CIA intersect file into his brain. There is something very Jim Halpert-ish about Chuck Bartowski. And who doesn't love Jim? Then, the clincher came when my friend, Alisa, alerted me during her entertainment stalking that he professes to be a Christian. Now, what that looks like in Hollyweird is probably much different than we think, but it's a step in the right direction in my mind. Chuck is just fun TV and I'm happy to see the unassuming Zachary Levi benefitting from its success. I'm a sucker for a geek. Maybe it's because I've been in the technology industry for way too long, but there is something rather appealing about a guy who can reset my password.

Given that Chuck is shown right before Heroes on Monday nights, I'm in a literal Zachary heaven. If you know any single guys named Zachary, send them my way. Maybe I'll try the fan letter approach like Katrina....

Pin the Name on the Baby

Last night at our church we had Parent Dedication. Many churches have baby baptisms, and even some baby dedications, but we choose to have parent dedications. I could discuss why we don't do baby baptisms - the short answer is it is against Scripture. (If you'd like my complete exposition on it, feel free to ask) For a long time, we called it "Baby Dedication" which is accurate as we are dediating the lives of these sweet little ones to the Lord. But, our current Pastor decided to change it to Parent Dedication because it's truly the parents who will be raising each child to love the Lord. And, they surely need the prayer and support now.

We had 18 families participate last night. That represents most, but not all, of the families who have birthed or adopted since Mother's Day. My favorite part of the service is when our Pastor prays and says the phrase "each of these sweet children has a soul that will never die." Wow. Talk about the parental responsibility kicking up a notch.

By the end of 2007, we'll have seen somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 - 60 new additions to our church family through birth or adoption. Our Preschool Ministry is busting at the seams. Even as I type, one our members is having a baby right now. It's a pandemic of global proportions. And the leader of the pack is my friend, Beth, the Preschool Director. A leader in more ways than one as she is expecting her third child in April 2008.

Beth has two children, Kelsey, 11, and Brandon 8. Baby Three was an unexpected blessing. She officially made the announcement when she hit 12 weeks, although she had known for some time. For those that know her best, that was a magnificent feat. She obviously caught the baby bug and it was precious to see her with child announcing all those who have had children.

Since this is a surprise event, she isn't prepared for all the things that go along with a new baby. In fact, she admits to forgetting more than she probably ever knew to begin with. The first task at hand is to name the baby. She finds out in about a week whether it's a boy or girl, so we're all anxiously awaiting the ultrasound results. I'm hoping for twins, but she's not caught that vision yet.

Beth's husband's name is Kelly, so for the girl, they used a "K" name, and for their son they used a "B" name. So, here's a question for the masses. We need names. Girl names beginning with K and boy names beginning with B. I've been campaigning for the middle name of "Rose" for about every girl that has been born and I've yet to win. I'm the Susan Lucci of baby names.

Submit your names in the comment section and I'll be sure to pass them along to Beth. She'll be so happy. She's wanted a blog post in her honor for months. Pregnancy was a pretty good way to seal that deal.