We are over-joyed to announce the birth of our daughter Gabrielle
Shalom Coker on September 17, 2013 at 10:06 am in Bangkok, Thailand. She
weighs 3.0 kg (6 lbs 9 oz) and is 48 cm long (18.9 inches). Lorraine and Gabrielle are doing really well
and resting. God has been our strength and help in a very real sense today
(Isaiah 41:10). I’m amazed at his provision. Thank you for praying!
Gabrielle [pronounced: Gab-ree-el] is a feminine
form of the name Gabriel, which means "man of God," "God has
shown himself strong," or "God is my strength." Gabriel was the
angel who announced God's coming Kingdom to Daniel (Daniel 9:24) and the very
coming of that King- our Lord Jesus (Luke 1:11-20; 1:26-38).
Gabriel was God's spokesman and servant who stood in the presence
of God (hence to serve him; Luke 1:19; see Dan 7:10) and was commissioned by
God to announce Good News (1:19), namely Christ's forerunner and his coming
(Luke 1:32).
Shalom [pronounced: shuh-lome] is the Hebrew term for peace. It is not
the mere absence of conflict nor just an inner feeling of peace. It is a
relational peace that denotes well-being, wholeness, and completeness. God's
shalom restores the brokenness that sin brought between God and mankind and
between people (and brings wholeness and rightness into these
relationships). It is through Christ- the prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)-
and the cross that we can come to experience this shalom with God and with one
another.
So, in naming our daughter Gabrielle Shalom, our prayer is
that she would be a woman who finds her strength in God- a woman who serves him
and proclaims the Good News. Our prayer is also that her life (and our family)
would be characterized by shalom- shalom with God and shalom with others.
Please join us in praying that God would bring about these hopes and desires
within Gabrielle Shalom's life.
