Daddy speaks and shares what Baby Bell's name will be....

I love the name Joshua because of what it represents. There are few times in my life which I have unmistakably felt the tangible presence of God. One of those times was when He spoke to me about my beautiful wife, and another time was when He spoke to me about the name of my first son.

It was about four or five years ago as I was riding on a train from San Diego on my way to Oakland, CA. I decided to read my Bible and spend some time with God during the trip. While doing so, I felt God speak to me about what He wanted the name of my first son to be. The name He spoke to me was Joshua.

I believe God spoke this name to me because of the Biblical Connotation. In the Bible Joshua was the person God chose to lead His people into the Promise Land. Moses, the only leader that generation of Israelites had ever known, had just died. Joshua was the man whom God chose to replace Moses. Joshua went on to be a great leader and successfully helped the children of Israel walk in the land God had promised to them.

God spoke to me that my first son should be named Joshua because he is going to a great leader, just like Joshua in the Bible. I know that God has a specific purpose and destiny for my son to walk into. I pray that he will make the right decisions in life which will allow God to transform him into the leader which he is called to be.

I picked the middle name for my son to be James. One reason I picked this name was to honor my father James (Jim) Lawrence Bell. My dad is an incredible father. He has always been there for me as I grew up and as I have walked into manhood. I have no doubt that my dad put his all into fatherhood. He was always at every important event in my life and I never remember him missing any of my soccer or basketball games in high school. He is a man of integrity, hard work, and generosity. My dad can also fix or build anything. It amazes me how smart my dad is. When it comes to fixing things around the house, or cars, or putting things together there is nothing my dad does not know. I love him very much and it is an honor for me to be able to give my first son his name.

James is also an important middle name for my son due to other reasons as well. I later came to be aware of the fact that Jonnique’s grandfathers’ name (on her dad’s side) was James. I have heard many great things about him and about how much he loved his grandchildren along with the generosity he showed to them. I never knew him but I suspect that he would feel honored for our son to have the middle name James. In fact his name was James Lawrence Briggs which is very similar to my fathers’ name of James Lawrence Bell. We thought that was very ironic and it only confirmed that our son’s middle name should be James.

After learning that Jonniques’ grandfather on her dad’s side was named James, I also learned that her grandfather on her mothers’ side is named James as well. Therefore James has been an important name throughout both our family history.

Another reason I like the name Joshua James Bell for my son is because of the nick name we can give him. His nick name will be J. J. (not Josh or Joshey)! J.J. obviously stands for Joshua James. I am the type of person who likes to give people nicknames or shorten their name. For example, my wife’s name is Jonnique, but I call her Nique for short or I have a number of nicknames for her such as Boo, Bay, or Ni. Therefore, I am sure that I will want a nick name for my son as well. I feel that J. J. is a cool nickname that can stick with him for the rest of his life.

I have not met Joshua yet, but already love him so much. I will do my all to raise him the best I can. I promise to give my time, energy, and affections to him. I pray that God will help me train him in the ways of the Lord so that he will not depart from them as he grows into a great leader and a great man.

If you ever read this Joshua, please know that you have a great name and you have been named after great people. Your daddy loves you very much and will always be there for you no matter what you go through. I can’t wait to see you walk in all that God has for you. I love you very much and am very proud of you. Your mother and I are very blessed to have you as a son. Never forget to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. Oh yea…also never forget to honor your mother and father (LOL)! I love you and can’t wait to meet you.


Sono Pictures:
Picture #1: Joshua at 16 weeks, showing us that he is a boy!
Picture #2: 3D picture of Joshua at 16 weeks, playing peek a boo!
Picture #3: J.J. at 20 weeks, showing his side profile, Wes thinks he looks like me!
Picture #4: J.J. showing us his cute little foot!