This past Monday was Dr. Seuss's 105^th birthday.  Over the course of the past couple of decades, I have enjoyed celebrating his birthday by sharing one of his books with students.   And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, Horton Hatches the Egg, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose and Sneetches are among my favorite books to read.  Each of these books has an underlying lesson about using your imagination, being assertive instead of aggressive, or seeing others as equals.   I've found that sometimes a piece of literature best expresses a concept kids can relate to, making a powerful impact that repeated textbook drill and practice does not.  

Named Theodore Seuss Geisel by his parents, he wrote using the pen name Dr. Seuss because of two reasons.  One was that Seuss rhymes with Goose, and was "advantageous for an author of children's books to be associated with Mother Goose."  The use of the title of doctor was used because his dad dreamed that one day his son would earn his Ph.D., which he never did.  Besides authoring books as Dr. Seuss, he also used the pen name Theo. LeSieg (Geisel spelled backwards) for books he wrote but someone else illustrated.  

Pen names, or pseudonyms, are often used to make the author's name more distinctive, disguise the gender of the author, or fulfill other marketing prerequisites.  Samuel Clemens, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, and Stephen King are just a few others who have used pen names at times during their writing career.

Yesterday was the anniversary of my baptismal birthday, the day when the pastor poured water over the top of my head while reciting the words, "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."  As this significant event took place in a hospital room, the name on my birth certificate didn't change, but the name "saint" was added by God in the Book of Life, as I, through my parents and baptismal sponsors, made a solemn agreement that I recognized Him as my God.  He in turn announced through the washing of rebirth that I now belonged to Him.  Similar to Abraham, the name given to me by my parents was now sealed with the promise of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

In today's Old Testament lesson (Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16), we learn that Abram and Sarai's names were changed by God, not to disguise who they were as they resided in the community, but changed by God to make it more distinctive, as a child of God!  And like Abraham and Sarah, with our new name we live with the promise that God remains faithful, even though we continually fail.    We have been given the courage to reject the devil and his evil ways when we entered into this covenant relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Abraham and Sarah were marked with the covenant of God's promise. Through the Holy Spirit who works faith within us, we too were marked with the sign of the cross in Baptism as a redeemed child of God through Christ, who was crucified and nailed to the tree.  It's a story that can be shared over and over, and one that has a lasting impact, both here and in eternity.

Enjoying the ride,