Summary:
In this sermon, a speaker reflects on the transformational power of names by recounting a turbulent childhood marked by legal identity shifts and family conflict. After discovering his birth certificate contradicted his lived identity, the speaker struggled with a forced name change to Harris, a title he associated with a father who caused his family deep emotional and financial distress. This history led him and his wife to eventually reject both of their surnames when their own children were born. They chose the name Huntington to honor a compassionate step-grandmother, aiming to provide their children with a legacy of stability and peace rather than trauma. Ultimately, the sermon illustrates how a name can either poison one’s spirit or serve as a chosen symbol of a hopeful new beginning.