We really ought to be in bed, but we thought we would just write a quick post to tell you what we're up to this week. Tuesday morning, we are flying out of Louisville to visit a very promising church for one week. We don't want to spill too many of the beans too early, but we can tell you a few things:
1- it is not too super-close to home, so don't get too excited just yet. But it is in a place you would all enjoy visiting.
2- The position in question is a full-time position, such that it would be an answer to our prayers for financial provision. It appears to be exactly in line with what Dave has been looking for throughout the last year and a half.
3- We hope to have the matter finalized within a few weeks, and then can tell you everything.
We leave tomorrow morning to fly there, and return next Monday evening. Please keep our safe travels, Sarah's health, and the church in your prayers.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Lessons from Fatherhood
From Dave.
Having a Father taught me much about my Heavenly Father. Of course, most of it went over my head, but God is a patient teacher. Some of what I missed from watching my dad be Dad is finally becoming clear now that I'm Dad. My hope now is that I can articulate some of these lessons well, so that you might share in them.
Life Lesson: We Don't Understand the Good Our Father Intends for Us
I wonder how often Sarah thinks we have her ill in mind. Putting her in her car seat, which she always likes once she's fully in it, probably makes her see me more as a tormentor than a protective father. Changing her clothes doesn't seem like an act of service to her when we're doing it. Bathing doesn't seem all that loving to her. Only now has she realized that changing her diaper is not punishment. But we have her good in mind through all of it. We're serving her and loving her, but she thinks we're out to get her.
How often God's children do the same to Him. Sarah doesn't have a baby-version of Romans 8:28 to remind her that her Father is working all this together for her good, and the good of our family. But we do. God tells us plainly that the sufferings we go through and the discipline we receive are for our good. If only I could teach that to the 26 year-old single man who stared at his ceiling the night before he met Emily Howell, wondering of God had any plans for his life. I still don't know why he delayed bringing her into my life for so long, but I know that he will work that with everything else together for my good. That's what fathers do for their children. One day it might be a very good thing that I put Sarah in that car seat, and she may not even realize it then. But I'll do it. Because that's what fathers do for their children.
Surely Sarah doesn't understand all I intend for her. I want to give her an inheritance, teach her the things of God, marry her to a good man, feed her for decades, teach her about chocolate, write songs for her, and so much more! She doesn't even know what the stuffed frog in her crib is, much less what my plans for her are. Likewise with us, no mind can comprehend what God has prepared for us. If only we would realize that there is so much more to life than the scary car seat God is patiently strapping us into.
Apologetics Lesson: Relativism Is a Sensible Outcome of Spiritual Blindness
One thing I was not ready for when it came to having a baby was the smorgasbord of conflicting opinions that were thrown at us. I was ill-equipped to lead us through it, because I had no idea the seriousness with which people take pregnancy, birthing, and child-rearing strategies. Not only does every doctor, college, book, and friend disagree with all the others on everything, they all seem to believe that Sarah and Emily will die terrible, immediate deaths if we follow someone else's method. Just when we think we've got something figured out, our Doctor tells us that what we're doing is bad for her. Then our friend tells us that our doctor is an ignorant liar. Eventually, we just wind up having to say "this works for us, get over it," and shutting out that well-meaning friend who thinks he knows the only way to have/raise a baby. Somewhere in there I realized that this is the same experience the lost go through when it comes to the things of God.
I may not have any more respect for those who try to preach that your idea of God is right if it works for you, but I do have more pity for them now. It's awful not knowing what the truth is and putting up with conflicting opinions from people who think they know more than everyone else. If it weren't for the revelation of God through His Scriptures, I would be in the same place spiritually. And I can see why "to each his own" teaching about life-or-death matters are so appealing. They certainly are to me when it comes to scheduling Sarah or feeding her on demand. I can see why, to a lost man, I'm just another man shoving an opinion down his throat, convinced that he will die if he doesn't listen to me. If he can't see that God's word is true, that's exactly what I will look like to him. What will he do? Shut me out and file me in with all the other preachers he's heard. The same thing I've come to do with baby-raising books. This is why just hearing the Gospel isn't enough. It takes the Spirit of God showing us that the Gospel is true, and opening our eyes to see it. Without that, the blessed Gospel preacher looks no better than the preachers of Satan's Kingdom- probably worse.
Marriage Lesson: Love Is Not Made To Die, but To Bring New Life
I can remember, before Sarah was born, listening to Paul Simon sing a line from "April, Come She Will," about a love that had grown cold. He compared it to Autumn's chilly winds, and it had a corresponding effect on my own heart. "Am I a young fool?" I wondered, "Or am I right to sense something wrong with that?" I guess this is an effect of a genre that sang about love all day but never sang about marriage. I got to thinking, and I realized that the opposite was happening in my own life: our love was making a new human being. New life was here. Chants of "We don't die, we multiply," went through my head, but I quickly went on to something more productive. I wrote Emily her Valentines Day present, a song with a chorus of "They say love just grows old and dies, but all I've seen it do is bring new life."
I'm blessed to get to live in it, but I do believe this is what marriage was made for. It's not made to grow old and be moved on from. It's not made to die until one of its participants does. Rather, it is made to show new life: the new life of the Gospel it models and new life in the children it can create. It's a bouquet that keeps on blooming, not a fall leaf that will soon fall off.
So that is a bit of what I've been learning. My hands have learned many lessons of serving, love, patience, ect. But my heart is learning, too. God really does love his children. I am thankful He is a patient teacher.
Having a Father taught me much about my Heavenly Father. Of course, most of it went over my head, but God is a patient teacher. Some of what I missed from watching my dad be Dad is finally becoming clear now that I'm Dad. My hope now is that I can articulate some of these lessons well, so that you might share in them.
Life Lesson: We Don't Understand the Good Our Father Intends for Us
I wonder how often Sarah thinks we have her ill in mind. Putting her in her car seat, which she always likes once she's fully in it, probably makes her see me more as a tormentor than a protective father. Changing her clothes doesn't seem like an act of service to her when we're doing it. Bathing doesn't seem all that loving to her. Only now has she realized that changing her diaper is not punishment. But we have her good in mind through all of it. We're serving her and loving her, but she thinks we're out to get her.
How often God's children do the same to Him. Sarah doesn't have a baby-version of Romans 8:28 to remind her that her Father is working all this together for her good, and the good of our family. But we do. God tells us plainly that the sufferings we go through and the discipline we receive are for our good. If only I could teach that to the 26 year-old single man who stared at his ceiling the night before he met Emily Howell, wondering of God had any plans for his life. I still don't know why he delayed bringing her into my life for so long, but I know that he will work that with everything else together for my good. That's what fathers do for their children. One day it might be a very good thing that I put Sarah in that car seat, and she may not even realize it then. But I'll do it. Because that's what fathers do for their children.
Surely Sarah doesn't understand all I intend for her. I want to give her an inheritance, teach her the things of God, marry her to a good man, feed her for decades, teach her about chocolate, write songs for her, and so much more! She doesn't even know what the stuffed frog in her crib is, much less what my plans for her are. Likewise with us, no mind can comprehend what God has prepared for us. If only we would realize that there is so much more to life than the scary car seat God is patiently strapping us into.
Apologetics Lesson: Relativism Is a Sensible Outcome of Spiritual Blindness
One thing I was not ready for when it came to having a baby was the smorgasbord of conflicting opinions that were thrown at us. I was ill-equipped to lead us through it, because I had no idea the seriousness with which people take pregnancy, birthing, and child-rearing strategies. Not only does every doctor, college, book, and friend disagree with all the others on everything, they all seem to believe that Sarah and Emily will die terrible, immediate deaths if we follow someone else's method. Just when we think we've got something figured out, our Doctor tells us that what we're doing is bad for her. Then our friend tells us that our doctor is an ignorant liar. Eventually, we just wind up having to say "this works for us, get over it," and shutting out that well-meaning friend who thinks he knows the only way to have/raise a baby. Somewhere in there I realized that this is the same experience the lost go through when it comes to the things of God.
I may not have any more respect for those who try to preach that your idea of God is right if it works for you, but I do have more pity for them now. It's awful not knowing what the truth is and putting up with conflicting opinions from people who think they know more than everyone else. If it weren't for the revelation of God through His Scriptures, I would be in the same place spiritually. And I can see why "to each his own" teaching about life-or-death matters are so appealing. They certainly are to me when it comes to scheduling Sarah or feeding her on demand. I can see why, to a lost man, I'm just another man shoving an opinion down his throat, convinced that he will die if he doesn't listen to me. If he can't see that God's word is true, that's exactly what I will look like to him. What will he do? Shut me out and file me in with all the other preachers he's heard. The same thing I've come to do with baby-raising books. This is why just hearing the Gospel isn't enough. It takes the Spirit of God showing us that the Gospel is true, and opening our eyes to see it. Without that, the blessed Gospel preacher looks no better than the preachers of Satan's Kingdom- probably worse.
Marriage Lesson: Love Is Not Made To Die, but To Bring New Life
I can remember, before Sarah was born, listening to Paul Simon sing a line from "April, Come She Will," about a love that had grown cold. He compared it to Autumn's chilly winds, and it had a corresponding effect on my own heart. "Am I a young fool?" I wondered, "Or am I right to sense something wrong with that?" I guess this is an effect of a genre that sang about love all day but never sang about marriage. I got to thinking, and I realized that the opposite was happening in my own life: our love was making a new human being. New life was here. Chants of "We don't die, we multiply," went through my head, but I quickly went on to something more productive. I wrote Emily her Valentines Day present, a song with a chorus of "They say love just grows old and dies, but all I've seen it do is bring new life."
I'm blessed to get to live in it, but I do believe this is what marriage was made for. It's not made to grow old and be moved on from. It's not made to die until one of its participants does. Rather, it is made to show new life: the new life of the Gospel it models and new life in the children it can create. It's a bouquet that keeps on blooming, not a fall leaf that will soon fall off.
So that is a bit of what I've been learning. My hands have learned many lessons of serving, love, patience, ect. But my heart is learning, too. God really does love his children. I am thankful He is a patient teacher.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Story of Sarah's Birth
Now that we're home and attempting to adjust to normal life with a little girl, we can sit down for a few minutes and tell you the story of her birth. The two most common requests we have gotten from family and friends are pictures and the story. Hopefully we can show and tell well.
On Friday morning, Emily woke up around 6 AM with what felt like gas pain in her abdomen. It was strangely regular and uncomfortable enough that she couldn't sleep any longer, so she decided to go for a walk around 7:30. Dave stayed in bed, since it was early in the morning, having no idea that the pains weren't stomach related at all. Dave remembers waking up to the sound of the shower going after the walk and thinking, "she showered last night, so either she really walked herself good or she wants to get one last shower in before she goes to the hospital."
So Dave got up when the shower ended and Emily showed him the list she had been making of the possible contractions. They were somewhat regular, and very frequent, so maybe they were real. But not very long, weren't growing, and were only felt on the lower part of the abdomen and back- so maybe not. Dave decided it was time to call the doctor, who told Emily to lie on the couch for an hour and, if she had more than five in that hour, to check herself in.
Dave finished packing the bag and showered, until twenty minutes and five contractions later it was clear that we needed to go to labor triage. Dave finished packing, got the car completely loaded, and realized that it was worth eating one finial bowl of Cheerios before we left. One last Green-Shirt Picture and we were on our way around 11:00.
We called Emily's mother on the way to let her know that it was probably the day, and to start packing her back, but not to leave yet. Then, after spending a seeming eternity waiting to register, we checked in and had Emily examined. An hour later, the doctor confirmed . . . it was time!
Emily, herself a very happy girl, chose to walk down to the L&D room rather than ride in the bed. We arrived, unloaded, and let them hook Emily up to all the wires she could stand. Dave called work, parents, and other essential figures to let them know it was time and we sent out a text to our immediate family and some friends asking them to pray for us. Then, once the epidural was in, we began our wait. The contractions didn't seem to be making much progress, so the nurse decided to start some Pitocin and break the bag of waters to really get things going. Sure enough, before we knew it we went from 4cm to 9cm dilated!
The worst part for Emily seemed to be the waiting and anxiety, as she couldn't feel any of the contractions and couldn't move much of anything lower than her belly button. We passed the time by playing cards, reading the whole book of Hebrews, and reading some of our old emails from when we were dating. Waiting for our little girl was a somewhat more somber experience than expected.
The only real trouble came when the epidural wore off for about five minutes and Emily got a taste of anesthesia-free Pitocin-enhanced labor. But the nurses were quick to reapply and get her feeling good, leaving Emily with a new-found perspective on all those wires that were coming out of her.
Some time in the evening, a nurse came in for some some practice pushing and told us that as soon as the doctor arrived we would be ready to go. A half hour or so went by while the doctor delivered another baby in another room. Once Dr. Case came in she probably wasn't there but 20 minutes. Two sets of three pushes was all it took. After the first set, a nurse had to tell Emily to stop smiling! The second set came, and the baby was out.
Dr. Case even let Dave play co-quarterback and catch the little girl with her. She was a meconium baby, so once the head came out they had to empty her nose, mouth and ears before we pushed the rest of her out. We got her the rest of the way out, and set her on the warmer while Dave threw off his gloves and Emily rested. Dave went over to take her first picture and a doctor asked, "will you tell us the name now?" Dave, sure he liked it, asked Emily if she was sure. She nodded and Dave announced, "she's Sarah Emily."
It wasn't even five minutes before they let us have her back, took a picture for us, and left us alone. We spent an hour together doing what they call "skin to skin time." We would just lay her with only a diaper on one of our bare chests and put a blanket on top of her. This is supposed to regulate her body temperature and be a lot of fun. It did the former fairly well and the latter very well. We also had our first chance to nurse and Sarah was a champ!
We wound up staying in the L&D room overnight, as the theme of the weekend would be dealing with an overcrowded hospital. About 2 AM Emily's parents arrived and we soon went to bed. Saturday we had two spurts of 8 or 10 visitors each, both of which were perfectly timed. Then Saturday night they finally moved us over to a postpartum room. Dave made a quick trip home, showered, put some pictures on Facebook, and came back. Sunday morning Dave went to church in the morning, came back to his girls, and we got ready to check out. Then the family came home to a nice sign made by Mama Suz.
She's mostly a happy little girl, although she can have her spats of unsolvable crying in the middle of the night. She usually eats and sleeps very well, and sometimes she even opens her eyes to make eye contact with us. Sarah is a great cuddler and loves to be swaddled. She's completely beautiful, and we hope to make another post soon about what we've learned from her.
On Friday morning, Emily woke up around 6 AM with what felt like gas pain in her abdomen. It was strangely regular and uncomfortable enough that she couldn't sleep any longer, so she decided to go for a walk around 7:30. Dave stayed in bed, since it was early in the morning, having no idea that the pains weren't stomach related at all. Dave remembers waking up to the sound of the shower going after the walk and thinking, "she showered last night, so either she really walked herself good or she wants to get one last shower in before she goes to the hospital."
So Dave got up when the shower ended and Emily showed him the list she had been making of the possible contractions. They were somewhat regular, and very frequent, so maybe they were real. But not very long, weren't growing, and were only felt on the lower part of the abdomen and back- so maybe not. Dave decided it was time to call the doctor, who told Emily to lie on the couch for an hour and, if she had more than five in that hour, to check herself in.
Dave finished packing the bag and showered, until twenty minutes and five contractions later it was clear that we needed to go to labor triage. Dave finished packing, got the car completely loaded, and realized that it was worth eating one finial bowl of Cheerios before we left. One last Green-Shirt Picture and we were on our way around 11:00.
We called Emily's mother on the way to let her know that it was probably the day, and to start packing her back, but not to leave yet. Then, after spending a seeming eternity waiting to register, we checked in and had Emily examined. An hour later, the doctor confirmed . . . it was time!
Emily, herself a very happy girl, chose to walk down to the L&D room rather than ride in the bed. We arrived, unloaded, and let them hook Emily up to all the wires she could stand. Dave called work, parents, and other essential figures to let them know it was time and we sent out a text to our immediate family and some friends asking them to pray for us. Then, once the epidural was in, we began our wait. The contractions didn't seem to be making much progress, so the nurse decided to start some Pitocin and break the bag of waters to really get things going. Sure enough, before we knew it we went from 4cm to 9cm dilated!
The worst part for Emily seemed to be the waiting and anxiety, as she couldn't feel any of the contractions and couldn't move much of anything lower than her belly button. We passed the time by playing cards, reading the whole book of Hebrews, and reading some of our old emails from when we were dating. Waiting for our little girl was a somewhat more somber experience than expected.
The only real trouble came when the epidural wore off for about five minutes and Emily got a taste of anesthesia-free Pitocin-enhanced labor. But the nurses were quick to reapply and get her feeling good, leaving Emily with a new-found perspective on all those wires that were coming out of her.
Some time in the evening, a nurse came in for some some practice pushing and told us that as soon as the doctor arrived we would be ready to go. A half hour or so went by while the doctor delivered another baby in another room. Once Dr. Case came in she probably wasn't there but 20 minutes. Two sets of three pushes was all it took. After the first set, a nurse had to tell Emily to stop smiling! The second set came, and the baby was out.
Dr. Case even let Dave play co-quarterback and catch the little girl with her. She was a meconium baby, so once the head came out they had to empty her nose, mouth and ears before we pushed the rest of her out. We got her the rest of the way out, and set her on the warmer while Dave threw off his gloves and Emily rested. Dave went over to take her first picture and a doctor asked, "will you tell us the name now?" Dave, sure he liked it, asked Emily if she was sure. She nodded and Dave announced, "she's Sarah Emily."
It wasn't even five minutes before they let us have her back, took a picture for us, and left us alone. We spent an hour together doing what they call "skin to skin time." We would just lay her with only a diaper on one of our bare chests and put a blanket on top of her. This is supposed to regulate her body temperature and be a lot of fun. It did the former fairly well and the latter very well. We also had our first chance to nurse and Sarah was a champ!
We wound up staying in the L&D room overnight, as the theme of the weekend would be dealing with an overcrowded hospital. About 2 AM Emily's parents arrived and we soon went to bed. Saturday we had two spurts of 8 or 10 visitors each, both of which were perfectly timed. Then Saturday night they finally moved us over to a postpartum room. Dave made a quick trip home, showered, put some pictures on Facebook, and came back. Sunday morning Dave went to church in the morning, came back to his girls, and we got ready to check out. Then the family came home to a nice sign made by Mama Suz.
She's mostly a happy little girl, although she can have her spats of unsolvable crying in the middle of the night. She usually eats and sleeps very well, and sometimes she even opens her eyes to make eye contact with us. Sarah is a great cuddler and loves to be swaddled. She's completely beautiful, and we hope to make another post soon about what we've learned from her.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Sarah Emily Cook
Today has been, without a doubt, the most blessed day we have shared since the day many of you watched God first join us together. Our first daughter, Sarah Emily Cook, was born today. She was born here at Norton Suburban Hospital, weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 21.5 inches long. What follows is a prepared statement we began writing in June, so that today we could click a button with her in hand, have it out to the world, and go back to holding her.
The original Sarah was a heroin of faith in the book of Genesis. God changed Sarai's name to Sarah, Hebrew for "princess," and birthed the kingdom of Israel from her barren womb. Kings like Saul, David, and Solomon came from her. Prophets like Isaiah, Nathan, and Moses came from her. Priests like Aaron, and Joshua came from her. But eventually the final king, prophet, and priest would come from her: Jesus. It was because she believed God when He promised that her offspring would bless all the earth, and because He did so, that she truly became a princess in the Kingdom of God. We pray that our Sarah too will become a princess, not in this world but in the Kingdom of God- one of whom the world is not worthy.
Emily is a family name from the Mississippi side of our family, meaning "industrious." Emily Elizabeth Cook, Emily Susan Robertson Howell, and Emily Berryhill Poole were/are all strong-armed women known for working with willing hands. From them came Ole Miss football players, triathlon runners, and faithful wives. After them Madeline Emily Howell was named, and we proudly give the name to our daughter as well. We pray that she will live in the spirit of Proverbs 31, working with skilled hands to bless her family as her mothers have done.
We chose two of the names, but the name Cook was given to both of us by another. It is also the name she may not keep for her whole life. The Cooks have been explorers, musicians, teachers, miners, and immigrants. In as much as we know of the Cooks, they have always been about adventure. We pray that such a spirit of adventure will be set in her by the Lord God, a spirit that makes her willing to follow Him to the ends of the earth if necessary.
So we named her Sarah Emily Cook shortly after her birth, praying that she would become a princess in the Kingdom of God, one with skilled hands and an adventurous spirit. Our God is good to His people.
The original Sarah was a heroin of faith in the book of Genesis. God changed Sarai's name to Sarah, Hebrew for "princess," and birthed the kingdom of Israel from her barren womb. Kings like Saul, David, and Solomon came from her. Prophets like Isaiah, Nathan, and Moses came from her. Priests like Aaron, and Joshua came from her. But eventually the final king, prophet, and priest would come from her: Jesus. It was because she believed God when He promised that her offspring would bless all the earth, and because He did so, that she truly became a princess in the Kingdom of God. We pray that our Sarah too will become a princess, not in this world but in the Kingdom of God- one of whom the world is not worthy.
Emily is a family name from the Mississippi side of our family, meaning "industrious." Emily Elizabeth Cook, Emily Susan Robertson Howell, and Emily Berryhill Poole were/are all strong-armed women known for working with willing hands. From them came Ole Miss football players, triathlon runners, and faithful wives. After them Madeline Emily Howell was named, and we proudly give the name to our daughter as well. We pray that she will live in the spirit of Proverbs 31, working with skilled hands to bless her family as her mothers have done.
We chose two of the names, but the name Cook was given to both of us by another. It is also the name she may not keep for her whole life. The Cooks have been explorers, musicians, teachers, miners, and immigrants. In as much as we know of the Cooks, they have always been about adventure. We pray that such a spirit of adventure will be set in her by the Lord God, a spirit that makes her willing to follow Him to the ends of the earth if necessary.
So we named her Sarah Emily Cook shortly after her birth, praying that she would become a princess in the Kingdom of God, one with skilled hands and an adventurous spirit. Our God is good to His people.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A Nice Surprise
Well, we thought the church was having a cookout after Sunday Worship. But then Dave strolled into the kitchen after the service, and stumbled upon this:
The church was thoring a little shower for us! So we had hot dogs and enjoyed ourselves, and then we got to dig into this beautiful cake. Before we did so, though, Dave had to take some fun pictures of it.
It was a great time, and we know ever better how much our church loves us. Thank you so much, Eagle Heights!
The church was thoring a little shower for us! So we had hot dogs and enjoyed ourselves, and then we got to dig into this beautiful cake. Before we did so, though, Dave had to take some fun pictures of it.
It was a great time, and we know ever better how much our church loves us. Thank you so much, Eagle Heights!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Recent Pictures
The fireflies are in full swing here in Kentucky. We've both had some fun catching them and taking pictures along the way:
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A little more
Here's another picture of Emily, almost a month before the Due Date. The big day is quickly approaching.
Meanwhile, Dave has been working on some wood projects around the house, including a new tea caddy and a serving tray on which to set the pepper, salt, napkins, and everything else.
Meanwhile, Dave has been working on some wood projects around the house, including a new tea caddy and a serving tray on which to set the pepper, salt, napkins, and everything else.
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