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.