Kisses from Asher from Sara Martin on Vimeo.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
And Here She Is!
Making her way into the world on Wed., November 17th, here is Amelia Grace Martin:
In the Lord's ideal timing, contractions stared coming around noon, we were admitted to the hospital around 3:30, worked through some more contractions and then after about 10 minutes of pushing, we greeted our little Millie at 6:09 pm, 7 lbs 4 oz 19 and 3/4 inches long. Minus a cord wrapped around her neck there were no complications and I barely had time to thing about pain meds. We are so thankful for your prayers and amazed at our God, Creator of life.
So far Asher seems to love his sister calling her baby and giving her sweet kisses on her forehead. (We'll see how long that lasts...) He had a great time staying with the Alts and the grandmas while we were in the hospital and didn't seem phased by Mama and Papa being gone.
So there's the update! More to come as the adventure begins!
In the Lord's ideal timing, contractions stared coming around noon, we were admitted to the hospital around 3:30, worked through some more contractions and then after about 10 minutes of pushing, we greeted our little Millie at 6:09 pm, 7 lbs 4 oz 19 and 3/4 inches long. Minus a cord wrapped around her neck there were no complications and I barely had time to thing about pain meds. We are so thankful for your prayers and amazed at our God, Creator of life. So far Asher seems to love his sister calling her baby and giving her sweet kisses on her forehead. (We'll see how long that lasts...) He had a great time staying with the Alts and the grandmas while we were in the hospital and didn't seem phased by Mama and Papa being gone.
So there's the update! More to come as the adventure begins!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Coming This Friday?
Most of you have already heard, but the wait for this little lady will be over sometime this Friday, Nov. 19th if she decides not to show up before then! While the doc. was ready to delivery her on Monday, I just really felt lead to give some more time to see if she'll make an appearance on her own. Had an ultrasound today, at 41 weeks and 2 days and things are all good. (I think my doc. needed the convincing more than I did) There's plenty of fluid in there sustaining her and they are estimating her to be around 7 lbs 14 oz at the moment. I gotta say, from what I could see from the 3D ultrasound, she is lookin' like her brother, in the eyes and nose at least. I wanna see that face in person though!!!
So, unless something happens before 6 am on Friday morning, looks like we'll be meeting and greeting her sometime soon after that.... Yippee!
So, unless something happens before 6 am on Friday morning, looks like we'll be meeting and greeting her sometime soon after that.... Yippee!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Crazy Love
First, let's get the obvious out of the way. Yes, it's my due date and yes I'm still pregnant. No signs of nothin' right now so this little lady could be making us wait it out a little while. We shall see...
What I really wanted to write about is a book that I just finished: Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Let me preface this by saying that if you're not one to be down with the idea of a faith that revolves around Jesus, this probably isn't the book for you. Basically, this book is a swift kick in the behind for folks who call themselves Christians. It would be really hard to summarize or tidy it up into a neat little package for you, but let me attempt to share some ideas that struck me personally. Here are some tidbits that have had me pondering and praying for change and sometimes even taking offense to as I recognize the truth to them...
The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God of just His stuff? ... Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?
Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.... The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.
The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans.
God is the only true Giver, and He needs nothing from us. But still He wants us. He gave us life so that we might seek Him and know Him.
What are you doing right now that requires faith?
Do you grasp the beauty and deep joy of walking in genuine intimacy with God, our Holy Father and Friend? Do you want to see God more than you desire security?
At the end of the book there is an interview with the author and he is asked the question, In one chapter you state, "Dare to imagine what it would mean for you to take the words of Jesus seriously." What does this mean? Why do you think so many Christians would turn down this dare?
Here's part of his response: "We've conditioned ourselves to hear messages without responding. Sermons have become Christian entertainment. We go to church to hear a well-developed sermon and a convicting thought. We've trained ourselves to believe that if we're convicted, our job is done. If you're just hearing the Word and not actually doing something with it, you're deceiving yourself." (emphasis mine) He goes on to say, "I remember preaching on Luke 6, and I brought up the passage that says, "Do good to those who hate you." I told the congregation to think of someone who hated them, and I asked "Are you willing to go do something good for them? Will you do that? Yes or no?" I said, "Tell God right now, "No I will not do that." We're not willing to make that statement because we don't want to say that to God, but we're doing that every day." (emphasis mine)
That last part really resonated with me. There are many things that I would not say to God, but I would do (or not do) them anyway. And that speaks much louder than anything. There's so much more and I am thankful for this book and the women I've been discussing it with as we strive to live out our faith. It's a journey for sure.
What I really wanted to write about is a book that I just finished: Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Let me preface this by saying that if you're not one to be down with the idea of a faith that revolves around Jesus, this probably isn't the book for you. Basically, this book is a swift kick in the behind for folks who call themselves Christians. It would be really hard to summarize or tidy it up into a neat little package for you, but let me attempt to share some ideas that struck me personally. Here are some tidbits that have had me pondering and praying for change and sometimes even taking offense to as I recognize the truth to them...
The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God of just His stuff? ... Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?
Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.... The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.
The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans.
God is the only true Giver, and He needs nothing from us. But still He wants us. He gave us life so that we might seek Him and know Him.
What are you doing right now that requires faith?
Do you grasp the beauty and deep joy of walking in genuine intimacy with God, our Holy Father and Friend? Do you want to see God more than you desire security?
At the end of the book there is an interview with the author and he is asked the question, In one chapter you state, "Dare to imagine what it would mean for you to take the words of Jesus seriously." What does this mean? Why do you think so many Christians would turn down this dare?
Here's part of his response: "We've conditioned ourselves to hear messages without responding. Sermons have become Christian entertainment. We go to church to hear a well-developed sermon and a convicting thought. We've trained ourselves to believe that if we're convicted, our job is done. If you're just hearing the Word and not actually doing something with it, you're deceiving yourself." (emphasis mine) He goes on to say, "I remember preaching on Luke 6, and I brought up the passage that says, "Do good to those who hate you." I told the congregation to think of someone who hated them, and I asked "Are you willing to go do something good for them? Will you do that? Yes or no?" I said, "Tell God right now, "No I will not do that." We're not willing to make that statement because we don't want to say that to God, but we're doing that every day." (emphasis mine)
That last part really resonated with me. There are many things that I would not say to God, but I would do (or not do) them anyway. And that speaks much louder than anything. There's so much more and I am thankful for this book and the women I've been discussing it with as we strive to live out our faith. It's a journey for sure.
Monday, November 1, 2010
1 Week to go... ! :)
Really? Is my due date really a week from today? Hooray! I can hardly stand the anticipation. How will it happen this time? What are the odds that my water will break at midnight on the due date again? Will this labor be even "better, easier, faster" than the last? Will nursing be like no big deal? Will she look like her brother? How will Asher react? I cannot wait to announce her name to the world:
________ ________ Martin. Our sweet little girl.
Here I am at 39 weeks with that beach ball belly. Feeling and sleeping wonderfully, trying to stay active. Praise the Lord for such an enjoyable pregnancy!
________ ________ Martin. Our sweet little girl.
Here I am at 39 weeks with that beach ball belly. Feeling and sleeping wonderfully, trying to stay active. Praise the Lord for such an enjoyable pregnancy!
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