11 Weeks

It's 11 weeks, and Baby Hamlin's feet look like something close to this. Although, the size of the picture can be misleading, as the child's whole body is about 1.6 inches long. Liv says that the feet are about the same size as those on the pro-life pins, which are actually that of 10-week old fetuses. That would make them between 1 and 2 cm long. That's just me guessing. The amazing and fun thing to see, though, is how well developed they are.

We also know that nearly all his/her structures and organs are formed and beginning to function. Hair and nails are beginning to grow. There's lots more to know. Just go click on the Hoopla link to pregnancy.org, and surf to your heart's content. But do so with the knowledge that as amazing as this miracle is, it is only a taste of the creativity and power of the Author, Sustainer, and Redeemer of life, by whose glory we will be forever fascinated.

Getting into the swing of things,

Well, now that I’m married, my wife is pregnant with our first child, and I am more than halfway through grad school at Va. Tech, I am going to begin talking about important things. That’s right, the NBA Playoffs have started. As much as I like the NBA, I love the playoffs. Every game is very important; great players rise above, but even more so, great teams rise above, and teams’ contrasting styles and personnel are tested and compared. Liv and I have watched two playoff games so far, though, because we aren’t able to get ABC, and we don’t have cable. The highlight reels at go.espn.com have served as our sustenance in this staple food group. Dallas is still in the playoffs, fighting off their opponents and all the prognosticators, who have predicted sweeps by the opposing teams in each of their first two rounds. Dirk Nowitzki, however, is the real issue. The German Bird finally had his first “Ri-Dirk-ulous” game of the playoffs in game 4 of the Phoenix series, and even that was only about par for him. Unless he starts playing better, I don’t believe that Dallas can put away the Suns. (I feel obligated to make some sort of prediction when I’m discussing the playoffs.) Right now, however, the series is tied 2-2, with the winner facing the winner of the San Antonio/Seattle series (also tied 2-2).

Continuing on the playoffs thread, Liv has decided, against her God-given authority (me), that she will cheer for the San Antonio Spurs, one of the most-hated teams for a Mavs fan. Obviously, she is in sin; however, I have decided not to fight this battle and to hope that God will convict her in a two-fold manner: first, that the San Antonio Spurs are, by virtue of having the softest players in the NBA, a Frenchie for a point guard, and Robert Horry as a valuable back-up, not going to win the NBA championship (and if they do, are not going to deserve it); and second, that her husband is in the right, and she should have found something about the Mavericks to cheer for all along. Not that she would have to look very hard, though, because a 7-foot tall, fade-away shooting, 3-point nailing, ball-handling German wizard of a basketball player is reason enough in and of himself.

another trial run

Can I post, too?

Upside-down pictures of the newest member of the Hamlin family. 

Sledding in Blacksburg, the day before breaking my ankle. 

Just seeing if it works

If a tree falls in a forest, and no one hears it,...

Why?

We'll see how long I can keep writing before Internet Explorer crashes again. Sometimes I wonder why the heck I am here. I mean, it used to make sense to me, but then as soon as I started doing it, it ceased to. Nonetheless, I am still here. For some reason God has me here. He could have very easily expressed his will in keeping me from raising the support to be here. However, he expressed his will in giving me the money to return, for reasons unbeknownst to me. So we've got this whole idea that the church is a body, diverse in its parts, but unified in its whole, each part supporting and helping the others. What part am I? I guess I am probably like the back hair or something analagous, something that seemingly has no purpose until God explains it at some point in the future to show how he uses the foolish and weak things of the world to shame the wise. Paul seems to have a wild imagination when he says to the Corinthians that the testimony about Christ was confirmed among them, so that they are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as they wait for the revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain them to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. But maybe God had in plan for them to become a great manifestation of his glory, and for them to shame the wise, and for them to make known the manifold wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This is the only pattern which could make sense of God's having me here (if I am here for anyone's sake but my own, and people in S.C.), b/c I am faithless, weak, and foolish, not useful to God. I hope to see the Corinthian church, clothed in robes of glory, someday. We could rejoice together in the faithfulness of our God, and his great love, expressed in making lovely, the unlovely, by uniting us to Jesus in his resurrection. This is still my hope.