the Little Lady smile.

here is a glimpse of that Little Lady smile on video.

the Little Lady smile. from Jared Smith on Vimeo.

Here is a glimpse of Aubrey's little smile.



She is sporting a gift from her "Honey", that honors her "Pop" who played football at Auburn and her Uncle Slade who will be wearing those colors on the baseball field next season.

Aubrey Adair Smith :: video.

Okay.. so are you wanting a bit more than these few photos? Well, here is a Little Lady on video.

Here is a little showing of our Little Lady. We just wanted to say hello to all of our friends around the world. Hope you enjoy.

heading home.

This Smith family just got the word that in a few hours we will be heading home. We get to pack up and cruise on with little Aubrey home to Wisteria Circle. We can't wait for all of you to come meet this precious child.

Little Aubrey.

Today was another delightful day in the St. Vincent's delivery suites. We had to hang out here for one more evening to make sure that Meredith's white blood count levels back down. It does not seem to be anything major, but the doctors just want to have her close to monitor them. We both see it as a blessing to have an incredible hospital staff right outside our door, ready to take care of any need that we might have. Meredith has been so strong pressing forward with all of the issues.

Aubrey has been outstanding today. She is already getting a touch more personality in her. Last night as Meredith and I were holding her close and talking with her about our family, she kept giving us this precious smirk and a very flirtatious smile. It caught us both as a great surprise, as it almost seemed Aubrey knew exactly what she was doing to us.

We have had some more great friends give wonderful compliments and fun visits to see this new addition. Thank you for all your kind words and comments on here and other places. The internet service here at St.V's is very spotty, so I haven't been able to load up all of the photos I want to.. but I thought that I would share one of my favorites I got lucky taking this morning. You gotta let a proud father show off his Little Lady a bit more on here.. and if you like them, trust me.. a lot more will be coming soon.

Please keep us in your prayers. We will find out in the AM if we can head on home tomorrow or will need one more day to monitor those levels. Either way.. we are just so glad we get to spend it with this beautiful daughter.

the story behind the name.

We wanted to Thank You all for your extra sweet comments, compliments, and continued prayers. Aubrey is only a little more than 24 hours old, but she has already captured our hearts. We hope this photo brings a smile to your face like it does ours.

So let us tell you how we came to choose the name Aubrey Adair Smith. Family has always been something extremely valuable to both Meredith and I, so we knew that we wanted to honor our family by carrying on family names to the next generation.

We will start with the end and move forwards.

Smith, I know, I know what you're thinking.. you didn't have a choice in that one. Although it is true, and also that there are plenty of Smith's out in the world, we are so excited to bring in the next generation to our Smith crew - there is something very significant and special about our crew - and especially that we are bringing the next generation in with a Little Lady. As a guy with 5 Smith brothers, I never would have thought a girl would come.. but I honestly wouldn't want it any other way. Come on, look at that girl.. can you blame me??

Adair is my mother, Kris' maiden name. It has always been a name I have loved, because its a crew I have always loved. We don't get to see each other as much as we want to, but when we do get together.. you better watch out.. cause it is guaranteed to be a laugh-filled, fun time. It is an honor to connect our Little Lady to the Adair family with her middle name.

Then there is Aubrey. Aubrey was the name of Meredith's Grandfather, her mother, Sandi's father. He passed away when Meredith was 4 years old. I never got to meet him, but have always heard some incredibly special things about this man. He has always been special to Mer and her family. The amazing, un-planned, part of it all is that yesterday, June the 8th, would have been Mer's grandfather's 90th birthday.. yes.. our Little Lady has the same birthday as her namesake!! How cool of God is that.

So there you have it. The main reasons why we went with the name. Plus, we just like the flow of Aubrey Adair Smith. Once you meet her, we know that you will love it too.

** side note, we also found out today that my Dad has a distant cousin named Aubrey Smith. So now we definitely have all sides of our families covered.

I'll leave you tonight with a little bit of Aubrey's personality coming out.. I don't know where she gets this stuff from. Thanks for checking in to find out a little bit more of our daughter, Aubrey Adair Smith.

:: Aubrey Adair Smith ::

We want to introduce you to our daughter..
:: Aubrey Adair Smith ::

Born on June 8, 2009 at 5:07pm.
Weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz. - 21 inches long.

We thank you for your prayers.. Both new Mom and Little Lady are doing great now. We can't wait for you all to meet her.



Trust me.. more photos are to come!!

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

spreading.the.word

with a little creativity >> video


wôrd.twö.yó.måmå from Jared Smith on Vimeo.

perspective.

here is a good friday video for you.. Perspective on things can change so quickly. I think this could help.. especially with the thanksgiving season around the corner.

video



thanks to ragamuffinsoul.com for sharing.

seasons.

I don’t know about the weather where you are, but back in Alabama the signs of seasonal change are everywhere. This is a season that I love. When the leaves begin to transition from glowing growth of green to an array of tones in orange and browns. There is an undeniable beauty in looking unto the clusters of trees around me and see the variety of creativity in the colors. I really love this season. I love that the Creator chose to give us these transitions in the seasons. That He can capture my heart by the falling of the leaves as I cruise through the streets of my life now, moving from one thing to another.

Change of the seasons are all around us. Nature is revealing the change of seasons. Our nation is in a season of change. The life of Meredith and I is preparing for things to change. We do not know what the future has in store… but we know the One who does. We know the One who changes all seasons.

“Daniel answered and said:
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise…”

- Daniel 2:20-23

Often times these seasons of change can become overwhelming. We can feel the darkness in the mornings. We look around the world to see no glimpse of any light. We can have major doubts if the next season will ever come.

My question rests in this? How will we chose to act if the One in whom the light dwells does not reveal that light right away? What if He has greater lessons of trust and faith to be learned in this season of change? He has promised to walk us through all seasons, but often we don’t chose to live like He is. I have been seeking Him for some lessons in this season and have been challenged greatly by the words of Habakkuk 3:17-18 –

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

I think this is the greatest of responses that we could have in any season. His understanding is so much higher than our wisdom. We often don’t get what He is doing in our lives. But He wants us to see Him at work in all seasons and situations. He is our only promise of light to come.

You might be currently in a pretty steady season. Things might be going well for you. Or your world might be completely upside-down with no fruit being produced on the vines. You might be really feeling this season of change. I do not know where He has you.

But I can tell you this.. in every situation of my past - and there have been some tough ones - the Lord has been completely faithful. He has come through in ways that I never would have dreamed, where credit can only go towards Him. He has revealed his light in the most perfect of timing. Its not always the easiest answers to our situations… but He is faithful to carry us through them, if we let Him. He has been faithful in seasons of the past, and that puts me trusting Him for this next season of our future.

Lord,

I will trust and I will rejoice,

I will have faith and take joy,

I will give thank and glory,

I will sing and praise — You, the God of all our seasons.

relevant.

I've been reflecting a lot on church styles lately. There are so many different ways to approach how you "do church".

Some churches are outstanding at maintaining the traditional form of worship and church services. People connect with the richness of the hymns and order of the worship.

While others offer a quality towards the more modern scene of life today. They remain faithful to the Message of history, but aim to present it in a more "relevant" style. They often use music of pop-culture to influence the thinking of God in the world today.

I see the value in both approaches... and in this video I can see... well, I'm sure you will see what I see.. when one style tries the approach of the other --- Pure Awesomeness.

What do you see??

beautiful words.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act.

- Psalm 37.3-5

free tunes.

I have really been enjoying some great music lately. I thought that I'd pass it along... because not only is it great.. it's free. like.. for real free.

Phil Wickham >> Singalong.
must hear :: Divine Romance


Daniel Bashta >> Worship in Motion.
must hear :: Christ in Me

click it.

download it.

enjoy it.

share it.

elections.

It feels like the presidential elections have been going on for almost two years now.. really, because they have. As all of America, and most of the world, shift their attention to the distinctions between the two main candidates, I really appreciate Dr. Joel Hunter's viewpoint on the outcome of this pivotal election >>

"The elections aren't the end of our efforts. They are the beginning.... No matter who is in office, that's God's person to prompt us into action. So our real job starts after November."

- Dr. Joel Hunter,

impact.

I've been doing a lot of reading and reflection upon one word lately. The word comes with a simple definition :: the effect or influence of one person, thing, or action, on another. It can come in the smallest of words or in the largest of actions. We make it whether we are strategic or naive towards it >> Impact.

We all have the opportunity to stake claims upon which type of impact we will make. I believe that we all have a responsibility to strive towards making a positive impact on our world [[ insert the whole "leave a better world for our children" speech from any politician ]]. But for those of us choosing to follow Jesus, I believe that responsibility moves beyond into a command >> see Matthew 5:13-16.

We cannot control the way in which others respond.. their response is an action of their choice; but we can control our actions to influence, inspire, and impact (( sorry for the alliteration there, it just came out )). Some might respond to our actions in full agreement and gratefulness with hopes of continuing the impact.. others can respond in misunderstanding or even resentment with desires of stopping or reversing the impact. Their response is not in our control.. our only control is in the actions of ourselves -- carrying the hope to impact.

Here is a man looking to make an impact >> he is simply called Banksy. His choice of medium is the color of a spray can. His action of impact is to apply his talents with paint upon deserted buildings among communities in need of inspiration. I was influenced by his latest trip to New Orleans.. His images share a story with a grand opportunity for beautiful impact. Some may respond differently.. but you have to appreciate his heart to make an impact.

[[ there are rumors that Banksy has recently left his mark upon two buildings in Birmingham -- I'll grab some photos if I can find them ]]


++ my questions to ponder >>
-- Do I want to leave an impact? If so, of which type/magnitude does my heart want to leave??

-- Are the actions of my life moving towards the purpose of making an impact?

-- What actions can I make to increase the impact upon those around me??


:: good quote on the subject >>

"We must never underestimate the importance
of one moment, one word, one deed
in the life of another human being."

-- Erwin McManus,
Seizing Your Divine Moments, 117.

disqualified taekwondo.

Now there are many ways that someone could respond to being disqualified from the bronze medal match at the Olympic games... Cuba's Angel Matos choses this as the best method of response towards the Olympic referee >>


At least he got his point across.
-- but then he also got banned for life from the Olympics.. so maybe not the best of responses.

google street.

I saw this and had to pass it along >>
"Google Street View finally found Waldo ..."

- from Relevant's Slices

coming soon.

so Mer and I have a LOT of things going on.. hopefully I'll find some time to post about those plans soon.

But I just wanted to say that there is one show premiering soon that I'm totally looking forward to watching >> ABC turns a Chinese classic show into an American fad >>



but it looks awesome!! Check it out. What do you think??

encouraging words this morning.

So this morning I pulled an old book of my shelf, it was a copy of Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God Day-by-Day. It was given to me back in 1999 by a great friend, Michael Wright. He gave it to me for my high school graduation and wrote some very encouraging words on the inside covered. Well, those weren't the only encouraging words that I re-read this morning.

I opened up to the reading for today, just to see if I had read it back then and wrote anything about that day. April 28th -- I got nothing. But on the page to the left (the 27th) I come across these words of my hand writing: "Father... I have asked you to show me where you want me, and you reply not with a position but a perfect answer. Father, help me to be close enough to you so that I may hear your voice and recognize your calling."

These were words that I had penned over a decision for my summer plans. The Lord was completely faithful to lead me to exactly what was best for my heart that summer. Now, fast forward a great 8 years and as I graduating from another era of school, my prayer is exactly the same :: Father, show me where you want me. His reply - exactly the same :: close enough to Me to hear My voice and recognize My calling.

Thank you Lord for the re-reading of those encouraging words this morning.

$3 worth.

"I would like to buy $3 worth of God please
I want just $3 worth

Just enough to equal a soothing cup of warm milk
Or a snooze in the sunshine
Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep

Enough of God to make me feel love and forgiven
But not so much to make me love and forgive others
Not so much that it will make me seek justice for the oppressed
Or to embrace the person with AIDS
Or make room for the refugee
Or to feed the hungry
Just $3 worth please

Enough to snack on for two Sunday morning hours of bliss
I want ecstasy
Not transformation
I want the warmth of the womb
Not the terrible pain of new birth

Give me a pound of the eternal
$3 worth of God please
And could you put that in a brown paper bag…"

- adapted from Tim Hansel, $3.00 Worth of God