Come check this out

We've started a new blog here, one from both Jeremy and I as a worship discussion. Check it out and let us know what you think.

later,

jessica

Jeremy- hot stuff 04.05 

And on a good note...

last week we had a conversation with another church here in houston and it went very well. don't know if it's going to be a door we are meant to walk through at this time, but it was very affirming and reminded us of our passion and calling. it was pretty cool to have others see our passion and encourage it. God used the time we met together to help us to re-focuse and give us some motivation to continue to pursue His calling on our lives. we may not end up in that church, but God already used that time to... well... light a fire under our rears!

On Our Faces-
The Gods we worship write their names on our faces, be sure of that. And a man will worship something- have no doubt of that either. He may think that his tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of his heart- but it will out. That which dominates will determine his life and character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

later,
jessica

P.S. don't stop here! go below the picture to read more about us and to hear about our last sunday at st. mark.

our family-at the farewell, our last sunday at st. mark. all smiles inspite of a teary day... helena had to have baby belle with her... our family is growing as she adopts babies. 

The Martin-Webers Farewell Sunday

The picture above is from the farewell at St. Mark yesterday. the girls are in their easter hats and dresses. it was a difficult morning, lots of people wanting to say goodbye, so very bittersweet. it proved to be too much for ophelia, she didn't understand why they would want us to leave (she thinks that means they don't like us... this is very difficult for her to understand... me too actually) and then give us cake with our names on it (to her you only do that for people you like!)not to mention all these people hugging us and saying how much they love us. too confusing for her and us leaving st. mark has already been difficult. we ended up with a full-blown melt down like we haven't seen in months. most of the people there were really wonderful and encouraging. i haven't hugged that many people in such a short amount of time since our wedding 8 years ago. it was beautiful to see how many people love and appreciate us and our ministry and very encouragine that we shouldn't give up on local church ministry (tempting thought that may be right now). we have made so many wonderful friends that are a part of the family of God during our time here. we will never forget them. there was much that was hard about our time there but some of the people made it a positive life changing experience in spite of all the challenges we faced. so even though i didn't really want to be there yesterday morning, i'm glad i got to go and say goodbye to those people, they mean so much to us.

we still have no idea what's next, we're looking but finding a ministry position in a church takes a VERY long time. the interview process alone usually takes months. continue praying for us, jeremy's last day is in a little over two weeks. this is all still so hard to believe and it's the first time we've found ourselves without any income as a family. we appreciate your prayers as we actively (read: work on resumes and job hunt) wait to see what God has for us next. it is a peace to know that God can take something like this and use it for His glory even though it seems like there could only be evil to come from it. we are trusting Him.

later,
jessica

changes in the air

There are many changes in the air for our family. As of March 29th I no longer work for St. Mark Lutheran Church and Jeremy is terminated as of April 29th. This came as quite the shock for us, we were completely unprepared and unaware this was coming. We are planning on staying in the house we rent through the end of May so Ophelia can at least finish out what has already been a difficult school year. At the moment we are polishing up our resumes and starting the job search. We are looking for "stop-gap" employment measures as well as ministry positions. Finding the right ministry position usually requires some time so we need something in the mean time. Our hearts are still in local church ministry and we ask that you join us in praying for where it is God leads us to next. Please pray for the girls as well, Ophelia took this news very hard and doesn't understand why our church doesn't want mommy to work there any more (she doesn't yet know about Jeremy) and to be honest, Jeremy and I really don't know how to explain it to her because we don't understand either. While I was let go immediately, Jeremy was given 30 days notice. The only reason that I have heard that I feel I can share without jepordizing my severance package is that my "skills and talents were no longer a match for St. Mark's current needs." Jeremy was told his release was for budget reasons. We have been assured that our job performance had nothing to do with it and have been encouraged by the Pastors to continue in ministry. Many of the people of St. Mark have overwhelmed us with their love and support including bringing us meals and helping us look for work. While this experience has been very painfull, we are blessed to have these people in our lives to walk through this with us. The girl's case is not yet over so we may need to stay in Houston until that is done, which, though we don't know how, we're willing to do. Please pray that this case ends quickly, we'd like to move on with our lives. We don't have a lot of answers yet, no, we don't exactly know what we're going to do next, we're working on figuring that out. Please keep us in your prayers.
Jessica