Each year at this pond our church comes and we have a Baptism Service and we eat a picnic lunch and kids swim and Parents watch and visit and we all eat Culvers ice cream. It is always a good day and one that we look forward to in August each year.
Yesterday was no exception as 27 children and adults about an equal number of each answered the call to be baptized. Lots of differing beliefs in this world as to why and how to baptize people. I identify with the thinking of baptizing people not to save them in any way but to allow them to have an outward expression of something that they did inwardly in their heart at a previous time in their lives...In other words Baptism does not win one any degree of heavenly achievement. It is not essential to be baptized at all...We do it only willingly, because we are Christians and want to submit and outwardly show our fellow believers that of which we have done in our hearts previously...That we Trust Jesus as our Salvation and our Savior. Trust that his work on the cross and our embrassing it, and truly believing in its value, will be our ticket to heaven, by grace not of anything we do, but only of faith in Him will we attain heaven...All else we do Baptism, Church attendance and support of God's churches and mission works, we do in gratitude not as a means of earning our salvation. That is why we hold these Baptisms each year to allow another crop, and there have been many maybe 10 or 12 of and usually 25 to 35 in number, to step forward and follow the biblical teachings on Baptism. An outward sign for others to see, that we have in our hearts trusted that Jesus did it all and now we follow in gratitude and service all the days of our lives.
Pictures at the right say it all. Each is asked to state their name and if they have this day trusted Jesus as their savior....Those answers being yes, Pastor Walls then baptises them with our instrument group providing appropriate music as they walk back into the shoreline. Huge crowd yesterday, beautiful day, good food even Buddy, Sweet peas doggy who welcomed every car load of people was then rewarded with his very own bowl of delicious Culvers ice cream...He chose not to eat it all as he knew the blogger would post this and buddy does watch his weight...
For three years I have tried to start "yellow" lillies in my pond...The afternoon before the baptism the first one appeared. I named it after the sweet lady who shared the excitement...So check out the Susan Lilly nice pale yellow with bright yellow middle.
Always wonder what God really thinks about our efforts to worship HIM and show our appreciation for our even existance? I look for signs sometimes and not saying they are signs maybe coincidences who knows. But I know this we worked to clear the floating moss from the pond Saturday. Saturday evening we noticed some floating moss beginning to appear again and said, hey we tried we will just live with what we have...Sunday the pond was near Crystal clear with no sign of floating moss...Today floating moss everywhere again in front of the beach and further out where the baptisms took place...Maybe who knows....have a good day....
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