Baptism

On January 10, 2016 my grandson, Kristopher was baptized. He's only 6 years old but he made the decision to ask Jesus to come into his heart and forgive him of all his sins. He was excited about being baptized. He wanted everyone to know of his decision.

As we drove to church that morning there was a most glorious rainbow! It encircled the sun. I found out later that it is actually called a sun dog.  It's a phenomenon that occurs when there are a lot of ice crystals in the atmosphere. It was striking, to say the least as you can see in this picture!

Kris felt sure that God put that rainbow in the sky that morning because He was so happy that Kris had made this decision! I assured him that, indeed, He was! It is the most important decision he will ever make in his life!

When Kris was a baby, his parents dedicated him to the Lord in the church pictured above, First United Methodist in Springfield, IL. The church graciously allowed my Dad to preside over the dedication. He almost preached an entire sermon during the process talking about the importance of raising our children in the Lord. My daughter, Stacie, is certainly doing a beautiful job of raising her children to know and love the Lord!

Kris was baptized at our present church, Real Life, in Springfield, IL. Real Life Church had supported Mom and Dad in some of their mission work. The children's director who baptized Kris, Renee McCoy, had known my parents. While we are waiting for the trial in Mom and Dad's case to begin, it is a comfort to know that their work is continuing through the thousands of people that were impacted by their lives! God allowed them to be taken and He has the victory!

It's not a very good picture, but this is Mom, Dad, and Kristopher around the time of his dedication although this picture was taken in Springfield, MO in the the home where Mom and Dad were murdered. You can see a family portrait over their fireplace. That picture meant a lot to Mom. It was taken about 5 or 6 years prior to this photo. All of their children, children's spouses, and their grandchildren are in this picture. When we were packing up and cleaning out Mom and Dad's house, this was the last thing left. I broke down and told my brother, Dave, I could not bear to take that picture down. It meant so much to Mom! Dave tenderly and gently put his arm around me and said, "It's ok, sis. We don't have to take it down." I know he had to go back and take it down later but it meant so much to me to walk out of that house for the last time knowing that picture was still there. I pray that I will have a lasting impact on my family as Mom and Dad did on theirs!

2 Samuel 7:28-29 (The Message)

"And now, Master God, being the God you are, speaking sure words as you do, and having just said this wonderful thing to me, please, just one more thing: Bless my family; keep your eye on them always. You've already as much as said that you would. Master GOD! Oh, may your blessing be on my family permanently!"