Ethan's baptism

 Ethan got baptized on Sunday after church.  He's been nagging - read asking as nicely as any growing boy can manage - Caleb and I for a long time to let him.  And in our defense, we wanted to, but the last two opportunities were our 10th anniversary and my birthday, and we were out of town both times.
Huh.

Anyway, we learned something.
This kid is destined to be a preacher.  Give him a mic and an audience who has to sit still and listen to him, and he will TALK.
I don't know why I should be surprised by this.  He's been talking nonstop to me and Caleb and anyone else who is anywhere near him for the past nine years.
It's a gift (although some days it doesn't seem like it) that I pray God channels for His purposes.

All my kids are so incredibly blessed to have several generations of godly men (and women) in their lives.  And I am so thankful for His goodness.  Ethan doesn't have to look far to find great examples of godly men to follow.  So, for the baptism, my dad, Alan, and Caleb figured out a way to split two jobs between three people.  =)

I was thinking Sunday morning about all the people who should've been at this baptism.  Sunday School teachers and others from Faith who spoke Truth into Ethan's young mind faithfully for many of the years of his life.  
And my grandma and Caleb's grandpa who prayed faithfully for him every day from the day he was born until their deaths. 

I LOVE the verse written on the wall.
It's Psalm 1:2&3.  (The reason I know this is because I memorized Psalm 1 in Fourth grade at LCS, and I can still quote it to this day.  Which I take as a reminder that what my kids learn now might just stick with them for the rest of their lives...)

"His delight is in the law of the Lord
and on His law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers" 

It seems like that's my job as a mom.  To plant my kids close to Jesus - the living water.   

And then to nurture their love for Him.  

Shelter them from strong winds and water them through droughts.  

Coax their roots to grow deep and aim for the Living Water.  

And pray that their delight is in God.  

That their lives are prosperous - not in the way the world defines prosperity - but prosperous in the kingdom of God.

And remember that trees yield fruit in season.  Maybe not today when they're still growing and immature, but someday.

Maybe I should stay away from the news from now on...

I have a few things to say about the news today.
Be excited.  =)

First:
Why should we read news articles and watch endless videos about the terrible destruction that might hit our east coast?  It seems the journalists and reporters want to scare us half to death calling it a "Frankenstorm" and comparing it to the movie, "The Perfect Storm."
Now I agree, it will be sad if millions of people's lives are interrupted and devastated by a giant storm. 
But we've totally missed the point that it already hit Haiti and Cuba - our needy neighbors. 
The lucky citizens of our East Coast have some combination of bank accounts, beach homes, vehicles to drive inland for the weekend (like a mini-vacation!), car insurance, home insurance, flood insurance, and (if all else fails) state and federal governments who will send rescue helicopters to fish them off their roofs.
The people of Haiti and Cuba have none of those options.  I think of the thousands of people living in tent cities in Haiti since the earthquake (how many years ago?) with little more than the clothes on their backs and the cardboard over their heads. 
Talk about devastation.

Second:
Along the same lines.
The news people seem to be bragging this morning that the presidential candidates have spend two BILLION dollars on this year's presidential race. 
Most of it focused on making the other guy look like an incompetent fool. 
Which has made most of us sick and tired of both of them.
Just one question.
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY HUNGRY KIDS WE COULD FEED WITH TWO BILLION DOLLARS??