Why do we practice baptism?

Well that's a nice controversial title :)

These are my notes from Rob's sermon at Apex last night/this morning
We are going through a series with the title Subversive Mandate..being a revolutionary
Matthew 28:16-20
Apex is getting ready to mobilize into missions.
They have developed leadership teams to lead domestic reached,domestic unreached,international reached, and international unreached.

Baptism: Why do we practice baptism..Why? How? and Who?

It is an oxymoron theologically to be a follower of Christ and not be baptized


Why?

1 It is commanded "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This point is not usually debated...the next one is

2 It commemorates ..it celebrates..it symbolizes
There are denominations who believe in "regeneration baptism" They believe that when you are baptized...there is an actual regeneration of the water that you are baptized in.
Verses used
Mark16:16
Titus 3:5
John 3:5
1 Peter 3:21

Apex believes:
Those verses, however, can't be taken out of context. It is baptism of the Holy Spirit which comes with the belief and acceptance of Christ. John 3:16 1 Corinthians 1:17
Mark 16:16 talks about being condemned if you don't believe ..not if you aren't baptized.
Titus 3:5 Talks about renewing and regeneration by the Holy Spirit not water
Baptism symbolizes the death,burial,and resurrection of Jesus.


How?


There are denominations who believe in infant baptism..sprinking to wash away "original sin"

However, no place in scripture does it talk about infant baptism
The word baptism is from "baptiso" which means immerse or submerge
The full body of Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected
John 3:23
Mark 1:5
Mark 1:10
Acts 8: 36-39

These verses talk about going into the water.
Apex believes in full body immersion with baptism

Who?

Individuals who have come to a point that they understand that it's not their power..it's the power of the cross..Christ died for us and rose on the 3rd day so that we may be saved.
Baptism is tangible and symbolizes the act of:
1 Identifying with death/burial/resurrection of Christ
2 Identifying with the community of the crucified

At Apex:
Infants are dedicated and prayed over but not baptized.

If you are a follower of Christ and you are not baptized...there is a problem
You are not being obedient. You need to examine your heart and your belief.

The simple bottom line why we need to be baptized...Jesus was baptized

Pretty things

It's such a pretty afternoon and my little tree doesn't keep it's buds very long so I wanted to take a picture of it
Also, the lease is up for my malibu so Darrell drove this home. It's a 2008 Aveo Spring edition. I like small cars and it has a sunroof and a place to plug in my ipod so I'm all set :^)

Twenty year Club

Tonight Darrell and I went to Hara Arena for my "Twenty year Club" dinner. I've worked at MVH for twenty five years. When you hit 20 years you are inducted into the 20 year club. It's a dinner and celebration for everyone who worked there past and present for 20 years. It's nice to see those people who have retired or left for other postions. I worked as a bedside nurse on a surgical floor for 11 of those years and some of my closest friends are from that unit. They saw my children grow from age 18 months(Zach) and 3(Kristen) to now. They remember all the funny stories and the trials I shared during those years. It's a good feeling to spend an evening with them and reconnect...kind of like going home.

"Make disciples"

These are the notes from the sermon Rob did at Apex last night.
We went to the 7pm service because of Darrell going back to work.
Thank you to those who have been praying for us.
We're taking it a day at a time and trying to simplify our lives.

I love the song "Lead me to the Cross" which we sang last night.
We slso sang a new Phil Wickham song ...love that guy too.

Matthew 28:16-19

These were the last words to us from Christ.
The eleven disciples were there but there were also about 500 others.

There were 2 reactions to Jesus

Some worshipped
Some doubted
When they talk about doubt here they are talking about biblical doubt
It's a moral issue..you know what is true but you still have doubt and aren't ready to commit.

How does Christ clear up the doubt? By telling them that all authority has been given to him.

He tells us to go.. make disciples...share the gospel.

2 common fuels we use to share the gospel that don't work.


1. The fuel of information alone
Thinking that knowing the scriptures will cause me to share the gospel. It doesn't happen. That information in and of itself won't give you the desire.

2. The fuel of inspiration alone. An event that was so inspirational that it would drive you to evangelism. It wears off.

What does work?
The fuel of your crucifixion Taking up your cross and denying yourself and following Christ.

What keeps us from sharing our faith?
People or issues that have become enthroned above the authority of Jesus

Bad Experiences with sharing our faith...rejections
Biblically illiterate..feeling we don't know scripture well enough
Leaving it to the "professionals"...We ALL need to share our faith
Thinking.."How dare we impose our faith on other people"

When Jesus says "go" it should be our life...everyday..in whatever job you have and wherever you live. It's not an "add on" to our life. It should be daily in whatever situation Christ has put you.
We all need to "go" boldly but humbly.

A Concert for adoption

Phil Wing(worship minister) and his wife Amber are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia. They are doing a benefit concert to raise money. I admire them for going through this long,expensive process. If you want to follow their journey of love you can read their adoption blog here

Great song...great band!!!!

This is Desperation Band out of Colorado Springs,Colorado. If you like Hillsong United you will like them

The Popemobile...something about it just isn't right

"No matter where the Pope goes in his car people will know it is him as the car has a six-foot tall glass enclosure that the pope stands up in. This is not any ordinary Mercedes though it is a Mercedes ML 430 which is custom built. On each door you will see the Vatican coat of arms as well as a special license plate which reads SCV 1; this is an acronym for the name of the Vatican in Italian.

The car is upholstered in white leather, but it is not all about comfort in the Popes car, the glass is double-pane and bulletproof. The pope can unwind the windows if he wishes, however I am sure that security official’s advice against it. As you would expect the Mercedes is heavy but the 272 horsepower engine with its automatic transmission will be more than powerful enough to pull the car along. However as you would expect the driver will not take the popemobile over 10mph."

Source - News Week

I can't believe that we have to shield someone like this...Do you think Jesus would ride in something like this? I don't think he would.

Cake batter...Yum!!!!!

If you like Coldstone cake batter you'll love this too. It's yellow cake batter and it tastes exactly like that and they put swirls of chocolate frosting in it. I got it at DLM. They also have a Ben and Jerry's on Brown St. just down the street from MVH and Bull Family Diabetes Center.
Maybe if I walk there it will help burn off the calories ..haha.
I'm going to see my sister next month who lives in Vermont so this will be on my list along with my absolute favorite of all....maple sugar candy..love that stuff!!!!

Can you read?

I saw another patient today who could not read. It's not that he's a poor reader...he can't read. It makes me sad to think how much he's missed out on in his life. How he's probably been taken advantage of.
He grew up in the south as a black man where reading wasn't thought to be important. He caught on very quickly to my low literacy teaching so I know he could easily be taught to read.
I wondered after I left his room why he just never took that step ..was he embarrassed? was he afraid of failure? or had he adapted so well that he just felt he didn't need to learn or had no one ever taken the time to realize he couldn't read and teach him.
I don't know the answer.

I hope this isn't the special Friday coffee at DLM!

I love coffee from coffee shops but I'm not so sure about this one. I wonder if the people who pay so much for it know this little fact :^)


Animal dung coffee at £50 a cup

A gourmet coffee blended from animal droppings is being sold at a London department store for £50 per cup.

Jamaican Blue Mountain and the Kopi Luwak bean are used to create Caffe Raro which is thought to be the most expensive cup of coffee in the world.

Kopi Luwak beans are eaten, then passed, by the cat-like Asian palm civet, and sell for £324 a kilogram.

All profits from sales of the coffee at Peter Jones in Sloane Square in April will go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Ripest berries

Asian palm civets, which live in the foliage of plantations across south-east Asia, are said to pick the best and ripest coffee berries.

Enzymes in their digestive system break down the flesh of the fruit before the animals expel the bean.

The beans are then collected from the plantation floor by workers who wash away the dung and roast them.

David Cooper, who created the blend, said: "These rare coffees have been slowly hand roasted for around 12 minutes to ensure that we maximise the potential of each coffee.

"The final roast colour is quite dark to ensure that the espresso is perfect for a smooth latte or cappuccino."

"Love Completely"

These are my notes from the sermon that Vern Risner ,pastor of First Baptist Church of Franklin, gave this morning.My friend Aisa has been searching for a home church so I invited her to visit the church where my friend Kyle leads worship. Darrell and I really liked this church the last time we visited in January. The people in the church genuinely make you feel welcome and I always LOVE to hear Kyle play and sing.

They are doing a series called "One Month to Live"

What would you do if you only had one month to live?


"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" 1 Cor 1:18

Jesus knew at the end of his life that he had a short time.
One thing he did?
He loved completely.

Not an easy thing to do. Vern compared it to a mountain. When you climb a mountain there is something called "the death zone" which is an obstacle where many climbers die before reaching the top. He gave the story of 2 climbers..one man was injured and his buddies left him in the area not knowing that it was the death zone. They continued to the top and when they returned.. he had died. The other man was rescued by a group of climbers on their way up. They worked as a team to save the man's life. One man died ..the other lived...the difference...the teamwork of sacrifice ..love for another.

In loving completely..we can meet obstacles

1 The Mountain of Misunderstanding
To overcome this you need

The Rope of Acceptance

"Accept one another, then just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God" Romans 15:7
He used the example of how in marriage men and women are very different. So many times we try to change the other person to meet our view instead of accepting them
Acceptance: Stop trying to change me and start cherishing me

2 The Mountain of "ME FIRST"

Gains Traction with Loving Actions

If each of us would look at what we can do for the other person instead of focusing on what we need , it would be closer to heaven on earth. In order to do this you need:
Consideration (Phil 2:4)
Cooperation (John 13:1)
Commitment (Phil 2:13) "For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him"
He told the story of John Wooden(UCLA basketball coach) and how he has written a love letter to his wife every month on the 21st. For the last 15 yrs he has placed them on her pillow because she died 15 yrs ago. I got teary eyed at that.

3 The Mountain of Mistakes

We need to be tethered by Forgiveness

"Get along with each other, and forgive each other. If someone wrongs you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Col 3:13
Now, from a personal note...this is the hardest for me. I'm still working on this so I hope God is patient with me.
He talked about how people who are hurt will isolate themselves to prevent themselves from being hurt again when what they need to do is forgive .
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers>" 1 John 3:16

I also want to say that for a small church they have a huge heart in their actions. They are doing a free soup lunch for the community and they reach out to members who are unable to take care of things such as yardwork.

Kyle..thanks for always making me feel welcome!

The Last Lecture

I posted a video in Oct 2007 on my blog about Randy Pausch called "The Last Lecture."
There is a special on him tonight on"Primetime" with Diane Sawyer at 10 pm.
It gives his story and also updates on how he is doing now.
They guy has an amazing outlook on life and death.
He also documented it in a book which has just come out as well called "The Last Lecture"
Get your box of kleenex out!

It's officially spring at our house !

You know it's officially spring at our house when:

I get to open the windows...Did that today!
Darrell cuts the grass ...just finished that!
We grill out almost every night...Brats!
There are actually little purple flowers coming up on our ground cover and there are buds on our pear tree
I can wear my flip flops
We have to make "an ice cream run" instead of a "coffee run"

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!
The faces say it all.

Global disciples

I usually go to Sat eve service but we decided to do Sun 11:30 today. Don't want to get into a rut and we had a meeting to go to at 1:00pm.

There is a young man, Issac, who sings with Phil once a month who has the most worshipful spirit I've seen in a long time with an absolutely beautiful voice.

A young woman who is here from India to go to Wright State spoke. She talked about the idols in India and the idols in the United States and how God sometimes has to break us to make us realize that he should be our focus.

Psalm 96 was the scripture for today.

What does it mean to be a global disciple of Jesus?

Global disciples:
1 Desire God's heart for the nations
2 Are not intimidated by the enormity of the task
3 Look for, engage, and train lost people
4 Find joy in future worship
5 Have a love/hate relationship with the world - hate the value focus of our world but love the people

The term global disciple is just another term for normal disciples of Jesus Christ

The Physical Power of Presence

I listened to a podcast today which really has a great message. His name is Shane Hipps and he is the pastor of a Mennonite church in Arizona. He spoke at Mars Hill in Grand Rapids which is Rob Bell's church.

The fact that Shane is from a Mennonite church intrigued me. A few years ago we went to Amish country in Ohio and met a really sweet waitress who was Mennonite. She was very open about sharing her faith and what the difference in Amish and Mennonites are.

His message dealt with the impact that the electronic age has on us and our spirituality. He ended the message with a story of when he was a chaplain in a hospital at UCLA . He would visit patients at their bedsides and help with any spiritual needs/requests they might have. He met a girl who was there for jaundice and a liver tumor who made it known to him that she wasn't religious and she had a pretty feisty personality.
He was in the room when they told her that the only thing they could do now was to make her comfortable. When the doctor walked out ...she looked at Shane as if to say OK..here's your chance..and he didn't know what to say. It was awkward and he ended up leaving the room so she could talk with her family. After staying up most of the night thinking of what he "should have said" he went back to apologize and her bed was empty.
He thought God was just giving him a learning lesson but she had just moved floors and she called his name . When he went in...She thanked him for being there to "take care of the spiritual stuff for her" He had just been there...his presence was what she needed. You can't do that on the phone or in an email...he humorously said he could send a blank sheet and sign his name. The point being so many times we use the electronic things to take the place of actual presence....it's not the same. Computers and cell phones and PDA's and Tv's aren't a bad thing...but you can't let them take the place of actually being a presence. Just as God sent his son to dwell among us,we need to have a physical presence in this world.
I have friends and family that live far from here so I know that email and phones are a blessing in that case but if I could I would much rather have a face to face physical conversation any day

Deal or No Deal

"Deal or No Deal" tryouts are coming to Piqua on Saturday. Darrell has decided he wants to go and try out. You don't have to be smart, or handsome, or do a trick...you just have to have an outgoing personality. You have 1 minute to convince the producers. Now, if you know my husband...I can't think of anyone more perfect to try out for this :^)
I have a feeling we will be standing in line for a loooong time but it should be fun and we could definitely use the money!

Divine Romance

One of my favorite songs we sing at Apex :^)