On the Sunday after VBS, we visited our first church in Maryland, 4th Presbyterian.
We attended 4th for nearly the first year of Jillian's life. It is a truly phenomenal church with wonderful people. And to this day, we continue to be blessed by the friendships that we made at the church.
So when our sweet friends invited us to attend their son's baptism, we were very enthusiastic to get to go back and visit!!
I did not take any photos during the service, but I did take sermon notes. It was an INCREDIBLE SERMON that I plan on going back to listen to again. I've also attached a link to the sermon below, so you can listen to it too.
It was a sermon on a passage that I have heard several times in my life but never from this perspective.
(You may have a little difficulty deciphering my notes, but here is a brief overview of what was preached:)
Old Testament Reading: 1 Samuel 23:7- 24:22
Christ's redemption gives us cleansing power and freedom
God is still good when no miracle happens. He is still at work, while we are waiting.
David's soldiers told him to kill Saul. They (falsely) told him that God delivered Saul to him. David, however, stuck by his convictions and did not kill the king, even when given the opportunity.
Rarely is our pathway to glory easy.
My Favorite Quote from the sermon: "When we have expectations that our goodness will be rewarded we will become embittered." This really resonated with me. I often have the expectation if I do the right thing, God will reward me. But we live in a fallen world, where those rules don't always apply. Our reward will be in Heaven and we must keep our eyes on our Heavenly Father and our eternal reward.
God most often teaches us the most through the pain that doesn't quickly fade away. "Do not seek to escape God's pain quickly. There is no sudden experience that sanctifies us."
We attended 4th for nearly the first year of Jillian's life. It is a truly phenomenal church with wonderful people. And to this day, we continue to be blessed by the friendships that we made at the church.
So when our sweet friends invited us to attend their son's baptism, we were very enthusiastic to get to go back and visit!!
I did not take any photos during the service, but I did take sermon notes. It was an INCREDIBLE SERMON that I plan on going back to listen to again. I've also attached a link to the sermon below, so you can listen to it too.
It was a sermon on a passage that I have heard several times in my life but never from this perspective.
(You may have a little difficulty deciphering my notes, but here is a brief overview of what was preached:)
Old Testament Reading: 1 Samuel 23:7- 24:22
Christ's redemption gives us cleansing power and freedom
God is still good when no miracle happens. He is still at work, while we are waiting.
David's soldiers told him to kill Saul. They (falsely) told him that God delivered Saul to him. David, however, stuck by his convictions and did not kill the king, even when given the opportunity.
Rarely is our pathway to glory easy.
My Favorite Quote from the sermon: "When we have expectations that our goodness will be rewarded we will become embittered." This really resonated with me. I often have the expectation if I do the right thing, God will reward me. But we live in a fallen world, where those rules don't always apply. Our reward will be in Heaven and we must keep our eyes on our Heavenly Father and our eternal reward.
God most often teaches us the most through the pain that doesn't quickly fade away. "Do not seek to escape God's pain quickly. There is no sudden experience that sanctifies us."
After church, we went to our friends' house for a reception to celebrate Baby J's baptism. But we had a little time before the party started, so I captured a couple of photos of the girls outside.
To be completely honest, it made me a bit sad that we were no longer attending 4th! I miss getting to see some of the wonderful people who attend there on a regular basis. But at the same time, I really believe that God was the one who led Brad and I to where we are now.
When we moved back, we decided that we wanted to attend a smaller church. While living in England, we attended the smallest church Brad or I have ever attended. It was actually quite a large church by English standards, but being from the Bible Belt in Texas, it was relatively small. We really liked that there was only one service and the sense of ownership the congregation took in their church's ministries. The church we attend now in MD is smaller and has an awesome MOPS ministry, AWANA club (which I grew up doing), outreach ministry, and a homeschooling ministry too! So it's a really good fit for our family.
I love Joanna's theme for the party! She is always able to make everything sparkle and shine!
Joanna with Baby J! It was a very special occasion; it was a beautiful to see Baby J being baptized into his covenant family!
Brad and Josh dressed up almost exactly alike! :-) Great minds think alike.
We were also able to see some of our other FAVORITE people from 4th, Richard and Linda. Richard prayed for Jillian at her dedication at 4th. :-) He has also been a mentor to Brad throughout the years. Both he and his wife are some of the most hospitable, generous people we've ever known. They invited us to stay in their home the week before we moved to England and the week after we moved back. I don't know what we would have done without their kindness! It was such a blessing.
I am thankful too, wherever we (or our friends) attend church, we all share the same Lord and Savior! That is the bond that really holds us together!
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