To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die...
A time to laugh and a time to mourn...
He has made everything beautiful in his time.
from Ecclesiastes 3

As LaRue welcomes a new granddaughter into our world, Georgia and Jerry bid farewell for now to their 85 year old father. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

By combining some prayers from our Book of Common Prayer, I composed this prayer for my Baptist grandsons following Clay's baptism several years ago. Even though it will be a few years before Marlee K is baptised, my sentiments for your grandchildren are the same, LaRue. May God bless you and those you love on this special day and all those that follow. Congratulations to Laurie and Dewayne.

Deliver these children, O Lord, from the way of sin and death.
Open their hearts to your grace and truth.
Fill them with your holy and life-giving Spirit.
Keep them in the faith and communion of your holy Church.
Teach them to love others in the power of the Spirit.
Send them into the world in witness to your love.
Bring them to the fullness of your peace and glory.
Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon these your servants the forgiveness of sin, and have raised them to the new life of grace. Sustain them, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen

Of all the children I knew who grew up in Plantersville, LaRue's daughters were all favorites of mine. I've got a couple of pictures, from then and now, that I want to post, but Blogger has been doing a strange thing this week whenever I insert pictures - the spacing between paragraphs disappears. Maybe in a separate post.

Speaking of a time to laugh, check out Jerry Grace's take on the latest development for Baptists' Lord's Supper:
SBC Outhouse: The $2 Communion

Makes me appreciate our weekly Eucharist with its common cup even more. I'm really enjoying his take on the questionable actions of the SBC. If I were a man and had stuck it out with my original church, I'd like to think my protests would be as eloquent as his. As it is, I'll stand on the sidelines and fan the flames. More power to you, Brother!