Thursday, April 27, 2023
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
The desert route
Get up, Philip, and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.
The swimming pool at our apartment had its annual inspection last week. It passed, I guess, and soon we’ll see a sign that says so. The padlock will come off the fence door, the guys will clean out the gunk on the bottom of the pool, and we’ll jump in. It might be 81 today, 85 on Friday and 82 on Monday. I am ready to pour water on Jasper’s head, and he is ready to pour water on mine!
The eunuch said, “Look, there is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”
Well, now that you mention it, absolutely nothing!
Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
Miles might want to be baptized soon. Aly inspired him. “I HAVE asked Jesus into my heart,” he told Andi. He also took several swimming lessons in our pool with Bart, a retired swim instructor who helps Andi and Aki with their New Parents class at Grace. Although he began to take Bart’s friendship for granted and didn’t follow instructions so well at the end, Miles learned a lot about keeping his face in the water and paddling like crazy to get to Bart, standing further and further away in the pool. “Come on! You can do it!”
When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more but continued on his way rejoicing.
I learned swimming from Red Cross certified instructors who didn’t know me from Adam. In the brisk June mornings on the dock at Lincoln Lakes I learned how to shiver myself warm. Just let the shivering be as strong as it needs to be. At first I was embarrassed, but my body said, “Stop it! This is good for you. Good for me!” My body was standing up for itself. I suppose that was a pretty helpful lesson in withstanding peer pressure. Of course, every other skinny kid was shivering too.
Our friends Mike and Diane took the boys to their local pool club in nearby Balcones Woods. We came too and reclined in the kiddy pool with them. Diane was Miles’ nanny for three years, way back when. She loves to pamper both the boys. We’ve spent a couple Christmasy days with them at big light shows and parades in Johnson City and Marble Falls, after we ate  coconut cream pie with 8 inch meringues on top. On birthdays we’ve found fancy restaurants to visit together, and I’m pretty sure another birthday is coming up soon.
But for another week Mike and several other Philip-like men and women from Grace will be working and praying in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The group works to help others learn to start and develop small businesses. This is Mike’s 11th trip. We are about the same age. He just says YES.
And Mike, along with the others, might very well baptize some of the folks he meets and works with in Africa. “What is to prevent?”
Bless our God, you peoples, loudly sing his praise! He has given life to our souls, and has not let our feet slip.
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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