Baptism of Hudson Daniel

 

Hudson Daniel with Mom Jessica.

These COVID days called for something

 new for the baptism of Hudson. 

This young family opted for an in-home

 baptism for both grandparents officiating.

Dad Daniel blessing his son.

Hudson has his 2 brothers nearby.

Papa played guitar and we sang songs.

Papa making the sign of the cross.

The grandfathers shared the baptism service.

 Thanks Grandpa Meier for putting it all together!

Hudson Daniel on his mother's quilt

 when she was a baby.

The baptism gown was made by

 Daniel's Great-Great-Great Grandmother.

Family and sponsors joined us by Zoom.

Sponsors are Angelia Young and the Lancasters.

                    The Baptism service for our special gathering.

There was a no shirts greeting for Hudson.

This blanket was used for mother- 

Jessica's baptism day.

Think Miss Hadley is the center of attention.

The Brothers welcome little brother

 to God's Family.

Special day for grandparents.

We are blessed to grandparent together. 

This little family moved into their new house.

  Lots of changes in this last month.

Praise the Lord for all good things.

Worship into the Week- First and Last

 

Worship into the Week-

 Laborers in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1-16

Some things just don't make 

sense in the economy of Jesus. 

He works with a template that 

doesn't fit how we work things out.  

We like fair and even and divided up equally.

We don't quite know how this works out in the end-

but we are not in charge of that ending.

But, we also don't want someone else

 getting the same as us, 

if they have "worked" less, 

or seem somehow less deserving.

Jesus really hits the nail on the head

 with these following questions.

"Am I not allowed to do what

 I choose with what belongs to me? 

Or do you begrudge my generosity?"

Any of our answers  

lead us into the predicament

 of trying to manage GOD.

And in the way that Jesus turns the tables,

 he finalizes the parable with a punchline.

"So the last will be first, and the first last."

That gives us a lot to think about,

as we sort out what it really looks like

 to be Joyful in Mercy.

Supplies:

Visual Faith Ministry Printable

childrens-bulletin-matthew-2014-92020

Watercolors

 Magazine cutouts

Fine-point Sharpie Marker

Petra, Jordan- Part 2

Some of the landscape of Petra.

Fellow trekker Rev. Aaron Bueltmann -

 checking things out.

 It is the people on this journey

 that made it so much fun.

My brother Kim poses 

with the guards for the journey.

A bit challenging to see all the crew.

Brother-in-law Randy is a long way from Indiana.

Lisa Latall is having a bit

 of fun with Aaron's scarf.

My sister Lee Ann and husband Randy

 finishing up the day of walking.

The horse and buggies can take 

walkers back at the end of the day.

A Map of the spread out area to explore in Petra.

We visited the new museum 

right outside the entrance to Petra.

We did not have time to do that the last time.  

The earthquake of 363 destroyed much of Petra.

The city shifts and begins to lose its urban presence 

and most of the residents convert to Christianity.

There is a Byzantine church at Petra.

Head of a Bearded Man- Nabatean late 1st century 

Medusa- Nabatean-early 1st century AD

Intricate carving

Large vessel- amazing to piece these 

pieces together after all of these years.

We found the CAVE BAR 

and enjoyed a bit of time to talk about our day together.

Full of memories. 

Shared with two siblings and their spouses.

What a treasure- our visit to one

 of the New 7 Wonders of the World- Petra.

We stayed at the Petra Moon this trip.

 There is something about this 

other-worldly place that calls me back. 

Petra, Jordan- Part 1

                                                

This is the iconic view of the Treasury in Petra, Jordan. This is the most famous structure in this archeological site. It is the 45M high    Al Khazneh, with its ornate Greek-facade facade. Petra dates to around 300 BC and was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom.  We visited this site for the second time in January 2020. 

The journey to the Treasury

 begins when you get past these two guards.

The trough on the left is part

 of the ancient water system.

Looking up from the "walkway "

 that is called Al Siq, which is a narrow canyon.

An ancient burial spot.

There are many tombs and temples carved into the 

rose-colored sandstone.

That is why it is called the "Rose City."

Finally, after the .75 mile walk 

there is a glimpse of the surprise ahead. 

The Siq literally means "the Shaft", 

and is the main entrance to the ancient Nabatean city

 of Petra in southern Jordan.

This dim, narrow gorge is 

10 feet wide at its widest points. 

The Nabateans were nomadic Arabs

 that made the most of trade routes to secure their wealth.

The amazing colors of the rock at Petra.

More of the many carved rock spaces. This community flourished in the 1st century AD and they were skillful in harvesting rainwater, agriculture and stone carving. At its peak they believe 20,000 people lived here.

At Petra you will see many donkeys 

and locals ALWAYS wanting to give you a ride.

Places along the way they sell their wares.

One of the things to do after some exploring

 is to sit a bit and have some Arabic coffee.

The view outside the window.

Such a stunning view with this blue sky.

One of the things we did not do

 the last time was a camel ride.

I vowed that if I EVER

 got back to Petra, I would ride a camel.

I laughed for pretty much the whole ride.

The caravan is heading out.

It was a lot of fun.

Even the part when I thought

 I would fall right off.

Dusk comes early to Petra in January

 and the walk back begins

 to cast late afternoon shadows.

It is a rather amazing place.

Even on a second visit.

And yes there are scenes from here

 on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.