Enjoying a Machiato This Afternoon

Ana and I are at Barnes and Nobles for a coffee treat.   Look at the size of this machiato!  Quite delicious! A great cold drink on a hot day.

Pentecost in the Park

It is a real joy to see our children come to a place in life where the things of God take on a greater significance than in years gone by.   As parents, we only want what is best for our children.   And because of past failures in our own lives, we know that unless they put Christ first, direction and stability will not be theirs to enjoy.

Last weekend, my wife and I enjoyed seeing one of our daughters, along with her husband, join a local church in the town where they live.  We went up on a very rainy Sunday, not quite knowing what to expect.  My daughter had told us "We're celebrating 'Pentecost in the Park', Dad!  We will be accepted into the church membership too."  Well, the rain ended the "park" part of the celebration, but there was ALOT of celebrating  in the church gym !  There was so much excitement in the air as church folk filled the gym, sitting on fold-up chairs.  Most everyone wore red in celebration of the birthday of the church.  Once the music started, there was no holding back.  We began singing and clapping to the beat of the music.  I took note of everything: the prayers, the scripture readings, the sermon – judging whether my daughter and her little family made a good decision by joining this particular church.  I began to feel at ease.  She had previously told me, "Dad, in our orientation classes, we were told that they will only teach what comes from the Bible."  That was a good sign.  And now, I had the opportunity to worship with her, take communion with her, and see for myself what kind of church she has aligned herself with.  You can probably discern that she joined a different denomination from what she knew as a child.  I must say, I'm quite partial to the Baptist denomination.  But I know we don't hold a monopoly on God, or heaven.   I pray that she and her husband, and their precious little girl (my granddaughter) will develop spiritually.  And I look forward to my granddaughter's own baptism there.   

Last Sunday was truly special.  And I look forward to many wonderful Sundays!  But you know, Sundays are just a taste of the eternal Sunday where we will celebrate with our Lord forever!

Ana's Baptism Video

Ana Takes the Plunge..

This morning during worship service, Ana Maria took the "plunge" into the baptismal pool at my home church, Bethlehem Baptist. Ana was raised Catholic, as most Portuguese are. But her hunger for a deeper knowledge of God lead her to visit other churches outside the Catholic faith over the years. For the last few years, we would go to her church and to my church each Sunday. Although, Ana considers herself a "Bible only" believer, the tradition of her family made it difficult to leave the Catholic church. Also, we love the choir members at the local Catholic church, and we truly hated not being a part of their choir any longer. As time went by, Ana and I became convicted that we needed to be dedicated and committed to one church -- a church that believed in solo scriptura and solo fide.

It was wonderful this morning watching Ana being immersed in the baptismal waters and enter into the local fellowship of believers - called Baptists. I am thankful for the Baptist tradition that exists in my family. And I'm grateful that I'm bonded with a Christian spouse, who has known the Lord for many years. We can now jointly immerse ourselves in the work of our Lord with our church family at Bethlehem Baptist.

In these pictures, Ana is holding a handerchief monogrammed with my initials. Natalie gave that hanky to me years ago. Today it was used to cover Ana's nose and mouth as she was baptized

:-)

One More Baltimore Post...

Ana and I enjoyed a final meal at Hotel Monaco on Thursday morning. I had a wonderful breakfast of steak and eggs! Ana stayed with more healthy choices (although I did share my eggs with her :-)). And of course, we downed a few cups of coffee. Can't start the day without that :-)

The Hotel Monaco

This is a picture of the official Hotel Monaco coaster. I thought it was kinda neat. We brought some of the coasters home for memory's sake :-)

More Pictures from Our Trip to Baltimore...

We enjoyed having coffee and dessert at a nice Spanish resturant this evening by the harbor, called La Tasca.

Ana grabbed this picture of me by one of the theme resturants in one of the pavillions by the harbor. This one is Irish, called Tir Na Nog :-)

A nice "harbor guide" graciously took a picture of Ana Maria and myself beside the Inner Harbor. It was a rainy day, but it was still a beautiful part of the city!

Another harbor shot - Ana in front of a schooner in the harbor.

I took this picture because you can see our hotel - Hotel Monaco - just behind her (the tall building in the near background).

Enjoying Baltimore, Maryland!

Just above is another photo taken in the main entrance to the Hotel building. The 2nd picture up is a picture of Ana and myself at a resturant called "The Rusty Scupper." We had the best calamari we've ever tasted! The 3rd picture up is of a lunch special I had at the hotel resturant. Ana liked the cute little french fries basket - and thus the picture :-)

Here are a few shots around the hotel. Notice the marble staircase! and the fireplace enclosed in glass! Such opulance!

Here is a shot of our bedroom. This building was once the headquarters of the B&O Railroad. It is about 104 years old!

Ana and I have been in Baltimore, Maryland for a few days on a business trip. We are staying at the Hotel Monaco on the 12th floor! Here is a shot from our hotel window. It is a loooong way down! :-)