What??

FOMO ??
JOMO ??

I believe in infant baptism.

I believe that salvation is by works.

I’m blue!

Breakfast today was Dad talking about the death of his maternal grandmother in 1919 of the raging flu epidemic.  They buried her just a few hours later and failed to mark the grave.  Dad knows the cemetery near Bloomington, KS, but nobody knows just where her body was laid to rest.  Kinda a sad state.

Janet and I stood at her parents’ grave yesterday and reminisced, groaned and were again blessed by both of them via memories.  It was a very good pause.

The little town where they had retired and died was having a noon Halloween parade with the one block of main street sealed off and folk out in numbers.  How sweet to see the fellowship found in small town America.

Janet and I then drove three hours west to stand in another cemetery where my grandparents’ bodies were “planted” along with two of their daughters.  A few weeks ago we had a visitor in church (at ABC) who resides in York who told me that her dad was James Grimes.  I stood at his grave yesterday and noted her name on the headstone as being one of his six daughters.

We were diverted from main street in Stockton as it too was blocked off for a parade.  We ate in Holdrege midst all kinds of folk dressed in all kinds of garb.

I was reminded of coming out of Old Mexico back to El Paso on a Halloween eve in 1990 with my missionary friend quite anxious due to the drunk drivers we would encounter (we made the border with no issues until the U.S. border agents pulled us over and started unloading our vehicles looking for contraband – another story).

FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out

Actually, I don’t have FOMO for “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep” me and take me into His presence in His timing (II Timothy 1:12).  Yea!!

JOMO – Joy Of Missing Out

Yep!  A joy in not standing over a grave of ones taken by COVID or influenza or drunkenness.

I believe in infant baptism.  That is, shortly after being “BORN AGAIN” a person should be baptized! Born again (John 3:7) is by an act of the will agreeing with God about sin and His solution and pleading with Him to save and accept a repentant sinner.  Baptism should follow a confession of faith!

I believe that salvation is by works.  Not my works as all my “works” are corrupted/contaminated by pride, self and/or rebellion – “I’ll do it my way!” (Isaiah 64:6, Titus 3:5).  But I am saved by works – those of Jesus!  All His works were pure, completely pleasing to God and acceptable and His work on the cross dealing with my sin was 100% pure and right and thus declared by Jesus – “It is finished!!!”  Yea!!

I’m blue!  I’m blue – saddened – in that I am troubled by death, sin, immorality, evil, family breakups, plagues, Parkinson’s, lies, political ads, debt and deficit, wars, droughts and floods, and… I am blue!

I’m blue over the fact that so many reject and even hate the God of life, hope, love and joy.  I’m blue.

I’m also blue in that those who are politically blue are still my fellow citizens.  They are important to me!  If I’m called to war for my country, I will not refuse to fight alongside those who are blue.  I am committed to “one nation under God – indivisible!”  I’m blue that this election, especially this one, has been so divisive.  We need to love one another even though we might have disagreements as to what is best for the coming generations.  I’m blue in that we are so divided.