Eden #3

 September 14 th Beach outreach #8

Jesus’ last command to his disciples comes from Matthew 28: “ 18  Then Jesus came

to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  19  Therefore

go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded

you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This beach outreach was exciting! 4 people from our team were baptized! WOOT!

God is good! Lives are being changed every time we are on the beach. We see remarkable

things, not just with people we are serving but in our own team.

Romans 6:4 says “Therefore we are buried with Christ by baptism into death.

Then like as Christ was raised from the dead by the Glory of the father, even so we also

should walk in the newness of life.”

Do you remember when you were baptized and what you felt when you came

out of the water?

We started our beach ministry with a devotion from Otis and Brady and prayer.

Then we did two baptisms and started walking east and west serving those on the beach.

One thing I love about Eden is multiple churches are represented. It is not

promoting any name other than the name of Jesus. It is a true depiction of what Heaven

will look like. Just one reason I love Eden! During a beach walk with Alexee and Sierra

we were talking to these 4 ladies all celebrating their 60 th birthday and we got to share

about Eden and how we are from different churches and just come together twice a month

to do this outreach. As former missionaries they were so encouraged to hear what we are

doing!

On that beach walk, I was praying silently about the direction of this blog because

I never want it to feel redundant. While I was walking along the beach I said “God give

me direction for this blog to keep it fresh.” I looked down and noticed all the footprints in

the sand and thought “God you love every human that made these.” Then I noticed

randomly all the prints had been covered up except one set and that’s when my

Grandma’s favorite poem popped in my head.

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with

the Lord. Scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In

each, I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were

two sets of footprints; other times there was only one.

During the low periods of my life I could see only one set of

footprints, so I said, "You promised me, Lord, that you would

walk with me always. Why, when I have needed you most,

have you not been there for me?"

The Lord replied, "The times when you have seen only one set

of footprints, my child, is when I carried you."

I got chills and immediately knew this is what this blog needed to hit on. Think

about a time you asked for God’s direction and he planted something right in front

of your face.

When you grow up in church, you often have a different view on those who didn’t

grow up and catch on slowly where other people who don’t have that background can

catch on all at once. I know there have been so many times in life where I wouldn’t have

made it without God’s provision and intervention in my life. I can give you examples if

you heard my whole testimony. There were many times where God picked me up and

carried me when I thought he had abandoned me. He was just waiting for me to turn back

towards him. Repentance is just turning 180 and acknowledging your mistakes. I know

there have been times where there was only one set of prints on the beach in my life but

its because Jesus was carrying me. This poem became real to me for the first time. I had

read it many times in the last 25 plus years of my life but it didn’t truly hit me until today.

I am stubborn and sometimes God has to hit me in the face with what he is trying to tell

me!

That’s what I learned on the beach today!