Beautiful St. Patrick Poem

Its been one week since St. Patrick's Day, and within the past week I came across this amazing poem, written by St. Patty himself. For those who don't know- St. Patrick was a pioneer for Christianity in Ireland... Here's the great inspiring poem he wrote- Enjoy!

I arise today
Through the strength of Heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
Christ shield me today
Against wounding

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.

Adult Baptism or Baby Baptism?

Because of the variety of Christian traditions that have evolved in different
churches- there can be disagreements sometimes on
"when is the best time for someone to be baptized?"

Some Chrisitian families choose to baptize thier children as babies,
so that they are blessed with the Holy Spirit from a young age.

Other families opt not to do this- because the baby doesnt have a personal
choice to choose Jesus. And they believe the best time is for them
to have their baptism when theyre older (teenager or adult).
So then: they'll have a dedication ceremony instead of a baby baptism.
Or, they'll just wait till their kids are older for any sort of ceremony,
at a lake or in the church, or wherever there is a body of water.

On the other hand, for New Christians, baptism as an adult really is their
only option (because if their parents were not Christian, there would have been
no choice for a dedication or baptism as a baby anyhow). 

Some Christians who were already baptized as babies- they see no point in getting
baptized again as an adult- they've been dipped in water in the name of Jesus
once- what's the point of doing it again, they feel. Especially if they already
have a personal relationship with Christ.

Some Christians strongly disagree with this, and feel that adult baptism is the only
way to truly recieve the Holy Spirit, and to push forward into a life
dedicated to ministry and sharing Christ's love, and believe you can't
be effective unless you're dipped in water through baptism as an adult.

So whose right, and whose wrong? Or is everyone entitled to their own opinion?

I am no biblical scholar or preacher, but here's what the bible says about it
in John 3...

"A Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus, a Pharisee,
 came to speak with Jesus. "Teacher," he said,
we all know that God has sent you to teach us.
Your miraculous signs are proof enough that God is with you." 
Jesus replied, "I assure you, unless you are Born Again,
 you can Never See the Kingdom of God." 
"What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus.
"How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" 
Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can Enter the Kingdom of God without
being born of Water and the Spirit."  
Humans can reproduce only human life,
but the Holy Spirit gives New Life from heaven.  
So don't be surprised at my statement that you must be born again.  
Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or
where it is going, so you can't explain How people are born of the Spirit."
(end)

Alright, at first glance... it may seem obvious when Jesus says...
"No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of Water and the Spirit."

So... does that mean that no one can ever SEE Heaven
unless they have been dunked in water, with another Christian praying over them?

That's for you to come to your own conclusion. 

But... before you jump to any end-all-and-be-all answers,
see later in the story, listen to what Jesus says...

"Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or
where it is going, so you CANT EXPLAIN HOW people are born of the Spirit."

I agree that it is a Christian tradition in Every Church to get baptized.
Just as it is a tradition in every church to break bread in memory of Jesus.

Its just a matter of when... baby or adult? Or both? 

However, whether you were baptized as a baby... or as an adult...
If you have a passionate love for God and Christ's ministry,
and you feel God's calling in your life to live for him,
Through the Holy Spirit working in your life...
does it matter whether when you were dipped in water in the name of Christ?
Baby, child, or adult?

We are all sinners, and all need Christ's grace.
Just because we are baptized as a child or as an adult, or never baptized
at all... does not change how the Holy Spirit works in You...

The Holy Spirit can move in Your life and touch Your heart regardless
of whether you had been dipped in water or not yet... Or baptized as a baby or an adult. 

As Jesus says...

"Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or
where it is going, so you CANT EXPLAIN how people are born of the Spirit."

No matter what Christian denomination you are from... Baptism is
something all churches do. Its a ceremony of the Holy Spirit touching your life.
And it represents being 'born again' into the Christian faith.

As per the great commission of Jesus:

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

The point of this blog is to answer the question though...
Baby baptism or adult baptism?

Let's answer the question with another question,
Does it even matter, if the Holy Spirit is working in your life,
and you have a love for Jesus Christ?

That's for you to decide. :)

Inspiring Acronyms

What does Daylight Saving time really Save?

Electricity! Because it's Daylight Saving Time
is this Sunday March 9 (where we "spring forward" our clocks by 1 hour),
how much power is really saved because we get an extra hour of daylight?

Answer: about .5 percent in total electricity per day.

While this might not sound like a lot,
it adds up to electricity savings of 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours, 
or the amount of electricity used by more than 100,000
households for an entire year.

Who would have thought that moving our clocks would
really save us on our Hydro bill? ;)

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Source: http://energy.gov/articles/top-8-things-you-didn-t-know-about-daylight-saving-time