"Easter -- A Season For God And Family" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

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Dear Ones:

     We live in a hustling, bustling 'work-a-day' world...And it's not always easy to take time to 'smell the daffodils and tulips'.

     But today is a special day.  Today is the most important day for Christians all over the world, because it heralds the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

     We take time out from our busy lives today to worship and spend the day with family and friends.

     We pray, we hunt for eggs, have fun with the children, enjoy a wonderful Easter meal together....And, more likely than not, eat way more chocolate than we ought to!

     Yet, amid all this 'fun', there are times when true 'spiritual breakthroughs' occur, for the very fabric of this day lends itself to discussions and meditations of all that is God-breathed.

     In fact, Easter is a time when some may even decide that they wish to be baptized.
     And here I have some interesting information for you:  Did you know that any baptized Christian may baptize another with 'full authority'?  It's true.
  (Disclaimer: I realize that certain denominations do not consider laity to be 'qualified' in this regard, except in emergencies, and that certain denominations and individuals do not feel that a 'woman' (myself) is qualified to be clergy and speak as I do, but for those who are other-minded, please read on.)
 

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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.” Mt 28:16-20 (NIV)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28&version=NIV

 

     My message to you is this:  one need not necessarily use 'Jordon River water' to baptize a person seized by the Spirit of the Lord and asking for a fellow Believer to baptize them.

     Any Believer may take pure water and 'bless it' for Holy use and then proceed to use it to 'baptize'.

     ALL Christian Believers are qualified and, are indeed, 'commanded' to GO FORTH and baptize others in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

     From a 'private baptism' in a family bathroom on Easter Day to a heart-wrenching, yet life-affirming one performed in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) on a precious infant in an 'Isolette' (using sterile water and a sterile eye-dropper), one never knows when the need to baptize may appear.

     So, dear ones, if someone should ever ask you to baptize them, proudly proclaim your 'authority' as a Believer and do it!

     Whether it be a 'normal day', at an 'accident scene' or other disaster or when clergy are simply unavailable, step up and fulfill that request.

       Do it and live, so that the person you baptize can 'live', just as Christ lives and bids us to be his 'hands, feet and hearts' on this earth.

May Your Easter Be Especially Blessed,

Rev. Barb

www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com 

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"It's Easter And We Are Blessed" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

It's Easter and we know we are blessed...
for Christ has arisen!



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"Today Is Good Friday" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

courtesy www.witnessed.wordpress.com

courtesy www.theChristianwallpapers.com

courtesy www.theChristianwallpapers.com

           But before the Glory, there shall be pain...

"Maundy Thursday Blessings To You" From Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

courtesy http://www.thechristianwallpapers.com

courtesy http://hiswordinpictures.blogspot.com.au

"A Blessed Palm Sunday Healing Message For You" From Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

above courtesy http://www.praytherosaryapostolate.com/palmsunday.htm

Dear Ones:
     I relay to you a most heartfelt Palm Sunday greeting with a message of healing for you during this Holy Week.
     Palm Sunday is, traditionally, a day of 'triumph'.  It heralds a joyous reception of our Savior Jesus, replete with cheers and shouts of joy as he passes by the crowd.
     But, even with all the happiness this day brings, there is an undercurrent of not only sadness, but of anticipation and even 'dread', as well.
     Those who know this Gospel story, know that Jesus will soon be arrested, sentenced and crucified before long.
     So, too, do our modern day Christian celebrations sometimes become 'marred' and mired in sadness as relatives and friends, of different denominations (or of no denomination at all, meaning agnostics and atheists) gather for holidays like Easter and Christmas.
     We know that no matter how much 'joyous fun' we are supposed to have, there is bound to be a 'thing or two' that sets our loved ones 'on edge' and causes strife during the holidays.
     Sometimes, the controversial subject causing discord is interpersonal in nature.
     But, sometimes, religious and denominational differences also rear their heads and this is where my message comes in.
     It is this:  when loved ones debate about 'interdenominational differences', remember that, in Christ, there is only one way.
     And that is the Way of Jesus!
¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil."   1Thessalonians 5:19-22  (NIV)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+5&version=NIV 
     So my suggestion for you this Easter, however you choose, as a Christian, to celebrate it with family and friends is this:
     Celebrate that which you hold sacred in common.  Cast aside that which divides you.  And, above all, remember to 'celebrate the good' this Easter.
     Yes, Holy Week is rift with agonizing sadness.
     But, like a spring bulb hunkering just below the surface of sweet dirt, we know that we are on the brink of 'witnessing' the amazing Resurrection of Christ.
     It's spectacular, it's a wonderment and we stand in awe of spring life, and in awe of eternal life.
With Love in Christ,
Rev. Barbara Sexton
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

courtesy www.GospelGifs.com

"It's Raining Today...Again" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

courtesy http://kingdom-biz.net/weblinksandpics.html

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."                                                Psalm 118:24  (NKJV)
Read Psalm 118 here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20118&version=KJV

"An Alternative To The 'Media Trial' Of George Zimmerman: Realtime Evidence For You To Examine For Yourself" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

www.GospelGifs.com

 

For those who are having difficulty forming a 'judgement' (if even we should be, though the media coverage makes it almost impossible not to do so) as to the 'Trayvon Martin Case', please check this out:

LINK: http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.html

 

It is the link to the Sanford P.D., where you can read/listen to everything from 911 calls to eye-witness accounts.  Intelligent people everywhere actually have an opportunity to examine some actual EVIDENCE in forming their opinions in this case, IF they choose to do so.

 

Naysayers will no-doubt opine of a lack of confidence in anything the Sanford P.D. provides, but the evidence speaks for itself.

  

We must reject prejudice and conjecture.  Most especially, decent persons would do well to avoid any and all particularly vicious forms of 'hate-mongering' as by those who seek to promote racially-motivated violence.

As my heart and prayers go out to the family and friends of Trayvon Martin, so do they go out to the family and friends of George Zimmerman.

 

May God Help us to live in good accord,

Rev. Barbara Sexton

"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

courtesy www.wittnessed.wordpress.com

"God Has A Plan" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

above courtesy of www.GospelGifs.com

God Bless You Jim Sutton & thank you for your ever-faithful testimony!  Love, Rev. Barb

"Faith, Hope & Love: The Greatest Of These Is Love" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

courtesy: www.GospelGifs.com

God Bless You, Jim Sutton!

     As Christians, we know the following 1 Corinthians 13 passage from the many wedding ceremonies we have been witness to.

     Why not take a moment now to reflect upon this passage in it's 'entirety'?

Love, Rev. Barb

" ¹ If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.  

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
                                                                                                   1 Corinthians 13:1-13  (NIV)

LINK: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NIV
     Our God is a WONDERFUL God and He (not 'She'!), is God of us all...Christian and Jew, alike.
With Love in Christ!
Rev. Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.comwww.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com 

"Fiddler's Green Of Stamford: Not Only 'Room', But A Whole Load Of Compassion At This Inn On Christmas This Year" By Rev. Barbara Sexton 'Dear Ones Healing Ministry'

 FIDDLER'S GREEN 280 Shippan Ave., Stamford, CT

http://www.fiddlerspub.com/

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1805665179&sk=wall

 Dear Ones:

     There it was--the 'proof'.

     More proof, I mean...that Stamford is an 'okay, stand-up, sentient, helpful and fiercely friendly' community.

     And this, on, of all days, an early Christmas morn, filled with anything but the happiness and good-tidings the day ordinarily implies.

     This year, 2011, hosted a most horrendous tragedy, the Badger-Johnson fire, which saw to the loss of three children Lily, Sarah and Grace Badger along with their grandparents Lomer and Pauline Johnson. 

     A frantic Stamford Red Cross worker taxed with the duty of 'canteening' Stamford firefighters and their fellow first-responders, did not know where to look on this December 25, 2011 for FOOD and DRINK for those she has dedicated herself to serve.

     Then she found FIDDLER'S GREEN ON SHIPPAN AVE.  Read here in Angela's own words:

"I had the task to find food for our canteening efforts on a day when most local restaurants were closed," Red Cross volunteer Angela Malizia told Patch. "I was hopeful to see the open sign lit up on the front window of Fiddler's Green. They did not hesitate to help as soon as I walked in and told them what was happening just a few blocks away. 

The owners and customers went above and beyond with the immediate action of cooking and donating of the food, loading my car and giving comforting assurance that we had a place we could rely on if we needed anything else."

READ THE REST HERE:

LINK: http://stratford.patch.com/articles/fatal-christmas-day-fire-in-stamford-ruled-accidental-in-nature
     After days, now weeks of blogging and posting and commenting about our tragic Stamford fire as a neighbor, I'd inadvertently found myself in some unsavory areas of cyberspace which left me kind of...well...kind of 'territorial' about Stamford, if truth be known.

     This surprised me, as I no fan of many things about Connecticut, even after 33 years, although I do love the people I know here.   But in the aftermath of this fire, there I was 'defending' 'everything Stamford'--from firefighters' responses to those by the Badger and Borcino parties and all with a weather eye on what is in my basic nature:

     Fighting for justice as my Christian faith mandates, while looking through the lens of own role as an emergency first-responder as a member of the Medical Reserve Corps based in Stamford, CT.

     I don't suppose it will be a surprise to you that I ruminate regularly on what to expect from our community should a 'worst case scenario' actually transpire.

     From an 'emergency-preparedness' standpoint and cold, clinical analysis, I'd say that we are, in this area, very well staffed and positioned to deal with come what may.

     This is a good to know considering how close we are to 'Ground Zero'.

     We've got 'brains', we've got 'brawn' (often in the same package!) and we've got resources.

     Yet, I've still challenged myself with evaluating just how THE STAMFORD COMMUNITY would pony-up at crunch-time, when catastrophe strikes.

     And I must say that the response to the tragic Stamford Christmas fire has given me a shot of confidence that we are in good stead regarding our ability to handle 'tragedy', large or small.

     As importantly, the kindness and generosity of FIDDLER'S GREEN has gladdened my heart no end!

     So, I would like to publicly THANK FIDDLER'S GREEN of STAMFORD for so generously and selflessly aiding Stamford Red Cross worker Angela Malizia and crew in order to provide provisions for Stamford firefighters and other first-responders early on Christmas morn 2011.

     GOD BLESS YOU FOR THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS AND HEARTS.  THEY WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN.

     I enter this New Year not only with a greater awareness of fire safety, but with a renewed sense of the goodness of Stamford.

     So, no matter what 'negativity' you may hear or read about in the press after this 2011 Christmas fire in Stamford, remember that we are going to work through our grief together.

     Come what may, we live in a city where--even on Christmas--there is not only 'room', but a whole load of compassion at 'the Inn'.

May God Grant You Many New Years Blessings

Rev. Barbara Sexton

"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

email BarbaraKSexton@aol.com

 

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US ALL TO BECOME 'CHAMPIONS OF COMPASSION'?  I pray so!-Rev. Barb

IN HONOR OF LILY, SARAH and GRACE, FROM THE FAMILY

Thank you for all your prayers and support during this very difficult time.
The funeral for Lily, Sarah and Grace will be held Thursday, January 5th at 10:30am at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets in New York City. All are welcome.

Donations can now be made to The Other 364 Foundation, a foundation that has been developed in honor of Lily, Sarah and Grace, whose mission is to champion compassion every day of the year. Checks can be made out to:

The Other 364 Foundation
c/o Badger & Winters Group
135 Fifth Avenue 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10010

love@badgerfamilysupport.com

ROYALTY-FREE MEMORIAL IMAGES:

LINK: http://dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/2011/12/god-rest-their-souls-as-stamford.html

LINK: http://dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-memoriam-for-badger-johnson-families.html
LINK: http://dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-christian-sympathy-for-those-lost-to.html

"If Only We Humans Could Get Along Like This- Cat & Dolphins VIDEO" By Rev. Barbara Sexton 'Dear Ones Healing Ministry'

Watch this video on YOUTUBE: http://youtu.be/rynvewVe21Y
If only we humans could get along like this cat and these dolphins!
May God Bless You With A Spectacular New Year
Rev. Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

"In Memoriam For The Badger & Johnson Families, Friends & Neighbors" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

"Gone to be with God"

This graphic may be freely used by anyone.

God Bless You
Click to enlarge & right click to save

"Honey-A Dog Rescued From Dogfighting By Chris Schindler & The Animal Saviors of the HSUS" By Rev. Barbara Sexton 'Dear Ones Healing Ministry'

 Watch Honey's story, and be a hero for animals like her.
 

Watch Chris Schindler's Rescue of Honey on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m42rOwkwRfM

Dear Friend,

I’ve seen a lot while rescuing animals from horrific conditions. 

Too much, really.

One animal stays with me. Her name is Honey.

One of twenty dogs seized in a July dogfighting raid, Honey lived her life either staked in a yard or, worse, fighting for survival in a bloody pit. She had a hole in her cheek to prove it.

Honey was the last dog I freed from the heavy chains that day. I held her in my arms as our team drove to the safety of a nearby kennel. There, we gave her the food, medical care, and rest she needed to save her life. But it was the toys, the treats, and the romps in the grass that changed her life. Now, her wagging tail reassures me that she has healed, inside and out.

Watch our video to see Honey’s story -- then become a Humane Hero with your monthly donation to help us save more animals like her.

From Rev. Barb:

     Seriously, I deal with 'difficult things' all the time, and I must say that I am totally moved and humbled by the fierce compassion and dedication of those who work on the front lines at the Humane Society of The United States.

     And, believe me...with what the HSUS does all year long, it's front-line work for everyone--all the time!

     At this time of the year when we are alternately thankful for what and who we have in our lives...and regretful and/or sorrowful for those we don't, I remember something I've said before:

    "The worth and decency of a society may be judged largely on how it treats it's very weakest and those in need...including the very young, the elderly, those who are ill and vulnerable, as well as it's animals".

     There is no escaping this 'truth', just as we cannot escape the fact that there will always be cruel humans intent upon hurting and killing innocent animals for sport, profit and worse.

     Please, today-if you can-won't you donate something to the HSUS so that they may continue to protect, defend and RESCUE the 'littlest ones' amongst us?

May God Bless Us All This Holiday Season, Making Us Worthy & Able Stewards of His Precious Creatures!

Rev. Barbara Sexton

"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com