This morning was a brilliant morning. Six people were baptized tday in church and it was something to see! So fantastic to watch people as young as 11 and upwards into their twenties taking the plunge so-to-speak. Best of all were the numerous witnesses watching as each person took a step of obedience dying to themselves and seeking to emulate Jesus through baptism. There upwards of 430 people packed into the church and this is exactly as it should be because baptism is a public affair.

 

Pastor D. led us in some great musical worship and the singing really did flood the space filling every last nook and cranny. We went a good half hour over our typical service and that’s with Pastor P. graciously sacrificing about 90 percent of the sermon he had prepared. It really was a festival of sorts.

 

After the service we were invited over to one of the baptized’s homes for lunch and celebration. I ate far too much (which means I ate what I usually ate). I played football with my son Caleb which was a blast and then we went and picked up my eldest son Matthew who had a GREAT weekend at another church’s family camp with a friend.

 

Finally wecame home and I went swimming with my daughter Itsy and one of her friends. The pool was warm and refreshing and now I am relaxing on the deck with the laptop writing to you, good friend that you are. In the midst of all of this celebration of new life and rebirth I am conscious of the pain dear friends are going through right now. My heart aches for them and their loss. I think also of my father-in-law Mack who lost a grand-daughter and great grand-daughter to a fire last week and I am conscious of how fragile what we have is. I pray that I can find a deeper sense of God’s joy that perseveres through pain and suffering.