Baptism Bash

I have been DYING to get on this 'puter and tell you all about something huge we got to be a part of yesterday. It was a Baptism Bash at Life Church where 200 - yep, you heard me, 200 people got baptized. (or bap-i-tized as Patrick and Brandon used to say when they were little!)

Let me just tell you this,first. Every service, when Pastor Craig is finished on the big screen, the pastor of our campus, Pastor Trevor, finishes up. He does the follow-up to the presentation of the gospel - what I would usually call an altar call but it's not a come-down-the-aisle kind of thing. Anyway...he just has people raise their hand where they are sitting if they are ready for salvation. If someone raises their hand, he says something like "I see you. God sees you." or "God bless you in the back" - something that acknowledges that he knows they have raised their hand. Of course, my head is bowed and my eyes are closed and it always seems like there are a lot of people that receive Jesus each time we're there.

So, I started to be a little like "Really? Are there that many every time? Is he just saying that so if someone else is hesitating they won't feel alone and go ahead and raise their hand? Does he just want us to think there are a lot?" I know, I know...I am a doubting Thomas to the core sometimes. Well, you know what I did next, right? Yesterday............I peeked!! (My heart is racing right now cuz I feel terribly guilty about it!!!) But, there really were that many people raising their hand!!! I was just like Thomas and stuck my hand right in His side and **shazam** it was the real thing.

When Pastor Trevor said they would be baptizing 200 in the blue pool set up right there in the auditorium, I knew we had to be there. It really was amazing to see people and know that the water wasn't changing them, but they had already met and been changed by Jesus and they were showing the WORLD!!

And there was every type of person going in and out of that pool: black, white, asian, hispanic, young, old, couples, singles, poor, wealthy, men, women, pierced, tatooed. So powerful. Now they all have something life-changing in common.

Who knows what happens next for all those people. LC seems to do all the right things to disciple new believers but I know not all 200 of those peeps will stick around. So I pray for them - that Jesus truly invaded their hearts and captured every part of them and where ever they end up, they continue to grow and learn more about their Savior.

I'm sure someone prayed that prayer over me 25+ years ago. I sometimes chose the path that was wide and well-travelled with people making the same bad decisions I was, but the Lord always brought me back. For that, I am grateful.

Whoever finds God, finds life.

B.