Baptism Tradition

Every August, on the afternoon of the second Sunday of the month, our church has a baptism picnic at a park on the river. The last couple of years our family has attended and it has been an incredible experience. I am so humbled each year as I see so many people, young and old, rich and poor, together publicly proclaiming their faith in our glorious Father and the salvation they have received through Christ. The joy, excitement and peace on their faces is something to behold for sure. It's also a reminder of the joy I felt back in 2004 as I, along with Daddy, was baptized in that same river.

Driving home from church one Saturday night after hearing the announcement about the baptism the following week I remember telling my awesome husband (Daddy), "You know, I think I want to be baptized." I was shocked when he responded by saying, "I was thinking the same thing." I was shocked mainly because this was the church he had grown up in from infancy and I had expected that he'd been baptized years ago, but God had other plans as Daddy had never been baptized and this became one more special moment we could share together. I'd become a Christian back in 1995, but despite the announcements of baptisms down at the beach throughout college, I'd never felt the tug to go. I'd been baptized with the Mormon church when I was a child and just didn't think about it much. It wasn't until this Saturday night that God spoke to my heart and urged me that although I'd been following him for years, it was time for me to publicly declare that I was His, there was no turning back. It was even more special in the fact that we were baptized by Pastor Ryan, a close friend Daddy had grown up with and we were friends with he and his wife Elizabeth. Basically all of the pastors wade out to their waists in the water and the people just walk out to any of the pastors to be baptized. We also were joined by Daddy's cousin Brian as he had chosen to be baptized that day as well.

The baptism picnic is also a treasured time for food, fellowship and worship. Last year our good friend's Scott and Christine were baptized and we enjoyed being a part of their special day and after some worship, Christine was able to go up in front of everyone and share how she'd come to the place in her life where she was fully committed to Christ.

Christine & Scott

Our Family at the baptism picnic in 2008

This year we had just as much fun and Daddy was able to join the worship group and play guitar during the baptism (cousin Brian also played). I was busy taking pictures for the church so thankfully our children's director offered to hold Miss Em for me (who almost went to sleep) and McGee hung out with some friends and tagged along with me too. Both last year and this year I forgot to bring a change of clothes for McGee and he still enjoyed the cold river water and splashing about. McGee really loved running around with all of the kids and playing wiffle ball and catch with the football. Right before we headed down to the water his nose started bleeding and I had a hard time getting it to stop. I couldn't believe how calm he was as the blood just kept dripping down his nose and I tried to get it to stop. I've heard nosebleeds are common in the warm, summer months, but it's never easy as a mother to see your child bleeding. We are so thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the annual baptism picnic and for all of the fun we have with friends!

Same hat, different years (yep, we get our money's worth)!

McGee's new buddy Joshua (actually their daddies are super great friends, but the kids don't get to see each other much). McGee kept calling him "baby" because he's quite a bit younger, but yet they're about the same size. Funny since Joshua's daddy is quite a bit shorter than McGee's daddy. Oh well, as I always heard growing up, "Best things come in small packages."

I just had to end with this shot of Joshua - I love, love, love how the light is reflected in his eyes, kind of how I hope the light of Christ's love for us is reflected in my life. I'm nowhere near perfect in my walk with God, but at least I'm on the journey walking hand in hand with Him, are you? If not, I'd lovingly encourage you to pray about where you're heading.