Colorado Adventures

It was grand!

To spend so many days focused on just Jaclyn was a never-before-had treasure! It was a very peaceful, relaxing, and refreshing few days. I love her family. I hope my boys grow up to have character like her brother Ben -- kind, thoughtful, chivalrous, playful, Scripture readily quoted, a halo of Christ-worship ready to shine. It was good to see examples of how to teach/discipline a 4 years old. The food was yummy (don't forget to give me the Red Beans & Rice recipe!!!). The mountains were beautiful and showed me just how altitude can affect a body used to sea level. :-P You do reach a point where your heart is pounding fast and little floaties appear in your vision. That's your queue to turn around and head back down the mountain path! Celebrating Jaclyn on her birthday was priceless. I never bumble over words in a serious moment. Ever. But when it comes to Jaclyn, there really are no words. There was TOO much to say about her that I couldn't choose. And of course, after my turn was over, I thought of numerous ways to say what I wanted everyone to know about why I love her. :-) I cried alot that night. Affirming tears of affection for my dear Jaclyn and what God has done in our lives individually and together.

But there was one thing that stood out to me about this trip. And that is the detail I will give. Now, to give a little history, if God has been showing me one thing the past few years, it has been the reality of lostness. God has been awakening my heart to this from the moment I stood staring at my sleeping newborn Judah and realized here lay a soul without Christ. The pain of that moment still brings tears to my eyes, sting to spiritual reality, and desperation to my prayers. SLOWLY, God has continued showing me the reality of souls with and without Christ. I'm thankful for the pace. It's already overwhelming learning it over several years. Having grown up in a Christian atmosphere and being blessed with excellent teachers all the way through college and even now definitely sheltered me from seeing blatant lostness save for the 5:00 news. And I think that up-bringing allowed me to easily slip into a spiritual reality of my own that did NOT include the seriousness of souls without Christ. But true spiritual reality is as serious as anything in life gets. The difference between hell and heaven. Eternal pain and eternal bliss. Prideful unbelief and humble faith. And it doesn't take a lifetime of goodness. The switch happens in an instant. Everything hinges on one moment in time for each soul.

So, Jaclyn's church held their baptism on Sunday. Pastor Ed appropriately taught on "Why be baptized?" It was a great message! And an easy lead in to a powerful Gospel presentation and invitation. I used to roll my eyes at invitations (again, I think the attitude stems from my response to up-bringing). But last Sunday, with this new sense of spiritual reality, I finally was in touch with what was truly happening. A few stood up as Pastor Ed spoke of receiving Christ. It hit me -- in that very moment, those souls were saved for eternity. In that MOMENT. Boom -- from the pits of hell to the heart of heaven. From Satan's shackle to God's stronghold. From self to Christ. Forever sealed to the Father. Granted, a long journey is ahead for those newborn souls. But the journey is not the salvation. It is the result of the salvation. Incredible!

And that was followed up by an afternoon of food, fun, fellowship, and the baptisms. Now, Friends, THIS is how baptism should be done! It was amazing! It made me realize how stoical my view of baptism is. Emotionless. There was no man-made baptistery, testimonial speeches before a microphone in front of a crowd with all eyes on you, or white robes. I'm not knocking the way most churches do baptism. A great deal of why we do what we do is tradition and culture. But once you see it done the way I saw -- like it was in John the Baptist's day and in the Acts church -- wow! The congregation just stood on the shore of the reservoir, some in the water, others on the sand. The pastoral staff waded out in the water, and those wanting to be baptized waded out one by one, couple by couple, family by family. No one was singled out to give a testimony to the whole crowd. Each pastor spoke with each person for a few minutes and then prayed over them. While I do think it important to make sure someone is a believer before baptism, I don't think it needs to be a long formal process. We are not the judges of someone's heart. If they say they know Christ and understand baptism, we accept that and trust God for the truth. And to see couples and families being baptized together...What a treasured memory they will always have! And the joy on people's faces, some gleeful and others tearful. Souls publicly professing that Christ is Lord of their lives, relishing the freedom found in Him, resting in the love of the Brethren! What more can I say??? I might just start a No Baptistery Petition if/when our church ever builds. ;-)

Whew. I'm spent. Don't feel like your toes were stepped on by any of my words. It's what God has been doing in my life and the changes in my personal views. I would not relive my upbringing for anything -- it was perfect! It was my response to it that was skewed and is now being corrected. And I don't think baptisteries are wrong at all. I just now see that there's a different way that I love to watch more!

Now go see pictures. :-) See photos here.