"You Got Dipped!"

That's right, folks. I got baptized on Sunday! What a neat thing!


My summer project buddy, Steven, wanted details about this event, so I figured I'd blog about it and elaborate a bit for him. And to the rest of my swarms of faithful readers (ha.) who weren't there to witness the occasion. Alright Steven, here ya go:
Where?
Redeemer Church, Lubbock, TX.
Why?
I love this question! Because I believe that God sent his son Jesus to live a perfect life, die an undeserved death, and then be raised from the grave. Through His perfect sacrifice, we are able to one day be in heaven with our Creator if we surrender our lives to Him. I am a broken person. A sinner. And I could never dream of being with God, unless I trust that Jesus took away my sin and wickedness when He was on the cross. (If you want a little biblical reference, take a look at Romans 3:23-28. Good stuff.)
Okay, so that's what I know to be true. But why get baptized? I'll quote my other project buddy, Kaleb: "Baptism is an outward expression of the commitment I made in my heart showing that Jesus died for my sins [being "dunked" in the water] and rose again [coming back up from being dunked]..."
Why Now?
Another good question! A lot of people are baptized as babies, but I wasn't. I believe that baptism is an act of obedience toward God that should be done after one chooses to follow Christ, as a public symbol of faith. I started really walking with Jesus as a senior in high school, so I figure it was high time I took the plunge! (I also wanted to get plugged into a church before just randomly getting baptized somewhere. Just a personal note.)
What will you wear?
Haha. I wore a t-shirt and athletic shorts. No white robes or anything fancy.    Comfort > formality.
Will you make use of goggles or ear plugs?
No, I just plugged my nose and shut my eyes. Less cumbersome, more aesthetically acceptable.
What color towel will you use afterward?
A striped one. Haha.
Who baptized you?
Pastor Dusty Thompson. Cool guy. He's actually a good friend of my great aunt Pat and uncle Earl. He wore waders, which I think is awesome.

I hope that covered everything. On a side note, the heater in the baptismal is broken, so the water was quite chilly.That was exciting.... And I was really happy to have lots of Cru friends there to support me, as well as some of my family, and even my two best friends from high school. It was really heartwarming and exciting for them all to be a part of the baptism with me! That meant a whole lot. I love you guys!

Here's the chorus of a song we sang at the end of church. I was really moved by it, even though I've sung it before. It just speaks so much truth and joy and hope about our beautiful God!

You stay the same through the ages,

Your love never changes.

There may be pain in the night

but joy comes in the morning.

And when the oceans rage,

I don't have to be afraid

because I know that You love me.

And Your love never fails.

blog title credit to Kelsie Pinckard, photos courtesy of Julia Cotaya