I'm tired of living half-heartedly. I need passion.
Now, I've found it.
Yesterday morning at Crossroads I was baptized, and it was awesome.
Friday and Saturday, there were times when I wasn't too sure about my decision. I was getting frustrated with homework and was hurting and I just wasn't sure if my heart was in it. Saturday night before bed I did some reading and spent time praying and dwelling on what baptism and specifically the decision to be baptized as an adult meant. It was Romans 6:1-4 that struck me the most, specifically verse 4:
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life.
When I was a baby and baptized I just had some water sprinkled on my head. Now that was still good and significant to me, but this passage really showed me why I needed to make the decision as an adult and be baptized immersion style. Going completely underwater, just as Jesus was completely dead and buried, then coming out of of the water as Jesus was raised, struck me as a powerful declaration of my faith to God, myself, and the world. Something that I had never done, literally or figuratively. It was time.
I woke up Sunday morning feeling alive and filled with energy. It felt fantastic. At Crossroads, the service began with the beautiful sounds of enormous rain sticks and continued with a choir singing alongside the band. The moment the choir started to sing, I got chills, it was amazing.
The baptism itself was awesome. Surprisingly, walking onto stage and stepping into the pool, there were no thoughts of anyone else in the building. It just felt very intimate, just me and God, and the guy baptizing me, of course. I can't believe I don't remember his name, but I'm very thankful for him.
It was so cool to be able to be Baptized at Crossroads, where I have experienced God in so many very powerful ways over the past two years. And to have so many people there supporting me who I love so much and who have meant so much to me was absolutely awesome. I just can't find words to express my love for the people in my life. I am disgustingly blessed and am so thankful for all of you.
Brian Tome said something pretty interesting yesterday. He said, "I'll tell you who shouldn't come up here to be baptized. Don't come up here if you were just baptized two years ago and you're not sure if it took. Guess what...it took!" I know that life from now on isn't going to be all peachy and easy. There are going to be very hard and confusing times. That's still definitely been evident to me this weekend, as I've continued to feel plenty of pain throughout it, and plenty of pain today, too.
But I don't want a life that's all easy and nice. I want life abundantly, a new life filled with real experiences and real things to deal with, real situations to grow. I now see my need for God. I don't know how I would be able to get through all of this without him.
I am not making excuses any more, it's time to completely give myself over to God and his plans for me. I am done with my old self. I'm ready to live a new life of purpose. Now I need to open up my eyes to see what he has planned. I absolutely cannot wait.
Hallelujah, grace like rain
falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains
are washed away
This is just the beginning.
-Alex
Now, I've found it.
Yesterday morning at Crossroads I was baptized, and it was awesome.
Friday and Saturday, there were times when I wasn't too sure about my decision. I was getting frustrated with homework and was hurting and I just wasn't sure if my heart was in it. Saturday night before bed I did some reading and spent time praying and dwelling on what baptism and specifically the decision to be baptized as an adult meant. It was Romans 6:1-4 that struck me the most, specifically verse 4:
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life.
When I was a baby and baptized I just had some water sprinkled on my head. Now that was still good and significant to me, but this passage really showed me why I needed to make the decision as an adult and be baptized immersion style. Going completely underwater, just as Jesus was completely dead and buried, then coming out of of the water as Jesus was raised, struck me as a powerful declaration of my faith to God, myself, and the world. Something that I had never done, literally or figuratively. It was time.
I woke up Sunday morning feeling alive and filled with energy. It felt fantastic. At Crossroads, the service began with the beautiful sounds of enormous rain sticks and continued with a choir singing alongside the band. The moment the choir started to sing, I got chills, it was amazing.
The baptism itself was awesome. Surprisingly, walking onto stage and stepping into the pool, there were no thoughts of anyone else in the building. It just felt very intimate, just me and God, and the guy baptizing me, of course. I can't believe I don't remember his name, but I'm very thankful for him.
It was so cool to be able to be Baptized at Crossroads, where I have experienced God in so many very powerful ways over the past two years. And to have so many people there supporting me who I love so much and who have meant so much to me was absolutely awesome. I just can't find words to express my love for the people in my life. I am disgustingly blessed and am so thankful for all of you.
Brian Tome said something pretty interesting yesterday. He said, "I'll tell you who shouldn't come up here to be baptized. Don't come up here if you were just baptized two years ago and you're not sure if it took. Guess what...it took!" I know that life from now on isn't going to be all peachy and easy. There are going to be very hard and confusing times. That's still definitely been evident to me this weekend, as I've continued to feel plenty of pain throughout it, and plenty of pain today, too.
But I don't want a life that's all easy and nice. I want life abundantly, a new life filled with real experiences and real things to deal with, real situations to grow. I now see my need for God. I don't know how I would be able to get through all of this without him.
I am not making excuses any more, it's time to completely give myself over to God and his plans for me. I am done with my old self. I'm ready to live a new life of purpose. Now I need to open up my eyes to see what he has planned. I absolutely cannot wait.
Hallelujah, grace like rain
falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains
are washed away
This is just the beginning.
-Alex
1 comment:
Oh you are such a blessing. Your words are so impactful :)
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