Six Reasons to Love Baptisms

Baptizing people has always been on the top of my list for pastoral duties, but doing it in a public lake is even better. Yesterday Grace Christian Fellowship braved rough weather to celebrate a dunking at Haithco Park in Saginaw, and it was great. Here are six reasons baptisms flip my switch:

1. The excitement of going public. Even grouping up as a church on a public beach causes a scene, and there is a certain thrill in the outing of our faith.
2. The awkwardness of the moment. Let's face it, the whole experience borders on the odd: a man grabs a person by the neck and arms and offers some ritual words and plunges them backward into the water and pulls them out again and everybody cheers. It's weird, and it's weirder out in the middle of the world. And that makes it specialer. (If I can use "weirder," I can use "specialer").
3. The display of new faith. Most of the time a baptism happens because somebody has recently given themselves whole hog to Jesus. It is exhilarating.
4. Joy, joy, and joy.
5. The visible expression of real grace. Communion is a quiet, usually somber time to reflect on the cost of grace, but baptism punches all the celebration buttons; invite the family, your neighbors, bring out the food, splash in the water, make some noise, and PARTY! It is an earthly reflection of the heavenly party that happens when God redeems one of his own. (See Luke 15)
6. It's flat-out contagious. Baptism sparkles up the reality of grace in real time, and the bubbles spread around like champaign to tickle spiritual noses all over the place.

Some more info . . .

Want to read more about how something good can "flip" into something divisive and legalistic? Check out my 2005 article in Plain Truth Magazine called "Never Trust a Skinny Person." And here's a place to get more info on Intuitive Eating. (I think this is a good approach, and seems grace-based, although the book and website is not "Christian.").

Do you have examples of other good ministries or efforts that can "flip" into splintering the church? Share them here!

This Is What We Should Do

Every once in a while I encounter something I think THE CHURCH should be doing. Most of the time, it's not THE CHURCH doing it. When I first watched "Extreme Makeover, Home Edition" I immediately said, as I was crying, "This is what THE CHURCH should be doing!" When heard about Ashton Kutcher, Twitter, and the UN Foundation's Nothing but Net Campagin raising funds for the purchase and distribution of mosquito nets to refugees in Africa, I said, "Why isn't THE CHURCH doing this?"

Today I saw this video. And I asked the question again. What do you think?

 

For Your Day

I'm getting on this bandwagon. Hope, grace, encouragement. I needed to watch this today. Maybe you do to.

Catch this YouTube. If you're not weeping in 30 seconds you've got a heart of stone.

What the LT Is Reading

The Leadership Team (Doug, Arnel, Marty, Troy, and Ron) is currently reading a book by Dan Kimball (pastor of Vintage Faith Church) called "They Like Jesus But Not The Church." So far the book has stimulated insightful discussion among the group. If you'd like to read along, get a copy (call Brian and Betty at Living Water to order). We're reading chapters 2-3 for our next meeting.

Here's a link to an interview with Dan Kimball:   http://www.northpointministries.org/player/722player.jsp?occurrenceID=3178&mediaItemID=3452

Here's the Wikipedia stuff for Dan Kimball:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Kimball

[Gotta love the hair!]

If you pick up the book and read along with us, be sure and tell us about what you're thinking. Use the blog, or email me, or jot a note on the InfoCard (that yellow, cult-like instrument of conspiratorial data-gathering found stuffed in your bulletin every week and collected by a guy codenamed Jerry).

God's Calling - Hide and Seek

Yesterday we began an exploration in the ways God intersects our lives and communicates with us. I'm learning a lot preparing for these Sundays. It's going to be good.

Already I've heard from a few of you, on InfoCards and in person, about your own "messages." I'm interested in reading and hearing your stories, and I may share a few of them. (Keep in mind that I will ALWAYS get your permission before sharing anything).

This blog is a great way to gather accounts of God's intervention in our lives. So if you have a story about how God spoke to you, let's hear it!

Please pray for this series. Lots of people long to hear from God. I'm praying that they will.

Ron

NPC

The convention has again proved itself to be the best in the U.S. Check it out:

- Nazareth  - the comedian.

- The Sons of Korah -an Australian group singing only Psalms.

- Shane Claiborne - urban radical.

- Rob Bell - a message aimed directly at pastors! Whew.

- As We Forgive: A must-see movie about Rwanda and forgiveness.

- Bill Hybels - about listening to the whispers of God.

- Great worship.

- Being with Linda for four days--well, just us and 2,000 other pastors and wives.

- Laughing my head off, crying my eyes out, hearing from God. It's all good.

We'll be home early Monday morning. We'll be praying for Pastor Cliff and GCF Sunday - that God would have something to share with all.

Grace, 

Pastor Ron