This past weekend has been beautiful in many ways. With a string of warm sunny days, it felt like, as my friend put it, a shot of Prozac straight into the veins. I arranged the studio with my Great-grandma's rocking chair positioned for me to soak up as much sunlight as possible. Maybe that's why I love turtles so much...I identify so much with their need to climb out of the mud and bask in the sun. I have at least 40 new items to add to the store, but I realized I was very tired of selling off all the pretty things when my own house was looking a little ragged around the edges. So I shut the computer, put on my paint-pants and went to work on the trim in the living room and entryway that I have been itching to makeover. In the process, I moved around pretty much every table I own, cleaned all the downstairs windows, and made the prettiest little seating area in my bedroom. So we had no money last week, but the house looks pretty.
Saturday morning dawned hopeful and bright and we spent the morning getting ready for a baptism at Vintage on Sunday. Being from the tradition of fully dunking medium to full grown adults means finding something big enough to dunk them in. While a hot tub in somebody's front yard for 75 bucks was an interesting thought, we had decided to borrow the tank used at the local prison. Yup. You read that right.
Next came the full on comedy of just how to best fill the tank since our hot water heater in the main building is about 2.5 gallons....just enough to wash the coffee mugs. We have a separate building behind us though, that used to be a hair salon and has hot water a plenty. So the plan became to use a hose to fill it at the front door, wheel it on a cart between the buildings, and bring it in the front door in the main building. I don't know why but when the event actually went down, the sight of the men laboring with the cart and the comet of kids hovering around it just had me laughing my head off.
Truly, of all the things we do as a church, baptisms are my favorite. I loved watching baptisms as a kid and I still love them. I think it's because I figure, if somebody is willing to voluntarily get dunked in a horse trough in front of their family and friends, they must be pretty serious about following Jesus and that's pretty great.
Mattie and Calvin were baptized along with four others who included two of their very good buddies. I alternated between wiping away most of my mascara and trying to see it through the viewfinder of my camera. There was something amazing about sitting with the other parents, knowing their hearts beat every moment to follow after Jesus, and seeing our kids make this choice for themselves.
And then we feasted in the way you only can at a church potluck, piling on the treasures of so many crock-pots, laughing and loving, and still meeting new people.
It's hard to come back to Monday after a weekend like that.
3 comments:
what a blessing!! Baptisms have always been my favorites to watch as well :) I cry everytime I see someone get baptized even if i don't even know the person. I guess I figure..."hey this person is my brother/sister in Christ and I get to spend eternity in heaven with them." How cool is the kingdom of God...it's the only thing that I know of where no matter where you come from, what you've done, what you look like...etc you'll belong :)
i see david & madelyn! oh, i miss the freemans :)
These pictures were so beautiful. They made me cry.
I need the sun too. Sometimes no one would know because I always seem happy, but I really feel sad. The sun makes life much better. Much, much better. Thank you Lord for letting it come back. Phew!
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