A New Kind of Birthday

It's something we'd talked about for a long time and knew we wanted to do it, we just weren't sure when or how.  We both grew up Catholic so we were originally Christened as newborns.  I liked the idea of being old enough to make the choice, but I must admit, I felt a bit "forced" into it at first.  I didn't exactly understand why we had to do full immersion Baptism--do the rituals of the Catholic Church not count when it comes to God?  Once I attended the Welcome to the Southland class, I had a better understanding of why we were doing it.

Going to Southland has literally been LIFE-CHANGING for both Josh and me.  I will be the first to say I was extremely skeptical before I entered for the first time, and the word "cult" entered my mind a few times.  I had never felt as much love and sense of belonging as I did when I walked through those doors.  There I was, standing in the middle of this massive church and yet I felt so at home.  At peace.  And I just KNEW it was God who called us there.  Soon, we couldn't stand to miss a Sunday and if we had to, we watched the service online.  It became a no-brainer once we were blessed with Ryan.

So, on Sunday, October 20 in front of about 30 family and friends, Josh and I literally took the plunge into the chilly (the heater was broken!) Baptismal at Southland.  It was so amazing and invigorating.  We walked in that water and said yes to changing our minds, hearts, and lives forever.

God has been so good to me, even after all the wrong turns, bad decisions, times I turned my back on Him, and times I've fallen flat on my face.  He has been there all along, just waiting for me to say I was ready.  This weekend, I took his outstretched hand and I hope I never let it go.