My Baptism

He's more than the laughter
or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat
or a song on our lips

Someday we'll trust Him
and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call us
and we will come running
and fall in His arms
the tears will fall down
and we'll pray,

"I want to fall in love with You,
I want to fall in love with You,
I want to fall in love with You,
I want to fall in love with You..."

- Jars of Clay

*****

I think I've already mentioned this to most friends that I regularly talk to, but thought I would post it here too, in case there's anyone I missed.

This coming Sunday (Sept. 2nd), I am getting baptized at my home church in Willowbrook. It is a day that means a lot to me, for a lot of reasons, and I really want to share it with everyone who can possibly make it there in person. It doesn't matter if you are not Christian, or if you don't fully understand why this baptism is so important to me.

Baptism is something that I have been thinking about for so many years - ever since I first became a "believer" in junior high - but I have held off from doing until now. Not because I didn't think it was important, but in fact the opposite - because it was such a big deal in my mind, I wanted to make sure I understood why I was doing it and not for the wrong reasons.

It has been a long road for me to get here, and as some of you know, I have gone through a lot of challenges and tough experiences during the past year or so especially. It hasn't been easy or fun, but I do feel like going through them, I've grown a lot as a person and finally reached a point where I really want and need to take this step, and have it be meaningful to me.

I will try to explain more about my feelings in my short testimony on Sunday, before getting myself soaked in the water. But one thing I will say here, is that I personally see this baptism as the most important moment of my life up to this point. It is one of those things that only takes place one time in your life, and I definitely care much more about having my friends and loved ones there for this, than I would for my graduation, any of my birthdays, etc., even for my wedding day. That is how much it means to me.

So, whether or not you fully understand why it's such a big deal in my mind, just please know and trust that it will honestly mean the world to me to have you there. I know I wouldn't be where I am, or be the person that I am today, without each and every one of the people who have touched my life in one way or another over the years - and it genuinely is my deepest wish to have you there to support me on that day, as well as to share in the precious moment.

If you can come, and haven't heard from me about this yet, please let me know (dudo509@yahoo.com) and I will forward you the details.