“If you’ve ever served for one hour at Journey, if you’ve ever given one dollar to Journey or prayed for Journey Sunday was PAY DAY!”
That’s what I shared in our services leading up to our BIG BEACH BAPTISM this last weekend.
That didn’t express that half of it.
For me our 2 baptism days in the spring and fall really are my favorite 2 days of the year – Christmas, Birthday, and perfect surf days – all have nothing on these breathtaking days.
- Stories of God’s amazing grace
- People cheering on the beach for friends, strangers
- The thanksgiving that goes to God for his unspeakable grace
- Seeing Tears roll down cheeks as we pray
- The excitement on the faces of long-time Journey people as they are like, “yeah, this is why we got this thing going in the first place
- Sensing that we are stepping into the most ancient of all streams, that we are identifying with “all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:3) Woe – goose bumps!
- The love you feel as people come out into the water with their friends and dear ones to just be there!
- Sometimes there is steely-eyed determination as I ask them, “So you are willing to say in front of all these people that you are planning to follow Jesus the rest of your life.” They almost always look me right in the eyes as they reply. The reply is almost always emphatic.
- Seeing our ultimate values: GOD, LOVE, GRACE lived out in 3D – hundreds of us on the beach – just wallowing in God’s great goodness!
There are moments that we call, “THIS is church!” moments. I live for those!
