Can I just say that I love our church?  I mean, where else can you pick the place where you get baptized and have a party to celebrate after?  That is exactly what happened last Sunday afternoon at Mike and Rhonda Bryant's home.  My sweet little 7 year old Maggie was baptized, along with Deborah Dotson and Jeffery Proffitt.  It was one of the sweetest moments I've shared with her.  We had 40 or so family and friends there, sitting with their feet in the pool, as if they too were performing this baptism service.  It was like the water connected us together.  If that wasn't special enough, the dad's of each of the children participated in baptizing their children.  I couldn't hold the tears back.  That swimming pool became an anointed place, because the Holy Spirit was there among us.  It was such a lovely moment for those children and their families.  Pastor shared with us that Toby, Deborah's little brother, asked if God was going to speak that afternoon.  I can attest that He did speak.  He spoke to each of us who were there and especially to those children.  He said "these are my children, who I am well pleased".  It is so beautiful to watch children grow in their faith of the Lord.  I'm convenced that nothing pleases our Father more.  This is true not just for children, but all of us.  Having faith to be obedient to the Lord and do what He asks is a great act of worship and obedience.  That is what He wants from us, our love and trust in Him.  Once we truely surrender to Him and trust Him in this way, then we open the door for His blessings to flow and His love to transform us.  God loves us all so much and His desire is for a special relationship with each one of His children.  He shows up when we get out of the way and invite Him in.  This next sunday we are having another baptism service.  This one will be at the lake down by Bro. Lynn's house.  I know without a doubt that God will show up there, too. 

I was watching television with Maggie the other day and the show was all about kids trying to fit in.  They were trying to be "popular", but couldn't quite make it work.  It's a familiar theme and  I started thinking about how we never really lose that need or desire to fit in with the world around us.  We are either trying to blend in with friends or co-workers and we just want to be loved and accepted.  Most of the time we want people to like us for who we truly are, but sometimes we go as far as changing things about us to become who we think others want us to be.  That's a complicated way to say we we change ourselves to fit the mold.  It sounds like a problem we should face in high school, but throughout our lives we tend to struggle with who we are and where we fit in.