Revitalize Your Church

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HWC Baptism Memory 2008 from Jeremy Mavis on Vimeo .

Thanks to our Children's Pastor, Jeremy Mavis for putting three baptism videos on our church website . (Famous Mavis Productions!) If you haven't had the opportunity to see them, I encourage you to do so - -they're really moving -- and they remind us why we do what we do! The video of our last baptism isn't out yet -- but when it is, we'll post it here as well.

My friend, Kathy Baker, recently posted a beautiful story of God's redeeming grace in the life of her daughter, Amber. She also shared the video of when we baptized Amber. I encourage you to stop by her blog, and perhaps, leave a comment for her.

Thanks to Jeremy Mavis for creating this beautiful tribute to our Lord and His redeeming grace.

Johnny's Mother looked out the window and noticed him "playing church" with their cat. He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work. A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water. She called out, "Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of water!" Johnny looked up at her and said, "He should have thought about that before he joined my church!" (Thanks to my sister-in-law, Sandy, who forwarded this to me!)

I was saddened today, to hear that the legendary daredevil, Evel Knievel has passed away . I am so happy that he had made his peace with God. Just a few months ago, on Palm Sunday, Evel shared his testimony at the Crystal Cathedral. He said that for all of his life, he refused to accept Christ as Lord. He believed in God, but couldn't get away from the gold, the gambling, the booze and the women. Still, people prayed for Evel, including folks from his daughter's church, his ex-wife's church, as well as countless people who wrote him letters, urging him to surrender his life to Christ. Then, it happened -- last March, during Daytona Bike Week. In Evel's words: "I don't know what in the world happened. I don't know if it was the power of the prayer or God himself, but it just reached out, either while I was driving or walking down the sidewalk or sleeping, and it just—the power of God in Jesus just grabbed me. … All of a sudden, I just believed in Jesus Chris...

Here's something special to celebrate. A couple of weeks ago, we baptized four generations of the same family in one dunk! We immersed grandma, mom, daughter, and two grandkids all together at the same time. They shared a beautiful story of their faith journey before the baptism. LaVerda, the grandma, recently lost her husband, after a long illness. It was through this dark and difficult experience that the whole family drew near to Jesus. LaVerda is a living example of peace in the valley.

Yesterday, around 500 people showed up for our church picnic, and we ended up baptizing 49 in a local lake. It was a tremendous joy to hear the faith stories before each baptism. We dunked children, teenagers, young adults, middle aged folks, and senior citizens. Each one was a beautiful testimony of God's grace and faithfulness. At the end of the day, my arms were tired, and my heart was full of joy!!

Today, the youth mission teams to Mexico and inner city Philly are in charge of the worship services. My job is to sit in the "amen" corner. I don't have the "day off" from preaching entirely though. I'm scheduled to preach at the County Fair (in the cow tent. I'm sure they will be deeply mooooved.) After our last service, we'll have our annual picnic and baptism at a private lake in the area. I'm praying for sunshine until the big event is over. But, my "sunshine prayers" didn't work too well yesterday. Caitlyn's outdoor "sunflower" wedding turned into on the porch, under the umbrellas, "rain-flower" nuptuals. At least weddings are not like baseball games -- they don't get rained out. Also, rain on a wedding day is a reminder that marriage requires flexibility with a good attitude.

In the middle of the fifth century, the Irish King Aengus was baptized by St. Patrick. Sometime during the ceremony, Patrick leaned on his crozier, a sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the poor king's foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down, saw all the blood, and realized what he had done. "I'm so terribly sorry!" he exclaimed. "Please forgive me, your majesty! Why did you suffer this pain in silence?" The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual."

Sometimes, for baptisms, I use my stash of Jordan River water that I brought home from my trips to Israel. I usually make a big deal about it, saying, "Folks, I think it might impress you to know this water is straight from the River Jordan!" A few months ago, in the foyer, after one of those baptisms, I overheard a puzzled guy ask, "So, where is the Jordan River, anyway?" To this, his friend replied, "I'm not exactly sure, but I think it's somewhere in Missouri."