Sunday, June 5, 2011

No Greater Joy

Today was a very special day for our family. 2 of our sons were baptized this morning!

It was a wonderful day and after yesterday's rain, we were so thankful to wake up to blue skies today and a perfect day. (Although the water was pretty chilly!)

Our boys both expressed their desire to be baptized a few weeks ago and after going over the meaning of baptism and hearing them express their desire to be obedient to Christ, we saw no reason why they shouldn't!

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We are so blessed to parent all 4 of our children and it is such an incredible joy to watch the Lord work in their little hearts and lives. God is writing each one of their stories and we pray that they would follow Him fully each day. He is the One who does the work. We have the blessing of watching it happen and giving them back to Him continually.


The boys wanted their daddy to be the one to baptize them and he did such an  incredible job.
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Here is our campus pastor introducing the boys.


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He kind of forgot for a minute that Randy was going to do the baptizing and he almost dunked Nathan right then. Randy was super calm though and just asked if he could say a few words. :)
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I am so proud of my husband. He is an amazing father and a godly example of a man who follows Christ with all of his heart. He spoke a few words to both of the boys and it was very powerful.
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There are 3 questions that our church asks everyone who wants to be baptized to answer before they go through the process. The boys wrote out their answers and submitted them a few weeks ago. This is Nathan's.


Describe your faith journey:

I asked Jesus into my heart when I was 5 and God has been working in my life ever since. Over the years God has given me a love for children in need. A few years ago I went on a mission trip with my family to help build a house in Mexico. I had a good time playing with all the kids there. In 2009 we went to Korea to adopt my sister and now I hope that I can help other people in Korea someday. One year in Sunday school we were reading through the book of Acts and my favorite verse was Acts 1:8. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in all Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” I like that verse because God tells us that He will give us strength to share the gospel in all the world. I hope I can be like Paul and listen to God’s calling and not be afraid to share the gospel.


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Describe why you want to be baptized:

I want to be baptized because I want to live my life for Jesus and I want to obey God. 

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Describe who has influenced your faith journey:

My dad is a good influence in my life. He reads books to my brothers and me about becoming Godly men and he prays with us every night. He has taken us on lots of different trips that help strengthen and encourage me. 
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Jensen went next. This is his story.

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Describe your faith journey:

I grew up learning about God and I knew that Jesus died on the cross for me, but it wasn’t until January 2010 that I truly decided to follow Christ. This past year God has helped to change me to be more like Him. I am learning to be more patient and loving towards my family and friends. This year during Easter I went with my mom and dad to Africa and got to meet many kids, including my brother and sister. God changed my life and He gave me a heart for orphans. I pray that He will use my life to glorify Him.


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Describe why you want to be baptized:

I never really understood the importance of baptism until I read the Bible and The Well’s statement regarding baptism. Once I read these, I knew that I needed to be baptized because I wanted to obey Christ. 

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Describe who has influenced your faith journey:

My mom and dad have had a big influence in my life. My mom has homeschooled me for many years and we have had lots of discussions about the Bible. My dad has always been a good example to me and he took us on a “man trip” last summer where my brothers and I learned more about becoming Godly men. The best experiences with my mom and dad were when we went to Korea to bring home Elliana and when we were in Ethiopia in April. 


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One of Jensen's best buddies who is such a great friend and Christian brother to him. His family is such an example of one who just loves the Lord and shares the gospel all the time- a great encouragement to us and we love them!
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have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 
3 John 1:4

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3 comments:

Erin Moore said...

Bawling. I prayed so hard this week for your family to receive encouragement. My heart is full that you had such an amazing day today!

I am celebrating with you today in spirit!

God is so good.

Kim said...

Simply beautiful!!!

Rebekah said...

I pray that someday I can write a post like this about my sons. That was beautiful! Praise God!

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