Snapshot of Obedience

Earlier this summer, my long time friend Meghan Baird called me to ask me a favor. She wanted to get baptized, and she was wondering if I would be willing to do it.

I first met Meghan when I was working with the college and young professionals ministry of Chestnut Ridge Church which was at that time called H2O--you can listen to some of the H2O Podcasts here. She was working on her second college degree after completing an undergraduate degree in Art at Shepherd University. Her focus this time was International Studies. She had been exposed to some of the great needs in this world, and she had set a goal of gaining educational experience that would help her serve others. Currently she is working on a Master's Degree in Counseling, and she wants to use this to serve mission agencies and educational programs in the developing world.

What struck me about Meghan from the first time I met her is a contagious passion for Jesus and justice. During my life, I have been fortunate to meet many who have these deeply linked passions, and I have had the privilege of helping them pursue both together. For eight years of my life, I worked for a ministry called Great Commission Ministries, and Meghan was one of the amazing leaders I had the privilege of working with.

When Meghan called to ask me to baptize her, I marked my calendar, and zealously guarded the weekend she was planning her baptism. Yesterday morning, I had the privilege of listening to her share her story, and why she wanted to take this step of obedience to Jesus and demonstrate this outward symbol of her deeply held faith. She told a community of about 100 friends of her faith in Jesus, her zeal for living as a sign and witness to Him, and of her desire to share this special day with all of them.

I had the pleasure of working with her not only as a member of our college ministry, but also as an employee of Nuru International. Meghan served as the Education Program Manager on Nuru's second foundation team, and also worked for a semester with the Nuru grassroots team and helped lay the foundation for our campus chapters as well as our nationwide awareness event, Be Hope To Her.

Yesterday, I had the distinct honor of baptizing her as her brother and as her friend. As I walked into the water with her, my mind flooded with many of the memories we had shared over the last five years. I thought about her baptism, and knew that her roommate would be taking photos as we walked into a small pond. And then I thought about the idea of obedience, and the snapshot, symbol, and gesture of obedience that baptism offers.

Each day, I believe we are challenged to live a better way. As C. S. Lewis has said, "It's not your business to succeed, but to do right; when you have done so, the rest lies with God." As you read this, may you find yourself in multiple situations that lead to snapshots of obedience where you choose to do right, and leave the rest to God.

Lakeside Baptisms

This past weekend, I did a good bit of traveling, but as the weekend came to an end, I found out about an outdoor baptism being organized by Chestnut Ridge Church at Cheat Lake in Morgantown, WV. After a delicious lunch at Twila's Restaurant in Bruceton Mills, my dad, Jamie, and I made the trip to Cheat Lake to join with those who had gathered to celebrate this step of faith and obedience in the lives of over 20 people (not sure the exact number) in front of a large crowd gathered by the lake, and even a grouping of boats who watched from the water.

There's something about being gathered outdoors for anything that sparks a series of wonderful memories for me. All of my tribe's ceremonies took place in a field on our land in Maryland, and I've always felt a sense of serenity when immersed in the realm of trees, plants, and water. It was quite a journey out a long narrow road to make our way to this little secluded park, and as I stood on the shore watching people take a steps into the water and toward a symbolic and real step of obedience to Jesus, my mind took me back to my own remote baptism. It was October 1997, and I was in Garrett County on my tribe's land. There was a group of eight of us Shawnee people who wanted to take a step of obedience to Jesus. As we waded into the frigid mountain waters of Bear Creek, we benefited from both a sprinkling and immersion as our chiefs baptized the group of us one by one. I had brought a pair of shorts, but I loaned them to another guy who had just placed his faith in Jesus and wanted to be baptized too. So all I had left to wear into the water was my breechcloth. I imagine there was once a time when many more Indian people were baptized in breechcloths, but on that particular day, I was the only one.

Back at Cheat Lake yesterday, there were no breech cloths or tribal chiefs present, but there was a strong sense of community and celebration as young and old took their physical steps of obedience into the lake in front of a gathering of friends and family. There's a beauty to this ancient ceremony, and I hope that those who participated in this tradition will carry the memory with them for a very long time.

I moved from standing to sitting and I listened. I listened as story after story was shared about how Jesus had changed each person's life, and how these people wanted to take a step of faithful obedience to him. The stories were beautiful, personal, and intimate, and so was the setting. Sometimes, it feels like we are so driven by closed spaces and separation from the created world, and I think the outdoor atmosphere made a wonderful step of faith all the more wonder-filled.  Besides that, with an outdoor baptism, one doesn't waste water and heat by filling up a baptismal and heating it for a few hours, only to empty it after the days's events have concluded.  Lakes and streams get heated by the sun, and nobody has to drain them afterward. :)

I hope you can spend some time outside today and that your heart and mind are filled with wonder as you immerse yourself in the calm of creation.

Brianna's Baptism

Brianna's Baptism, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Just in case you were getting worried that my life is all about basketball, I figured I would let you know some other news happening! My good friend Brianna Huffman (the youngest member of the Huffman clan), received Jesus as her savior this past October, and took a step of obedience to Jesus by getting baptised yesterday at Chestnut Ridge Church.

It's been great watching Brianna, Ryan, and Brett (the Huffman's) grow in their faith here at WVU. And even though Mountaineer Basketball is really exciting, it's even more exciting to see people come into the family of the Kingdom of Jesus, and embrace the beautiful way of the Messiah.

For me, it is truly the greatest thrill to see people come to find hope, salvation, and a better way of living through trusting Jesus.

I think it was a great day of celebration for the entire Huffman family, and I just appreciate the way each one of them have encouraged and inspired me in my own relationship with Jesus.

I hope this picture can be an encouragement to you as you go about your day!

CocoaBeachBaptism

CocoaBeachBaptism, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

It's been a while since I have blogged, but it isn't because there's been little to say. Last Tuesday the space shuttle launched from Cape Canaveral, but a few hours before that something even cooler happened. I had the privilege of baptizing two of my friends in the Atlantic Ocean at sunrise. We were journeying into the water together as this picture was taken. We held hands as we journeyed into the water together (but then we body-surfed back in after the baptism!).

It was a beautiful morning for our LT community, and I consider it a distinct honor to be able to be a part of this step of obedience for these two young followers of Jesus.