First New Springs Church Baptism Service (as well as mine)

Sunday night New Springs Church celebrated it's first baptism service as we baptized four people who had trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. As a new church we are really at ground zero when it comes to things like having a baptistery, which is fine in the spring, summer, and fall because we can use a lake or a pond; but when it's 30 degrees outside we need a place inside, preferably with heated water. So, in order for us to proclaim the gospel with baptism and for the recent believers to follow the command of our Lord to be baptized we needed to ask another local church if we could use their dunking pool. So, I guess it's only fitting that Duncan Baptist Church allowed us to use their baptistery so we could dunk some people! Thanks Duncan Baptist!!

Speaking on a theological note, we believe that baptism is expected of followers of Jesus; it is an outward mark of the believer wherein they go public with their faith; it is symbolic primarily of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; it is a proclamation of the Gospel; and it is, in my opinion, an initiation rite into the community of believers wherein the recent followers of Jesus can be encouraged in their Christian walk.

On a more personal and sentimental note, this was the first time I've ever baptized anyone as their pastor. The mock-baptism that you go through in college where you learn how not to drop the candidates don't really count. It was special for me to baptize those making public professions, but it was also sort of nostalgic because I was baptizing them in the baptistery where I was baptized nearly 23 years ago, which was built by my grandpa nearly 40 years ago. But with all of the sentimentalism and nostalgia that have accompanied this particular baptism celebration, I can't help but think of the fact that what we are proclaiming in baptism is so much bigger than any of us.

My grandpa died on the Thursday before good Friday in 2006; I was born on good Friday in April of 1981. Between those two moments of an individuals life we should find contentment in living our lives so as to assist others, from generation to generation, proclaim the glorious name of the One who gave himself for us. Though we will leave this world to go to the next, the Gospel will always be. May our lives be the public proclamation of the Good News that Jesus came to save sinner and give us restoration and may we never forget that it is Jesus who truly matters regardless of the circumstances that we may find ourselves in.

My Baseball

The other night I met Tony Gwynn, one of baseball's greats, and had him sign a baseball that has been in my possession for nearly 20 years. In 1991 my parents and grandparents took me to see my first MLB baseball game in Atlanta. I don’t remember much about the game that day, but I remember waiting in line to get signatures from the Braves pitching staff on a Rawlings Little League leather cover baseball. Guys like Kent Mercher, Steve Avery, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Mark Wohlers.

Around that time my grandparents had season tickets to the Bulls right behind home plate where Javy would catch. We even had the privilege of watching Chipper move through the ranks. On special nights guest athletes would come into town and I would wait in line, much like we did with Tony, to get that same baseball signed by aging Hall of Famers, such as Brooks Robinson and Bob Feller. There were others who would come through like the late Enos Slaughter and Willie Stargell, but for some reason I didn’t think there was enough room on the baseball to have anybody else sign it. If it wasn’t for my wife I probably would’ve continued to think that way. I actually gave the baseball to her when we got engaged so she would know how serious I was about marrying her. I gave it to her, but technically since what’s mine is her’s and what’s her’s is mine the baseball is still mine.

When we got to the ballpark this past Monday night my nostalgic mind took me back to my childhood and I didn’t mind waiting in line, even if it meant missing the start of the game and possibly not getting the baseball signed even after waiting in line for an hour and a half. We were told that Gwynn had stopped signing autographs and was only doing picture, and we decided to stay in line anyway. I mean, hey it’s still cool to say you met the guy and after being in line for an hour it’d be pointless to leave. As we got closer to the room where he was the security guards cut off everyone else from entering, so we were like the 2nd to last people to go in. As we walked up I heard Tony say to the people in front of us that if they had anything they wanted him to sign they could leave it on the table and he might get to it, but he couldn’t promise it would be there when they came back to pick it up; to which I said, “I’d love to do that Mr. Gwynn, but this baseball has Bob Feller’s and Brooks Robinson’s signature on it, so I doubt I’ll be leaving it.” He replied, “I don’t blame you. I was in the same room with those guys yesterday [at the Hall of Fame ceremony]. How cool is that?” We took a picture, he took my baseball and signed it, we shook hands, and Cat and I made it to our seats to watch the Bulls beat Syracuse 15-4 I think.

The significance behind this story is that it’s kind of a closure to that baseball. Since the early 90’s that Rawlings Little League baseball has had one spot that hadn’t been signed on it. Well as of Monday, that spot was filled and I will retire the baseball, like the men who have signed their names on it. Maybe one day it'll be something I can pass down to my kids and I'll be able to say I met some of the greatest to play the game.