When people find out I'm getting baptized I get a wide range of emotions but they all seem to want to know "how" I knew I wanted to get baptized. For me I've always wanted it. In the churches I attended, mostly southern baptist, they do this thing called "The Call" at the end of most services. Basically this is where the preacher stands up front after his sermon and invites you to come down and profess your faith. The congregation sings and we all look around wondering if anyone will come forward. Sometime people do and sometimes they don't. The whole time for me I'm standing there trying to get up the nerve to go down, but the music always seems to end just as I've got myself talked into it. So I never went forward.
At Buckhead Church things are different. There is no "Call" at the end of the sermons. In fact the only way you'd know Buckhead did baptism's is if you saw one, read it on the back of a bulletin or saw it on their web site. So needless to say you have to be pretty serious about what you're doing if you get baptized at Buckhead.
So when did I know? When was the moment that I decided to get baptized and seek out the process? Well it happened one night during 7|22. It was the first time I had heard the Song Lift High by Eddie Kirkland and those words just spoke to me. It starts off with the line "Broken people, call His Name". When I heard that my first though was this is so me. I knew I was broken and I knew God was working to fix me, and for once I was letting him. Then the chorus for the song "Lift high your chains undone / All rise, exalt the Son / Jesus Christ, the Holy One / We lift our eyes to You". I swear when I heard these words and sang this song I had to do everything I could to keep myself from breaking down right there. Every time I hear this song I get a bit emotional because I know God was using this song, and these lyrics to let me know he was here for me.
It was at that moment without any other thought in my mind that I started to talk to God about getting baptized. I came home and searched it out on the Buckhead Church web site and sent in my application. A couple of weeks actually went by before I finally heard from Melissa at the church. She had me come in to finalize some stuff and to hear my story. Then it came down to picking a date. We actually had 3 dates. One was in early March, the next in May and finally June 22nd. March wasn't going to happen as others before me had this date. May was Mothers Day so that was out for me so that left June 22nd.
Honestly when I first finalized the date I was a bit bummed that it was SO far away. Now though I know God had his reasons for putting me on this day, and I'm sure even more reasons will reveal themselves. I'm just so excited that I'm doing this and that I'm getting to share it with so many special people in my life. I have to say though we need to remember this day is not about me it's about my love for Jesus Christ and what He did for me, you and everyone else.
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