Why I Was Baptized Yesterday

(Pictures to come!) 

Yesterday was amazing. We played corn hole, we ate, we hung out with friends, we sung & played guitar on the beach, and 25 of us, got baptized in the Chesapeake Bay with the help of National Community Church, all of her pastors, staff, band, and other church goers, who just came out to experience t and show support. 

I was so thankful to have my parents, my sister & her 2 boys, my dear friend & fellow fitness enthusiast,Debra, and my wonderful business running buddies and great friends, Justin & Sara there to support me. I am so appreciative beyond words for all of them to be there. 

What was most amazing to me, was that while I was so thankful for my friends to be there, but they all thanked me for the opportunity to witness it and take part. That leaves me wordless. 

...Well I guess, not technically wordless, but you know what I mean!

I was baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church

I was taught in school and at church that baptism was for babies and converts 

I've believed in God for as long as I can remember, and growing up was super involved in church. 

In high school & college, I started exploring other Christian denominations, but I was one foot in one foot out with my faith. 

At 24, at a non-denominational Christian service at an entrepreneurs conference, I heard the words, "if you're 99% sure you're going to heaven, then you are 100% unsure." I was frozen, because at the time I was literally 99% sure! 

Then he said, "God loves it when people are bold for Him." Then I thought, 'oh no... That was meant for me.' And I walked forward amongst 15,000 people to accept officially Christ (along with about 2,000 others!)

In reality, I discovered that up to that point, I believed in God, but did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. "What does that even mean?"  (I often questioned)

After this, I talked to people about Jesus more boldly, but I was making more mistakes a month than I had my whole life, up to that point. 

For about 5 years, I made compromising decisions that didn't even fit in with anything I believed in. I didn't want to talk about my faith, because I had begun to believe that I was a poor example and that God couldn't use me broken (how wrong is that?!)

Anyway, in September of 2013, I desperately wanted to get my relationship with my Heavenly Father right, and I started reading from the Word almost everyday & praying consistently. I decided to lead a bible study table at another church (why not?!) We studied baptism and I listened to the perspective about getting baptized as a believer. 

Truly I had never thought about getting baptized, because I'd received it as a baby. 

My heart wouldn't let it go though. Around that time, good friends of mine shared the Baptism by the Bay video from NCC. I knew immediately,  I wanted to do it like that. 

I started to realize that if Jesus insisted on getting baptized (and he's obviously all in!),  then it was good for me to. 

I started attending NCC in April 2014, and I when I saw that Baptism on the Bay was happening, I knew this is how I was supposed to do it. For me, it's an act of faith and a stamp in my faith passport on the way to my calling.