So we’re at a party one Saturday evening, and Kasey says that he’s going to preach about I Peter Chapter 3 the next day and talk about baptism. He’s asking what we think about setting up a temporary baptistery. I was instantly excited about the idea, being a fan of baptism and all, but all I could think about were the logistics. What would we use? My kids’ baby pool was too small, so was the largest Rubbermaid tote we could find. Kasey found a cow trough at Tractor Supply—that was the ticket! But what about the weight of 300 gallons of water—could our building support over a ton in one spot? What about clothes and towels and the time change—would anyone want to be baptized?
Then, Lisa says there are so many strikes against this idea, we just have to do it. Satan must be trying to stop us! An architect and a construction manager give us suggestions on how to distribute the weight better, and the trough is wider than first thought—it just might work! Jesse comes up with the brilliant suggestion to use a sump pump to pump water into the trough instead of filling it bucket by bucket. It works! Kasey, Jesse, Brandon, and Scott are so excited. But then, it starts to leak. As it turns out, Mighty Putty is some pretty good stuff. The leak is stopped, and we’re ready to go!
Kasey preaches a beautiful sermon that next day, relating baptism themes throughout scripture–Noah and the flood, Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist, the baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch–giving us a good picture of how God intends for baptism to be an integral part of our Christian walk, a sign of new birth in Christ. So small is our faith sometimes, you know? I was wondering how embarrassing it would be if nobody decided to get baptized that day. Then, I started praying that anyone in whom God was working that morning would choose to overcome any fears they might have and give themselves over to God’s Holy Spirit. And guess what? SIX people chose to be baptized—in cold water in a cow trough with no change of clothes! Nobody was being stilted by excuses. They were just excited about plunging into their relationship with God in a new way. It was really exciting to see . . . and the building held the weight of the water. Sometimes when we see too many barriers to accomplishing His will, we have to throw ourselves into our task and ignore the “what-ifs.” That’s where the trust comes in. That’s where God shows up and reveals Himself!