a bunch of baptisms and a bear

Only in our neck of the woods, I suppose…

The past 2 Wednesday nights have been exceptional.  Our lifegroup meets Wednesday nights out at Harvest Fields, which might be the best office location in all the world, at least if you’re wired like me.  100+ acres of woods and ponds and starry sky…that’s hard to beat.

Last Wednesday I baptized 5 people (6 if you count the one in utero!), and tonight I had the pleasure and privilege of baptizing 2 more.  These are all adults who have made a commitment to following Jesus at some point in their past, but they’d never been baptized before.  We had them share their story of how they came to know and follow Jesus, how their lives have been/are being transformed by his love and character.  It’s been a wonderful time of getting to know each other better, reminding ourselves of the redemption that Jesus brings, and hearing stories of God’s love and faithfulness.

We waded out into the pond, read some scripture, heard their testimony, witnessed their baptism, then warmed ourselves by a fire.  We sang a little, ate some s’mores, and chatted as the sun dipped down below the hills in the distance.  As the stars came out and the fire burned low, we had some time to reflect, to think about what God is doing in our lives.  We prayed together, asking God to continue his work in us and through us, and thanking him for what he’s done.

I love my lifegroup!

Oh yeah–the bear.  As I was gathering some kindling for the fire, I heard a noise behind me.  I turned around to see Mr. Bear loping through the woods, about 100 feet from me.  I snapped a couple of blurry pictures, and he heard the digital click of the camera (Why does it make noise?) and scurried away, up the hill into the woods.  It’s not a big bear, but it was exciting to see him (her?) in the woods.  I hope I didn’t scare him too much!