"Why did you get so choked up?"

Some of my best memories of my time as pastor of Northside have been the baptisms.  I will never forget baptizing four young students from China.  They had come here to do graduate work and our Chinese Fellowship had befriended them and they had accepted Christ.  That was a big moment for me to see the world has come to us and that anyone in the world can come to Christ.

In some ways my most memorable baptism was one I had a hard time saying anything because I got choked up.  You can't imagine me doing that can you?   A few weeks before, a young African Muslim woman came to my office.  Her name was Maria.  She briefly told me of her treacherous and deadly journey leaving a war torn country in Africa.  She and her family, who are all still Muslims, somehow made it through a series of harrowing moments, through some refugee camps and finally to the United States. 

Maria was very much to the point of her coming to see me though.  She wanted to become a Christian.  She had seen the violence and brutality that had hidden behind a veil of religion in Africa.  She had heard about Jesus in the refugee camps.  She had attended our church, it was within walking distance of the apartment she had found to live in while she attended college here to become a nurse.  Maria was truly ready to give her heart and life to Christ knowing that it would be very costly to her.  Her decision led to her family disowning her and counting her as dead.

As we stood there in those waters for her baptism, I was overwhelmed by the thought that I have never in all my years baptized anyone who had to pay such a high price to follow Christ.  I usually baptize people with the blessing of their family or at least some sort of acceptance.  There was none of that for her.  Yet, there was a joy in her that brought us both to tears.  Several people asked afterwards,  "Why did you get so choked up?"  If you read this and still don't understand, I am not sure I can explain it to you.

Today, August 14, Maria graduates with her RN degree. She remains steadfast in her faith.  There has never been any family help but yet there has been help from her spiritual family at Northside.  Sometimes God brings a person with great needs into your life and you think it is so you can be a blessing to them.  But in reality it is so He can show you how that person can become a blessing to you.  Congratulations Maria, you are that blessing.  May there be many more like you that God brings into our lives and into the family at Northside.

for the journey...

Tim