When Your Child Gets Baptized

So. This happened Sunday night.

I've tried and tried to come up with words to describe watching my child get baptized, but nothing I say can even come close to describing the flood of emotions I feel when I look at this picture.

It's a hard thing to see sin growing and flourishing your child's heart. Back in the spring, we were having a bit of a rough time with this one. There were bad attitudes and harsh words and selfishness and downright meanness. It was not a fun time.

As I prayed for her and talked with her, I knew that what she needed, more than anything else, was Jesus. She needed him to sweep into her heart and fill her with his Spirit. She needed a fresh start. She needed mercy and grace and redemption. She needed salvation.

On May 1, this sweet girl looked up at me after church one morning and said she wanted to ask Jesus to come into her heart. And so, that afternoon, she did. She's been impatiently waiting for her baptism ever since.

I'll never forget standing there beside the baptistry when our pastor dipped her under the water. She came up with the biggest grin on her face—it was a moment of pure joy for her. And for me. And for all of our family that was there to witness such a sweet moment. 

What a sweet, sweet gift God gave to us when he made her ours. Parenting is hard, and there are definite ups and downs. But Sunday night? Definitely a high point.

I'm so grateful that God, in his great grace and mercy, looked down on her and drew her near. I'm so thankful that she heeded his call and went running to him. And more than anything else, I'm so glad that we get to be a part of the journey as she grows to know, love, and serve the Lord.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Returning to the Real World after TGCW16

A week ago at this time, I was driving home from The Gospel Coalition's Women's conference in Indianapolis. I attended the conference with my friend Meredith, and we met up with our friend Kristen, along with several other friends, old and new, while we were there.

It was such a life-giving and affirming experience for me, and I enjoyed reconnecting with friends from my days at Beeson nearly as much as I appreciated the Biblical teaching I received. It was a welcomed and much-needed reprieve from daily life.

But from the moment I dove back into the real world craziness of life as a mom of two active little girls, I've caught myself wondering if the weekend away was really real.

Did I really listen to Don Carson give a Christian response to suffering in this day and age? Did I really receive sound parenting advice from Jen Wilkin on raising children to be different from the world? Did I really hear my friend Betsy Childs Howard propose a Biblical viewpoint for approaching all our periods of waiting? Did I really get to meet and hear about the work of several recent Beeson grads for TGC and Proverbs 31 Ministries?

The answer, of course, is that yes, the conference really did happen. I really was there, and I really was encouraged and renewed by the people that I met and the messages that I heard. 

But in the midst of swim team practice and playdates with friends and preparing for Limitless and ohmyword catching up on the laundry and figuring out what in the world we're going to eat for supper and balancing the checkbook and paying bills, it seems so very far away. 

The good news, though, is that TGC has uploaded all of the conference media to their site, and I can listen any time I want to remember. There are several sessions that I know I want to revisit, and I'm looking forward to doing that over the coming days and weeks.

Conferences and camps and trips are always fun, but our faith is lived out in the real world. I'm thankful to TGC for giving me a piece of the conference to bring with me into this everyday ordinary life.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Introducing Limitless: A Study on Ephesians

For a long time now, years even, I have felt the Lord calling me to a writing and teaching ministry. And although I've been actively teaching in church and writing curriculum here and there, I've never actually sat down and written a Bible study to teach in church.

Until  now.

Months ago, I began planning a women's Bible study for the summer. It would be an in-depth study of a book of the Bible that would equip women to study the Word and think through it critically. After much prayer and consideration, I chose Ephesians for the study.

Limitless is the result.

Monday night, I gathered with a great group of women from different churches and backgrounds, and we opened up the Word to read it together. It was such a sweet time of study and fellowship, and I felt incredibly blessed to be a part of it.

As I've prepared for this study, I've been completely overwhelmed by the limitless God we serve. He's so big, and his mercy, love, grace, power, and compassion are endless. The way he has lavished his riches on us amazes me, and I can't wait to see him more clearly as we go through Limitless this summer.

Because it's a summer Bible study, and because women will be in and out throughout the duration, I started a podcast of the audio teaching. That way everyone can keep up and stay in the loop even if they have to miss a group meeting.

And then I thought that maybe some of you would like to follow along with us, so I'm providing the workbook as a free download. Study and listen at your own pace, or follow along with us as we read the Word this summer. Click to access the podcast and workbook. I'd love for you to join us!