"Every Sunday after church, my mother and I would buy the Sunday papers and walk home together. Then she'd get drunk and try to make pancakes."
-George Carlin
Well, sometimes I have to reach a little to make these quotes fit in with the blog topic. This is as close as I got.
On Saturday August 16, 2008 my daughter, Tessa Sharron Brink, was dedicated at Morning Star church. It was during a group ceremony, so there was quite a lot to take in, as the church does both baptisms and dedications at the same service. So basically there were tons of babies, kids, teens, adults and families getting prayed over, sprinkled or dunked.
We chose to dedicate Tessa for a few reasons. First, we thought it was the best compromise between Valerie's Catholic upbringing and my Baptist upbringing. Some may not agree, but it's not your kid, or your decision to make. We did what we felt was right for our family and our child, and we're both very happy with our decision.
Secondly, we know that we want to raise her as a Christian, and we feel that a good way to start is to make a public commitment to do so in front of our church and before God. We want her to know that she can always rely on her faith and relationship with God, whatever life brings her way.
"But Dave," you say, "you ain't exactly the ultimate role model in this department. How you gonna do all that without being a hypocrite?"
Okay, first of all, your grammar is atrocious. You do have a point though. I'm not your stereotypical Christian. I swear too much, drink, am a little too proud, and enjoy quite a lot of music and movies that are, at best, of questionable moral value. Well, as Johnny Cash once said, "I'm a D minus Christian, but I am one." See, I don't believe that stuff is as important as my faith and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm not perfect, but he knows it, and loves me anyway. He loves you too, by the way, bad grammar and all.
The third reason we dedicated our daughter is that we have found a church that works for us. They're not much for tradition, and are fairly laid back about a lot of things, but there is a definite, real love of God and people at Morning Star church. One of the things they stress in the dedication is that we are all, as a church, responsible to help each other out on our spiritual journeys. From the infants brought in to the Kingdom of God to the grown man accepting Jesus for the first time, we're all in it together. I like that idea, and I like the church.
Tessa's dedication was quite meaningful, but quick. Our pastor, Mike Schreiner, held her and said a prayer for her and us in front of the congregation. Some super cute slides of the girl were displayed on the screens, and we had our little moment with the church, each other and God. As sweet as that was though, the coolest thing about the whole evening was that at the end of the service, Pastor Mike decided to open it up to anyone who may want to be baptised, something that he normally doesn't do. At least eight people, possibly more, came forward. It was awesome. Sure, there may have been a few who were swept up in the emotion, or felt they were supposed to do it, but I believe The Holy Spirit was there that night and working in the hearts of those people. That was the best thing I witnessed all weekend.
"The Dark Knight" came in a close second. Amazing movie, well worth the wait and my eight bucks. Heath Ledger's Joker rules. Great story, great acting, nearly flawless. It demands that you pay attention to it, and rewards you big time. If you haven't seen it yet, GO!!!
And go to church this weekend too.
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