A blessed week

Holy Week just recently ended and I must say it's one of the most meaningful ones I've had so far. Aside from All Saints Day/All Souls Day and Christmas/New Year, it's one of the longest Philippine holidays so it's been kind of a family tradition to go on vacation during this time of the year because 1) it's summer and 2) we don't have to miss school or work just to spend time with each other. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time we spent Holy Week at home. This year however, we decided to stay home.

I had no idea I'll be spending Holy Week the way it's supposed to be - by spending more quality time with God. It actually started the week prior to that. I was supposed to go to a gig of a local indie band one Friday night but at the last minute, I backed out. For some reason, I was no longer feeling up to it so I decided to go home early and rest. I just got off at The Block when mom texted me that they're on their way to QC Circle to see Pastor Doug Batchelor. I know Pastor Doug was coming back to Manila but I didn't know it will be that night. Thank God, I followed my gut so even though I was feeling a bit tired, I didn't hesitate to go with them because I'd love to hear Pastor Doug preach again. So mom and Dad picked me up at The Block and in minutes, I'm back at the Elliptical road again.

Pastor Doug has only been in Manila twice but he is one of my favorite speakers because not only does he cite historical facts and biblical passages in his messages, he speaks from the heart and experience as well. The last time he was here, his trip got cut short as he received tragic news that his son Micah died in an accident. After more than a decade, Pastor Doug and the Amazing Facts team are back in Manila for the Hidden Bible Truths series. Within a week, I've attended all but one of the meetings. I was raised knowing the Bible truths that were discussed but it's always good to be reminded because humans tend to forget. Each meeting got me screen-capping verses on my Bible app (because the offline version of YouVersion doesn't allow bookmarking boo) before highlighting them on my Bible when I get home. The week-long series gave me the spiritual revival I needed and reminded me of the time I got baptized and why I did it.

You see, most Filipinos experienced christening or infant baptism, but not me. As an infant, I was dedicated to God by my parents, just like Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord (See 1 Samuel 1:26-28). Child dedication is a service of the church to parents or families who want to make a commitment to the Lord by submitting their child to His will. It's a promise that the parents will raise their child in God's Word and God's ways.

Even though my parents are pretty hands-on when it comes to our spiritual growth, they never forced anything on us. They remind us to pray, read the Bible regularly, return tithes and give offerings, go to church on time, use our talents for God, reach out to others, help the unfortunate, etc. But that's it. They don't reprimand me even if I fail them (and God) several times. So I continue to strive to be a better person. Likewise, they left the choice of baptism to us. I didn't get baptized because I have to. I got baptized because I wanted to. After all, baptism is a choice one makes when you feel that you are ready to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior. It means you have decided to leave your old ways behind and be reborn through Him. I didn't rush into it because I know that I'll know when the right time comes. If you know me, I'm quite dramatic so I didn't get baptized until I was 13 or 14 years old and it was because of Pastor Doug.

We were attending a series of events organized by the Amazing Facts team back in 2001. Sometimes (okay, most of the time), I can be quite a cynic and a skeptic so it takes a great deal to impress or even convince me. But I have always been fond of historical facts and trivia (I know, I'm such a geek) so I found the whole event enjoyable even at a young age. One of the messages that stood out and is personally my favorite was Pastor Doug's testimony (he even wrote a book about it: The Richest Caveman: The Doug Batchelor Story) of how he became a Christian. I hate spoilers so if you're curious, you can hear it for yourself here.

On the last night of the series, Pastor Doug called upon those who wanted to be baptized after giving yet another inspirational message. I felt a tug in my heart and I knew that it's definitely about time I profess my faith in God through baptism. But as the shy girl that I am, I didn't go on the first invitation. Even then, I believed that if it's meant to happen, it will happen. Nevertheless, he continued to call out while excuses run through my mind. I'm only 13. Am I too young to do this? I'm on the stands, it's just too far from the stage. It doesn't matter if I do this now or any other time. I could get baptized in church anyway. As if reading my mind, he called again specifically stating my reasons. Yes, not just one. All of them (except my age, of course, or else that would've been creepy). But that didn't convince me either. Not until he said, "I will wait for you. If you need more time to think about it, it doesn't matter how long, but I will wait for you." And that just did it for me. I'm sure he was addressing the crowd but his words spoke to my heart that the invitation felt personal. I knew right then it was no longer Pastor Doug who's calling out to me. What is a couple of minutes compared to 13 years that I've kept God waiting?

What I didn't realize then was if I don't do something about it, it will never happen. So I went down from the stands and stood in the center of the stadium, together with my siblings and cousins, and several others willing to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Pastor Doug along with the brethren, prayed for us and blessed us. And on the following Sabbath afternoon, I was baptized by my Uncle, Pastor Durante. It's been 12 years since then and I must admit, I've slipped back a couple of times. But every time I do, He's there to catch me and bring me back closer to His embrace, welcoming me with overflowing goodness and mercy.

Thanks to the Hidden Bible Truths series, I was once again reminded of how badly I am in need of spiritual revival. Last year, I challenged myself to read the Bible in its entirety. Sure, I know a couple of (memory) verses but that's not enough. I've been crossing out tons of books in my To-Read list that I've fallen far behind on my Bible reading so it's about time I get back to it. After all, it's the greatest book ever written. If you need comforting or uplifting, or you may have been searching for the truth, or just in need of a good read, try leafing through the Bible and you'd be surprised how much treasure you can find there. Holy Week may have ended but it's never too late to start a relationship with God. :)