"Ok, break's over..."

That's a line from the song "Saint Augustine in Hell" by Sting. No real significance to anything, it's just one of those lines that sticks with you.

Sometimes you lament because life is uninteresting and stale - other times you pray that life will just give you some "normalcy". I think I can say with conviction that life as I know it is over. Most of the time when you say that you infer that life is over. That's not what the line really means, it just means that things are different and they probably won't be "the same" any more.

The hollywood version of this line is "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore". The newly recruited Apostles must have said something similar to each other when they saw Jesus drive out an evil spirit at Capernaum.

Life as they knew it was over...or just beginning.

The difference is hard to identify, except in retrospect. How many times have we looked back on hard times, painful times, stressful times and realized that even though it was hard things were different from then on. Looking back on it, you realize that you are still here and that the experience changed you.

Peter was simple fisherman, hot-headed, stubborn...strong. We think of Peter as the "leader" of the apostles, a strong, brave man. He spoke at Pentecost, when we were first called Christians. He is someone we look up to and read about - we study what he did, what he didn't do we learn from his mistakes.

I think it's safe to say that at some point after he dropped his nets and followed Christ he said to himself..."life as I know it, is over...".

Praise God for that.

The "B-word"

It's just a word, but it's much more. For some it's statement of faith, for others it's a line in the sand, still others see it as a choice, some just scratch their head and don't get it and for the rest of us it's a necessary part of the plan of salvation. It's one of those explosive words that can bring instant harmony or certain distress into any conversation. It has divided families and Churches, been the undoing of thousands of trees for the paper used to print the millions of books on the subject.

Baptism.

At this point in many of my thoughts I would say..."for me...", but not on this one. I just don't get it. It's as plain as the nose on my face (and trust me, you can't miss mine). Baptism is essential to salvation. God, through his holy, inspired word, has made this clear. We can debate things like instrumental/Acapella music, or preaching styles or missionaries all day long because there is some room in many aspects of Christianity for interpretation. However, baptism is a straight-forward, salvation issue. God commands it, he shows us time and again examples of those being saved when they are baptized...so...what's the big deal?

In my humble opinion, I think part of it is simple laziness. Why bother getting all wet and putting yourself out there for everyone to see, when you can call yourself a Christian just be uttering a few words? When you do that, it's more like a new year's resolution..."I'm going to be a better person, I'm going to be Christian", then when you fall short you can just forget it all happened and be done with it and go about the life you had before all this. Christ knows we are going to fall short and disappoint him, but we are saved by his blood, his sacrifice, his pain...he died for us, can't we just do a simple act that he asks of us? When you give yourself to Christ and are baptized you die to the sin and pain of your old self and come up out of the water a new person, cleansed by the blood that Christ bled on the cross FOR YOU.

Every "serious" person of Christ that I have every met has been baptized even if they didn't think it was essential to salvation.

Maybe that's why the muslim faith is growing so much, there's no such thing as baptism in it. you can be a muslim just be uttering a few words. Yes, to be a "super-muslim" you have to visit Mecca, but how many of the 1.2 billion muslims have actually done that?

Just something I was thinking about. Yes, a little venting.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:37-39

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:26,27