I am Baptized into Christ 1 Cor 12:13 by Susan L.

  Following the emotional storm of Easter weekend, this is a wonderful way to start the next leg of the affirmation journey.
  As I was cleaning out stuff, my record of adult baptism fell out of a stack of old birthday and mother's day cards. I had been baptized as an infant according to Anglican practices but felt called to honour Christ's command to be baptized once I had, as an adult, embraced, accepted, placed my heart with Him as Lord.
  Seeing the card brought it all to mind.
  I've never really talked about the profound impact this had on my life. It's not something that is easy to articulate because it touched the deepest parts of my soul in ways beyond imagining. There are no earthly words to describe the emotions that exploded as I was raised out of the water by the pastor. There is no language of man able to describe the shift in understanding released by surrendering myself in this act of faith declaration and repentance.
  All of it happened in a matter of seconds. A second to man is an eternity to God. It felt like I'd spent eternity with Him under the water...

  And once again, I was forever changed.

 Then came the fires, the darkest years of the Black River.
 
  I was forever changed again and again; lifted out of the ashes of my life like a blazing phoenix. Each rebirth marked the shattering of lies. Each rebirth flooded my soul with gratitude and a greater  love of my Lord. Each time the trip through the refining fires was, and continues to be, new territory as my Lord unravels the hurts, the sins crippling my mind and identity in Christ.
  I discovered honesty. I am still discovering honesty despite knowing "honesty" can be nothing but a façade of falsehoods. This happens when we believe or say bad things about ourselves. It's the devil's "truth" that serves only one purpose: to keep us from living as beloved children of God.
  Thank You, Lord, for Truth.
  Thank You, Lord, for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Truth's messenger.
  Thank You, Lord that all these experiences, good and not so good, have enabled me to keep discovering who You really are.
  Thank You for the gift of Your Son, the One who made all of this possible. Glory be to God! AMEN!
  I look forward to being forever changed over and over and over.
  "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Mat 3:11-12