So…..I know for some of you squad leading is still hard to grasp and understand. So, I thought I would share one experience from this past week at launch to help paint a picture of a piece of what squad leading looks like on the field.
As a squad leader one of the opportunities I have is to come along side racers and join them in their journey. To be a vessel for the Lord and point them towards Him and their inheritance as sons and daughters. Last Wednesday, Sept 7, I got to join Britni, one of my racers, on her journey. A woman who radiates the Lord’s beauty and joy. A woman who was searching for freedom and found it! It was a special night. We sat, talked, prayed, declared, and danced before our King! And in the FREEDOM of the night she decided to be baptized before we left the USA to celebrate and mark the change in her life. So….before our travel day began our squad came together to worship. We sang and prayed for the city and then gathered around Britni.
Below is Britni’s story from her blog (My Bucket Baptism) and a video of her baptism. This woman is on FIRE for the Lord and will be blazing through the nations this year. It was an honor and true blessing to be a part of her baptism and I am so excited for the MORE that God has in store for her! I hope this gives you a glimpse to my life as a squad leader and the honor I have in leading this amazing squad!
My Bucket Baptism
God gave me a word at the beginning of 2011. FREEDOM. This last week has
been revelation of what this word really means for me. In the weeks
leading up to training camp, I struggled. I questioned all I was giving
up; weighing the value with what I had at home. Pause for a second to
think about this. I don’t want to sound ungrateful in the least for this
opportunity. Imagine moving out of your house, giving up your car,
quitting your job, selling your clothes (and your coach purses, ladies).
Picture leaving your family, friends and all opportunities to make new
memories, for an ENTIRE YEAR. All to pack what you can in one backpack,
meet up with a bunch of people you know primarily through Facebook
stalking, and traveling to random countries to talk about the one thing
that you have a hard time sharing with people at home. JESUS. It is an
incredibly, scary thought.
I questioned my ability, my mental capacity, my worthiness. What kind of
person does this? What kind of person loves others, loves God enough to
go? Surely it’s not me. I am not this kind of person, am I? I have
struggled with very real issues in my life. Past issues with my
self-worth, my boundaries with guys, my limitations with alcohol, my
“bad-ass� attitude, and the list goes on. I truly allowed myself to wear
these struggles around my neck. I allowed myself to see these issues
when I looked in the mirror. The cool thing about God is that when you
make the decision to follow after Him whole-heartedly, those things
don’t matter anymore. Actually, those things don’t even EXIST to Him
anymore.
After an incredible, life-giving conversation with my squad leader
(completed with a dance session for Jesus), I realized that growing with
Christ is not about perfection. He never required perfection. Actually,
its not even possible. He takes us right where we are at, flaws and
all. I made a decision that night that before I left the country, I
wanted to be baptized. I wanted a physical representation of the
life/past I was leaving behind and the NEW NEW NEW that God was leading
me towards this year.
So, Friday morning before we left, my team gathered around me. I
received my “bucket baptism� before God and my incredible Z-FAM. It was
possibly the most freeing experience I have had with Christ so far.
Words cannot describe the things I felt that morning. It was as if God
literally gave me a new heart, mind and body. I don’t even feel the
same. GOD IS GOOD.
So, I want to share with you the experience I had. This is just a part
of the “ceremony� but enough for you to get the idea. I had thought that
this baptism wasn’t going to be as legit as the traditional way, but a
member of the A-Squad said something that still gives me goose bumps.
She pointed out that in a traditional baptism, you are dunked in and out
of the water once, leaving behind the person you were while becoming
new in Christ. In the “bucket baptism�, the water was pouring over like a
constant waterfall. It was a beautiful picture to me because it
represented the grace of God that continues to make us new in Him every
day. He is like a waterfall pouring out over hearts.
