Baptized three times -really?

Being reborn in Christ when I was 10 years old, was exciting but confusing.  What was I supposed to do next? I was told I would be joining a church. I was told I would be confirmed in the Holy Spirit by being baptized. My parents had done that to me when I was a baby, so why was I doing it again? No answers just instructions. So – baptized it was.

Guess what, the baptism process for me continued. My father was moved to a new church appointment when I was 11. There was a girl about my age who wanted to be baptized by immersion. I had heard my dad and my uncle, who was also a minister, talk about going down to the river and baptizing folks in the muddy water. My dad told me that wasn’t how he planned on baptizing my new friend.  He asked the local Baptist church if our church could use their baptistry, also referred to as a baptismal pool. Basically, it was a tank of water. The pastor and the baptismal candidate would walk into the water, where the pastor would dip the candidate three times saying, I baptize you in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost.

My friend was scared to do this so she asked my dad if I could do it with her. Without asking me, my father said sure, so that was my third time to be baptized.  If baptism gets you into Heaven, then I’m a shoe in. Please keep in mind my two extra baptisms are not common, and this took place way back in 1957. The respect for baptism is different today. So, relax, you’re fine with one! A suggestion for my readers. Think about your own baptism. Did it change you?

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