Stormie kind of 'stirred the pot' recently with her voting poll question about our spirituality and practice. I love the truth that ALL LIFE IS SPIRITUAL.....I believe we are 'knit together in our mother's wombs', 'fearfully and wonderfully made'....

...One of the most spiritual and simple practices not only in the Christian church but all world cultures, is giving ones children back to a Higher Power, a Divine Source--God as one understands and believes. That giving back can be symbolized in Baptism, water and the word.

Whole church denominations have been started from an understanding of what baptism is or is not, for children or adults, to wash away sins or be a confession of faith and so on. They can all be good, important and true and do not have to cause conflict and strife when they are seen as simply giving our children back to their Creator through the recreating waters of baptism--pouring, sprinkling, immersing, whatever......And it's been comforting for me to not only renew my baptism throughout my life, but to be able to continue to give my children back to God throughout their lives and now into their adult years of 'babies having babies' as the circle of life continues.

Baptism and water and cleansing and regeneration are all favorite themes in my life and faith. People ask why or wonder why churches practices baptism and communion and receive the standard responses of 'it's in the Bible' or 'believers were commanded to do so' or whatever. All true, but I think it goes deeper and simpler than that. We all have to wash and eat or we'll die. These simple sacred acts also translate in baptism and communion, being washed and being fed so we can 'live' and ultimately live forever.

So here it is: We are born in water---as the fetus is encased in the amniotic fluid, actually 'breathing' through the liquid for survival and growth. There comes the day when the water breaks and the baby is born to physical life. Then there is a 'rebirth' through water and and the word, as many Christians believe from John 3, "...unless you are born of water and the word...." Then there comes tje day upon death where many believe they go through the River of Life, upon entry into heaven, leaving all earthliness behind, being born to eternal life.

This is just my growing belief and understanding. I read an amazing book years ago by Rebecca Ruth Springer entitled "Within Heaven's Gates" where she was clinically dead and was brought back to life--one of those 'beyond and back' stories, but this one was the most real, logical, and practical I have ever read. She writes (to paraphrse) that upon her death, when she first enters heaven, she goes under the waters of the river of life flowing through the middle of heaven, as mentioned in the Book of Revelation. She is able to breathe and as she exits the river she has been transformed, born to eternal life.

I love this. What are we, some 90+ percent water, living water? It all makes 'sense' to me. Which is also why I believe all water is sacred, and why I don't just feel so good and relaxed after a hot bath or shower because I'm clean, but because the water is transforming me, now in part, then in full.
_____________________

"River of Dreams"
~ Billy Joel

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be lookin' for something
Something sacred i lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross
even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what I've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I'd never lose
Something somebody stole
I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is I've been looking for


In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To the river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night (break)

I’m not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is runnin' through the promised land

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night