Old Email

Here's an old email I was looking at its talking about when I got baptized. I made an outward confession of my inward faith. I will always be able to look back and say that September 13, 2009 was when I stepped up and gave myself wholly to Christ.

Hey Everybody!

As some of you may know I've been praying a lot about getting baptized sometime soon... I decided on the 13th of September, which is next Sunday. I've realized if I keep waiting to get baptized until I have everything together I'm never going to take that step. My baptism is a way for me, as imperfect that I may be, to make a public declaration of my relationship with Christ. I decided to wait to be baptized until school started back up because I wanted the people who are around me everyday encouraging me and spurring me on towards Christ (you all) to be there. I just found out my parents will not be able to come, but they encouraged me to go on with it because they knew I would be surrounded and loved by so many of my closest friends. So if you are able I would love it if you all could be there! Its going to be this Sunday after the service at Banner Elk. I'm not sure if its going to be before or after college lunch. And Oh yeah its college lunch! So you'll get free food to! Ha

A word of encouragement/Challenge:
A couple weeks ago I was laying in bed praying/thinking, I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about something Sue (lady who sings at church) told me. She told me she had a picture that God wanted her to share with me. She said there is a beautiful empty glass, and then out of nowhere there was water being poured into it, the water filled the cup full and then to overflowing. She looked at me and said that I was the empty cup and the water was the Holy Spirit filling me to full to overflowing. When I heard this I kind of blew it off, what did that have to do with me? The only reason I was crying was because my granddad just died, I'm already a Christian, I'M A YOUNGLIFE LEADER! I've got my stuff together. The more I thought about it that next week the more I realized how broken I was and how many burdens I had been pilling up and letting them weigh me down. I realized how much I really did need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, how much I had been trying to do everything on my own, I was so tired and overwhelmed. As I thought about all this it was kind of depressing, here I am a beautiful, but still empty glass; now what? I remember laying there feeling sorry for myself one night when I remember the second part of Sue's picture. She said I was going to be filled! Filled to full to overflowing! I had been focused on the first part of the picture that I forgot the second part! The part that offered hope and redemption! I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of peace, then I heard a whisper of someone saying "something big is coming". SOMETHING BIG IS COMING! 

That story was a long intro to what has been on my heart to share with all of you all, for those of you who read this far... We are going to be part of something big a GOD thing. Our leader retreat got me soooo excited about this upcoming school year. We have a chance to do something big this year and be a part of an awesome community. We need to be encouraging each other, spurring each other on towards Christ, holding each other accountable, praying for each other and with each other, loving each other, praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to be lights of Christ to our high school, middle school, and college friends, we need to have a sense of pride in our community but also be accepting and loving to the people outside our community. All of this may sound like a lot but its really not us doing all these things its Christ in us, he will give us the strength if we ask him, "all we have to do is show up." 

My prayer for us is that we will all be filled to overflowing, that we will honor Christ in our relationships with each other and the people around us, that people will see us and recognize us as Christians and wonder why we are so different and where our joy comes from. Our joy comes from him who lives inside us! Something BIG is coming but its not going to be because of us, its going to be because of the living God inside of us! Get excited! 

Although my words may not be the most extravagant and thought out, I pray that I said something you all needed to hear. I will admit a lot of writing this was for me just to get it out of my heart and down on paper. I hope this was encouraging know that I love all of you SO much and this year is going to be awesome! If you ever need anything please call me let me know and I will be happy to do anything I can for you! Y'all are the greatest! Have a blessed week! 

Your brother in Christ,
Nathaniel Frederick Herndon