Isaac Cravey
Baptismal Statement by Isaac Cravey
April 5, 2015
I like looking at the picture books that my mom made when I was little. In the picture book from my first year, there are pictures of my grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins but there are also lots of pictures of people from this church. Even when I was just born, this church was taking care of me.
Most of my family lives down in Florida so when I have a soccer or football game, people from my church come out and watch me. It makes me feel good and gives me motivation to try my best.
As far back as I can remember I have been a part of the church. I played games with the youth group even though I was still very little. I played blackjack with the old men. I eat dinner with my church friends on Wednesday night and play frisbee with them on Monday nights. Sometimes we go camping together or go to theme parks or to baseball games.
I had never been camping before I joined the church so I didn’t really know what to expect. I remember my family browsing the Bass Pro Shops website to see what gear we would need to make the trip an enjoyable one. Thankfully, we had Bass Pro Shops coupons that helped make the items a bit cheaper otherwise it would have been an expensive shop! It was a lovely trip and I really enjoyed sleeping under God’s roof.
We also work together. When I was little, I used to like help putting food in backpacks for hungry kids on Wednesday night. I helped work in Sterling and Suzanne’s yard with outrageous outreach. I helped the helping hands committee by mowing Rozette Huckabee’s and Harold Holler’s yards. Dad sometimes takes me to the hospital to visit sick people or just sit with people who are waiting. When Mom and I went to Louisville with the church, we helped make meals for homeless people. I like helping people, and with church friends it is usually pretty fun.
When we had to put my dog to sleep, because he was old, Michael came to our house with us when we were sad.
4 months ago, I was sitting in church and thought “A lot of great people in the church helped me, and I want to be one of those people who helps others.” and so I filled out a card to join the church. College Park is my family and I want to show that I am part of it.
When I go to sleep, I know God is with me. Sometimes I am scared of the dark and I pray and I am not so scared. If that doesn’t work, I read Calvin and Hobbes and Get Fuzzy with my little flashlight.
I pray before dinner to thank God that we are fortunate to have a house and food. I thank God every night in my prayers, too, for the things he has given me like school, security, and my mom and dad.
I think being baptized will help me understand God better. There isn’t anything magical about being baptized, I will still be the same person. But by becoming part of the church, I am promising to try to learn more about being a Christian and following Jesus.
My name Isaac comes from a Bible story. When Abraham’s wife Sarah learned she would have a son at 90 she laughed . The later part of the story is when God tells Abraham to kill Isaac and is pretty scary. It is also why I am nervous about camping alone with my Dad. Laughter is important. That is why they named me Isaac. If you lose everything in your life, but you still have the ability to laugh, then the game’s not over. Roger Rabbit said, “A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why sometimes in life it’s the only weapon we have.”
Today is Easter and for Lent I gave up candy. I learned how hard it is to give something up. I understand a tiny bit better what Jesus gave up for us. When I first heard about Jesus coming back from the dead, I thought it was scary. Now I know it means that dying is not the end of our story. We have eternal life in heaven.
I still have a lot to learn about God and Jesus. I know that my church will help me — my Sunday school teachers, my music teachers, Rydell and Susan, my ministers, Michael and Lin, and everyone else in the church are the ones who will teach me and take care of me, just like they have been doing for nine years.