Dunked Driver

Hello.

This was a piece I wrote, initially as an email, in response to a friend of mine who is being baptised this Saturday. The ceremony will take place in the English Channel off Brighton (Sussex) beach.

Once again it was well received by those for whom it was originally intended, I thought you might like to see it too.

Damien.


Like many boys who grew up in Church families in our generation I was baptised as an infant. It was Sunday 23rd July 1972 and I was two and a half months old. (My birthdate is Friday 5th May 1972.) I can't tell you much about it as I don't remember, although I was awake which was good. Being baptised as an infant is one thing, being baptised when you are asleep is something else.

Following tradition, and my parents who now constituted a Christian family rather than a Church family, (we came back to Jesus in 1975 after almost being killed in a very bad Road Traffic Accident), I made Confirmation on Sunday 21st October 1984. I was twelve and a half years of age and in Grade Seven at school. It was a school confirmation class and I was in my school (winter) uniform in church. It was at the altar rail, kneeling before David +, Bishop Shand, of Gippsland, that I prayed 'Lord Jesus if you aren't already in my life, now I am inviting you to be my Lord and Saviour'. I had been praying in this style in the weeks leading up to my confirmation, and waited until 'the altar' before praying 'the prayer'. Jesus said to me that He was already in my life and had been for twelve years, but thanked me for the concern.

I made a public re-affirmation of faith on Sunday 22nd September 1985 at my brother's confirmation service. We had changed Christian denominations as a family then, (I'd been confirmed into the Church of England, we were now Methodists) and since my little brother (twelve years and one day old) was the only kid in the confirmation class I went along to be his company amidst the scary grown-ups. He made confirmation and I made reaffirmation, basically saying that I still believed in God but I would become a part of the Uniting Church in Australia denomination as my local church.

I was Baptised in The Holy Spirit in January 1986, (I don't remember the exact date), in one of the evening rallies at 'Tabor Convention'. This was an annual conference held by Tabor College in Adelaide and had 15,000 attendees every year...basically what Hillsong Conference is now, but twenty years ago. I think it was Reinhardt Bonnke who was preaching, or possibly Paul (as he was then) Yonngi Cho. Anyway because I was little (almost fourteen) I had to stand on a chair to see the stage: and I remember my dad hugging me to him so that I wouldn't fall off the chair when the spirit came upon me. I got all wobbly and kept saying 'Praise the Lord' and 'Oh Hallelujah!' other Christian jargon.

I was first 'slain in the spirit' (ugh...horrible phrase) on Tuesday 10th September 1996 at 'The Power to Energize Conference' at Hobart Christian Life Centre. The speaker that night was Brian Houston and Darlene Zschech led worship. Our senior pastor was very sick with Motor Neurone Disease, (he died six weeks later), and so his best mate, my dad, was called in at the last minute to lead one of the workshops. (Incidentally the workshop he lead was on Casey Treat's book.) Because dad was a VIP he saved us (me and brother) seats in the second row directly behind his, so when Brian made the altar call I was one of the first ones down. Brian looked at me...and I looked at the ceiling! My dad had to carry me up three flights of stairs when we got home. It was on this night that many of my spiritual gifts were first released in me; and a lot of crap was pulled out by God's healing grace. I've only ever been 'slain' twice...the second time was Sunday 10th November 1996 and was just confirmation of what God had done two months earlier.

Since then I have had lots of occasions when Holy Spirit has washed over/through me in worship and prayer: both in church of a Sunday/conference, or just on my knees (or more frequently, my back) in my bedroom. There were other occasions at later Tabor and Energizer conferences, and memorably at 'Extravagant Worship' which Darlene lead at Hammersmith in April 2005.

So: there's the key points in the history of 'Jesus loves Damien Paul'. You will of course notice the glaring absence of me never actually going 'fully under'...I was poured on with water as a child, and drenched in Spirit both then and at every episode since: but there you go.

For me my baptisms are indeed all part of the developing love story of my Saviour's love for me, and my unworthy yet utterly acceptable efforts to love him in return. I am still only 36 now, and am looking forward to many many more times of quietness both in my prayer closet and in the midst of the thousands in worship. God continues to immerse (greek Baptismo) me in His self, his love and grace and favour and strength...and above all His life.