This last year, Liam was in our baptism class at Tampa Adventist Academy.  We met during lunch on Fridays, and in this particular picture, our regular meeting room was unavailable so we enjoyed our lunch and study outside. This was in December by they way. Only in Florida! 🙂

Liam comes from a nice Christian home. His father is Pastor Brad, the senior pastor at our Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church.  His mother Julie, teaches at the Tampa Adventist Academy and helps out in several children’s ministries in the Florida area. He has two big brothers who make excellent Christian role models. While this is an advantageous  situation for Liam, he is still his own man. In the baptism class, as well as in school chapel Liam makes thoughtful comments and questions, showing that he is doing his own thinking, and making good choices.

Last year, while I was giving the talk for chapel, I was talking about Jesus calming the storm. When I got to the part about the storm being calmed, Liam raised his hand and asked, “If the sea was calm then how did the boats move?” Liam was making a very deep and mature observation, that in life we need a little wind and turbulence to propel us to where we need to be. Sometimes its the storms in life that take us to places of growth and maturity.

When we finished the baptism class Liam announced he wanted to be baptized at summer camp-and he was!

This June, at camp Kulaqua, the Florida Conference of SDA campsite, Liam was baptized by his father, Pastor Brad.

Many of Liam’s family and friends were unable to be present at the baptism, but Liam’s mom, Julie was kind enough to share these pictures and a little report so we can all share in the celebration.

“It was a sunshiny Sabbath afternoon on June 7 at the Camp Kulaqua Spring.  Liam Cassell had been waiting for this day for four years–that was when he first started asking to be baptized, and specifically at Camp Kulaqua.  Finally, after going through baptismal studies with William Earnhardt at TAA, having many discussions with his family and friends, and waiting for the weekend of his 10th birthday, Liam was baptized by his father, Pastor Brad Cassell.  Despite the cold spring water, father and son were all smiles, while mom wiped away her tears of joy.  What rejoicing in heaven and earth when a young one gives his life to Jesus!” – Julie Cassell, Liam’s Mom