Baptism is one of those words that can feel confusing, especially if you didn't grow up in church.

Maybe you've wondered what it actually means. Maybe you've been thinking about taking that step but aren't sure what to expect. Or maybe you've been around church your whole life and just want a clearer understanding.

This guide is for you.

Here's what baptism is, what it isn't, and what you can expect on Baptism Sunday at Love Church.

Have you ever quietly felt like you were burdening God just by coming to Him? Pastor Mike O'Connell opened this week's message with a friend's honest confession — that deep in his subconscious, he'd been living with the belief that when he brings his requests to God, he's bothering Him, because surely God has more important things to deal with.

If that instinct sounds familiar, pastor Mike's whole point is that it feels like humility but it's actually a lie about the character of God.

Somewhere around July 4th, summer starts to feel long.

The June excitement has worn off. The pool isn't quite as exciting as it was three weeks ago. The kids are asking, for the ninth time today, what's for lunch. And you're quietly starting to count the days until August.

“If we don't push pause to praise, we get craze.”

Pastor Todd Doxzon said it early and came back to it often, and most of us felt it land, because most of us are living it: full gas, no brake, busier than ever, jamming too many things into every day. The question driving this message wasn't complicated. How often do you actually stop and remember what God has done?

We get some version of this question all the time: "Why do you go to Love Church?"

Honestly, we didn't think we should answer that question ourselves. So we asked five Love Church families to share why they call Love Church home.

Here's what they said.

You can outsource almost everything as a father. You cannot outsource the legacy you leave in your kids.

That's the line under everything Pastor Mike O'Connell preached this Sunday at Love Church. He opened with a moment that marked him — hearing Tim Tebow, one week after his own father's passing, describe what his dad left behind.

God is looking for people who refuse to say no to Him.

That's the heart of the message Pastor Kap Chatfield brought this Sunday — and he was honest enough to admit he preached it looking in the mirror. He opened with a question that's hard to sit with: What has God asked you to do recently that you've said no to? Not always a defiant no. Often it's quieter than that — "I'll get to it later," "when it's convenient," "once these other things are in order." As Kap put it, God hears all of it the same way.

Most Christian parents feel under-qualified.

You read something on Instagram about family discipleship, and a little pit opens up in your stomach. You buy the devotional. You do it for four nights. Then soccer starts, the baby starts teething, and the devotional ends up in that pile of things you don't want to throw away but can't quite bring yourself to finish.

There is a voice most dads carry.

It starts somewhere around the second kid, gets louder after forty, and rarely goes quiet. The voice says: you are not doing enough. You are not present enough. You are not spiritual enough. You are not patient enough. Your kids deserve a better version of you.

Summer is 12 weeks long, and you probably only have plans for about eight of them.

This guide is here so you don’t hit July 6th and realize you have six straight Wednesdays of nothing but screen time. Bookmark it. Share it with the group chat. We’ll update it every year.