Sometimes things start out all wrong but somehow end up gloriously. Such was the case with an adult baptism service on the shores of Lake Michigan one August Sunday morning.

The night before the baptism, torrential rains hit Chicago, and the road that leads to the beach was closed by flooding. Several of us prayed for sunshine and good weather for the next day, but the morning of the baptism dawned cloudy and cool, and the lake itself was officially closed to swimming. We arrived at the beach to find a local radio station had set up a soccer tournament, complete with six-foot speakers pounding out rock music.

As the worshipers gathered at the beach, however, the sun broke through the clouds. While some people scouted out another possible location, another person explained the situation to the soccer officials. The music was turned down immediately, the lifeguard granted permission for the pastor and new member to enter the water, and the baptism was on.

About fifty people—church members, ...