When we talk about that which will sustain and nurture our spiritual growth as a people, we must once again talk about the importance of community. For one of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone. —bell hooks

Some make a theological argument that baptism is not a private matter, but it is a public means of grace whereby we bear witness to new life and its possibilities within a community. We proclaim new life through water. So, I write today to make public what I did in an impromptu moment on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

While spending the past few weeks reflecting, I have decided to share five important lessons that I would tell the 30-year-old me which are the same promises I will make to the future Alexis…