Spirit Gives Birth To Spirit

The bible has a long tradition of wilderness experiences.  When Moses was young, he killed an Egyptian slave-driver and fled to the wilderness in Midian.  When he was out shepherding the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro, he encountered a "burning bush that was not consumed." The still small whisper in the quite of his soul he recognized as God told him he was in the presence of the holy. From the bush God gave him instructions to go back to Egypt and free his people.  God told him the Israelites will listen to him if he tells them "I am who I am" (translated Yahweh) sent him.  It was the Israelites' introduction to the name God gave himself.  "I am He who is."  This became a sacred name for them, to the point that they would not spell it out in writing.  Moses returned and freed his people, setting a reoccurring theme in Israel's history of a return from bondage to freedom. In Genesis 21, Abraham sent Hagar into the wilderness to protect her ...

    Sunday mornings have become a great source of sadness for me.  My wife is the worship leader at a church in a small town 1/2 hour north up the expressway.  We used to get up at 6 and she would get ready and I would get our baby girl ready.  Then she would leave to go practice with the worship band and I would follow.  My two year old in the back seat, we would race through the curves in the country road in my stick shift as we listened to music, just me and her.  Then I would drop her off in the nursery and go write while we waited for the service.  I would come back and pick her up at the start of the service and we would listen to her mom sing worship.  I would stay for the service.  Afterwards we would all go home and take a long nap in the afternoon.       None of that happens any more. Now my wife and daughter go up themselves.  Sometimes I follow later and drive a half hour just to rattle ...