Newness of Life

"Have you brought us out here to die?" the Israelites moaned to God as they wandered in circles in the wilderness. Everything was so glorious when he led them out of Egypt with signs and wonders and an outstretched arm. They were in awe of his mighty power and deeds and excited about what was to come (I would think). But then comes the desert, thirst, confusion, waiting by the mountain for some old man to come back down with instructions. What? We went through all of that for this? And the tempation is to run back to Egypt where life was at least predictable, familiar, even fun. Wilderness temptation. I am coming to see that this wilderness temptation, the sense that God has abandoned us, or that we that have been following a mirage, is a major area of testing in our spiritual progress. And it can last a long time, much longer than we expect. But we can take heart, because God leads us out to take us in. And yes, I ended a sentance with a preposition, but what an excellent pr

Heidi Baker came to our church this past weekend and told a story. God impressed Heidi to purchase a boat in order to journey to nearby Islands to share Jesus with them. She obeyed, as she usually does, only to find herself and her team shipwrecked in the middle of the Indian Ocean. "God told me to buy a boat, and it sunk" she said.  Minus their boat, that night they were attacked by a hoarde of African fire ants. Next day, hungry, tired, and boatless, they stood on the Island worshipping and thanking God for his provision. From there things only grew worse. They decided to stike out in a raft and promptly began to sink, at which time a man with a boat covered in poop rescued them. Their relief was momentary, however, because shortly after getting into the boat, the motor blew out. They were finally rescued by six naked Muslim fishermen who hoisted the sails and sailed home to safety. As it turns out, all six men gave their lives to Christ. Heidi and her team witnessed the p