Walked Out of the Wilderness

Slowly and progressively, through and out of the desert is the best. On the edge of a new place, or a place being reclaimed for the Kingdom, it is scary. That is where faith is challenged, and The Faithful One proves Himself faithful, again. And again.

It is the only place worth living in. It is the place of the Taste. Taste and see that the Lord is Good. It is the place of knowing by tasting.

Moment by moment, steps lead to forks in the road. Decision points. One direction is a broad path, the other narrow, steep, stoney. Little or no God is required for the broad way. The other way is impassable without him.

So He walks you slowly and progressively up and through the narrow way. Some, much of the route is easy enough that your pride thinks you are doing the travelling.

The rest of the path is where you come to know. Not imagine. Know. You taste and see that the Lord is good, because there are no options. Well...there is one. The broad way is always right there, just a step away, full of comfort and comfortable people. Here in the narrows, though, there is a different comfort.

Sunday nights we would be coming back from a weekend in Wisconsin with grandparents. It would be late when we got home, and I would be asleep in the back of the station wagon. I would wake up when the winter air hit my face. I would fell the rhythm of being carried into the house. And I would look up and see my Dad's facing looking down as he carried me. It stuck so strong, because it was so right. It was one of the things that defined a dad. That is the comfort of the narrows, the wilderness.

Father, thank you for your fathering. And thank you for the stony way, where your nature shines in the darkness.

Resting in Christ is proving to be flawless. Running through the dark city streets being beaten by the watchmen but continuing to seek the Lover of my soul is the only right course. When my companions doubt my sanity;

Have you met my good friend Maria
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock
She thinks she's in love
She thinks she's in Spain
She isn't in love
She's merely insane
It must be the heat
Or some rare disease
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas
Keep away from her
Send for Chino
This is not the Maria we know
Modest and pure
Polite and refined
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind! (Stephen Sondheim)

I know I am on the right track. I continue to be devoted to sitting at His feet when there is work to do.

Thank you for continuing to teach me to serve You in the manner which you desire. Please continue to make this passage available, and transforming our feet to conform with your path.

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I've got the wonderful love of my blessed redeemer way down in the depths of my heart.

If my faith is not irrational, if my faith does not appear crazy to those on a different path, what is the point? I would rather appear wrong on the right path than appear right on the wrong path.

The only thing that matters is that Spiritual Fruit abound. It is easy to look crazy. It is impossible to bear fruit apart from intimacy with the Spirit. Craziness will not bring me to the Spirit and produce fruit...but intimacy with the Spirit and bearing abundant Fruit will look crazy. People apart from this faith do not love like Jesus, are not joyous like Jesus, are not in peace like Jesus, are not patient like Jesus, are not consistently Good like Jesus, are not always able to be kind like Jesus, are not Gentle like Jesus. When the narrow way is observed from the broad way, there is no doubt that the one on the narrow way is just loonie. At the same time, the fruitfulness of the life of faith is visible too. Another contrast as well is that the life of religion bears something different from the life without religion, but what it produces is not Spirit Fruit.

Spirit Fruit, expressed out of me by the living sap of real life inside, is the indicator of the right path. But Gods love looks mad. Not when there is an occasional expression, but when the flow is generous and persistent.

Oh, to be thought mad by the loveless. Oh, to be thought a cornucopia by those who hunger and thirst. Amen.