Let's see...today is the big "Saturday," which means no school for the girls. I'd love to be able to say that we were just going to sit around and "veg," but that's not the case. Jenn made breakfast (homemade pancakes) which is one of the kids favorites. What keeps us from just doing absolutely nothing today is the fact that we are still surrounded by small mountains of cardboard. There are boxes piled here, boxes stacked there, mounds upon mounds of emptied box contents clinging to all the piles of boxes, like the foothills cling to the Rockies. It is like having our own mountain range running right through the house. Every time you go from the bedroom to the kitchen you have to travel the dread pass. "People have been lost going that route during the winter," I warn Rachel. "You ever heard of the Donner Party? Make sure you take enough provisions."

"Oh, Dad!" she chides, never really having heard of the Donner Party. I'm not sure if our public education system worries me more (her not knowing who the Donner Party was -being in the 4th grade) or if I'm worried more about what I'm not missing.

We have so much stuff still in boxes, yet our lives are continuing very well with out it. Whatever is secretly hiding in those hard paper squares obviously isn't required living material. Just knowing I've acquired so much extraneous material in order to pad my life concerns me. I think I know why I'm concerned, but if I ponder it too long, I'll become convicted and want to do something about it (like level the mountain range). Instead, I'll do what I always do and stop considering. I will say that it might not be a bad thing to take all my "superfluous life" up to a really cold, abandoned mountain pass, and see if it couldn't help some other struggling travelers reach their goal, instead of them turning on each other. ~ Reflective Jeff

Back Home
WOW, I am finally back home and boy is it nice. It was an unbelievable experience spending quality time in the desert, but it makes you realize/reflect much about life...like how lazily blessed we are to be able to flip on a light switch in the middle of the night (instead of having to cart around a lantern).

If you've not spent more than 2 consecutive days away from phone, TV, and newspapers, in a peaceful and quite place, let me strongly suggest it. It will revolutionize your prayer life. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert praying and fasting before he began his ministry. (I confess, fasting was more than I could do this first trip.) Scripture seems to suggest that the wilderness was like a refiner's fire, in that it was transformative. Jesus' dependence on the Father above increased to the point of being sent out to save the world. However, during the desert time Jesus was also greatly tempted. Don't you find a spiritual truth in there? The closer you get to God, the more the Tempter comes at you. For example, the more I pray and meditate on God's presence, the more excuses I find for not helping others. Or, if I increasingly extend the grace and mercy of God to others through some type of service the more likely I am to be hit with the lie that I don't need to read God's communications regularly. Becoming spiritual mature positively correlates with becoming a prime target for the Enemy's advances. When you get serious about God-time, when you get serious about experiencing Him, growing in Him, your "spiritual bulls-eye" gets thrown at more often and with greater force.

I mention this because serious temptation was one of the things I experienced in the desert. As the ceaseless noise of life stilled and the trivial thoughts in my mind stopped scampering this way and that , and - as Kierkegaard says, I "willed to will one thing," that is, the overflowing presence of a gracefilled God - I found that Satan immediately lunged at me and he did it with a subtlety he never had before. The grand thing about alone time with God is that in those quite times He forms you in ways great and small. This time, I was able to discern with a bit more confidence what my enemy was attempting. And - God be praised - at least in this instance the enemy didn't gain any more ground. I so love 1 Peter 5:8 - Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.
Still your soul, Grow in God, but watch out.
~ Jeff