Where death was and New life begins...

I remember a few weeks back staring at the hills in front of my house. Wondering when I would be able to go sojourn in them. Wondering what the fire that burned them three months ago had done to their beauty and the rekindling of such things. Desperately Desiring to see the new life begining in the hills where death was and new life begins...

Today was an end to four weeks of unendlessness: The scurried feet and rapid pace of life :San Fransisco, San Jose, beaches of Ventura, studio til morning breaks, celebrations for dear friends, a death of a grandfather, best friend's visits. Father's visits,Leading worship for those who seek God in the morning with no amplification, midterms, many a meeting with older wiser men. Coffee shop conversations, class, work etc.

And somehow amidst all of it all. There was a joy indescribable and unexplainable.

But still a desire to sojourn in these Hills that God has used in so many ways.

He has given me a name, a purpose, and a decalaration of a miracle in those hillls. And each time I feel called and priveledged to commune with the king I expect something truly wonderful to come from such a meeting. He always has a way of sweeping me off my feet up there.

And at the end of it all today I found myself where my heart desired to be before my king in apparent ashes sitting as the picture shows above in the ashes of all that had burned 3 months ago in the hills. It was there that God led my thoughts to what i will mention below:

We were sitting in biblestudy on tuesday night talking about matthew 3: John the baptist and baptism etc. We found ourself in verse sixteen wondering why the holy spirit would choose to come upon the Son of God "as or like a dove?"

We had two new guys this week. One of them spoke of verse 11 and the fact that The spirit of God baptizes with fire.

We were reminded of Noah who released a dove beack in Genesis and when it came back with an olive branch fully blooming in it's mouth it meant that this new had come. then it dawned on us all that God with the flood fully baptized the world. It was this beautiful thing showing that things needed to be totally submerged or burned in a sense in order for the world to begin again. In purity and beauty!

The preperation that John was doing was for the purpose of letting this new begin and God allow it to grow. He was baptizing in the manner he could with water.Waiting for the far greater baptism through Jesus. A baptism of this new covenant! A far better one.

That night after bible study ended it started raining.

We had to return a friend who was visiting to his hotel up in Paso Robles so my friend and I journeyed into the rainy night.

On the ride back I was sitting there realizing that my words that night were of a passion I have not had since freshman year. My heart has become burned purged and baptized. And it dawned on me today I have been baptized with the holy spirit's fire.

Elise said something tonight to the effect that death is beautiful, baptism is beautiful. That is what I am disovering there is something beautiful about such things. They harold new life.

I guess that is why the pheonix has always fascinated me: born of apparent ashes.

And this returning of things far better is because God was making a world compltely new in it's lacking and taking away.

So as job said "I repent in dust and ashes" in order that a new far greater thing will come. This is the attitude I take. That nothing is of me and everything is of Him. I must become less and He must become greater being willing to give it all away for the greater thing.

That is what baptism is...where death was and new life begins!

JG