New Life!

I cannot describe to you the blessing of being able to be a part of the entire process of witnessing the birth of my first grandson Sunday morning at 1:20 a.m. My daughter and her husband allowed my wife and me to be in the room the entire time Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. Katy-Mac has been my little buddy ever since I danced around my inlaws house when she was born. She has been my surfing parnter for 10 years, not just my daughter. Each of my children hold special places and have given me unique glimpses of God, but for her and her husband to allow me to sit in a chair in the corner and witness Josh coaching Katy-Mac from 5 p.m. - 1:20 a.m. with tenderness, love and maturity, along with my wife by the other side, and especially through labor from 10 p.m. - 1:20 a.m. was an unforgettable experience. My role was support and prayer from the sidelines. I witnessed the first breath of spirit, wind, life (pneuma) taken by this little fellow (no name yet) and watched his daddy and mommy become jello! Both of them reduced to an emotional pool of glory. The light of God was extremely bright around that bed at that event. It was "breathtaking." And then... to top it off, I watched my little daughter holding him closely as he opened his eyes for the first time! Again, she was reduced to a puddle of jello, love overwhelming all else -- God! Extended family couldn't get enough of the blessing of this new life, each wanting an opportunity to hold God's gift to the world, God's imagination held in each ones arms. While holding such a small person of unique features, each ponders his or her own life, gift of breath, and opportunity for imaginative response to God's presence.
Never take one single breath for granted. They are limited within the journey of this world. In the past week I have celebrated new life, new breath and witnessed the passing of earthly breath back to the Lord, and I pray with dear friends who are struggling for breath with lungs full of fluid, pleuracy and pneumonia, and one who died. New life! Breath! Presence of love that reduces us to jello! We are blessed for the Spirit of God that gives new life in this world and in the world Jesus called heaven -- it is real and it is our final destination where there will be... NEW LIFE!