Numbers 14:26-35; Matthew 4:1-11

Something happens to drive us from the garden. Perhaps it is because we have encountered something in life that a simple, comfortable faith can’t address. We are wandering in the wilderness now. And remember – wilderness and desert are the same words in Hebrew. What does our desert season look like but one where our faith is being tried in the refiner’s fire?

Items on the list:

- a two-quart canteen of water (per person)

- a magnetic compass

- a compress kit with gauze

- a topcoat

- a red-and-white parachute

- a jackknife

- a sectional air map of the area

- two quarts of vodka

- a book entitled "Edible Animals of the Desert"

- a plastic raincoat

- a cosmetic mirror

- a .45-caliber pistol

- sunglasses

- a bottle of salt tablets

- a flashlight (4-battery size)