Soul Fire

I watched her collecting twigs.  She gathered them diligently and then sat down at the fire ring carefully building a pyramid of sticks.  It was the beginning of a nice fire and I told her so.  But she replied, “I don’t have time to build a big fire, I just want to feel the heat now.”  It was 37 degrees and the sun had just set so warmth was a definite need.

IMG_2944She grabbed some dryer lint from our fire supplies and torched the twigs.  They burned big and bright and put off some great flames and heat…for a about a minute.  Her disappointment grew before the last ember faded. A cool breeze tossed the papery white ashes across the campsite leaving no evidence a fire ever existed, just moments before.

IMG_2941We talked about fires and to really feed a fire it needs to be built in stages until the base is hot enough to catch the harder, bigger, solid wood. Then not only does the flame last but the heat that it gives off will continue to give off warmth long after the flames die because the embers of a hardwood continue to give off heat for hours.

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As we talked we rebuilt the fire and eventually with time and patience and the proper fuel had a fire for smores, supper and snuggling long into the night.  The next morning she was able to add some bark and pine needles with a few small sticks to the still warm embers from the night before.  In no time she had created a lovely morning fire.

It made me think about our faith journeys and what it takes to ignite our passion and walk with the Lord.  We need fuel.  If we slack off and cool down the embers of our faith, they are much harder to rekindle.  The fuel we use to build and grow our knowledge and faith in Christ needs to be constant.  A diet of light twigs such as feel good teachings with a big flourish but little substance will not keep us stoked and on fire for the Lord.

The fire th101_9424at fuels our souls has to be more than just kindling. To be strong in our faith we need to look to the Pillars of Faith.  Those teachers that stood the test of time who lived and died sold out to God.  We need to dig deeply into the word of God and feed on its truth’s.  We need to go regularly to the foot of the cross.

Tossing in some spiritual feel good fluff now and then to fan the flames isn’t a problem as long as the balance of our diet is the solid teaching and truths that will sustain us long after the kindling turns to ash.

Soul Fire Starter Recipe:

15 Minute Tune Up

  • Be still for 2 Minutes
  • Be Thankful for 2 minutes
  • Be Quiet for 2 minutes
  • Be in the word for 5 minutes
  • Be prayerful 4 minutes

Camp Fire starter Recipe:

  • Cardboard Egg Carton or paper Dixie cups
  • Dryer Lint
  • Wax (old candles)

Fill the the containers with dryer lint then pour melted wax over top of the dryer lint.  Sprinkle a little more lint on top to float on the surface.  Cool.  Place in fire build over top and light the fire starter.  It will burn for approximately 15 minutes.

Point to Ponder: What have been good fire starters for you when you’ve hit a cool spot in your faith? How have you gotten your faith journey back on track? Share it with us

ACTION!  Congratulations Lisa from Grove City on winning our April contest.  Our May contest will feature some campfire fun for the family.  Winner will be drawn June 1st.  So leave a comment and sign up to enter!

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