Friday, July 07, 2006
Life after the mountain is tough! But God is good!
At the end of the camp it seems that nothing was impossible for us to accomplish for God. Today, I can barely hear Him, if at all, and wonder is He still there? Was all that I felt and seen in the camp for real? Was everything that happened just a case of mass hysteria?
All too often the transition from the safety and structured format of a retreat/camp to the real world is like stepping out from a room with a nice fire going, into a cold wintery night. At first we still feel snug in our winter gear which still keeps us from feeling the cold, but very quickly the cold begins to creep in and we don't remember the warmth any more, and begin to wonder if we were even next to a fire to begin with.
How do we keep that warmth within us after the camp? How does one prevent that fire that has been lit inside us from going out, with the winds that blow around us, seeking to bury our spirit?
STRENGTH (and WARMTH) IN NUMBERS
Our spiritual walk was never meant to be solo one.
A strong supporting community that shares our faith and beliefs in a Real and loving God, that is active in our lives, will help us remind us of the reality of a relationship with God. They keep us warm in the cold winter that surrounds (as penguins gather together for warmth against the antarctic winds).
The different members of the community are given different gifts and varying extents of the gifts to help sustain our fire of faith, and even help re-ignite it if we ever lose our footing and fall.
We also learn to re-start our own fires through the community, knowing that there are times that we must go it without the community. But at that time we know how to speak with the source of our fire...and get Him to be with us, sustain us and even light our way.
STARTING OTHER FIRES
"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty." (Proverbs 11:24)
The key to progressing beyond just sustaining our little fires, is to spread it.
As a little lamp generates only so much heat, so too is our own fire if we keep it to ourselves.
But when we learn to share the fire with others and setting them alight for God, we are soon joined by more people who will burn with us for God. In the process our flame burns brighter.
And with the warmth of all the lamps burning together, it gets quite warm, and when that many lamps get together, WATCH OUT! An explosion of wildfire is bound happen!
KEEP YOUR FIRE BURNING
Give your fire what it needs to keep burning. It's fuel.
Spend that Quiet Time with God.
Let Him refuel your lamp, let him re-light it if it's gone out.
Can't connect with Him? Find the community to help you reconnect.
Don't ever give in to the winter's cold.
DOOMED TO FREEZE?
As you are reading this, you may be wondering, we are doing our bit to keep from freezing to death.... but the odds are stacked against us with a seemingly very unwelcoming and unreceptive environment.
But remember who is the one that is on our side. Pray for Him to lift the winter, and let His sun shine into our lives, and the lives of those we want to set on fire. It's so much easier to start a wildfire in summer than in winter! And He will do it! We need only ask as a community.
The world is looking for warmth, if you let your fire show, they will be drawn to the warmth. Ask God for the Summer to open everyone up to the fire! And let the fire burn!
God Bless,
Bernard
SHOUT TO THE LORD! 12:47 AM
Life after the mountain is tough! But God is good!
It's been almost a month since the YES camp and it's hard to feel the Spirit anymore!
At the end of the camp it seems that nothing was impossible for us to accomplish for God. Today, I can barely hear Him, if at all, and wonder is He still there? Was all that I felt and seen in the camp for real? Was everything that happened just a case of mass hysteria?
All too often the transition from the safety and structured format of a retreat/camp to the real world is like stepping out from a room with a nice fire going, into a cold wintery night. At first we still feel snug in our winter gear which still keeps us from feeling the cold, but very quickly the cold begins to creep in and we don't remember the warmth any more, and begin to wonder if we were even next to a fire to begin with.
How do we keep that warmth within us after the camp? How does one prevent that fire that has been lit inside us from going out, with the winds that blow around us, seeking to bury our spirit?
STRENGTH (and WARMTH) IN NUMBERS
Our spiritual walk was never meant to be solo one.
A strong supporting community that shares our faith and beliefs in a Real and loving God, that is active in our lives, will help us remind us of the reality of a relationship with God. They keep us warm in the cold winter that surrounds (as penguins gather together for warmth against the antarctic winds).
The different members of the community are given different gifts and varying extents of the gifts to help sustain our fire of faith, and even help re-ignite it if we ever lose our footing and fall.
We also learn to re-start our own fires through the community, knowing that there are times that we must go it without the community. But at that time we know how to speak with the source of our fire...and get Him to be with us, sustain us and even light our way.
STARTING OTHER FIRES
"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty." (Proverbs 11:24)
The key to progressing beyond just sustaining our little fires, is to spread it.
As a little lamp generates only so much heat, so too is our own fire if we keep it to ourselves.
But when we learn to share the fire with others and setting them alight for God, we are soon joined by more people who will burn with us for God. In the process our flame burns brighter.
And with the warmth of all the lamps burning together, it gets quite warm, and when that many lamps get together, WATCH OUT! An explosion of wildfire is bound happen!
KEEP YOUR FIRE BURNING
Give your fire what it needs to keep burning. It's fuel.
Spend that Quiet Time with God.
Let Him refuel your lamp, let him re-light it if it's gone out.
Can't connect with Him? Find the community to help you reconnect.
Don't ever give in to the winter's cold.
DOOMED TO FREEZE?
As you are reading this, you may be wondering, we are doing our bit to keep from freezing to death.... but the odds are stacked against us with a seemingly very unwelcoming and unreceptive environment.
But remember who is the one that is on our side. Pray for Him to lift the winter, and let His sun shine into our lives, and the lives of those we want to set on fire. It's so much easier to start a wildfire in summer than in winter! And He will do it! We need only ask as a community.
The world is looking for warmth, if you let your fire show, they will be drawn to the warmth. Ask God for the Summer to open everyone up to the fire! And let the fire burn!
God Bless,
Bernard
SHOUT TO THE LORD! 12:47 AM