Tending the Fire

Inside our condominium in Florida, we have a fireplace. I know, that sounds strange, especially when you consider that the parsonage does not have one, and it’s in Maine! One of our favorite things to do is to sit by the fire and read or just stare into the flames and listen to the logs crackle. Doing that is very relaxing. I have learned over the years that if you do not tend the fire, it slowly burns out.

Tending the fire, requires securing fuel for thefire. No fuel, No Fire. The kind of fuel determines the quality of the fire; hard woods are superior and do less

damage to your chimney. The fire burns best when the logs touch each other, and if bedtime is approaching and you want the fire to die out you stop adding fuel and separate the remaining embers. You control the intensity

of the fire. I have observed after interacting with thousands of folks, that some of us experience stress in our lives. No matter how spiritual we are, stress and fatigue can cause us to revert to our old ways of compensating. We reboot to the default. We all are thinking, emotional, physical, social and spiritual beings. For some of us emotion is the default. Stress triggers emotional response and that response is often expressed in anger. The Bible knows this. It doesn’t forbid anger. It tells us to not hurt each other in anger. It’s not ok to say, “Well that’s just the way I am” and then go on and hurt people. We separate the logs in our fire. At the point of anger, if we’ve been tending the fire we can draw on one of those good hardwood logs to fuel the flames of love, acceptance and forgiveness. As you know love covers a multitude of sins. You might be asking “How do I do that?” Start by daily praying this simple prayer found in Psalm 139 verses 23 and 24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” NIV God will reply and when He does, think about it and then repent, turn away from your ways. You will find, in that moment- Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness. When you receive it give it to THAT person. Tend the fire. In the coming months I will write more about tending the fire and what kind of logs are necessary to produce an intense life changing fire.

PASTOR BRIAN SHORE

Knock, knock, knocking at your door..

Recently my son took me fishing. He asked me where I would like to go. I replied, “I

would rather go catching than fishing, so take me there.” He knew just the place. We did

some serious catching. I have pictures. At this point I have to be honest, I wasn’t looking

forward to fishing. I hadn’t been in years and I had memories of the hot sun and little

catching. My last boating adventure included nauseous feeding of the fishes. In fact, many of my past fishing adventures ended that way.

But I trusted my son. He knew where to go and how to catch fish. I had HOPE in him

because his fishing past and his promise that we would catch fish. If I had relied on my

past, I’d have passed on the trip and missed the joy of that day and the promise of more

catching in the future.

The past can be a beggar knocking incessantly and demanding that we give more and more, each time he arrives. And while in our naivety, we’re willing to give, he’s really there to rob us of present joy and any HOPE for tomorrow. He’s there knock, knock, knocking.

Don’t let him in.

HOPE eternal is also knocking. In the midst of the reality of Job’s suffering he received

this promise, “You will be secure because there is HOPE; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

You will lie down; with no one to make you afraid…Job 11:18-19 NIV. Even though Job had experienced great suffering, He found HOPE in the promises of his relationship with his most hope inspiring God. In the season of Advent we are reminded of the promises of God manifested in the coming of the Savior. The promised one. The Prince of Peace.

He’s knock, knock, knocking at your door.

Open the door.

Let Him in.

Pastor Brian Shore

Building Bridges from the porch...

But… “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they

shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary,

and they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31KJV

Waiting is difficult. Instant coffee? Waiting for fresh roasted, fresh

ground and fresh brewed, hand-picked bean, coffee? I suspect that

you coffee lovers would appreciate a cup of the latter. Instant coffee

might be a big cup of nope!

Waiting is difficult. Microwaves? Fast food? Driving in the fast lane? I

spoke to a friend recently about her trip to St. Andrews, Canada. She

extolled the virtues of small towns. I asked her how long it would take

to drive there. She said that if I took 95 it would take 4or 4 ½ hours

but that she preferred the 5 ½ hour route because she could

experience more of the small towns of Maine. Sometimes slowing

down has benefits as more and more people are discovering.

God’s call upon us to wait and then be renewed is the promise, based

on this “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the

everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow

tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives

strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

” Isaiah 40: 28-29 NIV

In other words, He is God. He’s worth waiting for!

• Pastor Brian