What a beautiful day

The sky is blue, the sun is shining, the temperature is perfect, the breeze is cool, the hammock is beckoning and the puppy is asleep at my feet...this is the kind of day that makes you feel like everything is right with the world. Now that phrase gives me pause because, really, if we remember that God is in control, then everything IS right with the world. Maybe we need days like this to remember that.

At St. Andrew we've gone through the seasons of Lent and Easter talking about "fire building." We've searched our souls and lives looking for the things of which we need to let go and throw into our fire...things like our anger at petty hurts, or the things we need to move down lower on our list of priorities in order to make room for the more important things.

We've also looked at the kinds of things we need to take on...the kinds of things that will help fuel the fire that God kindles on Sunday and help keep us "Fired Up for God" throughout the week. We need to engage in prayer, Bible study, worship, fellowship with each other, and making time for the people most important in our lives, and time for God. But we don't need to tackle adding these things into our lives all at once, because when you pile a log onto just kindled flames, you can smother that fire and extinguish it. If we add these elements to our lives in small increments, we can build a fire for God in our hearts that will desire to be kept alive and burning through more of those pieces of fuel that God provides. That fire in our hearts can become a bonfire that others will see and want to gather around to find out what's so special in our lives.

Today's weather reminds me of camping weather. So....whenever you're camping you've got to have a campfire, right? But I don't really need to wait for days like today to remember that God has lit a fire in my heart and kindles it every Sunday through worship, Holy Communion, and fellowship with my St. Andrew friends and family. He stokes it everyday too. I just need to be open and receptive to that Holy Spirit moving in my daily life and guiding me along the path God has set for me. I know this because He has promised to be with me always and will never let that flame ignited in me in my baptism to be extinguished...for I am a child of God.

And so are you.