Happy Thursday Everyone!

We had such an amazing time at the end of Church last night… communion was amazing… everyone lingered as if they wanted to camp in the sanctuary till morning!

I thank God for the growing band of people in this little community who are strangely warmed. For more than 18 years, Emily and I have enjoyed the express privilege of cohabiting with so many God chasers! Even those who have become our enemies over these past 7 years… they all burned for God during the beautiful years we spent together and many of them seem to be still burning for him today. 

On this past Sunday, I spoke of a time right after Emily and I gave our lives to Christ. Back in 1991, we were so happy to be snatched from the flames during those early days. Luke 7:47 tells us that the one who is forgiven MUCH, loves MUCH… and we LOVED MUCH!

One day, I was working with an older fellow at an insurance company. His name was Calvert Searson, a super guy! After I found out that Calvert had been a believer for longer than I had been alive, I got so excited. Calvert was a good man… very reserved and private about his religion. And so, whenever we paired up to work together, I would DRIVE HIM CRAZY with my EXPRESSIVE LOVE FOR GOD. There was nothing private about my religion, I was in love and I wanted the whole would to share in my joy! 

Calvert would be driving us to the next appointment and I would be reading the Bible out loud and preaching little mini sermons from the things I was reading. If we saw someone in a car accident, or someone getting a speeding ticket, or just a person walking down the street… I would say, “Let’s pray Calvert” and I would pray out loud for everything that moved… firing off a few scriptures in each prayer!

On one such day… I must have been overly hyper as I can become at times. We were driving up Greenville Ave in Staunton, VA just past the old Correctional Facility… and I started praying for the inmates! Well, Calvert must have been going through something that day… and my passionate spirit was not helping matters a bit. I remember good ole Calvert GLARED over at me and grumbled, “Son… you’re still young in this… you’ll calm down one of these days!” 

As you can imagine… I respectfully denied my new friends GLOOMY PREDICTION! LOL

Keeping that fire alive can be a real challenge at times. Life has done everything it can to make good on Calverts prediction. Yet, here I am… my lovely wife and I… 18 years later… with that VERY SAME 1991 FIRE! Oh yes, its expression has matured slightly and we’ve been refined with education and experience… but the FIRE IS STILL THERE!

I believe our fire would have gone out a long, long time ago… had we not been privileged to walk closely with so many legendary God chasers! We have always been in FIERY CIRCLES… pushing through the MANY opportunities to dismiss ourselves from the front lines. And today? We’re standing in the finest FIRE CIRCLE of our lives! 

So right now, I want to say thank you to God, for placing me with people who love him like Emily and I do! I want to pray for each of my dear readers to be LED into their very own circle of fire… one that will rocket launch them into the greatest adventure of their lives! May none of you EVER ‘calm down one of these days!’ 

2 Timothy 1:6-7 “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

We love you good people… have a most triumphant day!