The Fire is Your Friend

One of my FB friends shared something I read tonight and I thought I’d start off with a re-telling of the story he shared. He’s a DJ, and he told the sad story of showing up early for a booked 70th birthday party and no one was at the venue nor was anything set up for the event. He called the client and learned that the person of honor had suddenly passed away a week ago, and everyone was at the person’s funeral.

We never know what each hour or day or week or year will bring into our lives, and of course, the friend reminded us to hug our friends and family just a little closer because of this reality. It was a striking story, and I read it amidst other culminating contemplations of my day that I was thinking of fusing into some type of expression here.

Even though the other things I was musing on seem unrelated to this opening story, perhaps they do connect in some remote manner. Or, perhaps I can somehow weave all these thoughts together…and somehow force a connection. I don’t know.

Right after I had seen that post and commented, I went down to my kitchen to make something for dinner, and I tried to make my nightly call to my elderly friend Hellen, but she did not answer. That happens sometimes–she is hard of hearing, and sometimes she’s on a call to her 92 year old cousin who is blind and bedridden and who likes to tell the same stories over and over, sometimes keeping dear Hellen on the phone for several hours in several calls, every single day.

Hellen says, “It’s the least I can do, to listen to her stories again and again and pretend I am hearing them for the first time.” (paraphrase). She is so very kind to her cousin, who is alone (just as she is alone), and is in need of a listening ear. For her cousin, Hellen seems to be the only one left who remembers the same people (and her life story) from years and years ago. Hellen gets this, so…she listens.

After attempting my call, I then put my worship music back on and quickly became captivated by a particular song that I often connect with. I decided to put it on loop as I sometimes do when I want to soak in a song and keep contemplating the words and music somehow as I go about my business. It is meditative for me. I am able to somehow tolerate listening to the same song for hours and hours–if something strikes me about it. I actually kept this song on loop for nearly five hours and never tired of it–in fact, though I turned it off to compose this, the hauntingly beautiful strains are still echoing in the back of my mind.

As I made my dinner and washed dishes while listening to this worship song, I began to think again about the “He Gets Us” ad that was played at the recent Superbowl. In my imagination, I began to wonder how the many viewers might have received a different kind of ad and message.

I imagined if this worship song (as an ad) had interrupted the Superbowl. I imagined if the same people who paid $17.5 million dollars for something that didn’t represent Jesus and the gospel very well (if at all) had been done differently. If this worship song had played in the background while a variety of provocative life-and-death images were woven together.

How many people would have watched it through, and how many would have walked away from their TV? Or worse yet, cursed at it and mocked? Or, how many might have been truly touched. As though some fire had been lit in their souls that might draw them like a moth to a flame–to the purifying Light of the World–to King Jesus.

I began to think about how we go about drawing people to Jesus. I thought about all those years ago when I was a new believer and always anxious to share the gospel, and envision people in my life coming to know Him and to be set free and experience His joy.

I remember feeling quite often that if I could just bring someone to our church of that time, then they would be surrounded by loving people, and the deep and beautiful worship that surely would touch their souls. They would surely experience the presence of God and be moved, and want more, and want to know Him for the first time, or more deeply if they were standing afar…

And while this worship song was playing, I thought about that.

At one point, as I contemplated images, I realized that in that entire ad they never depicted the person of Jesus. Not on the cross, not among people, not even some type of contemporary creative image that would convey those that “He gets” having some type of glimpse or spiritual encounter directly with Him. It was just filled with juxtapositions of images/messaging involving various human beings. The closest anything came to indicating who “He” was that “get us” was the priest who was wearing a cross.

Then, I imagined doing a blog piece called: “I am HE” — yes, THAT “He,” the One that “gets you”

Or something like that.

I imagined a whole variety of complicated things that I think and feel and that are common to mankind–fears, hopes, dreams, joys, sorrows…sins…and how our sins hurt others, and pierces God. It’s important that we get THAT, too.

In the context of thinking about that person who suddenly died–whose 70th birthday party planned turned out to be the day of their funeral–I thought about the brevity of life.

A line from the song playing said,

“We are a moment, You are forever
Lord of the Ages, God before time
We are a vapor, You are eternal
Love everlasting, reigning on high”

I thought about eternal judgement and fears of the unknown, of what eternity is like and the terrifying thoughts of possibly being separated from those we love in some way…I thought about fearful and dreadful things and how I hope for God’s mercy and I thought many images of those dear to me as young, young persons…

I thought about the God who “gets” all of this and how none of us asked to be born onto this earth and we can only turn to our Creator for eternal love, mercy and hope…and all kinds of things about life, and about death. I even got to thinking about the scriptures that speak of the “believer’s judgement”–and recollections of a Greek word regarding the “bema” judgement seat of Christ–or something like that. The kind of judgement the saved go through in giving account–as through fire…

Yes, sooner or later I thought about fire. Because, I had planned to burn some things tonight.

Like most people, fire fascinates and mesmerizes me in a variety of ways.

Fire is our teacher.

There were a lot of thoughts I had tonight as I tried to get the fire to catch. It’s still chilly and we had some rain last night. Though I was determined to burn it all down (the yard debris), it really was just several hours of wasting a lot of lighter fluid and trying different things. Watching and learning from the way fire spreads, what fire does, what keeps it going, what things look like when they burn.

I thought about the apple tree branches recently trimmed–branches thrown into this fire that were still green. Branches that would have otherwise born fruit had either my son or I not decided they were branches that needed pruning for the greater benefit of the tree.

And then, I was thinking about my chainsaw that my son said was too dull to continue pruning the apple trees with. He wanted to top off some and cut bigger branches, but when he used my saw he decided he’d need to come again and bring a sharper one. He said that a dull cut would leave the trees more prone to disease.

My chainsaw still cuts but apparently has had a lot of use this past year. I need to get a new chain or get it sharpened. I did use it to fully cut several branches that a recent snowstorm had partially broken from my juniper tree and another pine. I wondered why a super sharp cut was safer/better for trees that are being pruned.

Probably a rough cut doesn’t heal as well, or as quickly. I thought about how God prunes us, too, and the pain it can bring. And I thought about Jesus telling Judas to “do it quickly”–what he was about to do in his betrayal that would bring Him immense pain and suffering. Yes, Jesus “gets us.” He understands the many types of sufferings we endure and because He that knew no sin became sin and a curse for us (“cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), in a very real sense, He “gets” the pain, suffering and death that sin and this fallen world (and broken relationships) bring.

Earlier today, I was moving some of my fire pit rocks over to a new location. I want to relocate my fire pit, now that I’ve put a wood fence in an area close to where it previously existed. Some of the slate (or whatever they are) rocks were literally splitting as they were moved. Probably the intense, repeated heat from many fires during the past three years somehow altered them.

I thought about how much fire and heat it takes to make a rock brittle enough to break. And I thought about when we have hard hearts or hard places we won’t allow God in to. And I thought about fire. How much intense heat does the Master have to allow in our lives to soften and break our hard places?

I’m actually working backward here through my day. I spent a lot of time outside on this Saturday, and I was alone. And it seemed that God was bringing a lot of object lessons to me–as He often does when I am outdoors and observing nature (and animals). And the first thing that caught my attention today in a spiritually contemplative way were those rocks.

Later, I removed some hinges from something that had been outside awhile because I needed hinges for something else. Part of a heavy metal hinge actually broke off. It’s not often I see metal fatigue of that sort. Then, later, as I was attaching it elsewhere, a screw I misplaced and tried to take back out actually snapped off.

What?? Two times–minutes apart–heavy, old metal (and a brand new metal screw) was breaking before my very eyes?!

Now that I’ve meandered through the highlights of my contemplations today I need to get back to the fire. Even precious metals can melt in fire.

I had a hard time burning the fairly fresh yard brush and big juniper branches tonight. I wasted lighter fluid and sacrificed some of my good straw, trying. Burning straw can be immensely satisfying however, and leads to a number of insights and observations. Eventually, I was in-and-out of the building looking for more paper to burn and keep it going. I save cardboard and other scraps for such purposes.

I noticed a box of matteboard sample corners I removed from my main display over a year ago–types of mattes I will likely never sell. Fabric-covered mattes and color-core mattes and a number of other “specialty” boards. I decided there was no real need to keep them and I did get some fire-excitement rekindled when I started adding them.

They burned well. And I thought about burning types of matte samples that 20 years ago there might have been a market for. I thought about having these samples when my sons were teenagers, when I lived in Delaware. I thought about the current economy, and I thought about changes. I thought about all of this kind of stuff as I watched these previously useful samples burn…

I kept trying to get some of the palette wood scraps and a few logs to burn solidly. I thought about how straw burns so fast, hard rocks take intense heat before breaking, metal melts if it gets hot enough, and how things of substance (even value) need to be in a fire if the flames are to truly do their work. It’s not enough just to quickly blaze a bunch of straw or singe the needles off juniper.

And what was the end of all this fire? I wondered.

Well, in this situation, I wanted to burn it all until nothing was left. A periodic cleanup. Then, the ashes can go into my gardens, to help bring new life and add nutrients (though I do this sparingly).

And at one point, when I did have a good flame going, the heat felt so very good. I stood close enough to feel its radiance…and I thought about the scripture, “Our God is a consuming fire.” And I also remembered a line of another song, “His eyes are a fire that burns throughout the kingdom, and the burning purifies the Master’s bride.”

Why would the Bridegroom purify His bride with fire? A lot of people just don’t get this.

No one likes being in the fire. But fire–when purposed by God–can be one of our very best friends. It’s hard for us all to get that. It’s taken me a number of years to even begin to get that.

And now I end this piece with the worship song I had on loop nearly five hours tonight as I was cutting and burning things. And below, the lyrics. And below that, some images from today and last weekend.

Be Unto Your Name (Song by Robin Mark)

We are a moment, You are forever
Lord of the Ages, God before time
We are a vapor, You are eternal
Love everlasting, reigning on high

Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Highest praises, honor and glory
Be unto Your name, be unto Your name

We are the broken, You are the healer
Jesus, Redeemer, Mighty to save
You are the love song we’ll sing forever
Bowing before You, blessing Your name

Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Highest praises, honor and glory
Be unto Your name, be unto Your name
Be unto Your name

Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Highest praises, honor and glory
Be unto Your name, be unto Your name

Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Highest praises, honor and glory
Be unto Your name, be unto Your name
Be unto Your name
Be unto Your name
Be unto Your name
Be unto Your name
Be unto Your name
Be unto Your name

Songwriters: Gary Edward Sadler / Lynn Deshazo

Be Unto Your Name lyrics © Integrity’s Hosanna! Music

(Above) One of the bigger rocks I moved and when I plopped it down it snapped right in half! A number of the rocks from my fire pit were brittle after being subjected to repeated heat.