Ouch, fire hurts.

 
 
 
 

Today was a very welcomed change of pace. Other than our service projects with church, we were free until our Intro Social. We met at the clubhouse where the leaders live, and basically just hung out for a couple of hours.

My day started as usual, ushering at the 8:30 service. Then I stopped by the red bridge again, and went for a walk, sat with the Lord and talked about things. I have been here for a month, which seems wild. Wild because it feels like I have been here for a year, yet I can barely believe that I have been here for a month. So I am looking at the trek ahead of me. It's going to go sooo fast, but it's going to be a long time from now, as well. If that makes sense.

The social was fun, because we got to sit and actually talk and get to know one another. I went for 2 walks on the path around the complex. Each time talking to a different person, so it was nice to get to know people and hear fresh stories of life, salvation, rescue, glory, and awe. I'm such a one-on-one person, that's all I want to do for the next 2 months. Just get to know people. But seeing how busy we are, that probably won't happen.

I went to the prayer room this evening. I actually wanted to write poetry. Lately I have really been wanting to write poetry again, but when I sit down to do it, my creativity sort of stops flowing. Well, I decided to go the prayer room, first of all because it was the only place open other than Walmart and the BP station down the road. But God is so funny how He works. Walking in I could feel the energy of the place, and knew I wasn't going to get much contemplative thought in. Things did change, and the Lord started speaking to me. Which actually left me angry, because He was dealing with stuff in my heart. Things I didn't want to deal with, I just wanted to write poetry. But then He went on to teach me a bit about fire and pruning. Here is a little of what He shared with me...

He showed me a picture of the burning bush...that, of course, didn't burn up. He said that the fire shocks my agreements (offense) and burns them up (submission). But He told me I had the ability to keep things away from the fire, but that that would leave a chasm between us. So all the while, I am going along putting more wood on the fire...in a good way, more Truth, more of His Word, asking for more of His Spirit. This causes the fire to grow bigger and bigger, leaving those things I try to hide with nowhere to go. More Truth, bigger fire, reaches farther, burns up more. The singing of the fire hurts, it burns. But He says, "beauty from ashes."
He paralleled it with pruning from John 15:2, "every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear even more fruit." That's a good God. He sees fruit, so He prunes/burns away to leave room and growth for MORE fruit. He prunes only the LIVING BRANCHES, ones that produce fruit, so they do not die, but produce more. Bigger fire.

I want a much bigger fire.