Fan Into Flame

Our church family is thinking a lot these days about a line from an elderly Paul to his young friend Timothy: "fan into the flame the gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6). For all the "light, heat and energy" we desire for our lives... for all our efforts to "fan" any embers of life into such flame for greater life... what exactly is the "fire"? 

Don't miss this: it's not us. It's not our plans of what we'll do. It's not our hyped-up inspiration to get us doing it. It's not the resources we collect to do it with. It's not "this little light of mine." 

The fire is God. Nothing less. And as the Giver of all gifts, nothing more. 

The fire is the One who spoke blazing light into the dark void of pre-creation. The fire is the One who raised his Son out of the cold night of death into an explosion of new life. The fire is the One who pours out his Spirit to share this light and energy and life, indwelling all who will receive him and let him be free to burn. 

In the words of the old Canadian folk-rocker Bruce Cockburn, here's my prayer for myself, my family and friends, and for the community called Centennial Covenant: 

                           

                                  O Love that fires the sun keep us burning.     

With you in the Fire of Holy Love,

Steve Thulson

Sawdust: An Aroma Holy and Pleasing

“When I make sawdust I feel His pleasure.” 

So would have gone the famous quote by Olympic Gold Medalist Eric Liddell, had he been a woodworker. He wasn’t though; his passion was running, and God met him and he met God through that simple act.

I am not much of a runner, but I do have a lot of passions, and I understand Liddell’s sentiment of communing with God as I engage those passions. Lately, woodworking has had my attention, and specifically, building my first guitar. This project began on April 30 last year. After a long winter hiatus, where my garage/workshop was too cold to be functional, I am nearing completion.

Not only do I hope that this instrument will be a tool for worshiping, but also there have been moments of worship even during its creation. Especially the distinct and pungent smell of walnut being cut by my band saw, or the sheen that I start to see in a highly polished ebony fretboard—these cause me to praise the God who gifted us with senses.

I can’t help but think too about God’s passion for extravagant beauty in worship. Sometime read Exodus 31:1-11. Here you see God giving his Holy Spirit to artists and artisans for the purpose of beautifying the Israelites’ place of worship. I believe this was a beauty not only for the Israelites to enjoy as they worshipped God, but also a beauty that God enjoyed. Art is a communal gift. By the way, this was one of the first recorded instances of God filling someone with his Spirit. Think about the significance of God giving that kind of attention to art and artists!
 So as I stand in a carpet of sawdust in my workshop, I stand in a great line of worshiping artists with a passion for beauty and a passion for God. What about you? What are you passionate about? Can you see those passions as an opportunity for worship?