This Saturday the temperature is forecasted for around 75 degrees. Which is great because we have nearly 150 volunteers coming to YouthFront Camp South to take a huge step toward the completion of a major Cabin improvement project. We are expecting somewhere between 4,500 to 5,000 teenagers to spend a week with us this summer. In addition we will be doing preparation for The Altar coming up at the end of May. It seems that everytime we do this God reveals himself. In a previous prep day I was on a Trail-Making Team. We cleared brush, trimmed trees, and picked up dead limbs. All the brush, branches, logs and limb were gathered into piles. My job was to burn the piles, which suit me fine because I am really into FIRE. As the day progressed many lessons and metaphors emerged relating to my spiritual life. I will mention a couple. First, the whole concept of consciously looking for dead stuff and dealing with it reminded me of the importance of consistently evaluating my life, letting the Holy Spirit reveal "dead stuff" in my life and obediantly allowing God to purify and cleanse me. 
I was also drawn into the mystery of fire, which reminded me of a quote from A.W. Tozer, "His holiness is so consuming that there is nothing tangible to compare it to. Fire, flame may be the only element that has the ability to draw us into this mystery. God, in fire, appeared at the burning bush and as a pillar of fire He led the nation of Israel through the wilderness journey. Between the cherubim wings in the holy place a fire called the Shekinah represented the Presence of God. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit as a fiery flame came upon his disciples." Yep, Fire is Awesome. God is Ultimate Awesome. My Prayer is that God will be a fire in my life. When I downloaded the pictures I took during the workday I came across a close-up picture that I took of the raging fire. The fire was so hot that I had to cover all my skin and run in close take the picture and quickly retreat with a few singed hairs. So it wasn't until later that I got a good look at this picture I had taken.
The fire provided the background for the detailed thorns. Wow! The Holy Spirit spoke to me instantaneously -- THIS is the Great Mystery -- Jesus Christ, the Crucified one, wants His way in our lives. God is a Consuming Fire. Let us yield our hearts to be consumed by God
Mike, can I post this into my photo gallery along with a link to this post?
Posted by: Andy Thompson | April 15, 2005 at 08:59 AM