By Andrew Fox, British Isles Mission Center Presidency
I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands.
One of the highlights of camps from my youth were the campfires. I loved watching the patterns of the flames as they lit up the dark sky. I loved sitting with my friends singing silly songs about elephants playing on spiders’ webs and dogs named Bingo. But what I really loved was the spirit that pervaded our space as we transitioned into songs about God’s love for us.
Roy Oakman was a staff member at all my early camps, and it is Roy whom I remember giving the campfire talks upon which I pondered as I made my way back to the house for hot cocoa and a good night’s rest. Each year, after the final campfire of the week, Roy would remain at the campfire site until everyone else had left so he could remove a twig from the embers of the fire.
The following year, we would all excitedly return for another camp and, during the first campfire talk of the week, Roy would reach into his pocket and take out a small, blackened piece of wood, the one he had removed from the fire the previous year. He would then toss it into the fire, and we would watch as this dead-looking twig sparked back into life, joining all the other wood around it in lighting up the sky.
I often think back to the simple message that Roy demonstrated each year. When we are in the midst of friends at a camp or other church setting, it can be easy to be full of life, bright and warm, sharing the gifts that God has blessed us with. But when those days are over and we return to our everyday life, we face the danger of losing our spark and becoming like the “dead” piece of wood.
The good news is that we have a loving God who longs to rekindle the gifts within us. Sometimes being rekindled isn’t easy, but I believe in a God who walks besides us, leading us to people, places, and experiences that will cause us to catch aflame once again. So be rekindled…it’s what God is longing for!
Prayer Phrase
“…we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Weeding the Garden
Inner transformation can take place among daily leisure and work. Try cultivating the spiritual discipline of grace and acceptance while weeding the garden. As you pull each weed, offer a short prayer. Tug. (God remove from my heart all prejudice and fear.) Tug again. (God, keep me from judging others.) As you remove the weeds, continue praying. (Plant in my heart the seeds of your love.) If you don’t have a garden, try this transforming prayer while engaging in repetitive tasks or work today (cleaning out a closet, washing dishes, cleaning the floors, mowing the lawn).
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.