How Bright Is Your Fire?

I am so excited that tonight is the first night of the season for our monthly Men's Group Campfire Meeting!

It is almost fall in Florida.  The days are under 90 and nights in the 60's - one of the cheapest months for utility billing and I like that!  But most importantly, our Men's Campfire group is starting again where we get together for an hour or so, and talk about our life as workers, husbands, dads, and men of the community.  Once a month, and that's it.  Below is the message I prepared, a great story by Zoe Weil.

This is one of my Top 100 Blog Stories that made a difference in my life.  As I read it over and over, I ask myself, How bright is that ember burning in my soul for my calling, my family, my children and all that I hold dear?  Do I need to stoke the fire, or is everything okay?  It is an accountability moment for me.  Here is the story...

Be the Campfire, Not the Forest Fire (click link for the whole story)
by Zoe Weil, November 17, 2010

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Humane Education website at
The Institute for Humane Education Blog.

There's a metaphor I like to use when talking to fellow activists. I ask them to imagine two fires. The first is a campfire in an opening in the woods. The fire is warm and bright and draws people toward it. They are eager to find a place around the fire, and their beautiful faces glow in the reflected light. They feel good. There is nowhere they'd rather be. The second is a forest fire. It blazes hot and out of control, everyone - people and animals alike - flee.

Each of us has a fire inside of us. It is the fire of our passions and our beliefs, and all of us who are activists know it well. It is the fire that spurs us to learn about what is happening on our planet - to people, animals, and the environment - and it is the fire that spurs us to action to solve the crises we face and challenge the atrocities that still pervade our world. It is often a blazing hot fire. And sometimes, when we have burned out, it is a barely glowing ember. (There is a reason for the term "burned out" after all.)

As change agents, we have a choice about what sort of fire we will be. Will we be the warm campfire that draws people towards us so that we can share what we know and inspire others to make a difference, or will we be the forest fire that rages too hot, causing people to run from us? This is one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves because the fire we cultivate makes an enormous difference in our effectiveness as change makers.

But as we know, fire is not static, so whatever fire you have been or are today is subject to change. Fires die out if we don't add fuel, and the sparks that fly off of them can ignite infernos if we add too much fuel too quickly. As change agents, we must seek that perfect balance, adding enough fuel in the form of knowledge and resources to burn just hot enough to ignite change without igniting a conflagration. We will know if our fire needs more fuel if we are not doing the work that must be done and aren't inspiring others to join us, and we will know if we need to let up on the fuel if people avoid us. If we've been activists for a long time, we may have noticed that our fiery youth has diminished too much. If we are new to change-making, we may need to take great care in cultivating our fire so it doesn't burn too hot.

Tend your fire carefully. The world needs you to burn just right.

Zoe Weil, author of Most Good, Least Harm and Above All, Be Kind

My Most Significant Ash Wednesday Ever

Last night I rushed to the church to attend the Ash Wednesday service, and I got there right on time.  The irony was I didn't know why I was there, other than its a Christian tradition and that's where I needed to be.

The Pastor did a great job explaining to us the reason for the holiday.  She explained that on this day, ashes are placed on the foreheads of the congregation, marking each forehead with the sign of the cross.  Traditionally people also wore sackcloth, or clothing made from the rough material of burlap. This ritual echoes the ancient eastern tradition of throwing ashes over one's head to signify repentance before God.  In her sermon she explained that this day signifies the first day of Lent, representing the first day Christ went out into the wilderness and fasted for forty days.  At the end of the forty days will come Good Friday, the day of Crucifixion and then Easter, the day of Resurrection.

The scripture she read was 1 Samuel 15:22 - But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.  I really like this approach to the term sacrifice.  When we obey, we are giving up self-will, which is very much a human sacrifice, shown to us by the ultimate sacrifice and act of obedience - Jesus giving himself up on the cross.  He obeyed His Father.

I don't know if I fully understand the significance of the event, but to me it is a day of sorrow and repentance for the things that I've done wrong, my disobedience to God, keeping His commandments and most of all the affect it has had on those around me.  After receiving the charcoal marking on my forehead, I went to the alter to pray.  I prayed for forgiveness and the strength to follow Christ fully in the future.  When I arose, I felt the relief from the forgiveness that we receive from Jesus, but still sorrowful because those I've sinned against that are not so easily willing to forgive, and are unlikely to forget.  I struggle with regret and shame from some of the things I've done wrong.

The good news is...is that Christ is working in us and in the lives of others.  We interact, and in doing so bless and sin against our fellowman and loved ones.  It is a cycle of love, forgiveness and accepting each other for our humanness.  At the alter I also took a vow of sacrifice for the next forty days.  My sacrifice is self-will.  I made a promise to God to study the Bible everyday for this period, and I look forward to doing so.