FAN INTO FLAME

"Fan into flame the gift which is in you."

―2 Timothy 1:6, NIV

Residents of our county woke up this morning to the news of a string of five fires that broke out during the night. The causes of the fires are under investigation. Officials say that there is a possibility that all the fires are connected and are calling them “very suspicious.” The intent of those who ignited the fires was to destroy.

A string of fires also broke out among a group of writers this past weekend. It is obvious that all of the fires are connected. The cause of a sudden burst of flames among so many was the Write2Ignite Conference in Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina. At times, the heat was intense but the intention of the event organizers was not to destroy. It was to build up those who desire to ignite fires in the hearts of future generations. 

God’s Word instructs us to “Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6). That is exactly what this conference did in me and in the hearts of many who attended. The endless hours and selfless efforts of those who ignited these fires are to be commended. Their dedication and love for God and the spread of his Word is “very suspicious.” In fact, now that all of the evidence is in, I’d say they are liable.
 
Thank you, Write2Ignite organizers and presenters! May God be your very great reward.

Now it's your turn. Who in your life has fanned the flame of the gift within you? 

Please leave a response.

AUTHOR EXPOSURE: Author's Day

Nature's Epilogue

  John Burroughs 

April 03, 1837 ~ March 29, 1921

Roxbury, New York

John Burroughs  was an American naturalist and essayist important in the evolution of the U.S. conservation movement. According to biographers at the American Memory project at the Library of Congress, John Burroughs was the most important practitioner after Thoreau of that especially American literary genre, the nature essay. By the turn of the century he had become a virtual cultural institution in his own right: the Grand Old Man of Nature at a time when the American romance with the idea of nature, and the American conservation movement, had come fully into their own.

"In the beginning God created . . . " ―Genesis 1:1, NIV
 

Today is Author's Day. An author broadly defined is a person who originates or gives existence to anything and whose authorship determines responsibility for what was created.

Because we are made in the image of God the Creator, we also possess the innate ability to create. God has uniquely gifted each of us according to his divine wisdom. Exercising our natural abilities is the expression of his Spirit within us. There is no gift greater than another. There is no right or wrong expression. Gifts are given to be used; not to be hidden or placed on display so as to draw attention to the recipient. They are entrusted for a specific purpose and when skillfully laced with those of others can accomplish above and beyond our grandest expectations.

Simply stated, gifts are given for our enjoyment and are to be used without reservation for God's glory and the benefit of mankind. Experience lasting joy and significance by employing your gifts to bring light and color to the pages of someone's life. We all are authors. It is never too late; we simply need to begin.

Celebrate Author's Day by celebrating you. Read a good book. Better yet―write one.
 

"We write this to make our joy complete." ―1 John 1:4, NIV

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."
 ―1 Peter 4:10 NIV

 Please visit my devotional blog at the following link

http://365degreelens.blogspot.com/ 
 

Some Assembly Required

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.

A missing piece could prove fatal.

 

 

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love

and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together,

as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another

—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
—Hebrews 10: 24-25, NIV 

 

Join with others in worship today!


Photo taken at Randolph Mall, Asheboro, NC