It’s a cold, wet day in Austin. That always brings out the firewood sellers, the intrepid entrepreneurs who park their trucks or trailers along the side of a busy road and erect a couple of stacks of “CLEAN DRY OAK.” It’s a pretty good marketing tool. When you’re driving along with the heater cranked up, you start thinking, “I bet I could fit a stack of wood in the trunk.” Perhaps you even have a fireplace at home.
Today, though, I saw a firewood merchant with a new tactic. Not content to just stack his wood like the others, he had brought along a small barbecue pit and was actually burning his wood by the side of the road. I thought this was genius; it not only helped the woodseller to stay warm, it provided tangible proof that his product was flammable and could actually produce smoke and heat and a satisfying crackling sound. That guy is gonna go far.
Churches get stuck in the same sort of rut. They put a couple of pieces of wood out front—in the shape of a cross—and then they wait for people to stop. But unless the passers-by can see some fire, can feel some warmth, there isn’t all that much reason to stop. I’ve heard lots of church people remark, after a particularly inspiring song, “If that don’t light your fire, your wood’s wet!”
Well, sometimes our wood is wet. And when that happens, we’re much less likely to attract the cold and lonely, the shivering searchers. But when our faith is burning bright, the light and warmth will draw people like moths.
Thaw out. Heat up. There’s only one difference between a torch and a stick-in-the-mud. Flame on!
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