Friday, October 27, 2006

On Sunday morning, I will be sharing at St. Andrew Baptist Church in Panama City, Florida. I will not be able to have Deanna with me this time. Would you please pray for those who hear, that they would respond to how the Lord is moving in their hearts?



This week a friend of mine...who shall remain nameless so that she continues to be my friend (I hope)...had a wee fire in her apartment. For some reason, her stovetop ignited as she was preparing her evening meal. All kidding aside, when she called Deanna there was a small edge of terror in her voice!

She already had the fire under control, but feared what could have happened, and what may yet happen if she turned the stove back on. We worked it out together, and all is well. By the time I arrived at her place, the smell of smoke was dissipating. There was still a hint in the air, but you could not tell what had happened.

This reminded me of a couple of times when another lady I know was preparing Swedish Meatballs. I am far from a chef, but as I understand it, one must get the skillet extremely hot to prepare them. On the first occasion, this other lady also lived in an apartment. As she was preparing this meal, the grease caught fire.

Having no experience with grease fires, she did what came naturally. She threw water on it.

That enraged the fire, and as the water hit, it leapt off of the stove and ran up the walls and across the ceiling! I remember the terror in her voice when she called. Well, actually it was the shrill screams of a smoke detector that I remember hearing. The voice on the other end pleaded for help to make it stop.

Miraculously, the fire had gone out, but the smoke detector wailed on without taking a breath. This distraught, embarrassed and frustrated lady called to beg for help to make it quit. Amazingly, she was not interested in discussing the cause of the smoke detector's announcement, she simply wanted instructions on getting it to settle down.

The lick of the flames across the walls required some attention in this case. Repainting was required to cover the scars of the event.

Another time, on a somewhat smaller scale, years later, it happened again. Swedish Meatballs were once again the entree' du jour. Again, the grease leapt into it's 'flame on' mode. This time, a wiser cook grabbed flour... lots of flour...five pounds of flour... and doused the flames.

This time, only a third degree blister on the counter top needed attention from the burn unit.

Surprisingly, I was over for dinner both of these nights. I am told these are the only two times she has ever prepared this dish. You know what? Those meatballs were delicious!

Sometimes, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego we have to experience the fire to get to the 'good stuff.' Whether or not we bear the scars is not really the issue. Our faithfulness to our Savior is. How we respond, what we learn, and to whom we point is what matters. Free of the lick of the flames, we are given the opportunity to minister to others who are experiencing similar, searing pain.

Last night, Whitney had the opportunity to share her testimony with a group of girls who have significant need. Though Whit has never been at the specific point these young ladies are, the Lord used her faithfulness and obedience to draw another to Himself. Through her singing and sharing, the Holy Spirit brought conviction, and a New Creation has submitted to the Father's Will! Amen!!!

dad

5 Comments:

At 10:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Praise the Lord

 
At 11:26 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

So, as I am reading this post, only one person comes to mind. I of course cannot be positive of the exact identity of the pyro-to-be, but I have some pretty specific ideas. These ideas really make me laugh! Ah, if only I could have been there. 7 days...

Love ya,

Katie

 
At 12:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Praying for you Brent.
\o/

 
At 1:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your post today brought back "fond" memories of my childhood. I sat here with a smile on my face as I read the entry. My mother loved to cook steak with what we call her "special sauce." We all loved the sauce, however, the sauce was oil, oregano, garlic salt and worcheshire. The problem would be, she would cook the steak IN the sauce, in the BROILER. Let's suffice it to say the fire department came to our house on several occasions. And of course, it wouldn't be just one small engine, it would be 4-5 racing into our cul de sac. The neighbors finally got used to it and would just ask, "Having steak tonight?!"

Well, as an adult, I still wanted the wonderful taste of the sauce with the steak, without the engines! After 2 or 3 times of having to douse my steak with salt, I finally realized, "Hey, I could make the sauce on the stove in a pot and it would taste just as good!"

It does. Since, I have shared with my sisters my new discovery which they thanked me profusely for b/c they, too, had had several occasions of the mishap and finally just gave up on the sauce.

I guess it goes to show, things really worth the result are worth the effort, the creativity required to perhaps approach things from a different angle. Like God does with non-believers. He keeps on trying, through new methods, new angles, new people. The Higgins family is one of His newest, most successful angles of using His loved ones to reach others.

Bless you all for being God's faithful servants.

Tina

 
At 1:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

you are a hoot! i am praying that you will be ok!!

 

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