17 January 2008
Burnin’ Love, Warmin’ Up Again
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
· Love on the line
· Runnin’ out of time
· Longer, stronger
· Care about, don’t doubt
· Know today, hug and pray
· Celebrate each other
in love
· Comin’ down, still around
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
In Paradise
Cold as ice
Go out
Find a flame
Warm it up again
Fan into flame
The Gift of
God in you
Find and Fan the Flame
Recently, in the cold mid-winter snow and ice, as I was driving from pastoral visit to hospital visits and going from prayer meeting to pastoral meetings, I took some time to listen to some mp3 files of a few old songs from back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. One in particular tugged at my heart as it reminded me of the verse in the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy that, translated in the NIV, contains the phrase “fan into flame.”
The refrain from the song sung by one of my favorite recording artists, Al Jarreau in the track entitled “Trouble in Paradise” kept reverberating in my soul:
When it looks like trouble in paradise, and you’re burnin’ love that’s cold as ice… Go out and find the flame so you can warm it up again.
The Lord was impressing upon me in that moment of listening in the Spirit singing through the song with the gifted voice of talent in one such as Al Jarreau
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you…
—2 Timothy 1:6a
something that had already been resonating more and more in my soul of late.
- I continue to have a deep desire and need for intimate times of communion with the Lord, hungering and thirsting after God in my personal devotions.
- I so long to live increasingly into the love of the Lord among God’s people here in our fellowship of faith at First Presbyterian Church in New Castle, Indiana.
- I yearn to experience the greater depths of love and grace in God’s gift of a soul mate to and for me in my spouse.
- I anticipate with joy and excitement (and trepidation) the blossoming of our children into the blessings God intends them to be for the blessing of others in the world.
These are a few foundational desires of my heart that resound in song through the depths of my being, soul, and spirit. The Psalmist David’s words come to mind… Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Beloved, give your heart’s desires over to God Who delights in us as His children. When it looks like “trouble in paradise”, fan into flame the gift of God in you and warm up your love again! P. Rex
Of the Gift of God in you
TROUBLE IN PARADISE
(Al Jarreau)
When it appears
your love is finally on the line
And you can't hold it back much longer
And when it seems as though
you're runnin' out of time
That's the time you should be stronger
Well, if you care about her
Don't you ever doubt her love
Would you turn around and
throw it all away?
Just let her know today
That it looks like trouble in paradise
And you're burnin' love that's cold as ice
Go out and find a flame
So you can warm it up again
When it looks like trouble in paradise
And you're burnin' love that's cold as ice
Go out and find a flame
So you can warm it up again…
May you always have
somebody to depend on
And may your days be celebrations
And may there always be
an angel on your shoulder
To help the awkward situations
And if you love each other
You'll never need another love
When the whole wide world has
finally got you down,
She'll still be around
When it looks like trouble in paradise
When you're burnin' love that's cold as ice
Go out and find a flame
So you can warm it up again
When it looks like trouble in paradise
And you're burnin' love that's cold as ice
Go out and find the flame
So you can warm it up again...
