Sunday, 22 November 2009

Dear Friends,                                                                                                                                

 

On my way home from Seattle, a week or so ago, I stopped over at my uncle’s place in New Jersey—a welcome “halfway house” that breaks the long flight home. 

 

Amazing how as our days get longer theirs become shorter.  It was getting dark at around 4:30 in the afternoon!  On one of the chilly evenings my uncle had the great idea of making a fire in the lounge fire place.  It was the first he had made since the previous winter.  A few minutes after lighting the fire I was startled by the sound of a piercing alarm going off within the house.  I didn’t know what it was.  I ran downstairs into a thick choking smoke.  I thought the house was on fire, only to discover that the reason for the smoke was due to the fact that my uncle had forgotten to open the flue  of the chimney which had been closed for the summer.  It was only after the flue was opened (and nearly every window in the house) that we found some relief and the alarm stopped screaming. 

 

I received this as a parable for my life:  For my living to bring life-giving warmth and not death-choking smoke, I need to open my flue-like heart to the God-filled heavens.   This will happen through prayer or I fear it will not happen at all.  A prayer-less life—not open to the heavens—pollutes the earth. 

Let us pray…..   Peace, Alan.