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I grill.  I used to have a nice propane setup, but I decided that I liked to use charcoal better.  Now, you have to be intentional with charcoal.  It’s almost an art-form.  Once you get it started with an initial flame, you need to put the glowing coals in a shallow pile to keep them hot.  Put a few chips of certain kinds of wood on the coals and it adds flavor to the meat. Mmmm!  But, I noticed that coals that fall away from the pile cool down quickly and become useless.

Our men’s discipleship groups are like piles of charcoal.  The MAN ON FIRE Conference got us started, and the weekly meetings were the way we could stay hot for Jesus.  But, those groups that separated already, or the individuals that found excuses to fall away from the group; you guys have already cooled down.

In the first century, when the church was very young and it was harder to be a Christian, the Apostle Paul told a young church leader, “fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Timothy 1:6).  What do you think this indicates about Timothy’s spiritual condition?  Could it mean that Timothy was discouraged and tired of trying to do things by his own energy and will power?  Could it mean that Timothy was in danger of cooling down and letting his fire for the things of God die? 

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“No amount of success at work can compensate for failure at home,” said Brett Clemmer, the guest speaker at the 8th annual MAN ON FIRE Conference.  The title of the seminar was called “Success That Matters”, materials developed by Man in the Mirror Ministries, a national Christian organization.  Session outlines were provided to each participant as the speaker led them through four Biblically based topics: 1) Finding Purpose in Your Life, 2) Finding Respect and Honor at Home, 3) Finding a New Best Friend in Your Wife, and 4) Finding a Deeper Relationship with God.