Starter Prayer: All praise be Yours, my God, through Brother Fire, Through whom You brighten up the night. How beautiful he is, how gay! Full of power and strength. —ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Focus Phrase: Light of Life

Scripture Reading: John 8:12

Optional Read-along: Water, Wind, Earth and Fire pp. 45-50a (Chapter Two: Brother Fire, Section: Fire and Creation.)

Spiritual Direction:

Have you been to Yellowstone National Park? I bet it’s crowded this year! Over the years the family and I have discussed which national park is the grandest. To us, Yosemite is the most awe inspiring. Rock Mountain is the closest, highest and most dear to us. Glacier has the Grizzlies:) And… Yellowstone is the favorite– for one reason– the geo-thermal activity. The lake is a giant caldera (rim of a volcano). The mud pots, geysers and hotsprings… Well, they are magical and other-worldly.

Annie Dillard writes: If the landscape reveals one certainty, it is that the extravagant gesture is the very stuff of creation. After the one extravagant gesture of creation in the first place, the universe has continued to deal exclusively in extravagances, flinging intricacies and colossi down aeons of emptiness. . . . The whole show has been on fire from the word go.

This week we are getting in touch with the element of fire and exploring fire’s impact on our prayers and our spiritual lives.

To get started, explore the fire and light all around you. Do something each day to celebrate the warmth, light and creativity of what God is doing with fire:

• Light a fire: in your fireplace at home, a park, a campground. Gather friends and tell stories by firelight.
• Spread a blanket outdoors; lie down and explore the starlight.
• Go into a church and light candles, offering prayers for those in need.
• Go for a vigorous walk and notice the heat rising in your body.
• Feel the heat of the sun on your skin.
• Go to the farmer’s market. Feast your eyes of the produce and flowers. Buy some summertime flowers, fruits and veggies.

Be encouraged in your practice, Katie Martinez

Endnotes

• For daily texts with the Focus Word, Starter Prayer and link to these daily posts, text the word “journey” to 970-500-0970.
• Are you receiving the weekly guide every Sunday via email? Register here.
• Join the Orange Dots of Hope Facebook Group for spiritual conversations on the journey.

This daily devotion is part of the Summer Growth Journey: Learning to Pray with Nature with Crossroads Church. Many of us are also reading through Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements by Christine Valters Paintner. To purchase a copy, or for more information, email us at [email protected].