News from Good News Ministries:
- Start A Fire This Lent
- From Our Video Archives: Come Holy Spirit!
- Plus great links to great content!
Start a Fire This Lent
I earned my Eagle Scout badge 23 years ago. My time and perseverance in scouting to achieve the award taught me a lot about myself and formed me into the person I am today. I am grateful for the many lessons learned I continue to put them to practical use today.
One of the skills I learned was how to properly and responsibly start a fire. It is an important skill and I use it often. Whether it is a campfire, a stubborn charcoal grill or a romantic fireplace fire, I’m confident in my ability to start and keep a fire going under any circumstance. While there are nuances that depending on your circumstances, there are two keys to starting a fire. One have enough dry fuel to burn and make sure it is stacked properly to allow air to flow. If you follow these two basic rules you’ll have success.
I’ve also found these same two rules apply to fan the Holy Spirit into flame in our souls. Many of us begin the Lenten season with zeal and strike a match, then go looking for fuel. But one or two logs don’t sustain a fire. So when we misplace our book of reflections or our morning prayer gets interrupted by a crying baby the fire just simply goes out because we haven’t gathered enough to burn. When one log won’t light its important to try another one and perhaps once the fire is hotter you can try to ignite the stubborn waterlogged wood.
We also can’t just pile up a bunch of resources and think it will burn. We need to allow room for the breath of the Holy Spirit to inspire us on how to arrange wood so it will be fully consumed. If we burden ourselves with too much to do, our zeal will be extinguished under the weight of our self-imposed expectation of perfection. The mighty wind of the Spirit can only ignite fading embers if we give Him the space to arrange the elements of our prayer lives.
In these early days of the Lenten season, I encourage you to start a fire in your soul if you haven’t done so already. Do it carefully by preparing and tending to it so it does not fizzle out. If you are looking for a piece of kindling to get you started, I strongly encourage you to add The Great Mercy Challenge to your Lenten routine.
Come Holy Spirit, ignite our faith!
Good News Prayer Room:
Use our collection of Catholic prayers designed with your needs in mind. They will give you hope and a stronger connection to God’s love and support. What do you need prayers for today?
Visit gnm.org/prayers.
Post your prayer requests @ gnm.org/post-a-prayer.
Good News WordBytes:
WANT MORE FAITH and HOPE in TROUBLED TIMES? WE’RE HERE for YOU! Choose from a variety of topics on our website of Catholic Faith-building articles. What do you need today?
Visit wordbytes.org.
Explore our Catholic Video Library for Faith Growth
Invite the Holy Spirit into your life with this collection of videos
God bless you!
Every morning, I lift up in prayer everyone who helps Good News Ministries in any way (donors, volunteers, prayer supporters, etc.) and all the prayer requests posted on our site. What can I cover in prayer for you? Post your prayer request.
How else can the team and I serve you today? Visit our homepage.
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
Your servant in Christ,
Bill Snyder, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org
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Knowing God’s Will and Doing it Well
Lessons from the Blessed Mother
Daily Prayers with the Saints