One small spark...

...so great a flame. 

Today I was cleaning my office out and found papers that needed to be destroyed from past years financials and Esprit. It was a beautiful day, in the 50's and calm so I decided to take the papers down to the fire pit and burn them...remember, I live in Nebraska and it is spring (almost)

                                         Nebraska + Spring = Freak gusts of wind. 

So in the calm I start my little fire in the pit to burn the papers and it is all going just fine until WHOOSH a mighty wind out of the west comes up and blows one tiny little flaming piece of paper out of the pit. I went over to stomp on it and WHOOSH another gust of wind and the patch was 3 feet wide. Now I am starting to get concerned so I grab the 5 gallon bucket that I keep fish food in and run to the pond. Now, we have had minus degree weather for weeks and I was not sure there was any water that wasn't frozen but I prayed as I ran. There in the corner by the boat house was a small open patch of water. I filled the bucket, turned around and the fire was racing into the pasture, toward the dock and toward the boat house and the big pasture where the horses are and the barn and you get the idea.

I won't bore you with all the trips to fill the bucket, suffice it to say there were about 25 or 30 but I finally got it put out. Thankfully the wind stopped it's great whooshing and there was a melted bit of pond. I was covered in soot and smelled of burned grass but I survived and so did everything but some dry grass.

Two things I thougtht during and after this:

1: THIS IS WHY JAMES USES THE ANALOGY OF A FLAME FOR THE DAMAGE THAT AN UNCONTROLLED TONGUE CAN DO! James 3:5&6 "See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire. And the tongue is a fire..."

2: I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS!! 

I am sitting here very thankful.