STIR THE EMBERS - ERIN

I love my people. I love spending time with my people.

I love spending time with God alone.

Be alone with the Father. Wait, what? This is about friends Erin, did you get the memo? Uh yeah, I did… be alone with the Father, but like how Jesus did. He would slip away often and spend time with Him. Be alone with God. I say this because the more time you spend with God, the more He leads you to community and knowing people.

This may be the most relatable part of Jesus for me and my introverted self. I have the permission to spend time ‘alone’ with the charge to then go out and love my FRONT ROW FRIENDS. My peeps, my tribe, man I love them and even more so I love when they get connected. When I think about how I would want all my FRFs to meet we are on my back porch sitting around a campfire. Think about it, campfires have all the best things; people, stories, laughter, encouragement, s’mores. ALL THE THINGS. I hear all of our stories building on one another, not because everyone knows everyone but because we all have a singular commonality: Jesus.

My role as a FRF has change over time, but for this season it is to create space for people to meet people. To build room for God to be glorified within a growing community. As I host this “campfire” aka be a Front Row Friend, I’m constantly slipping away asking God “Do I need to fan this flame or stir it’s embers? Who do my people need in this moment? What are they going through?" It all comes together. Being alone with God fuels me to be the FRF they need and that God calls me to be for each of the people who so often fan my flame and stir my embers.

If my friend is pouring out their heart for the homeless, or how God has been present in their life recently, I am bouncing back with excitement. I am fanning that flame higher and higher. On the flip side: when we are walking in the shadows, God feels distant, we're at a loss for words; it's time to stir.

The embers are dying out but holding on, waiting to be reignited by the other flames around them.