It’s early Thursday morning and I am out on the back deck with a fire in the chimnea – lots on my mind I suppose. As I sit watching the fire, I watch the flame build and die down. As I add wood to the fire, the flame builds back up again. But underneath the flame is where the real fire is – a bed of coals that keeps the fire going. As I watch the fire I am reminded of a story I heard recently of an Oklahoma pastor named Otto Goins. You can read his story here.
He is 100 years old. He preached his first sermon in the summer of 1930. Now, 80 years later, he is still preaching – and now, right back in the same building he helped build in 1940. He now lives in a retirement home, but every week his neighbor drives him to church so he can preach.
It is burning coals like Otto that keep the flame going. Yes, God keeps adding new fuel to the fire in the way of new ministers and leaders, but we must never forget those who have gone before who have kept the fire burning in our churches.
This story also reminds me that even though we may age and reach a point that we retire from our careers, we never retire from serving God. As a minister, I have heard countless people tell me, “I have served in this capacity for plenty of years, it is time for the younger folks to step up and pull their weight.” While this is often true, it should never be an excuse for retiring from being a committed believer. Look at Otto, he is still preaching after 80 years of ministry.
We need the coals to keep the fire going!
Clay in the Hands 
Brian,
Imagine if “we used to do it this way” was applied to the coals???? Let’s keep the fire burning.
Great point! “We’ve always done it this way” normally leads to letting the coals go out! Thanks Olga!