Keepers of the fires of faith have diligently kept the fires burning brightly throughout my life. They have rekindled the fire when it might have grown dim and flickered out. God has always been a part of my life because of these keepers of the fires. All of life is an opportunity to praise and worship God, our Creator.

At home, my mom was our significant keeper of the fires of faith. The single central thread woven into the fabric of my childhood is that of God. Our humble home was richly blessed with the Choctaw hymns mymom sang as she went about her daily chores — sweeping out the house or washing clothes on the washboard down at the well by the creek.

While resting, Mom would read the Scriptures aloud or recite favorite Scriptures from memory — something I thought every mother did. Although she didn't make us sit and listen, we did listen to her soft, soothing voice. In this nurturing environment, the seeds sown were taking root. Years later, someone asked, "What is your favorite Bible verse?" There they were, out of my mouth: verses 1, 2, and 3 from John 14. I just started reciting them. Mom's favorite verses had become mine. It had been written upon my heart without my knowing it. "Let not your heart be troubled" spoke to me after she left on her spiritual journey. I loved to hear her stories about God answering her prayers. Her life reflection was that God is the source that sustains, redeems, and enriches our lives.

As a child growing up, I didn't know we weren't rich, even though I read by a kerosene lamp. I'd wash my face in a basin on the porch and run into the living room to warm up by the wood stove on cold, frosty mornings.

The church of my childhood was a place where we went for special occasions — holiday services, Vacation Bible School, all-night singings, church camp meetings (both Methodist and Presbyterian), and funerals. All these events were sources and times of inspiration. We didn't depend on Sunday worship for inspiration because we had to take care of Pokni (Grandmother), which was also an inspiration. Her blindness and nicotine habit kept us from leaving her alone, even on Sundays. In looking back, I realize that my family saw no need for setting apart one day in seven, for every day belongs to God.

For me, other keepers of the fires of faith were teachers of week-long Bible school and leaders of evening services. The expressions of their faithful dedication were manifested in the long hours between breakfast and 9:00 pm. At sixteen, I publicly confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior. The following year, I was invited to travel with a group of twenty-five young people in a music caravan leading worship and singing in Native American congregations. We came together for orientation in Arizona as youth representing many tribes from across the country. From Phoenix, we made a huge circle, going through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, then down the coast to Los Angeles and back to Arizona. The three-week journey was a turning point in my life.

A year later, I started college and was elected Sunday school teacher (with no formal training and little classroom experience). While it's a challenge faced by most young and/or new native teachers and usually a natural flow into church life, I became discouraged.

When I married, after a year in college, I reluctantly changed parishes within the Presbyterian Church. Fortunately, a couple of ladies took me under their wings and rekindled the flames over the next twelve years. The minister of Choctaw parish became a mentor. His humor, generosity, and gentleness moved me beyond overwhelming odds and motivated me to complete my college work. But when I thought about my embarrassing transcripts, I began to doubt myself. He quietly and encouragingly said, "You're more mature now and know the value of education, and you have the desire to finish it."

With that encouragement, I enrolled and commuted the four-hour trip each way, twice a week, to finish cum laude in three years with a major in Christian Education, Religion, and Philosophy. My church family made the long trip with me to celebrate graduation. As each keeper of the fires of faith came forward with words of encouragement and words of wisdom, I knew my time had come to join them in keeping the fires burning — and lighting the way for all the native people to follow.

Two years ago, the Malawis fueled my faith as we worshiped, developed friendships, and learned together in the spiritually rich but remote and economically poor country of Malawi, Central Africa. Once again, the world was made smaller as the Malawis crossed the ocean to teach workshops and to share their culture and Chitumbuka language with us in Oklahoma. Yewo ('thank you' in Chitumbuka), Chihowa ('God' in Choctaw) for keeping the fires burning brightly in our hearts!

As I look through the eyes of faith, our paths, yours and mine included, have crossed for a reason. We touch and influence the life of others in the same way that others have influenced us. By serving as the vessels for the outpouring of God's source of life, we make a difference by making this world a little brighter for someone else. Today, I honor those contributions made to my faith journey by adding fuel to the fires of all our faith wherever I go in my walk with the Lord. Amen.

Discussion Questions

• What is your first recollection of God interacting in your life?
• Who are the keepers of the faith in your life?
• Identify the people in your life who have rekindled the fires of faith for you.
• What fuel can you add to the fire that keeps the faith of others strong?

Scriptures

Matthew 21:21-22
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Prayers

Opening
Welcome to this place. Prepare to be in the presence of Creator God. Prepare to reflect and to listen to this story of growing and sustaining faith. Amen.

Closing
We have come.
We have heard.
We have listened.
May our understanding cause us to respond as we go forth into our daily life and daily routines to make a difference. Amen.

Eveline Steele, a Choctaw, lives in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. An elder in the Presbyterian Church and a commissioned lay preacher, she earned a degree in Christian Education, Religion, and Philosophy from the University of the Ozarks, Clarksville, Arkansas.