Lighting fire a man’s journey with his God, a God who is willing to give himself on those who are willing to be spent.

I believe this is the very first book that I read from Randy Clark many years ago, the Lord used this book to encourage me when I started to move into the supernatural ministry back in 2012. I come from a family of Ministers and Missionaries and my Grandfather was one of the leading figures of the Revival the took place in the Methodist Church in Chile, which later became the Methodist Pentecostal Church. So this book in many ways validated the journey that the Lord has set before me.

This book is a commentary on the life, honesty and heart of Randy Clark. The book is written in a classical pentecostal storytelling way, its theology is not systematic but it is rooted in the story and therefore it is not theologically challenging. The story of “lighting fires” is not over and perhaps another book will be written with countless testimonies of impartation and calling the people of God into an experience with the Holy Spirit.

There are numerous of Holy Spirit stories and encounters in this book the Randy and others experienced. The ministry trips to South America, Europe and Eastern Europe (Russia). This all started with a man who was, and I believe still is hungry for the presence of God, and in God’s plan Randy found himself at the very centre of the “Toronto Blessing”. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit that powerfully came, which it seems almost unexpected, on those who were at the core of this outpouring led to so many people encountering the power of the Spirit around the world.

The ministry journey from being a Baptist Minister where the lessons of pastoral experiences were carved and the desire to move into something deeper with God led Randy to explore and to seek the help of the Vineyard Church, especially John Wimber. This encounters with the Vineyard and the outpouring of the Spirit associated with Wimber’s movement “recked” Randy’s ministry in the Baptist church and in God’s ordained plan,  he was received into the Vineyard Church Movement where the Lord placed him at John Wimber’s request within a group of influential leaders within the Vineyard Church. John Wimber understood from the Lord that Randy’s call was to the nations and not just to one denomination. Thank God for John Wimber’s vision, wisdom and obedience.

Lighting Fires is an inspirational book that begins and ends with the words “MORE LORD”.

Personally when I read a book like “Lighting Fires” I look for the raw elements of its narrative. The cracks, the failures, the disappointments, the desperation, to quote Randy to be “refined by fire”.

It is in this sense the book does not disappoint the readers because it is a journey like mine and like millions of other Christians who have been and we are in the “refining fire” process that Lord puts us under, especially for those who’s desire is to be spent in his Presence. The irony of this kind of journey of faith is that it is not for the faint-hearted and yet we are required to have that posture in order to be sustained by the Lord.

This book provides us with many lessons but for personally I believe is this: “Don’t give up”, persevere. Be ever so hungry or His presence, be humble, be prepared to be refined by fire.