Which being translated means: "One should never let the fire in one's soul go out, but should stir it up."
This is advice that all ministers and worship leaders and people who spend their lives giving to others should heed. Because we cannot give of our best, from our souls, if we do not also nourish those souls by receiving what we need - worship, inspiration, knowledge, hope.
This was brought home to me this week, when I (and many Unitarian ministerial colleagues) attended MOSA - the annual conference at Harris Manchester College, Oxford. My friend Kate McKenna reflected on this on her return home... that ministers need to experience worship without being responsible for it.
Because it's not possible to give out nourishment, if we ourselves are empty inside. Which is why attending events such as the General Assembly meetings, the Ministerial Fellowship conferences and Summer School is so important to me. They feed my soul, enable me to recharge my emotional and spiritual batteries, and return to my vocation refreshed and strengthened. The fire in my soul is stirred up by new experiences, by worshipping with others, and burns brightly again.
And this doesn't only apply to ministers and worship leaders. It applies to all creative people, and to all people who wish to live wholeheartedly, with all of themselves. Which is why I'm going on a one-day writing retreat on 13th July - to feed my soul, and re-inspire me. There are many retreats and events of all kinds where you can go to learn new things, make new friends, and come back to your ordinary life energised and enriched.
If you are feeling undernourished, lonely, in need of encouragement and energy boosting, why not find an event to go to?
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