‘Sometimes we forget that God is fire. We confuse Him with fireplaces and fireworks. We tend to think of Him as a fireplace when we make God too much our friend, as if He were a peer. We sometimes conclude that God is our co-pilot helping us along the way while we remain the pilot. This is the kind of fire that warms you and keeps you comfortable, while at the same time remaining a safe distance away. The fireplace is contained and controlled. But a God-like fire is much different.

Sometimes we see God too much as fireworks: the ecstatic experience of shallow celebration or worship that takes us high but leaves us low. It is the fireworks of praising God on Sunday and forsaking Him on Monday. The fireplace and the fireworks each create an illusion of the fire.’

[Erwin McManus, ‘an unstoppable force’ – page 179 in chapter ‘Soul Environments’]