Carrying the Fire: Coming Back with the Tide

Back during Lent, when I first wrote about the salmon returning to the sea in Sparks in the Dark, I did not even know much about Eastertide in the liturgical calendar.

Tomorrow is Pentecost, and somehow I can hardly believe we have arrived here already.

Reflecting back from the past weeks, I have noticed how these stories, symbols, and movements kept connecting with real life — with returning, waiting, releasing, recognizing, grieving, hoping, and becoming new again.

It felt like discovering that our lives can move with these sacred currents too.

This series was not only something I shared outwardly — it also became something God used deeply in my own life. Through these weeks, I found myself learning how to move more peacefully through transition, how to wait without rushing ahead, how to recognize God in unexpected places, and how to trust that even in uncertainty, God is still moving with us.

One thing that still amazes me is how unexpectedly everything began tying together. What started as reflections during Lent slowly unfolded into Eastertide, Ascension, and now Pentecost. Along the way, I began realizing that maybe these sacred rhythms carried through generations are not distant traditions at all but living invitations that help us notice where God is present in our own lives right now.

And perhaps that has been one of the most beautiful surprises of this whole journey for me.

To witness how God can weave things together before we even fully understand what God is doing.

To slowly realize that maybe we are being carried by grace more than we know.

So, thank you for walking with me through this Eastertide series. Thank you for listening, reflecting, praying, wondering, and staying with me through these weeks between Resurrection and Pentecost. Your encouragement and messages meant a lot to me.

There were moments during this season when I felt like I was being pulled by an undertow — like a strong current beneath the ocean trying to drag me somewhere deep and unknown. During these days between Ascension and Pentecost, I found myself reflecting deeply on courage, calling, and trust. And I realized something surprising: transformation does not always feel inspiring at first. Sometimes it feels disorienting, like being carried by a tide you cannot fully control.

And yet again and again, God kept bringing me back.

Back to the shore.
Back to breath.
Back to presence.
Back to love.

Tomorrow, we remember Pentecost — the moment when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples like fire. Not a fire that consumed them, but a fire that filled them with courage, power, wisdom, and boldness. Not because they suddenly became strong on their own, but because God’s Spirit was now alive within them. (Acts 2)

And people noticed the difference.

Sometimes when we hear the Pentecost story, we focus only on the dramatic parts — the crowds, the preaching, the thousands added in one day. But I wonder if the Spirit’s work is sometimes quieter than that too.

Maybe boldness does not always look like standing in front of thousands of people.

Maybe sometimes boldness looks like finally resting when we are exhausted. Saying no to destructive habits. Beginning again after failure. Asking for help. Forgiving someone. Creating even when we feel afraid. Showing up consistently. Trusting God in uncertainty. Or simply waking up in the morning and trying again.

Maybe the Holy Spirit meets us there too.

Not only in massive moments, but in faithful ones.

That is what Eastertide has been teaching me. Resurrection is not only about one miraculous morning long ago. It is also about learning how to live differently now — how to recognize Love again, how to return again, and how to carry the fire forward into ordinary life.

As we move into this next season, I would love to open a small space for anyone who would like to reflect and creatively pray together about what Eastertide has meant for us and what new life God may be inviting us into.

Next Saturday, May 30, I will open a Zoom room at 8:30 AM PT for quiet personal reflection time. Then from 9:00–10:00 AM PT, we will gather together for a gentle check-in, sharing, reflection, and creative prayer for this new season in our lives.

You are welcome exactly as you are.

You do not need to prepare anything. You do not even need to turn your camera on. You can join while walking, resting, drawing, folding laundry, sitting quietly with coffee, or simply listening in the background.

Before Pentecost, the disciples waited together in a room.

Maybe this too can become a small room of waiting together.

A place to breathe.
A place to listen.
A place to carry the fire forward together.

If you are interested in joining or would like more information, feel free to reach out through SD-Resources.com and RSVP from there.

As Pentecost approaches, I invite you to take a few quiet moments to reflect:

• Where have I noticed God during this Eastertide season?

• What might the Holy Spirit be awakening in me?

• What is one small area of my life where I need courage?

• What fire is God nurturing in me that does not destroy, but gives life?

You do not need to force an answer.

Just notice.
Just listen.
Just breathe.

Holy Spirit,

Come like breath to weary places.
Come like wind into locked rooms.
Come like fire that does not consume but transforms.

Teach us to recognize Your presence in ordinary life.
Give us courage not only for dramatic moments,
but for daily faithfulness.

Help us release what we need to release.
Help us receive what we are afraid to receive.
Help us trust the tides of Your love.

And when we feel lost in the currents of change
carry us gently back to You again.

Amen.

As a closing song for this final Eastertide reflection, I wanted to share a piece inspired by this whole journey of waiting, returning, and carrying the fire forward — a reminder that even when we feel lost in the currents, God continues to call us back with the tide.

Thank you again for walking through Eastertide with me. Your encouragement, reflections, prayers, and presence throughout this season truly meant a great deal to me.

My hope moving forward is that we would continue growing into the new life God is preparing for each of us — whatever shape that may take. Some seasons begin dramatically. Others begin quietly, almost unnoticed. But may we keep listening for the Spirit, and may we keep returning to Love again and again.

If you would like to stay connected, reflect further, or explore spiritual direction or creative spiritual practices together, you are always welcome to connect with me through SD-Resources.com.

I am also available for one-on-one spiritual direction conversations for those seeking space to reflect, discern, process transitions, or deepen their spiritual journey. If this speaks to you, you are warmly welcome to reach out through this link: SD-Resources.com - Contact

Thank you again for walking through Eastertide with me.

May the peace of Christ, the love of God, and the fire of the Holy Spirit go with you into this new season.