My Baptism by Fire
Baptism by Fire April 25, 2008
This evening, I decided to clean off our island near our house that is completely surrounded by water 15’ deep water 200’ on all sides. I skipped cleaning it up last year and it had grown up head high in briers and bushes. This spring the canadian geese that make their home there had all ready hatched off seven chicks. I rowed a small boat over there with my weed eater, chainsaw, and several gallons of diesel fuel onboard and pulled it up the bank on the island. I started weed eating with a saw blade down to middle of the small island to the weeping willow that is in the center. Just as I started a water moccasin slipped off the bank into the water. I then give up on weed eating because the weeds were so high and watching for snakes was freaking me out, so I decided it would be better to prescribe burn the island. So I got upwind and proceeded to douse the vegetation with diesel all around the island.
As I rounded the corner, I noticed the muddy brown tail of another water moccasin sunning in the briars. About that time the wind gusted up and blown in a cloud. It started sprinkling lightly and I thought to myself I need to hurry up and get out of here. I started lighting pieces of paper and throwing them on the fuel soaked vegetation from the center of the island. There was a nearby clap of lighting and I thought that it was time to leave now. The fires caught up within a few seconds and I could just imagine hoards of water moccasins jumping off the banks into the water to get away from the now 15’ high flames on the upwind side of the island. When I turned around the boat was gone…the gust of wind had blown it half way across the lake! The wind was blowing the super hot flames in my direction and burning embers of dry briar leaves were sticking to my shirt. The flames were quickly stranding me where my boat had been.
What had I done to deserve this good Lord? My options were to stay and get roasted or go head first into very mad water moccasin laden waters that can bite underwater. Needless to say I baptized myself clothes and all. I got a running start and almost ran across the lake. I believe I could have beaten a world record dog paddling and swimming every which way to get out of the water and away from the snakes and lighting. Time moved in slow motion as I imagined my feet kicking off those arm wide cotton mouths. I came out unscaved but very much emotionally shaken up. That was a close to Jesus as I have been in a long time. They were having a revival at one of the local churches that I had been planning on going to. I was there with bells on. I am not sure what the moral of this story is. All I know is that it is better to take your chances swimming with serpents in living water than to be engulfed by flames. Maybe this will be a once in a lifetime experience…God Bless till next time.