ok so i'm going to answer this question, but it's going to require some thought....by the way some of us are still awake at this lovely 3:20 am. i'll be thinking...

I believe that the phrase has an individual meaning depending upon who you ask, such as for me it means that he is keeping my mind body and soul clear from all that should not be there so that I may focus on the task at hand... mainly, staying alive. lol.

i'm going for: He fuels the fire within me that keeps me going day by day. i guess that could be a "church answer", but thats just how i've always thought about it

That's a cute picture of a little campfire. Funny, I always imaged consuming fire being a CRAZY inferno that levels ancient forests or an atomic blast that can vaporize half the country. Then again, that's just my imagination :)

when diamonds are mined they are in other rocks and ugly material that hides their true beauty. they are place in "a consuming fire" to burn away all the things that shouldn't be there - revealing the true and amazing beauty that God created. When we allow and embrace the burning away of our wants, desires, wills, and everything that God hasn't intended for us then and only then can our true beauty of his creation be seen.

ok. so it's 3:22 am this time, and now i have an answer. i took the question seriously and thought about it for 24 hours. here's my answer: i love to stare into a fire and watch how it totally consumes everything it takes in, and conforms it into something different. for me when it comes to letting God be my all consuming fire, it is essentially the same. i have to let God consume every single part of my life, every thing i do, everything i think, everything i desire. and it is through allowing God to consume my entire life that He can take it, and conform it into His. and when the results come out, they look nothing like the original, for they have the fingerprints of God on them. just like nothing looks the same once it has gone through a consuming fire, because it will have the mark of ashes... and that's my answer.

by the way, thanks for provoking thought. aloha my friend, we miss you. have a good sleep and a good thursday!

dude we miss you soooo much but we know that you are doing god's work but we are really goin miss you at one weekend and everything else fight the good fight which we can only do through the spirit by faith!

Dude we miss u! We are really proud of u though because u r being obedient to God and doing his work. Stay strong. In Christ, Garrett

Hey i had no idea that you weren't in the boro anymore! Hope to see you soon! When do you plan on coming home?

How very emerging church of you... I think we need to start really thinking about what we say and what it means. As for God being a consuming fire, I agree with the above remarks that it is a purifying flame. But I also think that when he consumes us, He is our reason for everything. His big picture is more important than any of our details. And like Joy said, a fire spreads and consumes everything around it. If we are truly consumed by His fire, then it will spread from us to all those around us.

I'm not very tuned in to the "church language". I believe in a personal walk, not a community walk.