Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

13
My Friend, My Brother
1978
Steve ‘Faithful’ sat in chapel one Sunday evening in February
and grinned at his mum and dad from a distance. Though
only nineteen, he was a strong man. His ruddy face and thick
auburn hair gave him a youthful glow. Steve was quite a nature
lover and enjoyed being out on his tractor. Blunt, honest
and unpretentious, his sober face would break out in a warm
grin that betrayed the softness of his heart. He and John ‘Gentle’
were close and their boisterous friendship was a focus
for the farm brotherhood. Steve had won a place in Noel’s
heart, too, and was unafraid to turn his cheekiness in that
direction! ‘Noel gets in the flesh just like us!’ he used to say
— usually after Noel had corrected him!
That February evening Noel spoke from James: ‘What is
your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and
then vanishes.’ Steve knew it. He was no yokel. After a day of
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