Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

This work was done by Jim Cymbala and was published in 1997. It is 182 pages long.

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire is Cymbala’s story of God’s work in his own life and in the life of his church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle. His burden in the book is to convince the reader that God desires to answer the fervent prayers of His church. Many of the stories that Cymbala tells are wonderfully encouraging. It is good to be reminded of God’s ability and even desire to work powerfully and visibly in the lives of His people.

I was moved nearly to tears several times as Cymbala told of how God powerfully answered prayers and changed lives through the gospel. One of those stories (page 40 and following) contains a letter from Roberta, who tells of her terrible battle with drugs and depression. When she “finally hit bottom,” she drove to the Brooklyn Tabernacle and cried to God to save her. Now Roberta sings in the Tabernacle choir and is a faithful member of the church.

Cymbala tells of the time that Roberta was asked to give her testimony before the church. Her father was present that night. The story that this young woman had to share, Cymbala says, was not a pretty one, and certainly not one that a father would smile in pride to hear coming from his daughter’s lips. As she came to the most disturbing parts of her story, Roberta stopped, looked at her father, and said with tears in her eyes, “Daddy, I know this is hard for you to hear. But I have to say it, because it shows how Jesus can forgive the worst in a person’s life.”

Cymbala tells also of his own daughter Chrissy (pp.60-65), who rebelled against God and her family and disappeared into the streets of New York City. He writes passionately about that experience, and several times I found myself feeling the same pit in my stomach that he himself must have felt during those days.

One Tuesday night, Cymbala went to his church’s Tuesday night prayer meeting and asked the church to pray for Chrissy. They did. A few nights later, she showed up on the doorstep and collapsed into her father’s arms. “Daddy—Daddy—I’ve sinned against God. I’ve sinned against myself. I’ve sinned against you and Mommy. Please forgive me.” A few seconds later, Cymbala writes, she pulled back startled and said, “Daddy, who was praying for me? On Tuesday night, who was praying for me?” It had been the church.

I don’t know all the circumstances of those events, but I do know that those stories resonate with me. I love to hear stories like those of God’s love and forgiveness through Christ, maybe because they are so familiar to me. I have experienced that forgiveness myself, and I have watched other people in my life dissolve into those same tears that Roberta and Chrissy cried as they realized the forgiveness that was bought by Christ on the cross.

Maybe that’s why Cymbala’s stories so affect me. I recognize them.

I was glad to see that in all his stories of God’s faithfulness in growing the Brooklyn Tabernacle, Cymbala is determined to make sure that glory is given where it is due—to Christ.

The emphasis is refreshingly not on pragmatic ways to bring people into the church or effective strategies for developing a management structure.

Cymbala again and again points to Christ as the source of all good and blessing in a church, and he calls on the church to pray to God rather than revamp their worship band. It is a welcome emphasis.

I appreciate and rejoice with Cymbala that God has done wonderful things in his life and church through prayer. The lesson to be gained is that we should pray and preach. We should pray, like the apostles, that God will use the preaching of His Word to draw many to Christ.

This book will warm you up a bit. I'd read it.

Just sayin'.