Review: Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire is the story and reflections of Jim Cymbala, who found himself trying to lead a church of less than thirty people in Brooklyn, New York in the 1970’s. The church now has nearly 10,000 members and a Grammy award-winning choir, so it’s quite a story.

This book is short and simple, as more books should be. It's really readable, filled with personal anecdotes, illustrations from the Bible, and passionate thoughts about God and His Church. Cymbala’s story begins with desperation, and he remains desperate but has learnt that this is where God is found: in answering the prayers of otherwise helpless people…

If we call upon the Lord, He has promised in His Word to answer, to bring the unsaved to Himself, to pour out His Spirit among us. If we don’t call upon the Lord, He has promised nothing – nothing at all. It’s as simple as that. No matter what I preach or what we claim to believe in our heads, the future will depend on our times of prayer. (page 27)

Is the book's basic message of 'Pray a lot and God will respond' new to me? Not really but it's something I need to keep hearing, and stories from people who have lived this out are a good way to get this truth into me.

For someone who often seems tempted to self-sufficiency, and is desperate to see more of the Holy Spirit’s power, I found this book a really helpful read.