I remember hearing a story about a man who had missed church for a number of weeks. The preacher had often called him and asked where he was, but the man kept putting the preacher off.
Finally, one day, the preacher stopped by for a visit on a cold winter day.
The man was sitting in front of his fireplace and welcomed the preacher and tried to engage him in conversation. However, the minister didn't say much. He just walked over to the fireplace, pulled one of the logs away from the flame - and then went and sat down. They sat there in silence for the longest time, watching the fire. And as they watched, the log that sat off by itself, the fire on it began to smolder and then it went out.
The preacher and the man sat for a long time looking into the fireplace ¡V and then the man said "OK, I'll be at church next Sunday."
