- Speaker #0
Welcome back to Promise Hill. This is Chapter 8, The Walk, The Wood, and The Fire. Hello, I'm Kimberlee Herman, your host. And let me just say, today's episode holds a little more heat, a little more heart, and a few unexpected turns. Sometimes it's the quiet mornings that stir something deep. A walk. a scent, a sound, and suddenly, you're standing in front of something you didn't know you needed. Before we begin, I just want to thank you truly for listening. Whether you've been here from the beginning or just found your way to this little corner of story and soul, I'm so grateful. You make this town feel lived in. You remind me that words matter and that healing happens in community, even the kind that gathers through headphones. So, pour something warm or cold, settle in, and let's see what unfolds. You're right where you're meant to be. Let's listen in.
- Speaker #1
Mira had fallen asleep thinking about her day with her mom and grandma Eden. So much grief she has shoved down to try to forget. It was early the next morning, with the light gently streaming in the living room window. The sun nudging Mira to wake her up. She decided to get dressed and take a morning walk to clear her mind. She headed towards the Daily Bread for some fresh coffee, but the rhythmic sound of a saw cutting through wood caught her attention. She looked across the street from the bakery to Nathaniel Ember's woodworking shop. Ember and Oak, where wood becomes art. The door was open, revealing the scent of fresh-cut timber and varnish. Something about the steady, intentional work inside drew her in. She briskly ran across the street. Stepping over the threshold, she found Nathaniel at his workbench, running his hand over the smooth grain of a half-carved chair leg. He looked up, his expression warm but perceptive.
- Speaker #2
Hi there, Mira. It's good to see you again. How can I help you on this beautiful sunny morning?
- Speaker #3
Um, I wasn't planning on stopping by, but your shop drew me in. It's peaceful here.
- Speaker #1
Nathaniel nodded, setting down his chisel.
- Speaker #2
I agree. Wood has a way of teaching patience, which brings calm. Every piece has imperfections. A good carpenter doesn't throw it away. He shapes it.
- Speaker #1
Mira let those words settle. She ran her fingers over a carved armrest, feeling the grooves and curves. the careful touch that had shaped it.
- Speaker #3
But what if something's too damaged, too warped?
- Speaker #1
Nathaniel smiled gently.
- Speaker #2
Even the most broken wood has purpose. Sometimes it just needs a different use.
- Speaker #1
A sudden clang from outside behind the shop made Mira jump. She turned toward the open rear door, where the unmistakable sound of metal striking metal rang out. She stepped outside and saw a large man. His ginger wavy hair blew in the soft wind as he was at his forge, hammering a glowing piece of iron with sharp, forceful strikes. The heat from the fire flickered in his eyes, and the intensity in his movements told her that whatever he was forging, it was more than just metal. Mira realized this was the man she had seen a few weeks ago when she was leaving the Daily Bread and headed towards her mom's place in Whispering Pines, the man in the shadows that made her feel unsettled. She stood staring at the intensity of his movements. Nathaniel walked over.
- Speaker #2
That's Gideon Thorne. He comes off a little gruff, but he's a good man and an excellent iron craftsman.
- Speaker #1
Mira studied the tension in his shoulders, the way his grip tightened around the hammer. Just then, Gideon turned around and noticed Mira. He thought to himself that it looks like she is standing in a fire herself. Gideon knows... all too well what that feels like. He turned the cooled iron in his hands and loudly shared, Metal doesn't always cooperate. Sometimes it bends wrong, cracks under pressure. He turned it over again, testing its strength. Doesn't mean it's useless. Just means you have to go back to the fire. Try again. Mira swallowed, hearing something deeper in his words.
- Speaker #3
And what if it keeps breaking?
- Speaker #1
Gideon met her gaze. Then you find someone who knows how to reshape it. A gust of wind swept through the alley, carrying the scent of burning coal and fresh bread. Mira felt something shift in her chest. Maybe there was something to be learned here. Maybe she wasn't as alone in the fire as she thought. As Mira turned to leave, she caught one last glance at Gideon, still holding the iron in his hands. He wasn't just shaping the metal. He was shaping himself. And maybe, in some way, so was she. Mira said goodbye to Nathaniel and Gideon and briskly walked over to see Charity for her morning brew.
- Speaker #4
Mira, it's so good to see you. I have a toasted marshmallow latte with a side of a fluffy steaming croissant just for you.
- Speaker #3
Thank you, Charity. Your food is delicious as always. Quick question. Do you hang out with Nathaniel and Gideon?
- Speaker #4
Just at church and around town we bump into each other, but I'm a bit older than they are.
- Speaker #1
Mira sipped her latte, her thoughts drifting as she watched the steam curl up from the cup, the warmth of the bakery, the scent of coffee and fresh bread. It all felt safe, familiar, but something about this morning had stirred the ashes of something long buried. She glanced out the window toward the woodworking shop and the forge beyond it.
- Speaker #3
This may sound strange, but I feel like they know something I need to learn. Like I was meant to see both of them today.
- Speaker #1
Charity studied her a moment.
- Speaker #4
Perhaps you were.
- Speaker #1
Mira leaned back.
- Speaker #3
Charity, do you believe things happen on purpose?
- Speaker #1
Charity didn't answer right away. She wiped her hands on a linen towel and leaned across the counter.
- Speaker #4
I believe God doesn't waste a thing. Not a broken heart. Not a wrong turn. Not even a morning walk for coffee.
- Speaker #1
Just then, a gust of wind pushed through the bakery door before it clicked shut again. Mira felt it in her bones. Something was coming.
- Speaker #3
What can you tell me about them?
- Speaker #4
Both are great men with very different life stories.
- Speaker #1
Charity spoke as she put warm chocolate mint chip cookies in the display case while keeping her eyes on Mira.
- Speaker #4
Nathaniel's been here his whole life. His family's all local, salt-of-the-earth type. He's never been married, though plenty of women have tried to catch his eye.
- Speaker #1
Mira raised an eyebrow.
- Speaker #3
He seems settled.
- Speaker #1
Charity smiled.
- Speaker #4
Oh, he is quiet, steady, one of those men who really focuses on the present moment and his craft. You won't get gossip from him.
- Speaker #3
And Gideon?
- Speaker #1
Charity's smile faded just a touch.
- Speaker #4
Oh, he is a gruff one, yeah. But he'd show up for a friend in the middle of a storm. His dad raised him when his mom left town, years back. He lived a few towns over in Lake City for most of his life. He doesn't talk about it much, keeps things close to the chest.
- Speaker #1
Mira leaned in.
- Speaker #3
But
- Speaker #1
Charity hesitated, wiping her hands on a towel that was already clean.
- Speaker #4
He has a story to tell. but it's not mine to share.
- Speaker #1
She looked toward the window, her voice softer now.
- Speaker #4
Let's just say, if you ever do hear it, you'll understand why he keeps the forge fire going so late. And there is something unusual that Gideon does each year. Every year, on the same night, Gideon disappears. No one knows where he goes, not even Nathaniel. He just vanishes and comes back, quieter than ever. ever before. I am sharing that with you because when he returns, his demeanor changes significantly for about a week after. You will feel like he is angry with you when actually he's angry at his inner turmoil.
- Speaker #3
When does he leave?
- Speaker #1
Charity looked down at the calendar on the wall.
- Speaker #4
It looks like it's coming up in a few weeks.
- Speaker #1
Mira's eyes followed Charity's gaze, back across the street to the forge, where smoke still trailed faintly from the chimney. What started as a walk for coffee became a glimpse into two lives shaped by fire and patience. Nathaniel, steady and kind. Gideon, guarded but burning with something untold. Mira sensed it. These men weren't just part of Promise Hill. They were part of her story now. And as for that one night Gideon disappears, it's coming. Soon. And it's no coincidence. Take it away, Kimberlee.
- Speaker #0
What started as a walk for coffee turned into a holy interruption. Mira stumbled into two men, Nathaniel, the steady craftsman, and Gideon, the guarded blacksmith, each carrying wisdom wrapped in wood and fire. Their words? Quiet truth bombs. Broken doesn't mean useless. Shaping takes time. Sometimes healing does too. Charity dropped a few breadcrumbs herself, just enough to hint there's more to Gideon that meets the eye, especially around parade day. Mira's not just passing through anymore. Promise Hill is calling her deeper, and friend, something's coming. I promise you we'll get to Grandma Eden's list of self-care tools soon, or at least a few of them. One more thing before we dive into reflections and action steps. You may not want to listen to all the reflections, and you certainly may not want to do all or any of the action steps. Don't feel you have to. I love to give choices, and you can use whatever you feel like using, including nothing at all. Maybe you're just here for the story, and that's okay too. I'm just happy to have you here. Let's dive into our five reflections. Number one, we are not thrown away. God shapes us. Nathanael's words about woodworking mirror how God sees us. Even with imperfections, we are shaped by his hands, not discarded. Hear it and hold it. Isaiah 64, verse 8. Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter. We are all the work of your hand. So maybe you've been feeling chipped, cracked, like life's carved a little too much off the edges. Boy, I know what that feels like. But friend, God doesn't toss aside what's flawed. He gets closer. Like Nathanael with a crooked piece of wood, he leans in, sees the grain underneath and says, I can work with this. You're not scrap. You're not too far gone. You are still in the hands of the craftsman. And when God shapes, he shapes with purpose. Reflection number two. The fires of life refine us, not destroy us. Gideon's forge is a powerful image of how hardships refine our character. Trials aren't meant to break us. They're supposed to make us stronger. Hear it and hold it. Malachi 3 verse 3. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. If you've ever felt like the heat's been turned up in your life, you're not alone. Gideon's Forge isn't just a place where metal bends, it's where strength is born. That fire, it's not there to destroy you. It's there to draw out what doesn't belong and reveal what does. God's not walking away when things get hard. He's pulling up a stool next to the fire, watching, refining, knowing exactly how long to leave you in before pulling you out stronger, steadier. and more like him. So if you're in the thick of it right now, don't assume you're being punished. You might just be in the forge and that means something precious is being formed. Reflection number three, even silence carries a story. Nathaniel's stillness and Gideon's fire spoke louder than words. Sometimes people's quiet presence isn't shaped by untold pain and earned wisdom. Not everyone's story is ready to be shared. but that doesn't mean it doesn't hold weight. Hear it and hold it. Proverbs 20 verse 5. The purposes of a person's heart are deep water, but one who has insight draws them out. Not every story comes wrapped in words. Some are carried in silence, in the way someone grips their coffee mug a little too long or stares out the window like they're somewhere else entirely. Nathaniel's stillness, Gideon's steady fire. They weren't empty. They were full of things not yet spoken. We forget that, don't we? We rush in to fix, to fill the silence. But sometimes the holiest thing we can do... is sit beside someone and let the quiet speak because pain doesn't always announce itself and wisdom doesn't always need a microphone so be the kind of person who listens with your eyes who doesn't push who trusts that when the time is right what's buried in those deep waters will rise if someone kind is there to draw it out reflection number four god often uses ordinary moments to prepare us for something sacred A simple walk, a clang of a hammer, a hot mug in a bakery. They were all breadcrumbs leading Mira closer to something deeper. Don't overlook the divine in the everyday. Hear it and hold it. Proverbs 3 verse 6. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. We're always looking for burning bushes and parted seas. But more often than not, God shows up in the clink of a spoon or the warmth of a mug. Press between your palms. He speaks through the ordinary, through routines, through the nudge to stop and breathe when everything feels too loud. That's what was happening to Mira even when she didn't know it. A walk, the wood, the fire, tiny moments carrying holy weight. They weren't random, they were breadcrumbs. Or sometimes I call them Godwinks. So today, don't overlook the sacred just because it's simple. God doesn't always shout. Sometimes he just clinks the metaphorical teacup and waits for you to notice. Reflection number five. God reveals the right people at the right time. Mira didn't stumble into that workshop and forge by accident. She was led, not with lightning bolts or angel choirs, but with a whisper, a feeling that drew her toward something deeper. Hear it and hold it. Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1. There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. Sometimes God doesn't bring people into your life until your heart is ready to hear what their presence reveals. Nathaniel and Gideon weren't just skilled with wood and fire. They carried lessons that Mira couldn't have grasped a month ago. Maybe not even yesterday. She had to walk through grief first. She had to feel the ache to understand the shaping. And when she did, God positioned the right people in the right moment to help her begin again. So if you're wondering why some doors open later than others, or why certain people show up out of nowhere, it might just be because now is when you're ready. Trust that God's timing isn't slow. It's specific. All right, let's talk about five action steps. And remember, use what you want and ignore the rest. Action number one. Let God reframe what you call broken. You may feel like a warped piece of wood, flawed and misshapen by life, but that doesn't mean you're unusable. Today, spend time in prayer asking, Lord, what do you see in me that I've overlooked or labeled as unworthy? Then write down one part of your story you've been challenged with and ask God to reshape how you view it. Now I want to remind you, if you've had some traumatic times in your life, this exercise wouldn't be for that. This is for the more of the minor things that need some attention. For more of the deeper ones, deeper areas of your story, that would be important to sit with someone that either is a really good friend or a trained therapist. Action number two, ask God what the fire is forging, not just what it's burning away. Hardships aren't pointless. They purify. In your journal or quiet time, list a trial you've been walking through. Under it, write three possible things God could be strengthening in you through it. Some ideas are courage, humility, patience, endurance. If you're meeting with a counselor or mentor, bring this into the conversation. Invite them into the refiner's fire with you. Action Question number three, practice quiet presence. for yourself or someone else. Choose one moment this week to not fill the silence. Whether you're sitting with someone who's hurting or sitting alone with your own grief, don't rush it. Let the quiet be sacred. Use breath prayers in that space. So as you're breathing in, say God is here. And then when you breathe out, say God is with me. Action number four, look for one sacred breadcrumb in your day. Before the day ends, pause and name one ordinary moment that carried unexpected peace or meaning. A smell, a sentence, a gesture. Write it down and thank God for speaking softly. Number five, discern who God may have placed in your life for this season. Ask God, who have you placed in front of me for a reason I haven't fully seen yet? Then take one step, reach out, follow up, sit across from them with intention. All right, let me pray for you. Father God, thank you for quiet mornings that whisper healing. for sunlight that nudges us awake, for the smell of sawdust and fresh bread, for the gentle grace of a new beginning. Lord, some of us are like Mira, carrying more grief than we know what to do with. We've shoved it down, tried to forget, buried it deep. But you, God, you have a way of guiding our feet into places that speak truth before we've even realized we're listening, like the steady hand of a carpenter. You shape what we thought was beyond repair. Like the fire in the forge, you refine what's been bent and broken under pressure. You don't throw us away. You repurpose. You redeem. You restore. Thank you for the Nathans in our lives, those steady, quiet souls who teach us that patience is part of the process. Thank you for the Gideons, those who know the heat of the flame and still choose to step back in, not just for themselves, but for others who are burning too. And Lord, when we feel too warped to be useful, too cracked to carry anything good, remind us that you are the craftsman. You see what others miss. You know how to reshape us with mercy. You know how to use the fire not to destroy but to strengthen. Help us, God, not to run from the places that feel intense or uncomfortable, but to lean into the moments where you're doing holy work. Sometimes healing comes through hammers and chisels. through unexpected conversations, through coffee and croissants and kindness at a bakery counter. God, if there's something buried in us, stir it up just enough for us to take notice. If we're standing in the fire, show us that you are right here with us. And when it's time to walk out of the forge, let us come out not just healed, but shaped into something stronger, truer, and more deeply yours. We may not know what's coming. but we trust the one who holds the tools. In Jesus' holy name, amen. Friends, may you find peace in the presence and hope on the hilltop. This is Kimberlee Herman, cheering you on from Promise Hill.
