Some of us, when we’re making s’mores, like to catch the marshmallow on fire.

Something about that contrast between a crispy, caramelized outside and a rich gooey middle seems to elevate the simple s’more. It adds a richness to the flavor of the campfire treat.

The same cannot be said for faith.

When I was 20, 21, 22 … I was “on fire” for Jesus. I was at church whenever the doors were open (and sometimes when they technically weren’t). Devos. Camps. Small groups. Dinner out with the college group after evening services. Weekend retreats. Volunteering with multiple ministries. Helping out with good works. Short term missions playing with orphans and helping build church buildings.

My head was always buried in a Bible, or whatever the of-the-moment book on the shelves of Lifeway was.

And I was sinning a lot less, too. (At least the big ones … Outwardly.)

If you’d asked anyone in my orbit, they’d have said: “Jeremy is on fire for Jesus!”

Until one day … I burned out. I can’t pinpoint exactly when or how it happened. The flame just fizzled out. Probably because there was no fuel left.

What I see looking back on it now is that I was like a marshmallow, burning. I was “on fire,” but my faith lacked contour, profile, and definition. It was just a soft blob of sugar. And eventually it was left a charred husk with the goo leaking out of it.

I have seen that happen to so many of my peers from back then, too. By God’s grace, my smoldering faith was redeemed and transformed. But for many others—the burnout was the end.

Being “on fire for Jesus” is unsustainable.

I’ve come to believe that the only Christians who should be on fire are martyrs.

For the rest of us, offering our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1), is a lifelong proposition. We do not have to be “on fire” to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

A better foodie model for a sustainable faith is the slow cooker. And I do so enjoy my Crock Pot meals on cool autumn and winter evenings. I’ll share more about “slow cooker faith” in upcoming posts.