Daniel 3:22-23

Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

As a Seahawk fan

I’m used to things ending badly

seeing the glimmer of victory

swallowed up in the inescapable jaws

of ineptitude and failure

leads squandered

come-backs falling short

penalties, fumbles, and interceptions

dramatic games won

by last second touchdowns

make for good TV

but are hard on my heart

. . .

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

were thrown into a fiery furnace

but the son of God came down and

protected them from the flames

this story and Johnny Cash’s “The Ring of Fire”

come up often when they describe their relationship

as if inescapable flames were romantic ideals

they are constantly about to break up

or about to get engaged

with wild swings between the two poles

even if the story ends at an altar

it will be hard to convince me

it was a happy one

. . .

Every Thanksgiving

people burn their house down

because of unfortunate mistakes

while deep-frying their turkeys

I love fried food

but I prefer to leave it

to the professionals

at McDonalds or KFC

because grease that hot

makes me nervous

I used to clean those things

when I worked at a cafeteria

I know what it feels like

to get burned by grease

several hundred degrees hot

I prefer to cook with crock-pots

set on low for twelve hours

until the flavors are mingled

the vegetables are soft

the meat is falling apart

all with a very low risk

of getting burned.