A longshot Republican candidate for Missouri governor and his supporters describe his use of a flamethrower at a recent “Freedom Fest” event outside St. Louis as no big deal.

McFarland is the founder of the Facebook group Sparks of Kindness, a community of people going out of their way to put a smile on the faces of others through small but touching good deeds. “But I found that there’s so many people that want to do good — they just don’t really know how to start.”That’s where Sparks of Kindness comes in. But she also wants them to do good with planning and intent — “deliberate acts of kindness,” as she puts it. "When you’re making your to-do list for the day or the week, you think about where you’re going that particular day,” she said. “If you’re going to the tire shop, maybe swing by and pick up a pack of cookies.