Hi Faith Family,
I pray you are well and happy today. We can all be thankful we are safe from fire danger in San Diego. My family had a wonderful vacation stay in San Diego just weeks ago. We never would have guessed the tremendous destructive power of fire which would soon grip the city. Here is the latest report about the wildfires in Southern California:
SAN DIEGO - As Southern California residents and fire crews hoped for a break from the wind Wednesday, a first fire damage estimate put the losses of just homes in San Diego County at more than $1 billion while President Bush signed a "major disaster" declaration that funnels money to people whose property losses aren’t covered by insurance.
Forecasters said the Santa Ana wind whipping across Southern California will begin to weaken late Wednesday afternoon, followed by cooling sea breezes.
The 16 wind-fed wildfires have destroyed 1,500 homes and forced half a million to flee over the last four days — the largest evacuation in the state’s history.
Some 68,000 homes, from cabins to luxury villas, are still threatened across the region as 10,000 men and women work fire lines against flames shooting as high as 100 feet.
The fires have burned 410,000 acres, or about 640 square miles.
“Based on initial estimates, just the homes damaged will be over $1 billion,” Ron Lane, San Diego County emergency services director, told a news conference.
He said at least 1,200 homes had been destroyed in the county, a number officials believed would rise. That brings to roughly 1,500 the number of homes destroyed in the seven-county region that has been ablaze since Sunday.
Twenty-one firefighters and at least 24 others have been injured. One person was killed by the flames, and the San Diego medical examiner’s officer listed four other deaths as connected to the blazes.
‘A smoldering pile of nothing’
Some knew their homes were destroyed. Mike and Tere Miller of Rancho Bernardo were able to return Tuesday. They had left frantically when they realized flames were approaching, stopping only to drag their dog out the door and awaken a handicapped neighbor. When they came back, they kept looking for their home — and never saw it.
"It was just a smoldering pile of nothing,” Mike Miller told NBC’s TODAY show.
Living in Idaho, we have seen the devastation wild fires can cause. I’ve driven by blackened hillsides with stumps still smoking. Forests lost due to wildfires are concerning. But when fires consume homes and lives, the destruction becomes unbearably personal and difficult to accept.
What lessons can we take from these past days of fire crisis in SoCal? First of all, pray for God’s protection for those in danger—especially those of our faith family. Pray that the weather might allow for increased containment of the fires.
But I believe it is appropriate to also consider this powerful illustration of what God’s Word tells us in James chapter 3:
5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man,
8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
What destruction can be caused by slander, lying, or gossip. What pain people carry because of words others have spoken: friend, spouse, parent, co-worker. Consider how many relationships have ended up on the ash heap because of heartless words spoken in the heat of the moment. Perhaps you can identify a relationship or two that ended up as a smoldering pile of nothing due to loveless words fueled by heated emotions. We sing our favorite song of praise in church one day, then cut down our friend the next.
As God’s Word clearly teaches here, My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
For all our foolish, fiery phonetics, the Savior came. Jesus took ownership of our red-hot, hell-bound souls by enduring the ire of God’s punishment for sin—hell itself. Jesus endured the punishment you and I deserved, saving us from the fires of hell. As if a hero ran into a burning San Diego house to snatch a helpless victim from the flames, our Savior has saved us and brought us out of the smoky ruins of sin. He has done this because he loves you. What an opportunity we have to show our thankfulness to our spiritual hero now. Douse the fires of bitterness, envy, or discontent which flare up in your conversations. Use your words to build others up, tearing down no one. Respect the danger of the tongue, let loose with wild words, heated by negative emotions. If you have a tongue in your head, it has been placed there for good—to honor God and speak what is helpful to others. Your voice is a tremendous responsibility. God bless your use of this wonderful gift.
Prayer idea: pray for help in taming your tongue. Pray for opportunities to use your words in a positive way every day. Pray for those in danger or those who have endured loss due to the fires in SoCal.
Blessings on your week!
Pastor Dan