"A special Covenant World Relief (CWR) fund has been established to help low-income residents who are being affected by the fires burning through much of Southern California."
Donate online here.
Also, River47 Covenant Church, pastored by my friend Frank Riley, has become an evacuation shelter.
Covenant-related News updates here.
Showing posts with label southern california fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label southern california fire. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
On Public Reactions
It's almost a cliche to say "people just want to blame somebody for their problems." And it's also a cliche to point out the way politicians use everything to their political advantage.
Natural disasters have a way of bringing the best (or worst) of both out. We saw it after Katrina, we're beginning to see it now in Southern California. "If only the government had done more." "How come firefighters were over there but not over here?" "We fled our homes and didn't see one firefighter for miles." The fires aren't even out, and already the blaming is spreading like the embers ahead of the firestorm.
Perhaps I can have some grace toward those who just lost everything - anger, outrage, blaming are natural responses. They need an outlet. But as I peruse national media, I read comments from people in the Bay Area and Ohio and Florida already blaming it on the Republicans, on the war in Iraq, on rich white suburbanites, on Hollywood moguls.
It seems we have lost the ability to mourn with those who mourn. It seems we'd rather put in our $.02 worth, sharing our "opinion," as if it really mattered.
What we need to realize is that WE CAN"T CONTROL NATURE! Many are expressing outrage and disbelief, as if somehow our 21st Century Technology had done away with natural disasters. Perhaps we've become so insulated inside our air conditioned homes and cars, so surrounded by a virtual electronic world, that we forget just how potent the real world can be. So much of our day is spent in such relative, artificial comfort, that when the real world barges in, we get offended. How dare nature do this to my comfortable life? I pay taxes! This isn't supposed to happen!
Perhaps it is time to stop blaming. Perhaps it is time to reach out a hand in love and support to those who have lost so much. Perhaps, in time, cities and counties need to rethink the wisdom of building homes in fire-prone canyons. . .but for now, it's better to not blame the Republicans, the rich, the fire crews, the developers. It's healthier to not blame anybody. The question ought not to be "who's fault is this," the better question is "how can we help those who are hurting?"
Natural disasters have a way of bringing the best (or worst) of both out. We saw it after Katrina, we're beginning to see it now in Southern California. "If only the government had done more." "How come firefighters were over there but not over here?" "We fled our homes and didn't see one firefighter for miles." The fires aren't even out, and already the blaming is spreading like the embers ahead of the firestorm.
Perhaps I can have some grace toward those who just lost everything - anger, outrage, blaming are natural responses. They need an outlet. But as I peruse national media, I read comments from people in the Bay Area and Ohio and Florida already blaming it on the Republicans, on the war in Iraq, on rich white suburbanites, on Hollywood moguls.
It seems we have lost the ability to mourn with those who mourn. It seems we'd rather put in our $.02 worth, sharing our "opinion," as if it really mattered.
What we need to realize is that WE CAN"T CONTROL NATURE! Many are expressing outrage and disbelief, as if somehow our 21st Century Technology had done away with natural disasters. Perhaps we've become so insulated inside our air conditioned homes and cars, so surrounded by a virtual electronic world, that we forget just how potent the real world can be. So much of our day is spent in such relative, artificial comfort, that when the real world barges in, we get offended. How dare nature do this to my comfortable life? I pay taxes! This isn't supposed to happen!
Perhaps it is time to stop blaming. Perhaps it is time to reach out a hand in love and support to those who have lost so much. Perhaps, in time, cities and counties need to rethink the wisdom of building homes in fire-prone canyons. . .but for now, it's better to not blame the Republicans, the rich, the fire crews, the developers. It's healthier to not blame anybody. The question ought not to be "who's fault is this," the better question is "how can we help those who are hurting?"
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
More on el fuego
I've been following most of the coverage on the LA Times website.
And it's all so familiar. We had friends who lived in Escondido. I ran youth retreats up at Lake Arrowhead every year.
Alpine Camp and Conference Center, the Covenant Camp near Lake Arrowhead, has been evacuated, with fires less than two miles away. At the moment, it appears they were spared, but now looting is going on. The Calvary Chapel camp was apparently destroyed. Mt. Miguel Covenant Village was evacuated last night.
Now they say over 1200 homes and businesses destroyed, and that's just the beginning.
Kyrie Eleison
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