Burning Down the House

Your home is on fire.  Grab five items (assume all people and animals are safe). What did you grab?

 

This post practically wrote itself, because I've done this!  Our house has never caught fire, but we have received evacuation warnings because of fires that were in our neighborhood. 

I wrote a post called "Why I Pray for Rain" in October 2009.  I shared our first experience with fire in our neighborhood that happened in October 2003:

After a restless night, we awoke to more fires in Simi on Sunday morning. Les got up for a while, then went back to bed around 7:30. I was following the news and talking to neighbors. A nearby development received evacuation warnings at about 8:00, they were told to pack up what they wanted to take, and be ready to leave with 10 minutes notice.

I decided to start packing things at that time. If you've never had to determine what is really important in your life and what is not, a fire in the neighbor will help you do that very quickly. I loaded about 3 boxes of pictures and financial records in the back of our van and decided everything else what just that - things!

I wrote another post called "Southern California Wild Fires" in December 2017.  Les was traveling for business, so I had to plan on my own.  Sometime between these two events, we moved all our computer files to Dropbox so I didn't need to pack any financial records or pictures.

I received an email from Nextdoor.com yesterday afternoon that first alerted me to possible trouble, "Simi Valley residents are advised that the Rye Fire in Santa Clarita may travel to Simi Valley this evening due to the weather conditions and heavy winds. Residents on the northern side of the City should be aware of this possibility and be prepared to evacuate if necessary. Residents will NOT be encouraged to shelter in place should the fire breach Simi Valley and will be encouraged to evacuate. Please be prepared to Ready, Set, Go if the situation requires."

We live on the northern side of the city so I knew I needed to pay close attention.  As the evening wore on, with winds howling, I decided to pack a few things in the car.  You might be surprised at how little I packed.  Les' trumpet and bass guitar, our wedding photo album, our Bibles (including Mom's), and an overnight bag.  I had all my electronics in a bag by my bed and woke every hour last night checking out the window for the glow of fire (did not see any) and my phone for any updates (did not receive any.)

One final post, written in October 2011 is called "Trusting in God or Riches."  This sums up my feelings about "things." 

 

We received an evacuation warning that said if an evacuation notice came we would have ten minutes to leave our home. That notice never came, but I did pack a few things just in case. I still remember the peace I felt as the fire raged ~ nothing that mattered was inside our house. Les and I were safe.

 

The process of deciding what to pack in case our house burned down wasn't as difficult as you might imagine. I packed very little. Don't get me wrong ~ I enjoy nice things. I have a closet full of clothes and shoes. We have a lovely home. We have also lived on unemployment checks that didn't come close to the income we were use to. None of those things change who I am... unless I let them.

The Bible has a lot to say about riches. Not all of it is negative. Riches themselves are not the problem ~ it's how we treat them:

 

Proverbs 11:28
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Proverbs 23:5
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
Jeremiah 9:23
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
Luke 8:14
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

It is not wrong to enjoy the blessings that God sends. It's wrong to think that we brought the riches upon ourselves.  His riches will never fade away.

Repost: Bah! Humbug!

Continuing my Christmas reposts, I originally posted this on December 3, 2009. 
 
Have you ever wondered about the origination of the phrase "Bah! Humbug!" ? I knew it was from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," but the full exchange in the story is quite interesting:

"A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!'' cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

"Bah!'' said Scrooge, "Humbug!''

He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.

"Christmas a humbug, uncle!'' said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean that, I am sure.''

"I do,'' said Scrooge. "Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? what reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.''

"Come, then,'' returned the nephew gaily. "What right have you to be dismal? what reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough.''

Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, "Bah!'' again; and followed it up with "Humbug.''

I love the response of Scrooge's nephew! When I Googled "What is the name of Scrooge's nephew?" I found this: "His name is Fred and, although he's a pauper, he's eager to become friends with his uncle (his mother's brother). He's cheerful and happy and hospitable."

Have you had to cut back in your Christmas shopping this year? Are you finding it difficult to get into the Christmas spirit? Take a page from Fred, be cheerful and happy and hospitable in spite of your situation. Give the gift of your time. Be a friend, even that grumpy uncle of yours needs a friend!

Merry Christmas! If you know the Christ of Christmas, you have every right to be merry, you're rich indeed!

Bah! Humbug!

I originally posted this on December 3, 2009.  Exactly three years later I thought it was worth a second look...
 
Have you ever wondered about the origination of the phrase "Bah! Humbug!" ? I knew it was from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," but the full exchange in the story is quite interesting:

"A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!'' cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

"Bah!'' said Scrooge, "Humbug!''

He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.

"Christmas a humbug, uncle!'' said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean that, I am sure.''

"I do,'' said Scrooge. "Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? what reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.''

"Come, then,'' returned the nephew gaily. "What right have you to be dismal? what reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough.''

Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, "Bah!'' again; and followed it up with "Humbug.''

I love the response of Scrooge's nephew! When I Googled "What is the name of Scrooge's nephew?" I found this: "His name is Fred and, although he's a pauper, he's eager to become friends with his uncle (his mother's brother). He's cheerful and happy and hospitable."

Have you had to cut back in your Christmas shopping this year? Are you finding it difficult to get into the Christmas spirit? Take a page from Fred, be cheerful and happy and hospitable in spite of your situation. Give the gift of your time. Be a friend, even that grumpy uncle of yours needs a friend!

Merry Christmas! If you know the Christ of Christmas, you have every right to be merry, you're rich indeed!

Trusting in God or Riches

Eight years ago today, Les and I watched as a Santa Ana wind driven wildfire made its way toward our property line. You can read the entire story here. Les had been in a bike accident the day before and was moving slowly. We received an evacuation warning that said if an evacuation notice came we would have ten minutes to leave our home. That notice never came, but I did pack a few things just in case. I still remember the peace I felt as the fire raged ~ nothing that mattered was inside our house. Les and I were safe.


The process of deciding what to pack in case our house burned down wasn't as difficult as you might imagine. I packed very little. Don't get me wrong ~ I enjoy nice things. I have a closet full of clothes and shoes. We have a lovely home. We have also lived on unemployment checks that didn't come close to the income we were use to. None of those things change who I am... unless I let them.

The Bible has a lot to say about riches. Not all of it is negative. Riches themselves are not the problem ~ it's how we treat them:

Proverbs 11:28
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Proverbs 23:5
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
Jeremiah 9:23
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
Luke 8:14
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

It is not wrong to enjoy the blessings that God sends. It's wrong to think that we brought the riches upon ourselves.

Eight years later, I still catch myself thinking about fires at this time of year. We've only received one inch of rain this month and a mild Santa Ana condition is in the forecast this week. I pray we don't face evacuations again, but if we do I'll trust God to keep us. Remembering that He is our provider and protector.