The Fires...

This fire has been such a horrible experience... I can't stop thinking about the people who have lost their homes and don't even know it yet, and what devastation lies ahead. It's one thing when you hear about the events on the news, but when it hits home and actually happens in your own backyard it's quite the sobering affair. Our neighborhood is okay as the fire never got past Portola Pkwy thanks to the amazing firefighters and their incredible work, but it moved on south towards Foothill Ranch and Lake Forest...

I drove down Irvine Blvd late last night and there were fires here and there dying out, but the sky was incredibly dark and I could see a huge cloud of dark red smoke lingering over the hills. As I got closer, the sight was breathtaking. The fire was slowly devouring the hillside but it was the craziest thing to see the houses resting in the middle of some hillside brush fueling some pretty rough flames and yet so far untouched. Here is what I saw...



















It's just so surreal. This morning there was this really beautiful orange sunset glow outside, and it's just so strange to see something so beautiful as the result of something so afflictive. This is the view from my backyard...







My church RockHarbor is setting up ways to help and organize resources so CLICK HERE for information on how you can help. Another organization that I highly recommend donating to is the Salvation Army.. they are ever much more than a thrift shop and did an amazing job serving New York in the relief effort from September 11 that I was privileged to work with. I saw more of their presence than any other non-profit organization in ground zero. They are already out there taking care of things (news) and can take donations online here.