Smoke - Filled Vision

We woke this morning to a smoke filled sky and ashes on the ground.
...9:00am

...ashes

We are still quite a distance from the roaring wildfires that have scorched So. California over the weekend. It has been the worst fires since 1961. Around 1,000 homes have been destroyed, 20,000 acres scorched and tens of thousands evacuated and it is still roaring. What words come to mind watching the newscasts?... loss... compassion... and all the emotions that go with that... a huge loss for many.

I have been so blessed by updates from a dear man with SEND International who has Lou Gehrig's disease. He writes: "...outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, canoeing, boating, jet skiing, bicycling, motor cycling, etc, etc. Well…almost all of these activities and joys have come to a halt. So I have been divesting myself of ‘my toys’... A keen awareness of Matt 6:19-21 has been growing in my heart,
"Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth,... Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven,..."
With my mortality staring me in the face daily, I have been thinking a lot more about life beyond this arena in which we are now living. What is beyond? What is Heaven like? ...Here are a few gems from Alcorn's book 'Heaven': [460]
“If we build our lives on the redemptive work of Christ, we should all be optimists. Why? Because even our most painful experience in life is but a temporary setback. Our pain and suffering may or may not be relieved, but they will certainly be relieved in the next.”
... thanks for clearing the smoke, Don!