Following is an email I received earlier today from a friend of mine who is visiting southern California.


Good Morning my Friends,

I flew out last evening to southern California for two days of meetings here in Redlands.

I arrived at my hotel in Redlands about 9:30. When I pulled into the parking spot a couple were sitting on the curb by a car a couple of spaces over and they looked pretty somber and weary. The woman looked like she had been crying for a very long time. They ended up riding in the elevator with me and another couple who had been evacuated from Arrowhead.

It turned out this couple from the parking lot had lost their house in Running Springs which is up the mountain and on the way to where we used to live. It was pretty sobering to listen just briefly to both couples stories. The other couple did know yet know about the fate of their house and this couple from the parking lot shared that they had lost everything.

It made me again think how easy it is to take things for granted. I don't think I will ever forget that women's look because as I saw her weariness the Lord reminded of the verse in Matthew 9:36, " And seeing the multitude, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd."

It does put things in perspective. "Calamity indeed does Clarify!"

So Let's Keep Walking with the Lord and remember not to be focused on ourselves because the days are truly short!