“A fire never says, ‘Enough.’” 
 
 Those words are found in the Bible--Proverbs chapter 30, verse 16—and I believe them! Fires consume and the hotter they get the hungrier they get. The more they burn the more they want and the stronger they get the more they take. The more they take the more we lose and grief comes from our losses.

"Please pray. The fire is close to our house and the ministry offices." This email from a friend near the Alexander Mountain near loveland Colorado, reminded me of the Hayman fire. That was a week from Hell for me and a group of my close friends.

Our next door neighbor went to the hospital for knee surgery a few days before the fire started. She was not only our neighbor but had become a dear friend and was the first convert to Christ from the ministry of the new church we were planting.

The Sunday the smoke began to fill the sky her husband came home from his visit at the hospital and said Ginnette had a stroke. The next day he called weeping. "Something terrible is wrong. Please pray." She was unresponsive. The neurologist, soon broke the bad news that the stoke was catastrophic and not compatible with life. We lost Ginnette the first week of the Hayman fire.

The ominous brown skies that blocked with Sun with smoke matched our moods. Someone precious was being taken from us. Like a fire that never gets enough, so death's appetite is never satisfied. It keeps taking.

When natural disasters like a wildfire take from us, other losses and problems do not stop, they just feel worse and more overwhelming.

Fires make us feel unsafe. We are sad for people who need to evacuate, or lose their home or worse their life. Natural disasters can affect the mood of an entire nation.

In care ministry we sit with people in their losses and grief. During a natural disaster everyone needs to grieve but many don't know it and they don't know how to grieve. Thankfully the Red Cross and many wonderful people spring into action to address practical needs, but for all who are grieving there are not enough of us to address those emotional needs. But, when we allow people to grieve their losses by asking open-ended questions and listening to their story, we are bringing relief, one person at a time, to a grieving world. When we equip that person to "comfort with the comfort they received" we are building a culture that care. Some times, we need a crash course on that.

This sad and overwhelming time holds unique opportunities to expand the reach of care.

When you help even one person,it might not feel like enough, but it matters. Our caring is part of the battle against the fires while supporting all of the normal losses that challenge our well being.

Your care matters! You can contact me directly to discuss how we can support people who are experiencing loss.  dan@bestcareministry.com