Fire. Rain. Prayer.

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Fire, prayer, rain

Fire.  Domesticated, it warms our homes and cooks our food.  Left to run wild, it destroys everything in its path:  homes, communities, wildlife, watershed.  Fire has the upper hand in California right now.  Fire brought on by the EPA mandated mis-management of our forests that virtually destroyed our logging industry and let the forest understory grow unchecked.  Fire exacerbated by our horrific drought that has turned the dry trees and brush into tinder awaiting a spark.

Rain.  Rain is the answer.  Rain and rain alone will tame the fires raging in our state as it begins to slake the thirst of our parched earth.  Rain will wash the soot and dirt from our air and let us breathe easily again.

Prayer.  Prayer binds us together as one community, whether we pray to God, to The Great Spirit, to Buddha, to Mother Earth…Prayer unites us as we search for answers, for meaning, for restoration.

Please join me this night, tomorrow, and continuing on without ceasing your prayer.  Pray for rain that will vanquish the fires.  Not just little sprinkles, but steady, solid rain that will soak into our dry ground and down into our aquifers.  Pray for the safety of the firefighters, and of those whose homes and livelihoods are in the path of the fire.  Pray that the rains come before it is too late.

Fire.  Rain.  Prayer.

Praying for our city

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City of Visalia, City of Visalia Faith-Based Subcommittee, downtown, prayer

The Faith-based Subcommittee of Visalia’s Committee on Homeless Issues invited any and all interested Visalians to come spend a half an hour at lunchtime today praying for our city. Of our 127,000 or so residents, a stalwart dozen showed up at Oval Park downtown for 30 minutes of silent prayer or meditation. There were no organized speeches, no hand-outs or microphones…just ordinary people sitting quietly at picnic tables in the center of this historic park, smack in the middle of some of the roughest neighborhoods in Visalia. Some read their Bibles, one wrote in her journal, others simply closed their eyes and prayed silently. Rev. Suzy went to the gazebo and invited those residents sitting there to join us, and after a few minutes one gentleman did.

For me, the traffic swirling around the park provided an instant reminder that we truly were in the center of downtown, and that we need to continue to bring the light of Christ into all areas of our city. Having thirty minutes designated for prayer was an absolute gift (even though “Jesus Christ is Bubbling All Over” was still singing in my head, compliments of ChristKids’ Preschool Graduation this morning). Several attendees asked that we do this on a monthly basis, and I hope that happens.

Perhaps next time our numbers will have doubled. Please pray for the health and well-being of your city, wherever it may be.

The man and the train

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prayer, San Joaquin Valley Railroad, Tulare County Library, Visalia Rescue Mission

We had a scary thing almost happen today, and I don’t think I handled it very well.

Olivia and I had gone to the library after preschool and as we were leaving we heard a not-to-distant train whistle. That whistle meant the San Joaquin Railway train was close by, and would soon be coming down the tracks right through the middle of town (and across the street from the library). I really wanted Olivia to get to watch the train go by so close, so we sat down on a bench in the shade to wait. Another young family sat on the next bench over.

Soon the train pulled into view, blowing its horn as if to say, “Make way, make way!” As it came closer, the horn continued sounding intermittently. Olivia, of course, was watching intently, but with both ears covered because of the noise. Soon the train was passing in front of us, but it the horn was blaring continually and the engineer was slowing it to a stop. As we watched, the engineer opened a hatch on the front of the engine and came three-fourths of the way out. To our dismay we realized that the engineer was yelling at a man who was nearly on the tracks!

With one more blast of his horn the engineer took off again heading west, and Olivia and I walked towards the car. As we reached the car, a rather agitated man walked up and said, “I was almost hit by that train!” I told him I knew that, as we had been watching, and I was glad he wasn’t hit.

“Oh, no!” he said, “I wanted to be hit!” I was instantly outraged that someone would even consider killing himself in front of my precious four-year old granddaughter. As tears filled his eyes he said, “I have no family. I am nobody. What good am I? Why should I live?” I assured him he was not a nobody in God’s eyes, but he wasn’t buying it. (Meanwhile Olivia was strapping herself into her car seat and watching intently.) I asked if he had gone to his church for help, and he said he hadn’t. I urged him to go to the nearest church (too rattled to even think of the Rescue Mission) and then took Olivia home.

As I drove away I realized how inadequate my response had been, mostly out of concern for Olivia. The thought of her possibly innocently watching the train go by as he purposefully stepped in front of it was so frightening. I prayed that God would put someone more eloquent and useful in his path, someone who could focus on his needs and give him better help.

And I prayed my thanks that the engineer saw him and was able to stop the train.

Bass Lake is burning

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Bass Lake, CalFire, flooding, prayer, rain

Tonight my most fervent prayers are for gentle, steady, life-giving rain. Rain that will put out the fire threatening the Bass Lake community without flooding, rain that will stop the burning and then soak into the drought-parched ground like a blessing.

I pray for the safety of those who have evacuated their homes and are staying in shelters tonight, and for those who are ready and waiting for their instructions to leave. And I pray for the CalFire guys and gals who put their lives on the line every day when they report to work, the community volunteers who support them, and their families who wait at home with bated breath.

Perhaps if we all prayed together?