Nature is trying to kill us

I apologize, I skipped a couple of days here on the bloggy wog, but you'll have to excuse me, NATURE IS TRYING TO KILL US!

Right now, the family and I are living in Loyalton, CA. Yes, you may recognize the name of the town from the news. We’re having a 40,000-acre fire. We even had a firenado. Though our evacuation orders were merely advised and not mandatory, we decided to pack some essentials and stay with family in Reno for a couple of days.

It’s so dry out here. And hot. I know, there's the whole climate change thing, but even without taking that into account, the fact still remains...

NATURE IS TRYING TO KILL US.

Have you seen the series (now on Netflix) called Alone? Watch that show and you'll see this thesis played out in raw detail.

Some people say they see the divine in nature. They see God in a beautiful flower or a tall mountain. Of course, I do too. But I also see that nature is constantly TRYING TO KILL US.

The natural world, at its very essence, is a threatening force. Go without food, shelter, or WiFi for a few days and this becomes apparent. If you’ve ever been in an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, flood - even a large lightning storm - you know how real this is.

I don’t know about you, but I need a theology that includes nature but also that goes beyond it.

I see the creator’s handiwork in nature, but I also need a savior.

We’ve been fortunate so far. We’re back in our place. It’s smoky, but the fire crews have been successful at keeping our town safe. I can’t say that others in the west here have been so lucky.

Prayers abounding.

Amen.

Grace + Godspeed,
Jonas