Afew days ago, the world around me exploded into flames. Sparked by an unprecedented wind event with 100-mile-per-hour gusts, six wildfires engulfed huge swaths of the greater Los Angeles region. I live just south of where the Eaton fire erupted, which has damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 buildings and left at least 16 people dead. Even now, the fires continue to rage, with the forecast predicting a new round of wind events that threaten to expand and extend the unprecedented destruction.
For the past 14 years, I have taught at Fuller Theological Seminary, located in Pasadena near the epicenter of the catastrophe. Although my family’s home remains intact with only minor damage, the same cannot be said for so many others connected to Fuller or in my broader community. I know of at least eight faculty, staff, and students at Fuller whose homes went up in flames.
But we’re not alone. Fuller is but a microcosm of all that has been lost in our area. Entire neighborhoods—homes, businesses, churches, schools, parks, and libraries—now sit in smoldering ash.
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