By the Grace of God

By the grace of God

Our church still stands

From the fire and winds

Sparks and embers flew wild

The peril was great

The dangers many

He gave courage to men

Emboldened them to take a stand

The fire burned close

As it neared our beloved cross

Fire burned hot

Ash rained down

Prayers of the faithful were raised

Pleading for God’s mercy and grace

Homes nearby went up in flames

By God’s grace…lives were spared

As ash and cinders fell

Flames dared to touch the sign

But God used men

Everyday heroes to accomplish His will

By the grace of God

Our church still stands

May we never take for granted

That this building will be here one more day

May we thank God for the privilege to worship Him here

The body of Christ united…at Kindred

By the grace of God

Our church still stands

Susan Bunts Wachtel

November 15, 2008

How easy it is to be complacent…take for granted that our church will always be here for us to assemble and worship our Lord and Savior.

But as the ash rained down…and smoke filled the sky when we looked toward the east our hearts were burdened to pray for God’s mercy and grace in these circumstances.

Thank you Lord…for answering our prayers…and protecting the building called Kindred Community Church. We are most grateful. Thank you for sending brave men…ordinary citizens…to stand in the gap. We thank you for the firefights who willingly put their lives on the lines. We pray for those who have lost their homes in the fires. We pray for relief for all effected by the fires.

The pictures above are of our beloved cross…the sight of which I love so very much. They were taken just last Sunday…on a cloud filled rainy day. When I see it from a distance…it so reminds me of God’s love and His power in my life and circumstances. When I see it…my stress level starts to melt away.

Who would have thought that just a week later…our church building would lie in the path of wildfires. Well our God knew that…nothing takes Him by surprise. Today…He protected our church home. While tomorrow…we will not meet as a church body…you can be sure that the members of Kindred will be one in giving thanks to our God for His mercy and grace bestowed upon our church.

Just a few miles away…in the middle of moving to a new apartment, my husband Chris and I looked up into the sky as the smoke clouds increased and the sun turned red.

We were amazed at God’s hand upon us as we heard the news that apartments we had considered moving to just a couple weeks earlier…had just gone up in flames. 50 apartment homes were lost. By the grace of God…so far no lives have been lost.

Below are the pictures taken with my cell phone. The ash was poured down…and breathing was difficult…and we were several miles from the fire. I can’t even imagine how horrible it would be for those much closer and in the path of the flames.