Sermon Illustrations

WILDFIRE ANGER

The Summer 2008 California Wildfires (Northern CA Lighting Series):

"The fires broke out after three years of below-normal rainfall dehydrated much of California’s forests and woodlands, making them prone to wildfires. Spring 2008 for California was the driest on record for many locations; for example, San Francisco registered only 0.007 inches (0 cm) of rain out of a normal of 6.18 inches (16 cm) from March to May.[4][6] As vegetation turned into bone-dry tinder in early June, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought for the first time in over a century.[7] Dry thunderstorms and lightning, rarely seen on the California coastline in June, rolled onshore on the weekend of June 20 - June 21. The storm unleashed 25,000 to 26,000 dry lightning strikes across Northern and Central California, igniting more than 2,000 fires.[8][9] The same thunderstorms also caused fires in Oregon.[10] High daytime temperatures facilitated the spread of the fires and the number of wildfires skyrocketed in the days after the thunderstorm.[4]

A heat wave commenced on July 7, with temperatures in inland locations, such as the Central Valley soaring above 115 °F (46 °C). Lake Berryessa recorded a high temperature of 126 °F (52 °C), prompting weather agencies like the National Weather Service to issue high fire danger warnings.[11] These near to record-breaking temperatures concerned many firefighters, who feared that the high heat, low humidity, and high-elevation winds could make firefighting more strenuous.[12][13]"

Overall, over 1.5M acres were lost to the blazes, have to go back the "Great Fire of 1910" dubbed the "Big Blow-Up or the Big Burn" to have a fire of a larger scale (burnt up Montana & Idaho, 3M acres).

Transition: And I have seen homes and families burnt up because of the same type of burning.

WILDFIRE: Wildfires begin in dry places, at the same time, rage erupts in dry places and in dry people. If someone is only getting a sprinkle of God’s wisdom, a sprinkle of God’s love, I will show you a person who could become a wildfire.

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