Cabin and Fire!

We just spent the last 3 days at our cabin on Holter Lake outside of Helena enjoying the hot temperatures combined with cool lake water and lots of water play.
Here’s Jonah wakeboarding…


And here are pictures of our cabin…


Sunsets at the cabin are always gorgeous, but even more so right now. Here are a couple sunsets to share...

About the fire...

The fire is going strong and we were notified last evening of a recommended evacuation of the subdivision where our cabin is located. Although we were already home we are praying hard that our cabin still stands. Though it was built with mostly reclaimed materials, so the material cost was low, it has uncountable sweat equity invested in it…along with our hearts! Prayers for rain and good fire-team management are greatly appreciated. Here are some pictures of the fire as it crested a ridge about 5 miles from us (as the crow flies, about 50 or so miles in terrain to cover.) After just 3 days the fire is now approximately 2 miles from our cabin (as the crow flies, about 20 miles terrain) and is moving at an alarming rate. Our state has the policy of not fighting naturally started fires (like lightening caused) in wilderness areas and in the tinder-dry times like now, it causes the loss of a lot of land. I won’t comment on this policy other than to say I’ve never really been in favor of this policy and at the moment it’s especially loathsome to me as we contemplate the reality of losing our cabin.

As we contemplate losing something that we worked so diligently on and is precious to us, we also have come to the acceptance that is not truly "our cabin", but rather it is God's. He blessed us with the finances, the materials, and the ability to build it and it is His. Yes, we are praying that our little cabin is spared, but we accept that He is with us whether the answer to our prayer is yes or the answer is no. If we will give Him praise for blessing us with beautiful sunsets, we will give Him praise for sustaining us through loss. And loss has been felt deeply over the course of the past couple years, but that is for another post at another time.

I cannot help but be reminded of the works we are to be doing on this earth for the Lord's sake and that one day they too will be tested by fire. May the work we do for God withstand His fire better than our wood and concrete cabin will withstand this earth's fire.

1 Corinthians 3: 10 - 13 says...

"According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work."