out of the ashes...

 As Bill stated, as we walked away, a church is just a building. Thank God no one was hurt.

But it's still devastating to see a church burned.

This is St. Mary Magdalen, the church Bill grew up in.

At 1am, the firemen responded to the call.

It was a very serious fire.

 Not much remains except for the steal beams and the exterior brick.

The interior is gone.

Nothing but charred wood and ash.

People were milling about in a dazed state.

 There is no determination to the cause of fire yet.

It was a calm scene by the time we arrived at 11am.

The smell lingered.

Only two firetrucks remained.

I heard someone say it was still smoking, but I did not see any smoke.

We walked around the building, as much as we could.

Even though it was not my church, it still saddened me.

There is something about seeing the destruction of this magnitude...

I won't even pretend to know what the people in Colorado are going through.

 This lily was close to the building. Yet it remained unharmed from the fire. 

A strong symbol of faith.

The message board out front of the church said, "Behold! I am with you always."

While we mourn the loss of a building, we must remember the congregation still remains. Out of the ashes will come a new building.