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STRESS RELIEF |
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MARCH 2005 |
The "Standard Operating Guideline For Life" is the Holy Bible.
"All Clear"
EASTER DAY
March 27, 2005
"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!"
- Luke 24:2-6(a) (NIV)
You're sitting there on shift. The tones drop. Dispatch announces the run, "District 26, Engines 26 and 226, Rescue 26, Medic 94... a residential fire... 1234 Smith Street... report of persons trapped."
It's that last line that we hate to hear, don't we? All of a sudden, the adrenaline flow kicks up a notch. You push a little harder on the accelerator pedal. You try to get your gear on that much faster. You are playing a scenario in your mind, "I hope it's not a kid. I wonder where they might be. Let's see, it's 3 a.m., so we should start in the bedrooms."
Then, you get on scene. You see a working fire. You and your crews do a thorough search. You confirm with the neighbors... everyone is out of the house... and, with a huge sigh of relief, you get on the radio, "Command, we have an "All Clear" on the primary and secondary search."
If you think about it, the basis of our faith is an "all clear." Today is the celebration of the reason for our faith - the greatest "all clear" in history... it is the day that our REAL CHIEF arose from the dead. It is the day that HIS followers walked into that tomb and found it empty.
When we hear an "all clear" at a working fire, we say a little 'Thank You,' don't we? How much greater, then, should we celebrate today?
HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!
May you and yours have a blessed EASTER as you serve...
...On HIS Shift,
"Showing Joy"
March 20, 2005
"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful."
- Psalm 68:3 (NIV)
Tommy Neiman, in his book Sirens for the Cross, relates the story of a man who had called 9-1-1 for a medical problem. The paramedics arrive on scene and ask the man what the problem is. The man replies that he has a case of the "smilin' mighty Jesus." After having the man repeat himself several times, he finally produces discharge papers from the hospital... he had "spinal meningitis."
I relate that funny story to you for two reasons. First, I like the picture that is painted by the words "smiling, mighty JESUS." I want to picture our REAL CHIEF as one who smiles easily. Secondly, I think we, too, need to smile easily.
Picture this - there are two churches side-by-side. As you stand and watch, both churches let out at the same time. One group seems somber. They nod at each other. A few stop and shake the pastor's hand on the way out. The other group, though, comes out smiling. Some are laughing. Many are hugging. Couples are holding hands. Now, which church would you rather attend?
You see, our SOP for Life - the Holy Bible - mentions 'joy' over two hundred times. We are to be joyful believers.
Many times we have talked about being a CHRISTIAN example... about being light to others. If you walk around with your head down, barely acknowledging others, how in the world will anyone ever say to themselves, "Gee, I want to be like him." On the other hand, if you walk around joyful, happy, with a smile on your face... others will automatically be drawn to you and will say, "I want whatever he has." Then, when they ask you why you are always to happy, you can tell them - "It is because I am serving...
...On HIS Shift",
"Filling His Shoes"
March 13, 2005
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
- 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)
If you haven't seen Ladder 49 yet, you are really missing one of the best movies about the fire service I have ever seen.
Ladder 49 came out on video this past week. Excuse me, on DVD, I should say. On the DVD are some "extras" that come on most DVDs nowadays. One of those, though, on this DVD is called "Everyday Heroes" and is about a 13 minute "short" where you meet some of the guys and gals with Baltimore City Fire Service.
One of the firefighters is talking about his dad being in the fire service. And, he makes a comment along the lines of this... "I am just trying to fill his shoes. And, hopefully, I will leave some shoes to be filled."
That, in a nutshell, is a great example of what our verse for this week is talking about. The Apostle Paul is writing the church at Corinth. And, he tells them to follow his example, just as he follows CHRIST's example.
The word "Christian" means "Christ-like." We are to be "Christ-like" as we go about our daily life... we are to be an example to others.
We are in the fire service by GOD's good design and grace. HE has given each of us a servant's heart. We wouldn't be doing this otherwise, don't you see? Think about it... we don't do it for the money, do we? NO! We do it because our REAL CHIEF has chosen us to do this!
As you go forth to serve this week, remember that. Remember that we are to be living examples of CHRIST. We should live a life that encourages others to want to "fill our shoes" as we serve...
...On HIS Shift,
It is my prayer that the verses we discuss help each of you as it has helped me deal with the amount of stress we are all faced to deal with.
If you are not yet saved, I have Good News for you. Jesus loves you very much and His Holy Spirit is drawing you to Him. To learn more, click here.
The folks at the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation can also help if you have been involved in a Critical Incident.
Chaplain Skip writes STRESS RELIEF every week, usually on Sunday afternoon
