"Watch Office"

From an article found on the internet (http://vil.carpentersville.il.us/fire_history.htm); "Night fire watches were instituted in the larger cities of America in colonial times. In Boston in 1654, a bellman was put to work from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM. These volunteers were called the “rattle watch” because of the large rattles used to sound alarms. The night fire watch service was a community institution before there was municipal police forces."

Many departments today still have a "watch office" in the station(s). A fond memory of my time in New York was sitting in the watch office, with the on-duty firefighter, reading letters written by children from all over the world. The modern-day watch officer answers the station phone and radio and relays information, via intercom, to the rest of the on-duty crews.

Our verse for the week reminds us that we are to each be "watch officers." Not so much for fire... no, something much more important. We are to be ready for the appearance of our REAL CHIEF.

Much like a fire call or an EMS run, we don't know when the tones will sound... we don't "know the day or the hour" when HE will come for us.

If you have put off asking CHRIST to become your REAL CHIEF because you have always said to yourself, "I'll do it one of these days" - please, don't wait any longer. You never know when your time will come. You never know when HIS time will come. Be prepared. Ask HIM to become the CHIEF of your life today... right now... and join us in the watch office as you serve...

Copyright © 2009 Chaplain Skip Straus and Emergency Ministries.

April 21, 2009

"Assault Call"

Assault calls. We've made bunches of them, haven't we? So many in my career, I can't count them.

Our verse this week is a story related about a particularly gruesome scene. A man was traveling down a dangerous, winding, mountainous road between Jerusalem and Jericho. The bad guys would often wait in ambush around the rocks. Apparently, that was the case in this story. The BIBLE says that the robbers jumped out, stole everything he had and beat him until he was "half dead." They left him there in the dirt, not caring if he lived or died.

The first two people that walked down that path saw the guy laying there and walked by on the other side of the road. But not our ancestral Samaritan brother. No, sir. He did what you and I probably would have done... he jumped right in and starting working on him. He saw the man differently than the first two men, didn't he? The other two saw what they thought was a dead body and wanted nothing to do with him (anyone back in 'those days' were considered 'unclean' if they touched a dead body). Our brother saw a human being in need, took pity on him and went to help. In fact, he even loaded the guy up on his ambulance... er, donkey... and took him to an inn and paid the owner to take care of him (closest thing to an ER back then, I guess).

This week's verse is an example our REAL CHIEF used to demonstrate how we should "treat" ("treat" - get it?) our neighbors. I believe that HE has instilled in you and I a sense to serve... a compassion for people. It is that yearning deep within us that keeps us going on the assault calls, and the shootings and stabbings and... well, you know... while others in our society choose to "walk by on the other side of the road."

...On HIS Shift,