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STRESS RELIEF |
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MAY 2005 |
The "Standard Operating Guideline For Life" is the Holy Bible.
"Giving All"
May 30th, 2005
" Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. "
- John15:13 (NIV)
Today, we celebrate "Memorial Day." It is a day set aside to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedoms we do... like the freedom to worship.
Below is from an email sent to me back on Memorial Day of 2003:
MEMORIAL DAY 2005
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So Young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.
Thank a veteran today... they have truly served...
...On HIS Shift,
This was a reprint of an article from 2003.
"Born Again"
May 22, 2005
"In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."
- John 3:3-6 (NIV)
It happens way too often where I work - the shift ends at 0600 and the tones go off at 0547 for a call. And, guess what? That's right, your relief isn't in yet! Ah well.
So they we were. At the end of another Friday shift. We had already run three calls since midnight and had just got into good sleep mode when the tones dropped, "An o.b. call - 24-D-3 (imminent delivery), time out: 0537 hrs."
So, we get there, and the young lady is about ready. Says her pains are less than a minute apart. Okay. She says her water hasn't broken. Okay. We load her and she says, "It's coming now." I check... no crowning. We are about ready to pull away. She says, "I have to go poop."
Awwww, "Why did you have to say that?" I think to myself, knowing that is a sure sign of imminent delivery. I check again and, sure enough, the baby is crowning.
To make a long story short, a new life was brought into this world. A new birth. As a paramedic, I get to watch the pain on an a mother's face melt away into a smile as she gets to see her little one for the very first time. It's one of those jobs that makes you feel like you are on top of the world.
Another time I feel on top of the world is when our REAL CHIEF allows me to be present during a re-birth... when someone asks CHRIST into their life. The SOP for Life, the BIBLE, says that when we ask JESUS to become our REAL CHIEF, we are reborn... we are born of the SPIRIT!
Learn to help deliver souls. Learn how to share the GOSPEL with others. Maybe you, too, will be present to watch someone be reborn. That is how we...
"Rescue others from the flames. (Jude verse 23)" while serving...
...On HIS Shift,
"Right Place At The Right Time"
May 16, 2005
" So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.
"Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?"
Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing."
- Acts 8:27-31 & 34-39 (NIV)
This past weekend, Cindy and I jumped on the Harley and rode to Corpus Christi, Texas for the Texas State HOG Rally. I know... you're thinking, "What does that have to do with our verses this week?"
Well, first, let me ask you to go back and read those verses. It is a story about Phillip. Phillip "just happened" to be present when a chariot came down the road. The Holy Spirit of our REAL CHIEF told him to go stand by the chariot. What did he do? He ran to it! He was then given the opportunity to lead the eunuch to salvation. And, what happened next? The SPIRIT whisked Philip away! THEN, the BIBLE says that the eunuch went on his way rejoicing!
Chance encounter? Absolutely not! Our REAL CHIEF placed Philip there, at the right place at the right time for that eunuch to come and know the love of CHRIST.
Now... back to our weekend on the Harley. Cindy and I were in the vendor area of the Rally. And, standing there, was a man wearing a "Wind and Fire" vest (which is a bike club for firefighters). "Something" told me to go over and talk to him (gee... could that something have been the SPIRIT of our REAL CHIEF?). So, I walked up to the man and introduced myself and gave him one of my cards. It turns out he had just retired after 31 years of firefighting. And... he was going through a horrible divorce, he told me. He asked for my prayers for him. So, I asked him if I could pray for him right there. He answered, "Yes, please." So, I laid my hand on his shoulder and prayed aloud for him.
There we were... two "bikers" dressed in our jeans and leather, standing in the midst of about 5000 other bikers... praying.
You see, HE put me in the right place, at the right time, just to pray for that lonely firefighter.
Learn to recognize the SPIRIT's voice within you. Let to recognize that there are NO coincidences as you serve...
...On HIS Shift,
"The Pain of Being Mom"
May 8, 2005
"To the woman he said," I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children."
- Genesis 3:16(a) (NIV)
This is a re-write of the article I wrote for Mother's Day 2001 -
Ewwww! Makes me shudder. Our verse this week isn't much Stress Relief is it? And on Mother's Day, no less?!
The verse you just read is God speaking to Eve. You see, HE was meting out discipline for committing the original sin. So, for Eve's role in that sin, all women have been promised PAIN. That makes me think that our REAL CHIEF intended for childbirth to be pain-free!!! Ah, the wages of sin...
Anyway, I thought it would be fitting, on Mother's Day, to give you something to think about so you can appreciate your mom even more.
Your mom carried you in her womb for n-i-n-e l-o-n-g months! Even that wasn't easy, what with the swollen ankles, the weird food cravings, the weight gain and the oh-so-pleasing morning sickness. And get this; my poor mom carried me for TEN months. (In fact, it is allegedly how I got my nickname. You see, my dad was in the Navy. When he walked in my mom's room after I was born, she said, "Well, it looks like we finally piped the 'Skipper' aboard!")
Anyway, your mom carried you to the appointed time of delivery... Ahhh... that's it... over with.... kiddo just popped right out, right?
NOT!
She probably went through about 8- 10 hours of labor... not rest, labor! Excruciating pain. I have heard it described like someone is grabbing your legs and pulling them apart to make a wish. Eight to ten HOURS of that!
Back in 2001, I was in a helicopter sea-crash egress training course. We were strapped in a seat, in a cage, that flipped upside down in the water for 8 seconds.... thought I would die! EIGHT SECONDS!
Now, picture your mom, laying on that table in the delivery room, in pain, FOR YOU, for EIGHT HOURS.
She did all of this before she even met you. Why? Because she already loved you.
Our REAL CHIEF sent HIS Son to die for you long before you were born. Why? Because HE loves you.
THANK YOU, MOM for putting up with the pain. Because of you, I am serving...
...On HIS Shift,
"Water Baptism"
May 1, 2005
"Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.""
- Matthew 3:13-17 (NIV)
Last weekend, well, last Friday, actually, my lovely bride inadvertently downloaded a virus. I took me until Monday before our computer was "cleaned" of the virus. So, no article last week.
This week, I want to talk about water baptism. Now, I know it has never, ever happened to you, but I have had a gallon or two of water poured on my head throughout my career. Just the other day, we were backing into the station and I saw one of the probies standing there, soaking wet.
"What happened?," I asked - as if I didn't know.
"They got me from the roof of the station!" came the rookie's reply.
Sure enough, two firefighters had climbed to the roof of the station with a five gallon bucket. Another firefighter lured the unsuspecting rookie just outside of one of the bays. KAWOOOSH!!!
I have seen it done with hoses, water cans, igloos, hose bed tarps and even kitchen sink hoses. For a bunch of folks who like fire so much, we sure do like hitting each other with water, don't we? Everyone gets a good laugh... except, maybe, for the rookie. But, ya know what? Even they have a little grin on their face.
Well, I had a big grin on my face today.... you see, I had the privilege of baptizing two new brothers today. First, was a young man whose fiancé and he had come to pre-marital counseling. Just last Thursday at that meeting, he gave himself to JESUS. The other was a firefighter friend of mine who we lead to CHRIST several months ago and, for whatever reason, he was finally getting baptized.
We believe in baptism by immersion. We believe that, because we believe our REAL CHIEF set the example. Notice, in our verse for the week, that it says that as soon as HE was baptized that HE "went up out of the water." JESUS was baptized in the Jordan River.
Well, today, to make it more enjoyable, our outreach pastor poured a bottle of water that was actually from the Jordan into the pool we used! How cool is that?
And, one more thing... we believe that baptism is not a "washing away of your sins." It is a public expression of your new life in CHRIST.
I want to encourage you... if you have asked JESUS to become your REAL CHIEF, follow HIS example... get baptized. It is one great way to let others know you are serving...
...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
