Stress Relief - A Weekly Article from the Fire & EMS Chaplain

It has been a pretty hectic week. We had a pretty bad one. I responded to a call of a house fire with explosion and possible persons trapped. The first-in engine reports heavy fire showing and calls immediately for an EMS unit for a burn victim. EMS arrived and immediately called for a helicopter. I came in behind the engine assigned to land the chopper. The captain asked me to hop in and assist them, which I did. We watched as the crews loaded the burn victim into the bird. Afterwards, the captain asked me to climb up on top of the engine and help reload the crosslay. As we were doing this, it began pouring down rain (of course). Shortly thereafter, one of our female firefighters went down with possible heat exhaustion. We got her into an EMS unit and then finished loading the truck. Just as the captain and I were leaving so he could take me back to my car to continue to the scene, two teenagers walked up to the engine. They started saying how upset they were with us, because we had blocked the road so long that they had gotten "written up by the bus driver for jumping out of the back door of the bus." Can you believe that?

Anyway, I finally got on scene and learned that there were two other occupants of the house. One was fine and the other had also received burns, but had refused transport to the hospital. I found out that one of them had no place to stay and, of course, all of their clothing was destroyed. So, I loaded the one person in my car and transported to a mission where I knew shelter, clothing and food would be provided. I also knew that the person who runs the mission would show the Love of our REAL CHIEF to this victim.

So... Friday afternoon late, my wife and daughter and I loaded up and headed to the lake. We hoped on our little boat. It was windy, with storms in the area, but we weren't getting rained on. Because of the wind, it was quite bumpy.

But, ya know, as the evening wore on, the clouds gave way to a beautiful moon that we were blessed to watch rise. The clouds went away and the lake became almost completely calm. It was so nice that by the time we started back at about 9:45, our 12 year-old was fast asleep and remained so until we docked. It was great. The events of the week were forgotten - even if for a few short hours.

Our verse this week is "Mark 4:39." That, by the way, is the name of our little boat, "The Mark 4:39." Pretty cool, huh? You see, when things begin to get stormy in your life, you must remember to ask our REAL CHIEF to get in your boat with you. Let HIM calm the storm in your life. Yes, HE knows you need the help, but it is up to you to ask for that help... the help from our REAL CHIEF really can calm the waves as you serve...

...On HIS Shift,

ps - Not that it's a big deal, but sometime this week, we will gain our 600th "subscriber" to the STRESS RELIEF articles and this website. (Actually, we already had it, but one person emailed this week and asked to be removed from our list). I thank you for spreading the word about our REAL CHIEF and it is my prayer that this little website or this weekly article has helped you or others you know.

On HIS Shift, Chaplain Skip Straus

"Joy Riding"

August 18th, 2002

"A wise son heeds his father's instruction,
but a mocker does not listen to rebuke."

- Proverbs 13:1 (NIV)

One of the agencies that I have the honor of serving as the Chaplain is an EMS agency in one of the roughest parts of Houston. Shootings, stabbings, overdoses and the like are all too common. And, lots of MVAs (motor vehicle accidents- for those of you not in the biz!).

But, it is a great place to work. We are even privileged enough to have a medical director who gets out and rides the boxes! Is that cool or what? Oh... and not just on day shift, either. Last Thursday, both he and I rode the 6 PM till 6 am shift.

Well, you know how it goes... we got to a station about 12:30am. We were 1/2 watching TV, half dozing, when the tones jarred us to our feet... "Medic so-and-so, District 90, MD1, CH1: a MVA with reported entrapment." We are only about 4 or 5 minutes away. Enroute, we hear dispatch advise, "All units enroute to the MVA, law enforcement is on scene confirming entrapment." As we pull up on scene, the first thing I noticed was a wrecked eighteen-wheeler. Where is the other car? We are directed about 100 yards down the road. Inside the what-used-to-be-a-car are four kids. I say that, because the driver was about 14. You see, that young person had decided, I guess, that it was okay to take the parent's car without permission and display driving skills to other youngsters. Well, you guessed it: they apparently ran the red light and were broadsided by the truck. The result: 1 critical, 1 serious and two stable. Four... no, make that five (the truck driver) lives changed.

Why? Because a youngster took a car? Maybe. But, I think it goes beyond that. I think maybe, just maybe, the parents had to share some responsibility. And, I pray they did their Biblical best. The SOP for Life, our Bible, teaches parents to teach the children in the "way of the Lord." The object is, that as they grow older, they, too, will follow in God's ways. But, in our verse this week, it is the youth who are instructed by our REAL CHIEF to listen and obey their parents teaching.

My hope and prayer for all of those involved in this accident have learned something. I pray for their physical healing. But, more importantly, I pray for their spiritual healing... I pray that they begin listening to God's instruction. Now, I'm no kiddo anymore... but, I still try to listen to the teaching of my REAL CHIEF. Why? Because I know it will help me as I help others who serve...

...On HIS Shift,

"Flames All Around"

August 11th, 2002

" Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them."

- Daniel 3:26-27 (NIV)

Our verses for this week tell a story of three men who truly obeyed our REAL CHIEF. And, maybe, just maybe, were some of our first firefighters, eh?

The whole story is about three friends of the prophet Daniel. These three had been appointed to the royal court at Daniel's request. Daniel and all the Israelites had been taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar and taken to Babylon. That is the setting for the story. Well, ole' king Neb' built himself a statue of gold 90 feet high (the Bible says). He decreed throughout the land that when the royal musicians played their instruments everyone was to bow down and worship the statue of gold. Well, our three friends refused to do so. So, the king called them in and said, "Worship it or I will throw you into the furnace." Our three heroes said something to effect of: "We're not going to do it. Our REAL CHIEF will save us and even if HE chooses not to, we still won't worship a hunk of gold."

Well! You can imagine what the king did. He ordered the furnace heated to 7 times normal. It was so hot, the Bible says, that it killed the soldiers that threw the heroic trio in.

Then, to his amazement, the king looked in and saw FOUR men in the fire. Who do you think the fourth man was? The king said he appeared to be "like a son of the gods!" Yep! It was our REAL CHIEF right in the midst of the flames. The end of the story is this: the king became a believer.

There are three things I want you to take from this:

Don't worship idols (if you love money more than our REAL CHIEF, that is an idol).
Stand up for what is right in the eyes of our REAL CHIEF.
Show others your faith as you walk with Christ in the flames. If you do, who knows, they might begin serving HIM, too!

I want to be like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. I want to have the courage to stand up for my REAL CHIEF even with the threat of death all around me as I continue to serve...

...On HIS Shift,

"Heart Condition"

August 4th, 2002

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

- Matthew 6:21 (NIV)

As you might know by now, I am about to finish EMT (that's Emergency Medical Technician for those of you not "in the business") school. In fact, we take our final exam this coming Wednesday. YEAH!!! Oops, sorry... I mean, gee whiz, I can't believe it is almost over with. I sure will miss going to class. (yeah, right! hehehehe).

One of medical terms I have always liked is "pericardial tamponade." Let's break that term down - "peri" means "around" or "surrounding" (as in the word, "perimeter"). "Cardial" means heart, of course. "Tamponade" means "a collection of fluid." Thus, when you put it all together, you get "a collection of fluid around the heart." More exactly, it is a collection of blood within the pericardium, which is the sac that surrounds the heart. A pericardial Tamponade can kill you. What happens is this; the pericardium becomes so full and the pressure becomes so great, that it can prevent the heart from functioning properly.

I started thinking about that. Our verse for this week says that "where our treasure is" - meaning "what we value... what we desire" - is where our heart is. In other words, if you value money, your heart will always yearn for more money. If you value partying, your heart will yearn for the next beer. BUT, if you value your commitment to our REAL CHIEF, your heart will yearn for a closer relationship with HIM.

Desiring things such as money or alcohol will become like a "pericardial Tamponade" to the heart of your soul. The more you desire those things, the more your heart is surrounded by those things that hurt you, then, the more your heart for our REAL CHIEF will be inhibited. Eventually, if you don't get rid of the "Tamponade" - the pet sins - in your life, your heart will be crushed.

But, I have good news for you... our REAL CHIEF can perform the procedure to remove that tamponade. HE, and only HE, can relieve that pressure and restore your heart to where it is supposed to be. All you have to do is ask HIM to be your treasure. That way, your heart is always...

...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.

STRESS RELIEF is written every week, usually on Sunday afternoons.