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Copyright © 1999-2001 Emergency Ministries. All Rights Reserved. |
December 2001 The "instruction book" for life is the Bible.
"Start of Something BIG" December 30, 2001 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." - Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) Here we go again! hehehehehe The dawn of a new year. So much has happened in the last twelve months, that it is absolutely mind-blowing. And, allot of what you might view as negative, as stressful, has really been used to better us... to regain "our sight" and to realize God's blessings on us. Yes, we, as Americans, rolled right along, complacent, fat, secure. Then, our little corner of the world was shattered... literally. Osama Bin Whossit tried, to the best of his evil ability, to destroy a nation of people he views as little more than vile animals. The only thing he succeeded in accomplishing, though, was to bring out the good in Americans. He, who because of his wealth was able to fund this terrorist act, caused over $1 billion dollars to be donated, from all over the world, to various service agencies. He, because of his lack of regard for human life, brought lives together in this country as never before. He brought us, in the emergency services arena, closer and more determined than ever to serve our citizens. Those of us who served at "Ground Zero (that's HERO)" saw first-hand the outpourings of love and support from people all over the world. Yes, in the end, I have started to see Osama's horrific act, that was intended to kill, has been Mightily used by our REAL CHIEF for the start of something good. The nation has bonded together. Our President was enabled to display his God-given talents to serve his REAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE. I also believe it has been the start of a revival in America. We are not just rallying around our flag, as we have in the past. We are also rallying around our God. Our REAL CHIEF. Our SUPREME COMMANDER. You have a choice, as always, as we start this new year; go into it dreading the "what ifs," OR go into it with great anticipation and excitement, knowing you are using the past to help you better serve HIM, as you serve others... ...On HIS Shift,
Ps - See you next year!
"Merry Christmas" December 23, 2001 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. " - Matthew 2:1-3 (NIV) See you next Sunday. As you gather around the tree, remember THE ONE who died on a tree... our REAL CHIEF who was born to die just because HE loves you. I am so thankful to serve... ...On HIS Shift,
"Immanent Childbirth" December 16, 2001 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. " - Matthew 2:1-3 (NIV) The tones go off and you hear the call for help that most of us really don't mind responding to; beep-beep-beep "Medic One, an immanent childbirth... 1234 Main Street." I have had the honor and privilege, during my days as a paramedic, to deliver a few babies. Most of you know what I am talking about when I say that the baby does not always receive the warmest of welcomes into this life. I have seen babies birthed in a dumpster because it was the mother's intent to leave the child there to die. We encountered one birth where it took four of us to hold the young mother's legs apart to deliver her child. Why? Because she had locked her ankles together in an attempt to kill the child by suffocation, as it's head was presenting. YUCK! "What a thing to talk about," you are saying. Well, let me also say that the bulk of the births I have assisted with were beautiful... ones where the child was most certainly wanted and ceremonially welcomed. As we go into the Christmas season, we must realize that this is the celebration of the birthday of our REAL CHIEF... of Jesus of Nazareth. In our verse this week, we see two different perspectives on this; the greatest birth of all. First, we see the "Magi from the East" who have come seeking the newborn child. (Yes, these are the often talked-about "Three Kings." But, notice there is nothing mentioned about there being three of them. I believe we assume that, because the story later mentions that "they" brought three gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh). Anyway, these Kings traveled a long, long way in their search for baby Jesus. Just so they could worship Him and bring Him gifts. The other side of this is King Herod, who, when he learned of the birth of our REAL CHIEF, grew "disturbed." He was so "disturbed" about it, that we later learn that he sent word out to go kill all male children in the region who were two years old or less! So, we had several people celebrating the Greatest Birth in all of history. But, we also had several more people who did everything they could to end this New Life, that would eventually give us the opportunity for a new life.
How about you? You do have a choice. You can choose to ruin the celebration of The Birth by rejecting HIM. Or, you can choose to celebrate The Birth by asking HIM if you can serve... ...On HIS Shift,
"Party Time" December 9, 2001 "They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." - Psalm 145:7 (NIV) Last night, no less than three of the fire departments I serve had their annual Awards Banquets. Cindy and I actually made it to two of them; one with only about 10 minutes left in the celebration. But, that's okay. For those of you not involved with a fire department, please allow me to try to explain what occurs. It is not your "usual" Christmas party. These gatherings are given by the volunteer departments to try to give a little back to those who give to others all year long. The department's put on a huge feast... an excellent meal. Then, typically, there are reminiscing via a photo slide show or video showing the department "in action." Then, the department hands out plaques to as many folks as they can recognize; firefighter of the year, first responder of the year, officers, most runs, rookie of the year (way to go Chapa!!!), etc. At one last night, the ladies auxiliary had "door prizes" that were given to almost every attendee, it seems... even my wife and I were "winners!" I think these banquets are great for their purpose; recognizing the efforts of our everyday heroes. Two things I want to caution you on, though;
If you give honor to our REAL CHIEF, then, as our verse this week says, we will celebrate as a thanksgiving to HIM for giving us HIS all. HIS Word says we should also celebrate His Life so that we may obtain "Heavenly Awards" Yes, the plaques the departments give us are beautiful, but imagine what our awards in Heaven will be like. I think seeing those awards, presented by our REAL CHIEF, will make it all worth serving... ...On HIS Shift,
"Alcohol and Fire" December 2, 2001 "For John came to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." - John 21:32 (NIV) Twice this week - it was almost the identical call. The late night tones with the first-in companies reporting heavy fire and smoke. I arrive on scene to find the homeowner standing in the front yard of their neighbor's house. Both times there were two probable causes; heaters/fireplaces and, you guessed it, alcohol. Not that alcohol was poured on the fire either, mind you. In our verse for this week, our REAL CHIEF is talking to the people about John the Baptist. John's God-given job was to announce the coming of Christ... of our REAL CHIEF. Jesus goes on to say that they (the "religious" people) did not listen to John, but that the "tax collectors" and prostitutes did (tax collectors, in Biblical times, were generally government-endorsed thieves; collecting both taxes for the government plus whatever they could glean for themselves). In other words, the "religious people" that HE was talking to ignored John's pleadings, but the "plain folk" listened and repented (turned away from) their wrongs. And, so it is today. Should we, as followers of our REAL CHIEF, show Christ's love to those just in our own circle? Absolutely not. Even though the intoxicated homeowners were a little tough to talk with, I still did my job - in these cases; to arrange clothing for them. And, the departments did their jobs and extinguished the fire. Showing God's love to others is especially important around those who may not know the love of Christ. And, perhaps, even more so during the holidays. As it gets colder, the heaters and fireplaces get cracklin' and the alcohol flows. Many would outwardly show their disdain for the homeowner that has, perhaps because of the intoxication, burned down his home. We, as on-scene believers, need to be examples of God's love to everyone we encounter so that others would also want to 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.
© 1999 - 2001 Emergency Ministries. All Rights Reserved. STRESS RELIEF is written every week, usually on Sunday afternoons. |
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