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Meet "Chappy" Bill Wolfe

Bill is a sheriff's deputy and a Chaplain. You can contact him by email: lcso763@moment.net

ARCHIVES

JUNE 2010

History Lesson
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Welcome to the June 2010 Edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. Like last year, I’m writing my June column just days after the conclusion of Police Week, but UNlike last year, I can talk – I have a voice! I can even YELL at wayward bull calves in bar ditches when I have to – one of the “little pleasures” of being a rural deputy. <grin> One of the other pleasures is collecting my own bluebonnet seeds. I’ve gone a little OCD with it (I only collected about six paper grocery sacks full of seed pods), but we now have plenty of seeds to cover the backyard several times.

One of the sayings I’ve heard since I was a kid in high school (more than a few weeks ago now) is that “the thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history.” I guess that’s really true these days when they don’t *really* teach history in school. It’s also apparent in the political arena where our highest level politicians seem to be bound and determined to force failed European political philosophies on this country. They haven’t worked before, but “hey, we’re smarter than they are.” Anyway, I’ll not run down that rabbit trail…

This topic of history has been a topic I’ve wanted to visit since Good Friday this year. I was listening to Michael Medved that day, and a lady called in who was completely coming unglued claiming that Jesus was not an actual historical figure – that He never lived, but is just a made-up tale. Michael, who is Jewish, believes that Jesus did live, although Michael doesn’t accept His teachings, and that’s his prerogative. The noted German evangelist Otto Betz has stated that “No serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non-historicity of Jesus.” I thought I’d just throw out some “food for thought” since any kind of in-depth discussion would be too lengthy for this venue, and we would miss roll-call for sure.

Most often when we talk about Jesus’ life and ministry our thoughts turn to the Bible. But there are many accounts of Jesus found outside Christian documents which date back to the first century.

Secular writers and historians that mention Jesus’ life and death include the famous Roman historians Cornelius Tacitus and Suetonius. Both men lived and wrote in the later half of the first century, and not being Christians, had nothing to gain by admitting (or fabricating) the historicity of the events surrounding Christ and His followers. Two other historians, Thalius and Plegon, writing between AD 50 and 70, both describe the darkness that came over the world when Christ died. And a Syrian named Mara Bar-Seraplon talks about Jesus and compares Him with the philosophers Socrates and Protagoras. There was no question in his mind that Jesus had actually lived.

In his book “The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict,” author Josh McDowell says: “Similar to the secular references, the ones found in Jewish sources are unfriendly towards Christianity’s founder, followers and beliefs. For this reason their attestation to the events surrounding Jesus’ life are valuable testimony to the historicity of these events.” He points out a passage in the Babylonian Talmud that says: “… On the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshu…” The famous Jewish historian Josephus, who lived through most of the first century, also wrote of Jesus.

There are other historians and writers from the first and second centuries who have written about Christ who had access to first-hand knowledge and eyewitnesses.

So what’s the bottom line? That one cannot reject Christianity on the basis of Jesus not being a historical figure. His life and death are recorded by those who were in a position to know and had no reason to aid the Christians and support the basis of their faith.

If you’re interested in looking into this further, I can recommend these books:

The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell
The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel
To Believe or Not Believe, That Is The Question, by Thomas Gorman

Thomas Gorman is a retired Deputy Chief of the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and has an extensive career in law enforcement.

Thanks for spending some time with me again. Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

MAY 2010

LEOs, Preachers & Heroes
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

I was asked to be the guest speaker at the annual Police Memorial Service at the Veteran Administration’s Kerrville VA Hospital that was held 6 May and sponsored by the VA Police Department. I wanted to share my talk with those who couldn’t be there. So, here tis:

Intro comments

LEOs and Heroes… the two terms rhyme and often apply to the same group of people. Preachers sometimes get the privilege of standing with them and calling them friends. When that happens “preachers” become “chaplains” and sometimes they become officers themselves.

Someone, I forget who, told me once that police and clergy often have the same general personalities. Thinking about that, I guess, is what gave me the starting idea of what I want to share today.

In high school English I always dreaded/hated the “compare and contrast” writing assignments. It always seemed that it was fairly easy to do the compare part – talk about how the subjects were similar and hard to find or at least write about the differences. That notwithstanding, I’d like to take a few minutes here to compare and contrast LEOs and preachers and then turn our attention to heroes.

Compare:
Both are Called / have answered the Call / and are Sent
In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul asks the rhetorical question, “How can they hear without a preacher, and how can they preach unless they’re sent?” I believe God calls men and women into law enforcement in much the same way He calls preachers. There comes a time when we feel it in our hearts. It’s a scary thought at first, but it grows until it becomes something of a driving force – you just know beyond a shadow of doubt that’s what you were meant to do. That is until your first solo patrol or first sermon in front of a church full of people.

Before a church organization conveys credentials on ministers and sends them out to “fulfill their mission” they have to pass a “review board” not unlike the “orals” officers face. If there were no agency to commission (“send”) officers, who would patrol the streets?

In the Old Testament book of Isaiah there is a scene recorded that happened in Heaven. To briefly recount the Biblical passage: God had a task that He needed performed. He had prepared Isaiah for service and then He asked “Who will go?” and Isaiah replied “Here am I. Send me.” It wasn’t until after Isaiah volunteered that God told him what the task was. (Isa. 6:5-9a) I think it safe to say that most preachers and officers have not had such a dramatic call into their particular ministry and a lot of officers wouldn’t admit it if they had. Once piece of advice I was given before I went for my psych eval as a reserve deputy was “don’t say that God talks to you…even if He does.” How does that square with being a Chaplain?

Both “professions” do have those who may take up the role for, shall we say, purely “employment” reasons, but they are generally not the ones who excel. The good ones are the ones who feel it deep inside and know beyond a shadow of doubt that this was what they were meant to do.

Chaplains have a double call. Just like not everyone is cut out to be a peace officer, not all clergy members have what it takes to be a law enforcement chaplain.

Both are of the Book, for the Book, by the Book

We all (at least in theory) operate according to the printed page, whether it be the Holy Scriptures, the Penal Code/Code of Criminal Procedure, the UCMJ or United States Code. We don’t just make something up on the spur of the moment, although when someone really needs to go to jail, we wish we could. When you boil criminal codes down to their basics, they more often than not come back to the Ten Commandments.

Both are serving Something greater than self

With a few exceptions, there’s no question that preachers are serving Someone who’s greater. I have this concept that the law enforcement profession is bigger, more noble, if you will, than just a “job.” When I wear the uniform and carry the badge and gun, I’m serving the community in a far different way than when I stock groceries on my second job.

Both are held to higher standard than the general public

That, I think, can be seen anytime you watch a newscast.

Neither wants to be the one who knocks on the door to say “I’m sorry.”

Death notifications, especially in the case of fallen officers, is a job that NO one wants.

A couple differences just to contrast:

The police get the “better toys” – fast cars, fancy lights, tasers and guns.

Not casting aspersions, but – who runs towards “shots fired”?

Both may be taken from us because of who they are.
When a Christian suffers a LODD, we record their names in church history and call them martyrs. When a LEO suffers a LODD, we put their names on stone walls and call them heroes.

Heroes.

It has been said that “Heroes are the people who do what has to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.” I think that is a good, but perhaps we also need to add “and without worrying about who gets the credit.” Heroes are not men and women who are “it’s all about me.”

Peace officers have also been called “every day heroes.” Let me share a few thoughts from an Introduction to Law Enforcement that I wrote to help train LE Chaplains. And I know this is largely “preaching to the choir.”

Heroes – every day

Everyday. In this instance “everyday” has two connotations. The first is that of being “ordinary.” Law enforcement officers are just “everyday” people. They are male and female. They come in all sizes and colors. They are people just like your neighbors…they have similar hopes, dreams, ambitions, plans, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and needs – physical, emotional, and spiritual.

In the second instance of “every day,” these men and women serve their communities 24/7/365. The faces will change depending on the day of the week or time of day, but they are there…ready to respond to the emergency of the hour every day.

Heroes. The men and women of law enforcement are aptly described as heroes. Most often, perhaps, when we hear the word “hero,” our minds leap to the battlefield where someone has put the needs of others before the consideration of their own safety. The same is certainly true of our peace officers. They are people just like your neighbors… yet not exactly like. There is something special within them that calls them to run Code 3 to the scene of an emergency when everyone else is running away. While they are conscious of their safety, it is the concern for the safety of others that causes them to run into burning buildings before the fire department arrives, to attempt to locate a tornado, or to run towards someone who is shooting.

An “everyday hero” – someone with whom no one would trade places for double what a police officer is paid. An “everyday hero” – an "ordinary" person who receives almost daily criticism, and when they do receive a commendation, it’s too often posthumously.

It seems that much more often than is fair, our “everyday heroes” become “fallen heroes.” The best and the bravest are taken from us before we’re ready to let them go, be they LEOs or firefighters or military men and women. Some are taken from us days before they’re to retire. Some are taken literally mere weeks or even days out of the academy.

Survivors are every day heroes, too.

But not all the best and bravest are taken from us. Many times they are the survivors who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. As I sat at the candlelight vigil at the Memorial in Austin last year and looked around at the various families wearing T-shirts or buttons or other reminders of their loved one, I thought about the courage they had to face a world now changed so dramatically that “back to normal” was not possible. At times when I contemplate the “Heroes Sunday” our church in Waco holds, I think about the other heroes -- the survivors, the ones who have to pick up the pieces and march into the future with a boldness and confidence that they don’t always feel.


Memorials

As I have thought about these things and the granite memorials we have set up to commemorate our fallen officers in Austin and other places around the state as well as in Washington DC., the phrase came to mind: “What meaneth these stones?” The phrase comes from the fourth chapter of the book of Joshua when God commanded the Israelites to gather twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River as they crossed over and set up a memorial on the other side.

What do these stones mean? For the nation of Israel, they commemorated a great moment in their history. The memorial was set up to cause the younger generation to wonder and be inspired and the older generation to remember.

While the memorials we erect in memory of our fallen comrades and the stones Israel set up aren’t exactly for the same reason, they do serve much the same purposes. They help us keep in mind the sacrifices made, and when the younger generation comes along asking why the memorial, we can tell the tales of bravery and self-sacrifice to inspire our young people to take up the high calling of serving others as peace officers. As long as we remember and pass the torch, those who have paid the supreme price have not given themselves in vain.

So many times I hear it said of officers that they loved their jobs because they loved to help others. We remember and memorialize that love and dedication. We take pride in a job well done by our loved ones and comrades even as we feel the loss of their separation from us. God never promised to spare us from the disasters and traumas of life, only to go through them with us if we are willing to let Him walk with us.

Once we’re touched by a tragic loss of a loved one or close friend, it’s not easy to hear the piper play “Amazing Grace” and then to pick up the pieces of our lives and continue on. And we can’t, usually, do it all by ourselves. That’s what friends are for. And God is the Ultimate Friend. He is the One that can hold us close, carry us in His arms when we don’t think we can continue, and heal the hurt in our hearts to where we find the strength to carry on.

Psalm 23.

The 23rd Psalm is one that most of us know by heart and we hear it at most every funeral we attend. For years I always looked at the verse about the “valley of the shadow of death” as referring to the Psalmist going through an experience where he could be killed. I’ve come to realize that it has a second meaning. The “valley of the shadow of death” can also apply equally to the grief and depression that comes upon us following any death, and especially a line-of-duty death. Truly there is a shadow of sadness that comes upon our hearts.

The Shepherd’s rod and staff in the picture the Psalmist paints for us do speak of “offensive weapons” that the Shepherd uses in protecting the flock against enemies that come against the flock to do it damage. But as I reflected upon the staff, or shepherd’s crook, I thought about it being a tool that the shepherd sometimes uses to pick up the injured lambs and bring them into his arms. Perhaps you’ve seen the picture of the shepherd using the crook to rescue a lamb that has fallen over a precipice. The staff and the crook speak to me of God’s love and compassion. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah bears this out in 40:11: He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart – NIV

Verse 3 of the Psalm says, “He restores my soul.” I don’t have the understanding or the ability to explain how or when it happens. I only know that if we will open our hearts towards Him in the time of grieving, He will come and wrap us in His love and compassion. The hurt and the sorrow of the separation from our loved one is still there, but He helps ease the feeling that we can’t go on. The healing time is different for each of us, but He is not in a hurry. His compassion is there to help us, however long it takes.

Prayer for survivors.

Before I close, in as much as today is also the National Day of Prayer, I’d like to take a minute or two here to lift up those in our midst who have suffered a LODD and especially those who have lost a family member.

LEO Heroes –

We have gathered here this day to honor their service and memory. The words found engraved on Communion tables in churches through out our state are some variation of “This do in Remembrance of Me.” Although memorial services don’t actually have a lot in common with Holy Communion, a paraphrase leapt to mind from the many communion tables I’ve seen over the years: “This do in remembrance of them.”

The memorial cannot replace our loved ones, everyone knows that. And it may not do overly much to ease our pain…it takes God to do that. But it does say “We won’t forget” and “We’re proud of them.”

Both LEOs and chaplains deal with the “if only’s” following a LODD. And as much as we might wish we could, neither LEOs nor chaplains can “fix it.” But what we can do is hold memorial ceremonies like this one and not forget our heroes and their families.

“This we do in remembrance of them.”

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

APRIL 2010

Death Notification
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Got your attention, didn’t I? Greetings from the Bluebonnet Capital of Texas and welcome to this edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. OK, OK…Llano is “officially” the Deer Capital of Texas, but we’ve got soooo many bluebonnets up and blooming already this year it could go the other way. Well, on to “business.” This is something that’s been on my heart for a number of weeks now.

Death notifications: Something no one, including the Chaplain, likes to do, especially when the death was intentional. But yet that’s what we do – or help another officer do. If it’s something you have to do, you want to get it right because most of the time you’re bringing devastating news that will change the recipients’ lives forever. Those you’re bringing the notification to will invariably ask: How? When? And the hardest question: Why?

Now, if you were expecting this to be lesson in how to deliver a death notification you’d be wrong. If you were expecting me to deliver a notification in this column, you’d pretty much be correct. You see, this is my Easter column, and at the very core of Easter is a death notification. Like those we have to make from time-to-time, the how and when are easy enough. The why, however, is easy and yet at the same time it’s just as hard to comprehend.

The how? He was murdered. Tried and convicted by an illegal kangaroo court, He was beaten half to death, and then He was hung – on a cross. The Old West style of hanging was merciful compared to what they did to Him.

The when? I don’t know exactly. I know it was on a Friday before Passover something over 2,000 years ago, but exactly what year I don’t know. (And I still don’t understand why it’s called “Good Friday.”) The year really isn’t important. The execution was recorded by secular historians as well as His followers.

The why? It was part of The Plan. From the beginning of time, mankind has had trouble living up to God’s expectations – even struggling with the desire to please Him. There seemed to be a communications breakdown, and He came to try and fix that. He was killed because He pointed out that the people, including and especially the religious leaders, were not living up to God’s standards. He was killed because morally and ethically, He met The Standard – and that was a threat to many.

The why? To make it possible for us to have a positive and personal relationship with the Living God – a relationship we couldn’t establish by our own efforts.

The part of “why” that’s harder to understand is why He was willing to go through what He did on that Friday before Passover. The Scripture says it was because He loves each of us. I’m not sure I can really comprehend such love. Much like a loved one standing beside a casket trying to come to grips with the reality of what is before them, I look back at an old rugged cross and try to understand the enormity of what happened.


Ever hear of a LIFE Notification? Not a birth announcement, but a life notification – the opposite of a death notification. The Life Notification part of Easter is just as important as the Death Notification, if not more. Early on Easter Sunday a life notification was made. The angels said to the ladies at the tomb: “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.” (Luke 24:5-6 NASB)

Were it not for the life notification, the death notification, or rather, The Death itself would have been meaningless. But the life notification validates His claim of Who He was and why He came. The pairing of the death notification along with the life notification has been the Christian message down through the ages. From the timeless words of the Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell;
The third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

He has risen. He has risen indeed!

Remember a bit ago I said: “You’re bringing devastating news that will change the recipients’ lives forever.” The Easter message has been changing recipients’ lives for a couple thousand years. All you have to do is invite Jesus to come into your life and He will, and this notification will have changed your life forever. May you and yours find the joy of the Risen Savior this Easter.

Hey, thanks for listening and riding along again.

Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

MARCH 2010

Sermon on the T-Shirt
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner. Spring is almost here in the Texas Hill Country. I saw verbenas blooming last week and the bluebonnets are starting to pop. There are tens of thousands of bluebonnets out there. (I stopped counting at 9,458. Not really. <grin>) It’s going to be a really good year for flowers because of all the rain this winter.

As usual, my newspaper deadline was fast approaching this month and I didn’t have an idea of what to share when it jumped off of a t-shirt as I was working my second job at the grocery store. I had never seen this message on a shirt before, and it caught me by surprise. I don’t remember now exactly how it was phrased, but something to the effect of “I was saved by a blood donor.” Well, first thing I thought was that the person wearing the shirt must have received blood in a medical emergency and they were, in essence, thanking folks who donate blood to blood banks. A few seconds later I thought, “Whoa, I know a whole different application for those words.” (Are you surprised?)

There is no question that donated blood saves countless lives each year, and I commend those who donate. I have to confess that I never have – mostly because I’m squeamish and don’t like needles, but also I’m at that stage of life when I have to ingest chemicals on a daily basis to keep things (like blood pressure) regulated, and I don’t know that they’d take my blood.

Some of you have probably already figured out why the words “saved” and “donated blood” jumped out at me, being an evangelical Christian. It’s the old, old story that many in our society don’t want to hear any more. As far back as the Garden of Eden, mankind has been transgressing the will of God… this is what we call sin – falling short of God’s ideals. Because mankind didn’t keep God’s laws, they were pronounced “guilty” and a sentence of eternal separation from the presence of God was handed down. This separation is what we call “spiritual death.”

The Bible makes it clear that they only thing that can save a person from this spiritual death is “new” blood; blood that does not belong to the person who is dying. That’s why Jesus went to the Cross and shed His blood. He willingly “donated” His blood to atone for our sins. The Bible tells us that “it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away our sin” (Hebrews 10:4). His “donated” blood saves me from a spiritual death and brings me eternal life.

In the case of someone who needs a blood transfusion to continue living in this world, someone (in this case the doctor) has to ask for the blood to be administered. All the donated blood in the world doesn’t do any good unless it is requested and put into the person needing it. The same is true of Jesus’ blood. He “donated” it so that we could have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life, but it doesn’t automatically happen. We must individually recognize the need and request that the “transfusion” take place.

I was reminded of one of my favorite songs that I don’t hear often anymore:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

It may not be politically correct anymore, but that doesn’t mean that it is not still true.

Thanks for riding with me this shift. Catch you again next time. Until then: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

FEBRUARY 2010

There is a way…
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hello, and welcome to February and the Chaplain’s Corner. February brings some mixed emotions for me this again this year as it seems it does every year. I’ll hit 57 on the 28th. For some reason, sixty doesn’t seem near as elderly as it did in the last century. “Last century!” Now that WILL make one feel old… “When were you born?” “Oh, middle of the last century.” <creak, groan, creak> Well, it’s not really that bad, and I don’t have enough voice to complain anyway. <sigh> Yeah, the last surgery fixed me up for about 6 weeks. :-P When I went back to see him, the doctor said: “No preachin’.” Good thing I can still type, huh?

This month’s illustration comes straight from the street… literally – I think it was about the 1300 block of Ford St. Now, I’ve seen the same thing lots of times on Sandstone and on Haynie and other places. I don’t know why this particular time it captured my attention. It was not a law enforcement action. It was a squirrel action. (I have a friend in the Galveston area who calls ’em “tree rats.”)

This particular red squirrel had no qualms about jay-running in front of the POleece. It launched itself off of the right curb and bounded across the first northbound lane and started into the second when it realized it was about to get hit. It did a back flip and started back for the curb only to see my big white CV bearing down, so it reversed directions again. As I looked in the mirror, the still-alive-squirrel was dodging yet another northbound vehicle and heading back to the curb from whence it came. Three brushes with death and still none the wiser for its experience, I’ll bet.

That’s when the Scripture came to mind from Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (NASB) I thought about that squirrel and its attempted dash on the pavement when it had a better way available to it, a “higher way,” namely the phone/power cables that cross above the traffic. Truly in this case there is a “right way” and a “wrong way.”

The above Scripture in Proverbs is part of a series of, shall we call them, “general observations” about life. Although preachers usually apply this Scripture to spiritual life and spiritual decisions (and it applies especially in those instances), as I thought about it, the observation is just as valid in a number of aspects of our lives. Out of curiosity, I grabbed my Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and looked up the original word used in this particular verse. The word “death” here is the Hebrew word mâveth (pronounced “maw-veth”) and it means “death, deadly, or ruin.”

So what am I trying to say? We all make bad decisions from time to time and sometimes those decisions can be “fatal” – literally and figuratively speaking. For example: how many times have we passed in a no-passing zone while running hot and then kicked ourselves for taking the chance when we couldn’t see because of the hill or curve?

But – some of us make other decisions that “end in death” in the sense of “ruin.” At the time, sleeping with your friend’s wife seemed to be a “right” thing to do. But it will end in the death of their marriage as well as yours. It will be the death of friendships and possibly reputations, too. Giving in to the badge bunny or skimming a little weed from that bust may seem to be the right thing at the time, but it could be the death of your career.

Then, of course, there is the obviously wrong choice of suicide which ends in death, by definition, but it also ruins life for so many others.

As I was sitting here, I remembered the old joke: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To prove to the [pick one: toad/skunk/armadillo/squirrel] that it COULD be done.” Yes, the observation that there is a way that leads to death carries with it the implication that the converse is true as well: there IS a way that leads not to death or ruin – relationally, physically, or spiritually speaking.

Jesus came to be “like” the chicken in my goofy little joke. He came to show that there is a “way” that leads to blessings and spiritual life – eternal life in the very presence of God for all eternity – and that way is through Him… the “higher” and sometimes less obvious way. If we will take time to learn about God, to listen to His direction, submit our will to His, He will protect us from the ruin brought about by our making wrong decisions and help us make right ones.

Uh oh, I’m about to make us late again. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to talk more about it. Catch you again next time. Until then: blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

JANUARY 2010

New Year and Paintbrushes.
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner 2010. New Year’s 2010! Wow. I can still remember back in high school when I thought the year 2000 was so far in the future that it would never get here. (I say that every year, don’t I?)

New Year and Paintbrushes. Now, I bet there’s at least one person out there who’s wondering if I’ve lost it. Twice now I’ve done January articles on bluebonnets and this time it’s paintbrushes! (No, this isn’t about a hubby who committed “suicide by spouse” by giving her a paint brush and a gallon of house paint for Christmas.)

What got my full-while-I-am-driving attention about a week and a half ago was a paintbrush plant in full bloom. Now that wouldn’t be such an attention getter if it were March, but that was the weekend before Christmas! And the plant was blooming its heart out amongst all the frost-dead grasses on the slope just above the bar ditch that was mowed just a couple of weeks ago. “Well,” I said to myself, “there’s a sermon in THERE somewhere.”

I could find a Christmas message pretty easily, but since Christmas will be past before you will read this, can we find something in it for a New Year’s message? Yes, otherwise I’d be talking about something else, wouldn’t I? <grin>

OK, Joe, here we go…

First an obvious observation or two about what the seed can’t know or do. The seed can’t read a calendar. It doesn’t know it’s not supposed to grow and flourish in December. The seed doesn’t care what the past weather was and can’t know what the weather will be in the future. Because it’s a seed, it can’t be aware of or concerned about what the plants around it are doing. And they (the other plants) can’t dampen the paintbrush seed’s enthusiasm. What the seed does “know” is that the sun, water and temperature all say, “Grow!”

So, the application? Unlike the seed, we are aware of our “surroundings.” Things are looking depressing in Washington, just like the winter-dead hillside. We may have had “hard freezes” in our recent past that have withered the joy of living that we once had. Like the seed, we can’t see what the future holds.

Each of us has “a spiritual seed” within us. It’s a seed that can be touched by the warmth of the Son and be watered by the Holy Spirit. God’s touch can cause that seed of faith to grow and bloom regardless of the “weather” or the decision of those around us not to grow. When I noticed that flower, it was as if God was sending me a message of hope. If I will reach out to towards the light of the Son and soak up the water He provides, my life can blossom even in “December” and into “January.” (The New Testament describes the Word of God and the Holy Spirit both as “water”.)

Frank said we’ve still got a few minutes before roll call and wondered about the “Christmas” part of the illustration. OK...

One of the thoughts that first struck me about the flower was “it was born to die.” It is inevitable that a frost is going to kill that plant. Just like the plant, Jesus was born to die. God the Father knew it, just as sure as I know frost will kill that paintbrush. Christmas and Easter were part of the same plan from the beginning.

Then the thought that Jesus came when He was least expected, just like the plant. One had to be looking at the right place at the right time to spot the plant. There was just that one. The same with Jesus.

Well, I’ve rambled long enough for now. I hope you had a nice holiday season and have a Happy New Year. Thanks for keeping me company for the past year and I’m looking forward to having you ride along in 2010. Blessings to you and yours. Oh, and by the way…it’s looking like a tremendous bluebonnet season coming this year!

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

DECEMBER 2009

Do You See What I See?
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hello, and welcome to another Christmas Edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. My December 2005 article, “Christmas on the Dog Watch,” started with my musing about a bright star that I’d see each night. As I write this year, I’m still on the day watch, but that article and that star came back to my memory when I worked on patrol well after dark not too long ago.

What was different about that star? “A star is a star is a star, right?” Heehee, spoken like a true city-slicker that can’t see the stars. Well, first off, it seemed larger than the stars around it and somehow it seemed closer than the others. It was very bright and shone with a steady light. (I heard that, wiseguy…no, it WASN’T the moon.) My thoughts were again drawn towards the Christmas Star and this piece of Christmas carol:

♪ Said the night wind to the little lamb,
"Do you see what I see,
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
Do you see what I see?
A star, a star, dancing in the night,
With a tail as big as a kite,
With a tail as big as a kite."♫

The Christmas Star is mentioned in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (NASB)

I want to take a few minutes and look at a few points about this Scripture.

“Magi” isn’t a term we hear frequently in our society in this day and age. These men were what we’d more likely call scholars. They were astronomers and astrologers. The night sky was their area of expertise, so it would be expected that they’d notice something unusual. What it was about this star that caught their attention is never mentioned, but something about it signified to them that an event of great importance was about to or had just taken place.

Why didn’t others see the star? Presumably it was visible to the “general public,” but then to the casual observer “a star is a star is a star.” Some probably saw the star and said “Wow! Now that’s a star!” and went on about their business. When God tries to get our attention, sadly some just aren’t interested.

Did you notice in the Scripture they didn’t ask “For Whom does the star shine?” They asked “Where is He?” God had settled in their hearts the certainty of what the Star was all about. God had set up a “homing beacon,” if you will, to guide these men.

One other thing that jumps out at me in this passage of Scripture: generally one pays homage to a king, yet they came to worship this one. Subtle difference in meaning perhaps, but while homage is an action to show honor or respect and can be merely for show, worship is the out-flowing of the heart with love and adoration towards what is being worshipped.

A few verses later, the Scripture records that where the star had been leading west for the whole journey, it now changed location and led them south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. As they traveled south, the star rose higher in the sky “until it came and stood over where the Child was.”

We live “out in the country” where there aren’t a lot of ground lights to drown out the stars. As I was walking Mr. Dog here a few minutes ago, I turned out the flashlight and looked up at the night sky. I tried to imagine seeing The Star and I could almost feel the thrill that the Magi must have felt as they came to the place where the star was directly overhead.

How long after Jesus’ birth they arrived is debated, but when they arrived doesn’t really matter. What matters is that they came to worship Him. They came at personal expense and lengthy travel and discomfort, and yet they presented gifts from heartfelt adoration.

I was reminded just this afternoon that many, many folks missed that first Christmas for a variety of reasons. In my mind’s eye, I can see the crowded inn not far from where a Baby was being born in a stable. I can sense the hustle, bustle and noise as family and friends visited, shouting to be heard over the hubbub. And in so doing they missed it. Others might well have seen the star and blew it off or simply admired its beauty and went on their way.

The birth of God’s Son went unnoticed by the majority who missed the meaning, not just the event, as many still do to this day. Christmas is not about Santa Claus and turkey dinner and iPhones. It’s about the humble birth of an extraordinary Child – a Child both fully human and fully divine. It’s about God intervening in human history. As the Apostle says it was “God demonstrating His own love toward us.” That “us” is you and me.

Yes, this season of the year is a hectic one for us all, both on the job and at home. Just like that first Christmas, this year people are nervous about the times and political climate. But it’s my hope that you will be one of those who take time to hear and take to heart the news that

“today in the City of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”


Wishing you and yours a very blessed and merry Christmas. Take time to make a candle light service this year if you get the chance. We’ll visit again in 2010? No. No way. I can’t be soon to turn 57! 2010… bah, humbug! ;-)

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

NOVEMBER 2009

Thanksgiving In Spite Of
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hello, and welcome once again to the November edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. What a month this past one has been. I had a second throat surgery (first one was 20 May of this year), was on total voice rest for almost 4 weeks and was off work for nearly 5 weeks all told. We attended a LODD funeral three days after my surgery and now my wife is out of work following the passing of her employer and has come down with a case of shingles. <sigh> Aren’t you glad you didn’t ask “how are things going?” ;-)

I was just reading back over prior year’s Thanksgiving articles and found this paragraph:

“Thank you” – just 8 letters…2 small words, but two words that can warm the heart when spoken in sincerity. Like most things we say and do, the attitude of the heart makes all the difference in the meaning. Oh, I guess I could give all kinds of examples: the mother who says “thank you” with tears streaming down her cheeks when you bring her missing child home; the “thanks” someone says without really thinking about it when you pick up something they drop; the “thanks a lot” the driver says when you’ve just hung paper.

I know when Thanksgiving rolls around, it isn’t always easy for many of us to say “thank you” to God with a grateful heart. This year we’ve still got troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. We’ve attended too many LODD funerals. Loved ones have been injured, killed or succumbed to cancer, strokes, or other illnesses. Numerous sad and bad things have happened to most of us through the last year.

God knew these things would come our way, yet He had the Apostle Paul write the words, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18) That’s not saying that God expects us to thank Him for the sad and bad things that come our way, but rather that we are to find reasons to thank Him in spite of the things that come our way. As we find something for which to praise Him, He starts a healing within our hearts that helps us find strength to continue on through the sad and bad. In the midst of sorrow, the writer of Psalm 42 muses:

Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him,
For the help of His presence. Ps. 42:5 NASB

In Psalm 23, King David tells how he finds comfort and strength in difficult times by reflecting on God’s being there with him. As we find comfort and strength, it becomes easier to find reasons to thank Him. As we thank and praise Him, we find it easier to get closer to Him, and the cycle continues. Granted, this isn’t a quick process. It happens at different paces for different people, but God does bring us through.

In another place the psalmist says “I will enter Your gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter Your courts with praise.” At the time that was written, there was a physical temple where God was worshipped in Israel. In our day, I believe that “His courts” simply means His presence, and I believe we can actually experience His presence here. Once you’ve experienced His presence, you can say with the writer of Psalm 84, “One day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps. 84:10).

Let’s close in a word of prayer…

Lord, we come once again to the Thanksgiving season. We give You praise and thanks for the many blessings You bestow upon us as we go from day to day. But as we count our blessings, we lift up those among us who have had loss and tragedy come to touch their lives. Help them to reach out to You, for You alone are able to bring comfort in these situations. Help them find even some small thing that they can be thankful for in the midst of sorrow. Encourage them, O Lord, and help them through the days ahead. We thank for Your protection of our peace officers here at home and service personnel around the world and ask for continued protection for them. Thank You, too, for permitting us to live in a country where we’re free to worship You. Amen.

Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net


 

OCTOBER 2009

Bibile Study Time
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hi and welcome once again to the Chaplain’s Corner. I’ve had this idea keep coming back and coming back, so I guess I should pursue it. It isn’t often (and it has been a while) since I did something akin to a straight-up Bible study in the column.

What I’d like to look at this time is a passage from the Gospel of John, the first eleven verses from the second chapter. This passage tells about a wedding in the small town of Cana and Jesus’ first recorded miracle. I have heard a number of sermons on this passage, I suppose, but I don’t recall ever hearing anyone make the point that I wish to make.

Let me give a little historical background and a quick synopsis. In the day and time that Jesus began His ministry, weddings were a BIG deal. Wedding celebrations sometimes lasted an entire week with huge guest lists. In this case all we know is that there was a wedding and Jesus’ family and disciples were invited to the festivities as guests. At some point during the celebration the host family ran out of wine to serve at the feast. We aren’t told how Jesus’ mother found out about the situation, but she apparently offered her Son’s services to procure more. This, then, puts Jesus on the spot. Aren’t moms wonderful?

(Have you ever noticed, as you read the Gospels, that Jesus is always being asked to solve a problem that isn’t His making? He wasn’t consulted before whoever did whatever, but He’s always expected to have the solution when someone else messes up. Just like a cop. :-D)

Mary comes to Jesus and says, “They’ve run out of wine.” To paraphrase in modern terms, Jesus’ response to his mother was: “And?” A lot of has been made of this exchange by other people in other places, and I think there isn’t a real need to expend the effort. The bottom line is that Mary expresses her confidence in her Son by telling the servants to do whatever He instructs them to do.

Okay, I should get to the point I want to make before I make us late. Jesus is tender-hearted and always fixes the problem, but not often in the way we expect Him to. As I think about this now, He sets a pattern here which is repeated in other miracles later on – take the ordinary and do something extraordinary with it.

(Uh oh, I think I’m gonna run out of time here. I see Fred checking his watch.)

All right…running down to the local wine merchant apparently wasn’t an option or someone would have already done that. So Jesus has to “improvise.” He spots six stone water pots that the Jews use for ceremonial washings. He tells the servants to fill them with water, which they do. He then tells them to take some of the water they have just put into the pots and take it to the headwaiter. It doesn’t make sense, but they do it, and somewhere along the line the water changes into excellent wine. The Scripture says that the six water pots held 20 to 30 GALLONS each… that’s between 120 and 180 gallons of prime wine. Not only has Jesus met the need, but He did it “exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

Let me quickly make four points and I’ll let you go fill up the car and get ready to hit the streets:

He takes the ordinary and does something extraordinary with it. That is the basic idea that I want to expand upon. Somewhere one of you readers has been struggling with the feelings that you aren’t worth God’s bothering about you; that you’ve nothing to offer Him so that He would accept you. I feel like that is why God laid this passage of Scripture on my heart to share with you. God wants you to know that He does love you and will accept you and use you in ways you can’t begin to imagine.

What do you have for Him to work with? This miracle we were talking about – what did they have that Jesus used? Ordinary empty stone jars. You can’t get much more “untalented” than that. Yet that’s what Jesus used. You don’t have to be “special,” you don’t have to have grown up in church, you don’t have to have gone to seminary. You just have to be open to receive what He puts in your heart.

Empty out whatever is in there and refill them with pure water. The Scripture doesn’t say what condition the stone jars were in. They might have been dusty or who knows. But the servants would have cleaned out whatever was inside that would taint the water they were about to put in. If we ask, Jesus will “clean out” our hearts and fill us with “pure water.”

What a human puts in isn’t satisfying. What did the servants put in the stone jars? Just water. The water wouldn’t meet the need, just like the things we try to fill our lives with seeking meaning and fulfillment. Ever try to satisfy a hunger by drinking water? Doesn’t quite work, does it? Ever get tired of drinking plain water? Jesus spoke of filling us with “living water” – His presence living inside of us that does satisfy and with a flavor we never tire of tasting.

Let me close with this: God takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary -- water pots become wine flasks; plain old water becomes most excellent wine. It doesn’t matter who or what you have been. It doesn’t matter who you or what you are now. Jesus used jars, not barrels. Jars are open at the top and ready to be filled with something. Barrels are hollow and empty and have a tight lid so nothing can get inside and fill the emptiness. You just have to have a heart that is open to Him in order to be accepted and filled by Him and then He can use you to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Hey, thanks for listening. You’re always welcome to drop an email and we can talk more about it. Be careful out there and I’ll see ya next time.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

SEPTEMBER 2009

The Ticket – Part 2
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hi, and welcome to the… well, I started to say “Back to School Edition,” but I guess most everyone starts back to school in August anymore. Gee…it’s been six years since I wrote “Can Anything Good Come Out of Baylor?” Well, on the 15th of August something good did…we got to watch our daughter receive her PhD diploma! Elisabeth once wrote a column here for me entitled “My Dad the Deputy.” I guess now I need to write one entitled “My Daughter the Doctor.” Oh, but I’ve already got one work-in-progress. Lesseee…where was I?

To refresh our memories…

“The Ticket.” Nope, not a lottery ticket. The “Press hard…4 copies. Green one to the violator” kind of ticket. Perspiration…no, I mean, inspiration came to me the other day when I was filling out a citation. You’ve been with me long enough to know that I like using analogies to make a point. Well, here’s one more. :-D

I started contemplating the similarities of things drivers say when you stop them to excuses people give when someone starts talking about God and especially having to give an account for their actions.

OK, let’s see what I can do with these scenarios.

“Sir, I stopped you because you popped up on my radar at …”
“I couldn’t have been going that fast. My speedometer said I was going …”
Or (I love this one)
“I couldn’t have been going that fast! I had my cruise set at 75.”
“Oh, so your intent was to exceed the speed limit?”

Well, to begin with, I’m sure those of you who work traffic will agree that almost everyone you stop for speeding will lie or argue about how fast they were going. But what do we tell them? “We go according to my radar, not your speedometer.” To carry this over to the spiritual application: God sets the rules, not us. Telling Him that we’re not guilty is about as productive as telling the officer, “I wasn’t going that fast.”

“Ma’am, the problem is that the speed limit is only …”
“Oh. I didn’t know.”
“There’s a sign back there just before you crossed the cattle guard.”
“There was?”
“Yes, ma’am, you drove straight at it for a quarter of a mile.”

There will be those who stand in the “divine traffic court” and plead “not guilty by way of ignorance.” Again, what do we tell them? Essentially we say, “Too bad, so sad, sign here.” There will be those who plead ignorance who will be reminded of all the times they stayed in a motel with a Bible in the night stand; all the times they went to Grandma’s house where the family Bible was in plain sight. You get the idea.

“Ma’am, the reason I stopped you is that you ran a stop sign.”
“Where?”
“Right back there where you turned on to this highway.”
“No, there isn’t.”

I cited that young lady for “Disregard Stop Sign.” There’s a cross somewhere in front of almost every Christian church. There are crosses and fish emblems everywhere you look. But so many people will disregard them as meaningless, but in the end they will have to give account of why. When they’re told there was a way to avoid coming to “Court,” they’ll ask where. They’ll be told “a place called Calvary.”

“Sir, the reason I stopped you is that you passed in a no passing zone.”
“I know, but that car was only going …”

The statute says you shall not drive left of the double yellow stripe. I don’t recall seeing an exception for passing vehicles that are not doing the speed limit. When facing The Bench in that “Divine Traffic Court,” a lot of people will be coming up with a lot of excuses that won’t matter.

“Ma’am, the reason I stopped you is that you passed in a no passing zone.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Ma’am, there’s a double yellow stripe for two miles in either direction.”

The highway is clearly marked with a double yellow. It’s not something hidden – something mysterious. The same is true in the spiritual application. Jesus Himself said that He had done everything openly for all to see. His was a public ministry; a public crucifixion; a public resurrection. Sometimes when the obvious is pointed out, it’s too late.

“Ma’am, how much have you had to drink tonight?”
“Two beers.”

Ah, yes….the old “two beers” routine. How many have you busted for DWI who have had “only two beers”? (I think this gal blew about a .214.) There will be those who stand in that divine court and when the indictment is read, they will reply, “But what I did wasn’t that bad.” When a person blows over the legal limit, does it matter how much over the limit? God’s standard is a “0.0 PSC” (Personal Sin Count). How high will you “blow”?

Give it some thought and we’ll talk again next shift.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

AUGUST 2009

The Ticket – Part 1
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hi, and welcome once again to the “Hot & Dry Edition,” I mean, August edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. I said it last year and I have to say it again; “Here it is almost football season again and still no rain.” At least not to speak of … two years of drought. It’s getting old. <sigh> You know it’s been a while without rain when the cactus start shriveling up. We did get a shower a couple of hours ago, just enough to settle the dust and raise the humidity. I had almost forgotten what the windshield wipers were for. Around here you sometimes have to replace wiper blades before you get to use them. (Exaggeration is the national sport of Texas, don’t forget.) ;-) Ok… well, enough of that.

“The Ticket.” Nope, not a lottery ticket. The “Press hard…4 copies. Green one to the violator” kind of ticket. Perspiration…no, I mean, inspiration came to me the other day when I was filling out a citation. You’ve been with me long enough to know that I like using analogies to make a point. Well, here’s one more. :-D

I started contemplating the similarities of things drivers say when you stop them to excuses people give when someone starts talking about God and especially having to give an account for their actions. And the more I thought about it, the more ideas I had and now there are going to have to be two parts to this.

Where to start? Where to start? Umm… here.

“Just because you have a badge doesn’t give you the right …”
It’s kind of like the “shoot the messenger” concept. The preacher doesn’t make the rules any more than the officer writes the Traffic Code. All we do is communicate to the public what is written, but when they don’t want to hear it, they take it out on the one bringing the message.

“I need for you to sign here. It’s not an admission of guilt, just a promise you WILL contact the judge on or before that date.”
There is a point at which the violator has to be held accountable for their actions/violations. The citation serves as notification that a “day of reckoning” is unavoidable. Each violator has to contact the judge on or before that date and the judge decides what their fate/options are.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. Each of us has a court date when we will appear before The Judge to answer the charge set against us. The Bible doesn’t name a specific calendar date, but it describes this … shall I call it … Spiritual Traffic Court … in the Book of Revelation. Unlike a JP or Municipal traffic court, in this Court there is only one verdict – guilty and no appeal.

However, there is also a “or before that date” option. Those who so desire can “make their peace” with God at any time. Becoming a Christian is basically “throwing yourself on the mercy of the Court.” It is also, in a sense, a receiving of a reverse “deferred adjudication.”

As I understand a deferred adjudication in traffic court, if you do not commit another infraction within a specified period (usually 1 year) the infraction that got you into court doesn’t appear on your record. What I was going to say was that
rather than the absence of a future action, for the Christian, the action that takes the mark off your record is accepting an action that happened 2000 years ago.
Now that I think about it, what happens when you become a Christian is actually a “transferred adjudication.” There is an adjudication – the person’s actions are judged to be a violation of the “Divine Traffic Code” – but the penalty for those actions are transferred to Another. His name is Jesus.

Switching back to the JP’s traffic court, one strategy that people often adopt is to “fight the ticket.” Many request a hearing or jury trial in hopes the officer won’t show or that they can talk their way out of it. By and large that is a forlorn hope. The officer who wrote the citation WILL show up and especially if a jury trial is requested. In the “Divine Traffic Court” comparison, there is no jury option. It is strictly Trial by Judge. Your word against His…strictly a “lose-lose proposition.” But as I said, you don’t have to choose this option.

I’m going to have to stop for now or we’ll be late for roll call. Give it some thought and we’ll pick it up again next “ride-along.”

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

JULY 2009

Back in the “Woods” Again
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hello, and welcome back to the Chaplain’s Corner. Just HOW did it get to be July 2009?!?! On the 29th of June, our daughter successfully defended her dissertation and we now have a “doctor” in our family. WooHoo! (Nah, I ain’t a proud Dad. Sic ’em, Bears!) And a trip back to Waco in August for the graduation ceremonies is on the calendar.

Back in the “Woods” Again. No, I didn’t get hired back on with the US Forest Service, much as I might enjoy that. (My forestry skills are a lot further out of date than my computer skills. <sigh> And the government can still get away with age discrimination to boot.) No, we’re “back in the woods again” because of a poem Officer Jay’s mom shared on her journal about an oak tree, by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr., which reminded me of an experience I had years ago.

A mighty wind blew night and day.
It stole the oak tree's leaves away,
Then snapped its boughs
and pulled its bark
until the oak was tired and stark.
But still the oak tree held its ground
while other trees fell all around...

The weary wind gave up and spoke,
"How can you still be standing, Oak?"
The oak tree said, "I know that you
can break each branch of mine in two,
carry every leaf away,
shake my limbs, and make me sway.

But, I have roots stretched in the earth,
growing stronger since my birth.
You'll never touch them, for you see,
they are the deepest part of me.
Until today, I wasn't sure
of just how much I could endure.
But, now I've found, with thanks to you,
I am stronger than I ever knew."

That poem awoke a vivid memory for me. Oh, gee...I guess it's been 8 maybe 9 years ago now. I was working as a computer programmer in Austin (1.5-hour commute each way). Well, a line of very powerful thunderstorms was making its way into my part of Austin just at quitting time. I had started home, but was stuck in traffic, listening to the radio station talk about tornados and watching the sky turn an ugly shade of gray-green. Well. I chickened out turned around and went back to the nice safe office to wait it out. It all blew over in less than an hour after I got back to the office, so I headed out. About half way home I had to cross the Pedernales River. Just about .5 mile east of the river I noticed the trees...or rather what was left of them. There was a swath about 100 yards wide as far as you could see in either direction with only bare live oak trunks standing in the early evening sunlight. Not a leaf. Not a twig. Not a branch smaller than 4-6" thick.

But you know...just like the poem implies, I came back through a year or so later and all the trees were leafed out and going strong. They had survived probably the worst storm to hit them in their 100+ year lives.

A few miles south of Llano there is a big oak that was literally split in two all the way to the ground by what had to have been a tornado last spring. (Trees just tens of feet away were undamaged.) The portion of the tree that was left standing is leafed out and growing in spite of being terribly scarred.

Okay, several things in there at which to take a brief look. First is that “into every life a little rain must fall.” But sometimes on the “radar” that reflects the things going on in our lives, up pop storms that are “orange or red” in intensity…storms with the potential to wreak havoc in our lives. Often we can see the storm building in the distance and prepare for it. However, the really big ones pop up like severe summer thunderstorms in the Texas Hill Country, and they don’t give us a chance to get ready, and they can do us serious emotional damage.

The poem provides the key to surviving the storms of life. It speaks of having roots put down deep. For a literal tree, roots provide nutrients that allow the tree to grow, and they also provide for strength and stability…the deeper and stronger the better. Up in my beloved Rocky Mountains, one species of tree is the lodgepole pine. They may grow to be 50-60 feet tall or more. But they have a very shallow root system, and when a violent wind roars through, the pines are knocked over like dominoes.

For us humans, the root system the poem talks about is a deep personal faith and relationship with God. Those “roots” provide us with strength to stand up under the storms life throws at us. They give us the hope and confidence that we’ll make it through and continue on after the storm is gone and but a memory.

The Apostle Paul uses the same basic thought in Ephesians 3:17 – “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…” and also in Colossians 2:6 and 7 – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”


Uh oh…I’m getting long winded here. :-/

Let me quickly close with this thought then; the deep, strong roots that get us through the really, really rough stuff take time to develop. The time to start developing that relationship with God is now. Today. You can never really be assured that life won’t blind-side you. If you need some help or direction getting started, just drop me an email and I’ll be glad to help.

Until next time: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

JUNE 2009

The Best and The Bravest
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Welcome to the June 2009 Edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. This is one of those months when the words just don’t seem to jump out of my fingers. I’m writing my June column just days after the conclusion of Police Week and just days before I have throat surgery to regain my voice. (Everyone seems to delight in telling me how bad I sound on the radio.)

Claudia and I had the privilege of attending the Police Memorial Candlelight Vigil in Austin this year, followed by attending the annual memorial service for law enforcement at the VA Hospital in Kerrville. Thirty-six names from 2007 and 2008 were added to the wall in Austin. Thirty-six too many of Texas’ best and bravest. It’s already been four years since the mourning band came to Llano, and there is still some “pain around the edges.”

It seems that much more often than is fair, the best and the bravest are taken from us before we’re ready to let them go, be they LEOs or firefighters or military men and women. Some are taken from us days before they’re to retire. Some are taken literally mere weeks out of the academy.

And sometimes the best and the bravest don’t get a chance to even get into the academy. My heart is heavy right now from the loss of “Officer Jay” McGuire. Jay was an honorary member of the Minneapolis Park Police Department and Minneapolis SWAT team in Minnesota. Jay valiantly fought a fight against a staggering foe, ending his watch on May 14, 2009 … just a few days ago, just weeks after his birthday. Jay was an incredible example of faith in God no matter what the circumstances. After intense chemo and bone marrow transplants, Jay lost his life to a silent killer...leukemia. “Officer Jay” was just eleven years old.
He will be missed greatly, but never forgotten.

But not all the best and bravest are taken from us. Many times they are the survivors who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. As I sat at the candlelight vigil at the Memorial in Austin and looked around at the various families wearing T-shirts or buttons or other reminders of their loved one, I thought about the courage they had to face a world now changed so dramatically that “back to normal” was not possible. At times when I contemplate the “Heroes Sunday” our church in Waco holds, I think that the real heroes are the survivors, the ones who have to pick up the pieces and march into the future with a boldness and confidence that they don’t always feel.

The best and bravest don’t always succeed in the tasks perceived to be set before them. But what they do succeed in is motivating those who watch them, inspiring those who love them and care about them to be and do that which they feel they have no ability to be or do.

Once we’re touched by a tragic loss of a loved one or close friend, it’s not easy to hear the piper play “Amazing Grace” and then to pick up the pieces of our lives and continue on. And we can’t, usually, do it all by ourselves. That’s what friends are for. And Jesus is the Ultimate Friend. He is the One that can hold us close, carry us in His arms when we don’t think we can continue, and heal the hurt in our hearts to where we find the strength to carry on. He’s the One who can give us that peace that comes from knowing that while our loved one is separated from us for a while as we continue to travel our path here, the separation is not permanent. There will come a day when we’re reunited on the other side.

Officer Jay’s step-dad closed his journal post telling us of Jay’s home-going with these words: Your prayers mattered and helped us in ways that even we probably don't understand. Keep praying. Keep hoping. Live to the fullest.
So with that admonition, let me close out our time here with a prayer.

Precious Lord, I lift up the families and friends of the fallen heroes across Texas and across our nation. Lord, I ask that You’d give them strength to face life going forwards. I ask that You’d help them through their grieving process and bring healing to their hearts. Wrap them up in Your arms and let them be conscious of Your presence with them and in them. Help them to find found memories of special times that will bring a smile back to their faces, even if it is just for a short time. I pray that You’d bring friends alongside to walk with them when they need some companionship or just a ear to listen or a hug when the tears come unbidden. Help us, O Lord, to find the strength to trust in You when it looks bleakest. I thank You that You are our best Friend and that You love us no matter what. Thank You, Lord, for hearing and moving in hearts and lives, for I pray these things in Your Holy Name. Amen.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

MAY 2009

The Aftermath….of Easter?
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to the May 2009 edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. I’ve decided to be good and not address the country’s “goin’ south.” Actually this month’s title and idea came as I was sitting in church listening to the sermon this morning about “Doubting Thomas.” I think it’s interesting that just last night I told my wife that I needed an idea and maybe if we made it to church, I’d get one. This is the second time I’ve gotten “inspired” for one of my articles during one of Pastor Rich’s messages.

Aftermath and Easter aren’t words that I’ve ever heard used together. I heard that, wise guy … “after Math comes Shop class.” Sheesh. The dictionary … and no, it’s not Biology. You gotta watch these guys ALL the time.

As I was saying, the dictionary offers a definition that I think we most often relate to the word aftermath: a result or consequence, especially an unpleasant one. As I contemplated the word and negative connotation of it, it seemed that maybe it fit more with Good Friday than Easter. Let’s take a moment to consider it in that context. Good Friday, of course, is the title we currently use to identify the day when Jesus was illegally tried, condemned, and crucified (suffered His line-of-duty death).

The aftermath of those events could be described as “shock and devastation.” Not on the populace as a whole, but certainly for Jesus’ friends, disciples and family. The center of their lives had just been cruelly ripped out, leaving a terrible void. I’m sure that for a long time they just couldn’t feel. Then they mourned. They wondered how they would ever be able to go on with their lives. Nothing would be the same from then on. Yes, aftermath surely fits. What they went through is not really any different that what we go through when a friend, coworker, or family member suffers a line-of-duty death.

But the “aftermath of Easter”? Certainly there was an unexpected result that morning… the stone was rolled away. Jesus’ enemies were confounded and perhaps dumbfounded. His disciples were blown away and struggled to comprehend what had happened. Jesus’ disciples, friends and family had forgotten or not understood many of His key teachings, not the least of which was that He would rise again from the dead. Hence Thomas’ steadfast refusal to believe until he had a personal and physical encounter with the Risen Christ.

Easter brought with it the old “good news/bad news.” The good news for His followers was that He was risen and was alive forever more. The bad news was that He wasn’t going to stay with them physically, but rather would be ascending back into Heaven for an undetermined amount of time. Just when they were getting their feet back under them, the disciples were having deal with the loss again…like a scab being torn off of a not-quite-healed wound.

The four Gospels never indicate when Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, died. But he is not mentioned from the time Jesus started His ministry, so it’s logical to assume that Jesus knew firsthand what it was like to grieve over the loss of a close family member. Certainly He knew what it was like to lose a friend, for He wept when Lazarus died. Jesus never intended to leave His friends and family broken in spirit and despondent.

His followers had forgotten that He promised that because He was going “away” He would send – the Greek word is “paraklētos” – a “Helper” or “Comforter” a.k.a. God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was to take on a role as a comforter to those were grieving and brokenhearted; the discouraged and distraught; a source of strength to those who weren’t up to facing tomorrow.

This then, is the “aftermath of Easter”: God’s Holy Spirit coming to those touched by line-of-duty deaths. And the “aftermath” continues to this day. The Holy Spirit coming into individuals’ hearts and lives and changing them. Healing the broken hearts. Giving them hope and strength to face the future. We’ll never really be able to understand why it had to happen to that one who was special to us. We have to take time to grieve for them and for the hole that their passing has left in our lives. But if we will allow the Holy Spirit to, He will help us to face life and carry on.

Until next time … blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net


 

APRIL 2009

The Scariest Duty – Part 3
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Welcome once again to the Chaplain’s Corner. I’m glad it’s April again. Spring Break is history one more time, and the bluebonnets are blooming, and we’ve had a little rain. I’m always glad to see it green up in the Spring… specially when everything turns brown in late August due to the lack of water.

The Scariest Duty – Part 3. It’s been enough now that some of you don’t remember parts 1 & 2, I’ll bet. As a starting point, let’s review a concept I threw out in the previous articles:

What makes something scary? Well, there is some component of the scenario that triggers a fear response. That component can be as diverse as the person facing it. It could be the subject(s) involved, the location, the time, the availability of backup. But I would suggest that two of the major things are the lack of confidence in the ability to control the situation, and the fear of the unknown – the inability to know all the variables in the situation and the unpredictability of the outcome. Or, to put it another way, the fear of the unknown is a fear of what impact the resolution of the event will have on me physically and/or mentally: Will it mess with my “status quo”? Will it rock my boat or sink it?

Facing the scary scenario and plowing through it is what some call taking a step (or leap) of faith. A person may well come out the other side a changed individual…

“A person may well come out the other side a changed individual…” Gee. I hadn’t realized that was in there until I just reread it. It has a relevance to what I was going to share that I hadn’t seen until just now. We’ll come back to that thought.

I want to share with you for a few minutes here, about a Man some deride as being a wimp…a lightweight. They don’t have a clue. This was a Man who faced the future knowing what, for the most part, it would bring and had the courage to go through with The Plan. It’s one thing to be brave when you don’t know the details about what you have to go through to reach the other side of an incident. But to know how much physical suffering is in store and choose to go ahead requires courage. To make a mental assessment of the scary situation is one thing. To take that “step of no return” is quite another.

It’s difficult to decide just where to start now that I’ve got to start somewhere. I guess I’ll start with a portion of the 4th verse of the Book of John, Chapter 18: “Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth…” So often we read that verse and I don’t think we really stop to contemplate what it says. Jesus knew. He comprehended what physical pain was coming. He was just in the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples where He agonized about what He was about to suffer. Dare I ask? Could Jesus have had a season of fear? He was fully human. It would be human to fear what He knew was coming. Preaching was easy. Healing the sick required little physical courage. But this … His crucifixion … this was something else again.

But Jesus knew that this, His scariest duty, was His duty. No one but Himself could carry this load. This was the whole reason He came to earth. It was The Plan from the very beginning. He did it willingly. He did it for us.

The scariest part of His scariest duty, I believe, came as He hung on that Cross. In Mark 15:34 it says: Jesus cried out in a loud voice “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” Up until that point, the Father had always been with the Son. Suddenly, Jesus was on His own. That had to be a terrifying, and possibly unforeseen, experience. Moments after that, He “gave up the ghost” and suffered His line-of-duty death.

But the Good News of Easter is that He didn’t stay dead. They buried Him behind a huge rock, but it couldn’t keep Him in the grave. Remember I said: “A person may well come out the other side a changed individual…” Jesus did just that. He “came out the other side” as the Risen Christ, with a glorified body – a body that while being solid to the touch could walk through walls, one that was no longer subject to death and aging.

Now, the Scripture tells us, He “ever liveth to make intercession” for us. (Hebrews 7:25 KJV) Because Jesus made it through His scariest duty, He is ready, willing and able to walk with us as we go through our “scariest duties.”

I’ve run out of time again. Drop me an email and we can talk more about it.

Until then: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net


 

MARCH 2009

It Doesn’t Work That Way
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner. Have you heard this one before? “The best laid plans of mice and men...” My Dear Ol’ Dad used to say: “There’s the easy way and the Wolfe way.” I guess my motto sorta follows the same logic: “WAEF-RTM: When all else fails, read the manual.” You’ve probably never been one of those who’ve said “Nah, that can’t be right…it’s too easy.”

That’s basically the underlying idea from the Scripture reading the other Sunday at 1st Presbyterian. One of the Scripture readings was from the Old Testament: 2 Kings 5:1-14. In this passage an Army officer, Naaman, was suffering from leprosy and went to Israel seeking to be cured by God. In the end the healing happened, but there were lessons to be learned along the way. These lessons are still relevant today, and maybe there’s something here that can help you, too.

To summarize and set the scene: Naaman was an Army commander in a country that bordered with Israel and he heard by way of a servant girl that the God of Israel could heal him of the dreaded leprosy. So he went to see the King of Israel. Well, the King couldn’t do anything for him, so he went to see Elisha the Prophet, aka “the man of God.” Naaman was an important man in his country and got a little bent out of shape when Elisha wouldn’t see him personally. Then on top of that perceived insult, Elisha sent word of what Naaman must do to be healed: bathe in the muddy Jordan River seven times – nothing more, nothing less. Now Naaman was really torqued! He headed back to his own country without receiving his healing.

Now, what’s happened here that we can learn from?
• First off – he was headed in the right direction. He needed a healing that he couldn’t find elsewhere and God was willing to heal him.
• Secondly – sometimes God asks us to do something before we receive what we’re seeking.
• Thirdly – sometimes our pride can get in the way.
• Fourth – preconceived notions can get in the way.

Okay. What I want to briefly take a look at are points three and four.

Point 3. Naaman was enraged by the instructions given to him, and a big part of that was that his pride was involved. The Jordan was the last river you’d select to go swimming in if you had a choice. And the cure was too simple. If you read the passage you’ll see where one of his aides reasoned with Naaman that if the Prophet had given him some grandiose task to accomplish, Naaman would have done it; so why not be willing to do something simple? Faced with this argument, Naaman had to admit that it made sense to give it a try.

Point 4. This is one that gives me trouble sometimes. In verse 11, Naaman says “I thought he would…” Our preconceived notions often get in the way of God working in our lives. I can remember quite well back when I was a new Christian and was praying about a specific thing, and I told myself “This is the way it will happen.” Well it didn’t. And didn’t. And didn’t. It wasn’t until I said “Okay, God, do it your way” that it happened. Could God have done it the way I expected? Certainly. But the way it worked, I had to learn to be willing to submit to the way He wanted it to come about.

I’ve heard people say that God doesn’t exist because if He did, then “X” would happen or “Y” wouldn’t. It doesn’t work that way. God is God. We use the expression “God is sovereign,” which means He does what He decides is best, when He decides it’s the right time; He decides when He should intervene and when He won’t, and it doesn’t have to make sense to us. Often He works things in such a way to injure the pride we didn’t think we had, and thus make us a bit more humble. The Bible teaches that to “make our peace with God” we just have to ask Him to forgive us of the things we’ve done wrong and He’ll do it (as long as we’re serious about it). (1 John 1:9) Some people say that’s too easy. For some, admitting to ourselves that we’ve done something wrong or stupid is the hardest thing we can do; admitting it to God is even harder.

I guess the bottom line that I’m trying to get to is that we can hang on to our ideas of what course of action is worthy of our taking, or we can find out what God wants us to do. We can say, “It’s going to happen this way or not at all,” and be disappointed when it doesn’t. A saying my daughter learned in school many years ago: you win or lose by the way you choose.

Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

FEBRUARY 2009

Some Things Don’t Change
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome once again to the February Chaplain’s Corner. It keeps trying to be Spring here in the Highland Lakes area…highs go from the 40s to 70s to 50s then back to 70s; gives some of us Spring Fever and others “cedar fever.” I just wish it would bring us some r-a-i-n. This drought keeps up, and the birds and bunnies won’t be the only ones having to take dust baths.

For good or ill, we as a country are embarking into the first year of the 44th President of the United States. There is a certain set of phrases which I’m soooo tired of hearing. You probably are too. I wrestled with (and rejected) several different titles for this month’s column using those phrases, especially “that you can believe in.” In the political sense, what does that mean, anyway?

Some things don’t change. That phrase can convey a sense of hopelessness or a sense of peace and security. As those words came to me as I was sitting here trying to write, they brought to me the latter. And they brought to mind the words of an old church song from years gone by: I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory, To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

You see, the Mainstream Media and the political left are all about painting a biased picture of what Christianity is all about. They paint us as out-of-touch, radical hate-mongers. But what Christianity is all about is actually “that word” – Change.

Simply put, Jesus came from Heaven to earth to change the way that mankind understood God. He came to change the way people and God interacted. He came to change the way we interact with each other. He came to change … us. And that involves things that don’t change – primarily His love for us.

When we understand what God’s plan entails; when we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as payment for our wrong thoughts and actions; God exchanges our old lives for new ones. THAT’s change we can believe in. God creates in us a “new heart” that brings a new, eternal life. The Apostle Paul describes it as becoming a new creation when Jesus becomes part of our lives.

What doesn’t change is the Gospel. The Good News that an unchanging God reached down into human history to make it possible for men’s and women’s hearts to be changed; to make fresh starts possible. He did it for me. I know He can do it for you.

Hmm? About the song? You’re not familiar with it? Oh, OK…well let me close then by sharing the words. I can’t sing it for you through this column and that’s probably just as well…sometimes I sing good and sometimes I just sing. It’s entitled: “I Love To Tell The Story.”

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

Chorus:
I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.

I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

The old, old story that never changes. Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

JANUARY 2009

New Book, New Page, New Puzzle.
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner 2009. New Year’s 2009! Wow. I can still remember back in high school when I thought the year 2000 was so far in the future that it would never get here. Doesn’t seem possible, yet here it is again...another new year.

A new year. A time of new things. Some of us are lucky enough to get new patrol cars. Some of us got a new Sheriff. There will be new Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA champions. Some of us have made new New Year’s resolutions and some of us have renewed New Year’s resolutions that were not kept last year. And for me…a new puzzle book. 

There are times when I enjoy doing pencil puzzles, and the idea about what to share this time out came as I was holding a new “Dell Pencil Puzzle - Vacation Special … Winter 2009” edition. One type of puzzle I’ve discovered in the last year is called Tanglewords. It’s similar to a cross-word puzzle in that you fit words into a pre-defined grid. It differs in that you fill in the blank with words from a provided list of words rather than working from definitions. The grid has some black squares that you work around, and the starting letters of each word are filled in for you. There are multiple words of varying lengths for each letter supplied. The object, then, is to decide which word comes off of each starting letter and in what direction…up, down, or diagonal.

Let me explain a bit more about how the game unfolds, and hopefully you’ll be able to see my point in rambling along here better. You have a starting letter in a particular square; all around that square may be lines of squares 8 or 10 squares long, and you might have 5 words in the list starting with that letter that are all 5 to 8 characters long. Any one of them would fit in any one of the available spaces. You have to look for clues as to which is the right word. Sometimes if you move to a different starting letter and get a word from there, it becomes more apparent which word fits with the other letter. Some words fit in easily; many take more study and thought.

More than once on any given puzzle, I have to look at the solution in the back of the book to see if I’ve got the right word in the right place. Sometimes I get ’em right on the first try. Often, though, I’m glad I’ve got an eraser on the end of my pencil. Eventually, I’ll get all the words in their right places. Occasionally, I mess it up badly enough that I give up. In either case, I turn to a new page and there’s a new puzzle waiting for me – a new grid and a new set of words to place in it.

You see where I’m going with this? It dawned on me that there are similarities between our lives and the book containing Tangleword puzzles. In a sense the new puzzle book represents a new year in our lives…a new year containing new puzzles, new challenges, new opportunities. The puzzles themselves are a picture of our lives. If we look at our lives – at the future – we’ll see that we have a “blank grid” which we fill in with the little details of life.

The “word list” that we have to work with is comprised of our priorities and the things that make up our life, such as work, family, friends, entertainment, recreation and possessions. It’s up to us to fit these things into our lives so that the puzzle is complete. Each word has a particular place to fit as they intertwine to form a satisfying (completed) puzzle. And of course, just when we get the puzzle complete…everything fitted just right, we turn the page, and there’s a new puzzle facing us. The list of words for this new puzzle may or may not contain all of the same words as the previous one. It may contain promotion, a new job in a different agency, a new home, a new health problem, or change in a friendship.

Like with the puzzle in the book, some words in our lives are obvious where they fit…others we have to study on to figure out just where they fit. Unlike the puzzle in the book, however, in real life we sometimes try to put in words that aren’t supposed to be in there. When we get things wrong, the puzzle won’t work. Sometimes too, words are deleted by events which may be beyond our control, and they leave empty places. When that happens, as hard as it may be, we have to turn the page and start on a new puzzle with “heartache” and “memories” in the word list. But giving up and throwing the book away should never be an option.

For some, all the words can be fitted into the puzzle grid, but there are some areas that have no letters in them. If you look carefully, those places are probably three letters long. You can’t leave “God” out of the word list and truly have a completed puzzle. And as we place the words into our puzzle, we need to periodically keep checking in the back of the book (the Bible) to see if we’re doing it right.

As we go into this new year, I pray that you are successful in completing your puzzle(s). And don’t forget to keep God in the word list and check with Him often to see how you’re doing. 

Thanks for “riding along.” Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

DECEMBER 2008

The Greatest Gift
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hello, and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner. Here it is December again. The election is behind us, as is Thanksgiving, and the New Year is rushing at us. I’m ready for life to slow down a little… Christmas shopping’s got to get done again and my 56th birthday coming at me next February -- about 20 years too soon. 

Perhaps it was thinking about Christmas shopping that brought to mind the phrase “the Greatest Gift.” I got to thinking about what was the greatest gift you could give or receive.

For some it might be that new car (oops…forget that with this economy). For someone else it might be her boyfriend bringing a box with a big diamond in it (along with “popping the question”). It might be that first new bicycle that Blue Santa brought. It might be a healthy 7 lb. 10 oz. bundle of joy that shows up without causing Mom to spend days in labor. For someone else it might a good report from the doctor. In other words, in general it could be different things to different people.

But when you step back and look at it, all of these things have something in common. The “greatest gift” could be something you receive that is “beyond your wildest dreams.” It’s surely something that’s given in abundant love. But what stands out to me is that the greatest gift is almost certainly something that is beyond your means to acquire through your own resources.

So, let the Christmas sermon begin.  At Christmas time we celebrate the Greatest Gift that mankind could receive. Since I just mentioned some characteristics of “the greatest gift,” let’s look at what makes it the Greatest Gift.

Well, I guess to start with, it’s because it’s something that wasn’t fashioned by the hands of man. It’s not something that was designed on a computer. The Gift was fashioned by the very hand of God.

It’s something that was given with the greatest love…I say greatest love because no love is greater than God’s love. “For God so loved the world…” Sometimes that’s a little hard to get our head around. It doesn’t say just that God loved. It says “so loved,” meaning a very deep and powerful love. And that love is still there. He still so loves us.

The Gift is the greatest because it’s beyond our ability to create or acquire on our own. If it were in our power, then it wouldn’t be necessary for God to give it. It’s the greatest because it is a restored relationship with God made possible.

What is the Greatest Gift? A Baby born in a stable and laid in a manger. His birth heralded by Angels and His home marked by one magnificent Christmas light. God Himself, come to earth as one of us, to make it possible for us to spend eternity with Him.

Let me leave you with the words to one of my daughter’s favorite Christmas songs (author unknown to us):

It’s not the biggest teddy bear
Sitting in the window there,
It’s not the chubby baby doll,
A wind-up toy or basketball.
It’s not the latest, greatest thing
That Santa Claus will ever bring,
But still, it’s the greatest Gift of all.

It’s not a fancy shirt to wear,
A shiny diamond solitaire,
A silken tie, a suit of tweed—
The silly things we think we need.
The greatest Gift to come our way
Was sent by God on Christmas Day.
Jesus is the greatest Gift of all!

When He came down to earth,
It was a lowly birth,
But soon the world would sing,
“Behold the King of Kings!”
And when He died for me,
He gave unselfishly
The greatest Gift of all!

It’s not the greeting cards we write,
A choir singing “Silent Night,”
Snowflakes on the windowpane,
Stockings filled with candy canes.
The greatest Gift God gave to man:
A baby Boy in Bethlehem!
Jesus is the greatest Gift of all,
Jesus is the greatest Gift of all!

Wishing you and yours a very blessed Holiday Season, and we’ll visit again next year.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

THANKSGIVING 2008

Thanksgiving Prayer
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hello, and welcome to a special Thanksgiving edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. Since Thanksgiving is the time specially designated to giving God thanks, I thought I’d open this up and let a couple of my Chaplain friends share their thanks and prayers.

Thank You, Lord, for letting me roam far and wide. Thank You for calling me to serve with Livermore, CA, PD; Plumas County, CA, Sheriff's Office and still hanging in, with Hampton, VA, Police Division! What a wonderful life. You have allowed me to pastor, preach, counsel and even sing Your praises! Even with all these blessings I do have one more petition...to be a TEXAS RANGER CHAPLAIN...before I die!
Chaplain Tom, Hampton, VA

Gracious, loving, Heavenly Father, I come boldly before Your Throne with a humble heart, asking that You pour out a special blessing on the men and women of law enforcement. Some of those Officers may be just beginning their careers in a world which will very likely at some time call them into harm’s way. Others have already heard the call of danger’s trumpet many times and never failed to respond. For both these groups, I offer up the grateful praises of thanksgiving that You have blessed this country with such a warrior breed.

Lord God, never let one American forget that it is only by Thy grace that we are blessed as a nation where freedom, justice and liberty reign for all our citizens. I know that it is only because of men and women like the men and women of law enforcement and those who serve in the military, men and women willing to be guided by Your wisdom and strength, men and women known as Peace Officers and Warriors, that our nation will remain as strong and bright with freedom’s light as it is now.

God, I know You hold a special place in heaven for those warriors in the brotherhood of arms who love You and stand boldly with honor, courage and commitment in the face of evil. Almighty Father, Creator of all life, I ask that You endow these officers with these additional attributes so they may continue to fight the longest running war known to man, “the war of good verses evil.”

When they face danger – Be their fortress.

Should they face the impossible and feel inadequate – a common place for law enforcement Officers – Remind them that nothing is too difficult for “the Creator of Heaven and Earth” and that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them.

When they are tired, anxious and afraid – Give them rest and Your peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding.

When they feel they can not take another step or face another shift, a feeling they may often may experience – Empower them with Your strength and stamina.

Whenever they feel weighed down with their own personal trials – May Your grace prove sufficient.

When they are confused and are faced with critical decisions – Provide them with the sound judgment that will lead them to victory and protect their families and their fellow Officers.

Should they face physical and spiritual temptation – Arm them with moral courage and help keep their faith and trust firmly anchored in You.

At the height of the battle when they grow faint – Give them shelter in the shadow of Your wings.

Bring these Officers through each and every trial they face, I pray. Through the fire and trials of life, may they praise Your benevolence, generosity and sanctity as they strive to live lives filled with Integrity, Justice, Compassion, Valor and Faith.

Heavenly Father, You know that freedom has always had a high price, Oh Lord, a price that sometimes requires the shedding of “innocent and just blood” to purchase that precious gift for so many others, often that includes some who are unwilling or incapable of standing up to evil themselves.

I ask You, God, to grant a special protection for all men and women who are willing to stand in the gap and serve all mankind; those who are willing to face the foundation of evil’s ways and pay whatever price is required to secure for ourselves and our posterity the blessings of liberty and justice so cherished by all.

I ask these things in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Chaplain Ray, Winterville, GA

And I’ll close with a prayer of my own:

Lord, we come once again to the Thanksgiving season. We give You praise and thanks for the many blessings You bestow upon us as we go from day to day. But as we count our blessings, we lift up those among us who have had loss and tragedy come to touch their lives. Help them to reach out to You, for You alone are able to bring comfort in these situations. Help them find even some small thing that they can be thankful for in the midst of sorrow. Encourage them, O Lord, and help them through the days ahead. We thank for Your protection of our peace officers here at home and service personnel around the world and ask for continued protection for them. Thank You, too, for permitting us to live in a country where we’re free to worship You. Amen.

I hope you have a great time with your families this Thanksgiving. Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net


 

NOVEMBER 2008

In The Words of the Song
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome once again to the November edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. Well, I wanted to wait until after the election to write to you since it was so close to the first of the month. I had hoped to be basking in the glow of a McCain/Palin victory. I’m very sad that the good Governor had to endure what she went through for nothing. I’m very disappointed in the outcome of the election. Not because this country will have a black president, but that the country has suddenly swung so far to the socialist left.

I’ve read a number of posts in LiveJournals and police websites today. A number of which were written by Obama supporters gloating in his victory. A number of which were by heartsick conservatives, like myself, who are concerned about what will happen to this country over the next few years. And a number of posts from – I hesitate to say wiser or cooler – heads saying, in effect, “Suck it up and get over it.” Easier said than done for a lot of us.

There was a C&W song that played and played and played not too terribly long ago at the store where I moonlight. I don’t know the name or most of the words, but part of the refrain fits my feelings and it speaks of “getting over it” in time, but for now it says, “I just wanna be mad for a while.”

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one praying about this election as hard as I thought I could. And it is disappointing that the election went the way it did. But as I’ve said in a past article:

Prayer is a sincere conversation from the heart that touches Him. He will hear and answer. Sometimes the answer is exciting and obvious. Sometimes we have to listen closely. Sometimes the answer is scary or not what we want to do, but if we’ll do what He says, it will be prove a blessing.


Sometimes the answer is scary or not what we want. A prayer of that sort, and one I can identify with, can be found in the Minor Prophets. Habakkuk, to be exact. (Page 1306 in my Bible. ) Early in my praying about the election, God dropped this passage into my heart…it was a very familiar passage to me, but I didn’t want to accept it as applying to us. I really didn’t want to. I still don’t, but as the old saying goes, “If the prophecy (shoe) fits…”

Habakkuk Chapter 1, starting in the second verse:
How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and Thou wilt not hear? I cry out to Thee, “Violence!” Yet Thou dost not save.
and the fourth:
Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Sounds about like where I was. Praying for the defeat of a party and a media that was so far left and biased almost beyond belief. But then come verses five, six, and seven. (I’ll switch to my “revised slandered version” for verse 6.)

5. Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days – You wouldn’t believe it if you were told.
6. For behold, I am raising up the Democrats, that fierce and unprincipled people who march throughout the country to seize things which are not theirs.
7. They are dreaded and feared. Their justice and authority originate with themselves.

I’ll let you look up the rest of it for yourselves, but read it and see if it doesn’t describe pretty closely what has gone on during this election cycle and what we were promised that the candidate would do if elected. Which he was.

The ruling powers in this country have largely tried to shut out our God, much like ancient Israel had done. To borrow words from Jim Croce “You don’t mess around with” God. There comes a time when God says, “Enough.”

I can very much relate to the prophet in his answer back to God, which was basically, “Wait! How can you do this! You can’t be serious!” And God essentially says “Oh yeah? Buckle up, it’s gonna be a rough ride.”

Habakkuk, like I have to do, had some soul-searching, serious prayer time with God over this. And in the end God strengthened his faith, and Habakkuk concludes the end of Chapter 3 with:

I heard and my inward parts trembled; at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.

Yes, my friend, I’m very concerned that we’re in for some rough road in these next few years. We need to go back and dust off our Bibles, read and pray that He will give us strength, faith and protection that we will be able to hang on until He comes again.

The election’s over, and what’s done is done. The sun will keep coming up, and eventually I’ll be able to deal with it. No matter what the future holds, God is still good, and He will bless His people. But, suck it up and get over it? No, not today… “I just wanna be sad for a while.”

Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net


 

OCTOBER 2008

Ramblings

Chaplain Bill Wolfe

Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hello, and welcome again to the Chaplain’s Corner.  When I wrote my column for this month it was just days after Hurricane Ike hit the Houston area and my focus was directed mostly towards the survivors of that disaster.  But when you think about it for a minute, the thoughts I present are applicable regardless of the disaster be it a tornado, flood, blizzard, divorce or fire … whatever life-changing challenge you happen to be facing this week. 

~~~~~~

Gee, where do I go this time?  On one hand we’ve just had a devastating hurricane hit Texas with all those ramifications.  On the other is a very historic presidential election and one which will literally make or break our country.  I guess I should try and stay away from politics. 

I suppose that when you come down to it, Hurricane Ike and the political contest both have something in common.  They both cause us to evaluate what’s important to us; to evaluate our options and the potential for disastrous outcomes if we make the wrong decision.  “Once you buy a prize, it’s yours to keep.”

In the case of Hurricane Ike, people had to literally choose between what they would save and what they would lose…to “take a step back” and examine what a lifetime of living had brought and decide what they would and could take with them into the future.  A hurricane, unlike a fire, does afford some time to save some things, but the decision making and ultimate loss are nonetheless traumatic events.  There’s no way around that.  I had the occasion to have a “road-side conversation” with a gentleman from Kemah one afternoon soon after the storm.  He said he’d served in and lived through a war, but this hurricane was almost more than he could handle.

I’m sure that there are a lot among the family of the “thin blue line” that have suffered loss from the hurricane and my heart goes out to you.  I’m truly sorry that I can’t fix it for you.  I’m proud of you who stuck to your duty posts through the storm.  I’m sure there were moments when you wanted to help see your family to safety more than anything else.

So now that the storm has passed, the rebuilding of life begins.  Where does the inner strength to “pick up the pieces and start over” come from?  Hehe.  The words to a children’s song from the Square One TV show came to mind as I typed that: “It all comes back to 9.”  It all comes back to God.   God’s presence in our hearts is what gets us through and back on our feet.  Scripture tells us that God “is a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)  Psalms 23 tells of God bringing comfort to one going through “the valley of the shadow of death,” but it the truth is that He comforts through “the valley of the shadow of disaster.”  God never promised to spare us from the disasters and traumas of life, only to go through them with us if we are willing to let Him walk with us.

The words to one of our daughter’s favorite Point of Grace songs also come to mind…

Things change
Plans fail
You look for love on a grander scale
Storms rise
Hopes fade
And you place your bets on another day
When the going gets tough
When the ride's too rough
When you're just not sure enough

Jesus will still be there
His love will never change
Sure as a steady rain
Jesus will still be there
When no one else is true
He'll still be loving you
When it looks like you've lost it all
And you haven't got a prayer
Jesus will still be there

One of my favorite artists, Evie Tornquist Karlsson, shared a very similar thought in a song called “Give Them All To Jesus.”  Part of the lyrics go:

Wrap up all those shattered dreams of your life
And at the feet of Jesus, lay them down.

Give them all, give them all, give them all to Jesus
Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, and broken toys.
Give them all, give them all, give them all to Jesus
And He will turn your sorrows into joy.

I heard someone say “Easier said than done.”  And someone else said “I’ve never talked to God, I wouldn’t know what to say.”  Yes, it does often seem easier said than done – especially when you’re in the middle of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort.   As far as knowing what to say…God’s not impressed with our words.  It’s the attitude of our heart He’s listening to.  A prayer can be as simple as “Jesus, I need Your help to get me through this disaster I find myself in.  Please make Yourself real to me, send me some encouragement and help me to trust You in the midst of this mess.  You said in the Psalms that You would, help me to believe you will.  Amen.”  As long as you mean it, you’re on your way.

Hey, thanks for spending some time with me.  Think about it and I’ll talk with you next “shift.”

Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill

llanochaps@moment.net

SEPTEMBER 2008

The Roads to Jericho and Emmaus
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to this September’s edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. Friday night…September…and Texas…that means all roads lead to Jacket Stadium. Sting ’em, Jackets! Oh, sorry, got a little carried away there. I’m glad it’s September. That means it will start cooling down in a few weeks and our chances of rain should be going up. Hot and dry gets old pretty quick.

I guess it wouldn’t be too unusual for a patrol deputy to think about roads when there are miles and miles of miles and miles out here in western Llano County. I can head out of the City of Llano going north, south, west, southwest, or northwest and have nothing but ranch land for at least 13 miles, no matter which way I go. Boring to a lot of deputies, but I like it.

Well, what I wanted to visit with you about this time out isn’t concrete and asphalt. It’s not a state highway or even a ranch road. I want to focus for a few minutes on two roads mentioned in the Gospels, what happened there, and apply it to present day.

If you’ll permit me to pull out my “revised-slandered, slightly amplified, and loosely paraphrased” version of the Bible, I’ll try to condense a little and adapt the text into terms we in LE may relate to better.

OK, first is the account of the Road to Emmaus. (Luke 24: 13-19) Two officers were walking slowly back to the cop shop talking when a Subject they didn’t recognize joined them and began talking with them. He asked them what was going on, why they were so sad, and that He noticed they were wearing mourning bands on their badges. They came back with, “You're not from these parts, are you?” He replied, “What’s happened?” “We’ve had a line-of-duty-death in our department. We’ve just had the funeral and some of us are taking it pretty hard.” The little group walked and chatted, and as they passed a little café, the men said “Would you care to get a cup of coffee with us?” When they were seated, the Stranger asked, “Have they held a debriefing yet? I’ve conducted a few and it helps to talk about it.”

The second is probably familiar to a lot of you. It’s called the Parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10: 30-35) A police widow on her way home dropped to the roadside, crushed and broken, unable to face going on. An officer from the husband’s department passed by, and feeling awkward, not knowing what to say, crossed over to the other side of the street. A little later a neighbor came down the street and, seeing the widow’s distress, didn’t want to get involved and crossed the street and went another way. Some time passes and a third individual comes down the street and sees the widow in her distress and can relate. This woman sits down beside the grieving widow and begins to speak words of comfort ... “I, too, am a survivor. Let me help you.”

Perhaps some of you can find yourself in one or the other of these little stories or know someone who might fit. LODDs take a heavy toll on survivors, be they coworkers or family members – as if you didn’t already know that.

The “good news,” and you may already be aware of this, is that there is an organization whose sole purpose is to bring survivors together to help other survivors rebuild their shattered lives. The name of the organization is “Concerns of Police Survivors” – C.O.P.S. The message I want to share with you is that you don’t have to deal with pain and loss all by yourself. There are others who have “been there, done that, don’t want the T-shirt” and are ready to come alongside and help you.

Someone has turned the story of the Good Samaritan into a little chorus sung at church: ♫ “He found me bleeding and dying on the Jericho Road…” ♪ Now after having become the Chaplain for the Central Texas Chapter of C.O.P.S., every time I hear that chorus, I think of survivors and the pain they bear each and every day. The chorus continues: “And He poured in the oil and the wine, the kind that restoreth my soul…” Yes, God and time play a big role in the healing process, but so do friends who have been down that road and can relate to where you are. You can find out more about the programs that C.O.P.S. offers by going to their website at www.nationalcops.org.

Currently there are four C.O.P.S. Chapters here in Texas -- Greater Houston, Metroplex, Central Texas (Austin), and South Texas (San Antonio) -- that are available to serve you. (You’re not in Texas? Check the national web site, it has a list of all the chapters across the county.) If you are a survivor, or you know a survivor, who is struggling to cope, I encourage you to contact one of the Chapters and let them help get the healing started. If you’ve not had the misfortune to have experienced a LODD in your department, perhaps you’d consider a financial donation to C.O.P.S.

Texas email contacts are:
Greater Houston – Cathy Hill, cathyjhill@sbcglobal.net
Central Texas – Sherlynn Kelly, tkelley2@austin.rr.net
Metroplex – Kristina Montet, kmontet@verizon.net
South – Gilda Garza, gzgarza@yahoo.com

Hey, thanks for listening and helping us help others.
Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

AUGUST 2008

Felony Evading
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hi, and welcome once again to the August edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. Here it is almost football season again and still no rain. It’s gittin’ mighty dusty out there on those unpaved county roads – not a lot of point in washing the patrol car when you raise a dust cloud at 20 mph. <sigh> Such is life in the summer in the Hill Country. Well, in any event, if you have your Texas Penal Code with you today, please turn with me to Chapter 38. 

Sec. 38.04. Evading Arrest or Detention.
(a) a person commits an offence if he intentionally flees from a person he knows is a peace officer attempting to arrest or detain him.
(b) an offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor, except that the offence is:
(1) a state jail felony if the actor uses a vehicle and the actor is in flight…

Chappy’s common title: Running from the PO-leece.

This idea kind of jumped out at me just in the last couple of days, and it seemed to be the path to wander down this time out. Running from the police…something we all would agree isn’t too smart, but it happens fairly often, and often for reasons that don’t make sense except to the subject who’s hooked it. I know there have been plenty of times when the subject would have just gotten a warning citation, and now he or she is looking at a SJF. J.P.D. – Just Plain Dumb.

I work at the Super S grocery store here as my second job, and I often tell the young people that I work with: “You might outrun my Crown Vic, but you can’t outrun my radio.” An internet friend of mine has a tagline that says: “You can run, but you’ll just go to jail tired.” But people try it nonetheless. You light them up and you’re off to the races, praying that no one wrecks out before you get them stopped. They’re not interested in why you tried to stop them (they have some preconceived idea that talking to you will be a bad thing), and they don’t mentally stop to think about the possible consequences of what they’re doing. And often as not when you DO get the vehicle stopped, the occupants bail on you and you find out you’re a cop, not a track star.

OK, now for the application. (You knew a preacher doesn’t tell a story without making a point, didn’t you?) 

There are times when God “chases” some people. I don’t know all the reasons, but it’s often in response to someone praying earnestly for them…a grandparent, parent, spouse, possible-spouse, sibling or even a child. I feel pretty confident that one or more of my readers falls into that category today. God “lit you up” and off you went, running from God. You know, it’s just as fruitless to run from God as to run from the police. How do I know you’re running from God? Well, lessee…you look hard to find excuses for not going to church with your family. You change the subject every time your friend mentions what his Men’s Ministry group is doing. You abruptly change directions when you see the Chaplain step out of his office. Need I go on? 

Just like trying to outrun my radio, when you try to outrun God you keep running into Christians every time you turn around. In the Psalms David talks about not being able to go any place where God isn’t. (Psalm 139:7-12) The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah says in almost the exact words: “You can run, but you can’t hide.” Jeremiah 23:24.

Just like the subject who runs from the police thinking “he’s gonna give me a ticket or take me to jail,” the person who’s running from God has the mistaken idea that God is out to wreck their life. They go OCD on what they think they’ll have to give up and don’t want to. The simple truth is that God never asks you to give up something that’s good for you.

Just like you hope the knothead that’s running doesn’t crash and burn, you need to be careful you don’t “wreck out.” Running from God tends to make one grumpy and hard to live with, possibly ruining friendships and marriages – relationships that, once damaged, are often hard to restore.

So, what am I saying? If you’re running from God, stop, stick your hands out the window, and give up. Put yourself in His “protective custody.” It’s the best move you can make. Give it some thought.

Talk with you next “shift.”

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

July 2008

Thoughts about Freedom
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hello, and welcome back to the Chaplain’s Corner. I think I’ve probably mentioned that I don’t like preaching the same sermon twice and as always, I’ve kicked around a few ideas trying to find the right fit for this month. As I sat down to start writing I reviewed a number of prior Chaplain’s Corners, and this one about freedom just seemed to jump out at me. So maybe there’s something here worth saying again. (Of course to those of you who weren’t reading my column seven years ago, it will all be new. ),

Freedom... just a medium-sized word, seven letters in all, but it conveys such a wide variety of meanings. Three words are usually coupled with freedom: of, to, and from. Wow! How many tangents can I spin off from there? There are two other concepts and words that also attach to freedom: cost and responsibility. Those who fought for their freedom from England and to establish our government understood that cost. Those who’ve fought wars on foreign soil understood that cost and accepted their responsibility to future generations to preserve our freedoms at all costs.

Interesting thing about freedom…there is always someone wanting to take it away from you. As I sit here pondering, I realize that this taking away of freedom started way back in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were perhaps the most free individuals that have ever lived. At least initially. No 8-5. No IRS. No traffic jams. Then up pops Satan and he finds a way to take away their freedom.

This month we celebrate the formation of our county and the Declaration of Independence: the start of a political freedom that has carried us to this day. Back in May we celebrated Memorial Day and honored the memories of those who fought and died in Europe and the Pacific to keep that freedom for us. They fought because there was an enemy that sought to take freedom from those that had it. They fought and many died. Freedom does not come cheap and is to be prized all the more because the high price was paid.

We are still at war with the enemies of freedom. The price is still being paid. Men and women of the US military are still stepping up and shouldering the responsibility of preserving our freedom. Yes, there have been some foul-ups, but contrary to popular political sentiment in Washington, our forces are honorable men and women and are fighting over there so we don’t die over here. It’s a shame that in 2008 they are falling victims to political correctness just like they did in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The men and women in law enforcement also have stepped up and are shouldering responsibility for maintaining our freedoms at the street level. And I honor you for that. Among other things, you are preserving our freedom from the fear of criminals and the freedom to have peace in our piece of the “American Dream,” however small that piece might be.

Changing focus a bit, it’s sad that in the country that was founded on freedom, some of those freedoms are being given up and others are being taken from us. The US Constitution guarantees the “freedom of the press.” That was intended to keep the media free from control by the federal government. However, nowadays the mainstream media has seen fit to take over and to both control and limit our political choices. That’s not the way it was meant to be.

The US Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. There is a segment of our society that is trying to twist that to be freedom from the Christian “religion.” Other religious beliefs are given the protection of political correctness, but the Christian “religion” is to be eliminated, contained or controlled as much as possible. I put religion in quotes here because Christianity is (or should be) more than just a set of religious beliefs or creeds. Christianity is about having a personal relationship with a living, personal God who desires to be involved in our everyday lives.

I know this has been an odd rambling coming from the Chaplain, but let me sum it up by saying that “political correctness” is not freedom, it’s just conforming to someone else’s biased ideas; and it is not that for which the men and women of this great country have fought and died. This 4th of July and the months following, contemplate the freedoms we enjoy and the price that was paid, and take pride in being an American.

I’ll catch you again next time. Until then: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net


 

June 2008

The River Runs Over It
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hi and welcome once again to the Chaplain’s Corner. It’s June already…time to think about fishing and swimming. Around here a lot of folks head out to the “slab” for both. It’s a good place to get sunburned or a citation for driving in the river bed.

I guess the first thing I need to do is to describe “Scott’s Slab” on the Llano River. Basically it’s “good ole country river crossing” – a narrow strip (read one lane) of concrete probably ¼ mile long laid on the solid granite of the river bed – that runs north-south across the Llano River about 10 miles west of town and is part of County Road 102. Until recently the north end of the “slab” was comprised of a series of large rectangular concrete culverts where the concrete roadway formed the top of the culverts. This is where the main channel of the river runs.

Most of the year the river runs in the channel at the north end of the slab, and in the late summer it may only run 6 inches or so deep and well below the road level. But get a good batch of thunderstorms like we had yesterday evening and night – well, the river comes up and over the slab in at least 3 places. Sometimes the slab is partially covered, and sometimes the river is way up and the crossing will be invisible and unusable for days on end.

Early this year the Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT), in their infinite wisdom, decided to tear out the culverts at the north end of the slab and replace the large rectangular culverts with multiple smaller round culverts that supposedly will carry the same volume of water. (What they will do is plug up more easily.) They didn’t bother to improve the rest of the slab.

So, when the construction was going on and I was on duty, I’d drive out and play “tourist” and watch the progress. On one of these days I noticed some illustrations right there in front of me.

The first was that the river was sort of like life in general. Life flows by – the sun keeps coming up and we get a day older – and we can’t do a thing to stop it. Life has its highs and lows just like the river; sometimes it’s slow and lazy, and other times it’s wild and crazy – and when it’s wild, you just have to hang on to something until it slows down.

The slab, then, is sort of like our personal day-to-day lives. When the flow of the river of life is low and slow, we stay on top of things and we think, “Life is good.” Then suddenly a storm hits, and the river comes up. Sometimes we manage to stay above things, but when the flow is too high, we go under. If we don’t have a good grasp on something solid, we can wash out. Sometimes the water of life is over our heads for just a short time, and other times it seems like we’ll not be able to hang on until it recedes.

As I sat and thought about what seemed to me a dumb redesign of the culverts, I thought about how easy it is to re-engineer parts of our lives and not do a smart job of it. For example: how many of you have friends who’ve gotten divorced more than once for the same reason? Perhaps they’ve not tackled the real problem. It’s often more time consuming and labor intensive to look at the proverbial big picture to see where the problems actually lie and make a better redesign. We tend to focus on the immediate problem and not think through what will happen if we make that change. (I had similar experiences as a computer programmer.)

One thing that happened on the rebuild of the culverts was that it changed the channel dynamics and caused the water to now flow over a once dry part of the roadway. The slab doesn’t go straight across the river bed. Just on the south side of the new construction, the roadway makes a jag, sort of a short, angular S-curve, and there’s a 6-inch drop-off on the west side. The redirected water goes over this short piece of road, and when the water rises a little and gets muddy, you can’t see the jag or where to drive safely.

Somebody once said something about not fixing something that wasn’t broken. That’s what’s referred to as “man’s wisdom.” That’s why when we look at redesigning our lives, we should consult God. God is the Master Designer who always can see the big picture. He can evaluate more “what if’s” than you can imagine faster than the fastest super-computer and come out with the right plan. We just have to be willing to find out what the plan is and be willing to fix that part that needs fixing.

So the over-simplified moral of the story is that if we allow God to design our river crossing and then build it on the solid bedrock of His Word, the proverbial water may go over us occasionally, but it won’t wash us out. (Check out Jesus’ version of the same idea in Matthew 7:24-27.)

Until next month then: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

MAY 2008

I’m Going Fishing
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to the May 2008 edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. My brother- and sister-in-law have moved from the Permian Basin (where they don’t know what a lake is) to Comanche County; and now that JP has access to two private lakes, he’s always asking me to come up and go fishing. But that’s not what I want to talk about this time out.

This morning I was half listening to various church services on KSLR out of San Antonio while working radar, and one of the preachers was talking about Peter saying he was going fishing. As I was getting ready to write and thinking about Police Week and memorials, it suddenly seemed that some of those thoughts were worth sharing. (And John just ran out of the room shouting “Oh NO! He’s gonna preach at us again!”)

If you have your Bibles this morning  our text comes from the Gospel of John, Chapter 21 and verse 3:
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

(That’s the way my fishing trips usually turn out -- skunked.) Actually, the fishing trip in-and-of itself isn’t what I want to focus on, but rather Peter’s decision and what precipitated it and how it turned out. Because maybe someone you know is at a similar point in their life.

Basically, Peter was at a point of emotional overload. Let me recap what he had gone through. The last two weeks Peter had seen Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, followed by an illegal arrest and trial combined with Peter’s denial of his relationship to Jesus. This was then followed by witnessing the crucifixion, a most horrible sight, and then came the Resurrection and all the guilty feelings of his betrayal were compounded. Peter had had it. All he could think was, “I’m out of here.”

You know, a lot of life’s tragedies can put you right there in emotional overload, especially a LODD. True, your circumstances aren’t identical to Peter’s, but the feelings can be similar. Feelings of “I coulda done,” “I shoulda done,” “Why am I still here?” “It should have been me.” It just plays and plays and plays in your mind. Those thoughts can drag you down emotionally to where you decide, “Enough is enough. I’m done.” Some trash the career and go do something else, like Peter. Some consider a more drastic alternative, and sadly, some take this option.

Now, I have to point out something obvious about Peter’s choice. It went bust. For all intents and purposes he walked away from God. He went back to something he thought he could handle, something he thought he knew how to do. And he came up empty. That’s why one shouldn’t make life-changing decisions or career changes during times of emotional overload.

But Peter’s story doesn’t end there, and yours needn’t either. God hadn’t given up on Peter. God knew exactly where Peter was physically and emotionally. He knew Peter’s potential even when Peter didn’t. God still loved Peter in spite of everything, and He still had a plan for Peter’s life. He just had to get Peter’s attention again.

If we were to read further in our text in the Gospel of John, we’d see that Jesus showed up after the all-night fishing trip while the fishing party was still on the water. Standing on the shore, He asked about results. For whatever reason, Peter and the others didn’t recognize Him. He told them to toss the net over the other side of the boat. (Right – how dumb is that?) I guess they figured they had nothing to lose so they did. Suddenly their fishing trip became one for the record books! Although I don’t think the Gospel gives all the details of what transpired over the next couple of hours, Jesus and Peter make their peace. With God’s help Peter goes on to the proverbial “bigger and better things.”

What am I saying? That it’s perfectly normal to get down when you’re in an emotional overload situation, but don’t throw everything away. You’re a better person than that. Sure, your heart isn’t in it right now. Maybe your confidence has been shaken, but you’ve still got potential. Sometimes God allows us to hit rock bottom in order to find out that He’s the Rock that we can build upon.

The last verse and chorus of one of my favorite old-time gospel songs goes like this:
I may have doubts and fears, my eyes be filled with tears,
But Jesus is a friend who watches day and night;
I go to Him in prayer, He knows my ev'ry care,
And just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus.
Let us tell Him all about our troubles.
He will hear our faintest cry
And He will answer by and by.
Now when you feel a little prayer wheel turning,
Then you’ll know a little fire is burning.
You will find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

I know it sounds over-simplistic, but before you give it up, try giving it to Him. You’ve nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
Until next time … blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

APRIL 2008

What If Daniel Had Been a Cop?
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hello, and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner.

Well, it’s been a whole year and I still couldn’t think of an April Fool’s joke to pull here, but I wanted to share something a little lighthearted. My very first April column ever took a look at the Old Testament character of Jonah and the whale and speculated how that might have gone down had Jonah been a LEO. In much the same vein, I want to try relating the account of Daniel in the lion’s den. (Again, let me make the disclaimer that Biblical accounts and teachings don’t always carry forward with 100% correlation to AD 2008 illustrations.) Okay, here we go:

The situation is that Daniel was an Assistant Chief of Police in the realm of Babylon and in line to be promoted to Executive Chief. He was held in such high esteem by the current Police Chief that he was the “heir apparent” should the Chief decide to step aside.

Well, as you could probably guess, that esteem wasn’t universally held, and the other Assistant Chiefs and certain SWAT Commanders got jealous. I mean, after all, Daniel was an “outsider.” And not just an “outsider.” They might have been able to cope with a Fighting Irishman or even an Arkansas Razorback, but Daniel was a BAYLOR BEAR! So they formed a conspiracy and went to IAD to try and find some accusation against him so that the Chief of Police would have to get rid of him. After wracking his brain for some time, the head of IAD came back and said, “Nup. Nothing doing. Daniel’s as clean as a fresh piece of copy paper.” It was decided that if they were to get anything to use, it would have to be a Separation of Church and State issue…something to do with his professed religious faith.

Once that was decided, they wondered how they would get rid of Daniel after they had the “offense.” The Assistant Chief over Narcotics snapped his fingers and piped up: “I know! Let’s take Daniel into the area of the City with worst drug and gang activity around 2200 hours, handcuff him to the steering wheel of a black and white, take the keys to the car and leave him there. In the morning he’ll just be another LODD. There was a unanimous agreement, so they plotted together and got the Chief of Police to hand down P&P which, for all intents and purposes outlawed Daniel’s prayer life and faith in Daniel’s God.

Now everything was in place. They knew Daniel well enough to know that he’d never abide by the P&P, so they set him up. They caught him at prayer and hauled him before IAD and the Chief of Police himself. The Chief and Daniel had become close friends, and the Chief realized too late how the conspirators had used him. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to send Daniel on his one-way vacation. But the Chief was NOT a happy camper. All night long the Chief worried about Daniel. He paced the floor, tossed sofa pillows around the room, and made more than a few choice comments about the conspirators.

The first thing the next morning, about daylight, the Chief ran to Dispatch, grabbed the radio, and called: “Daniel? Daniel -- Status check.” … an eternity-long moment of silence. “Daniel to Dispatch, I’m 10-8, in service and ready to roll.” The Chief could hardly believe his ears! He ran to his car and made a beeline to Daniel’s location.

When he got there he found Daniel free from his handcuffs, sitting in the driver’s seat, eating Krispy Kreme donuts and drinking coffee.  The Chief asked Daniel what had happened after he was left there. Daniel replied “You may not believe it, but God sent His Angel to watch over me. I was just sitting there handcuffed to the steering wheel when I looked up and saw the biggest, meanest gang member you can imagine…tats, weapons, chains…the whole nine yards. He came right over to the car, reached in through the window and unlocked my cuffs, and told me to ‘just chill out.’ Then he hopped up on the hood of the car, leaned back against the windshield and hollered out: ‘You gotta get through me to get to him.’ I just tuned the “good time radio” to the gospel station, thanked the Lord for His provision and went to sleep. When your radio call woke me up this morning this huge man smiled real big, handed me coffee and donuts – and disappeared.”

Well, to quickly sum it up – the Chief was some impressed with Daniel’s God, and Daniel got promoted to Executive Chief of Police. And the conspirators? Well, let’s just say that “forgive and forget” was not an attitude for which the Chief of Police was known.

So what lessons does this little piece of recorded history teach? I’m glad you asked. 
The first is that Daniel had truly sold out to God and sought His will for Daniel’s life, and because of that God blessed Daniel and gave him favor with his superiors. Second, sometimes even when you’re trying your best to live for God, things can go wrong big-time through no fault of yours. And last but not least, when you’re 100% on God’s team, He’ll get you through the really rough spots.

Thanks for listening. Gotta run. Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net


 

MARCH 2008

A Look at The Book
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner. I survived turning 55! Wasn’t such a big deal after all. And March is here again. That means severe storm season will soon be upon us here in central Texas and that could be a big deal. We badly need the rain, but the hail and damaging winds and potential tornadoes I can do without, thank you very much.  Last Spring they sent me out to see where the tornado was.  Thank the Lord I didn’t find it, but it was a leetle disconcerting when the official storm tracker van came past me headed the opposite direction and stopped less than a quarter mile behind me.

Anyway…to get back on track… I recently got engaged in a series of postings in an online forum. The discussion was in a “Christian group” setting on a police-oriented website. There had been some back and forth among several posters that started about a Gospel presentation; and after a couple of posts, I was asked a very valid question: “Why should I live my life based on your opinions?” Some of you might have asked the same question. My response was that the questioner should not base any life-changing decisions solely on ANYone’s opinion without doing some due diligence to check out the basis of the opinion expressed. I stated that my opinions were based on the Bible and proceeded to give a little background about the Bible, a very unique book.

As I was deciding what to share with you, I thought that maybe it would be of benefit to share some information about the Bible that makes it unique. I was thinking…most of the time, if you say to someone that you’ve “read a good book lately” they’ll most likely ask you what one it was. But if you say you’ve been “reading The Good Book lately,” almost everyone knows which one without asking. ☺

There are a number of things that are unique about the Bible, and we don’t have a lot of time to go much into detail, so I’ll try to just hit some of the high points.

• The Bible was written over a time span of about 1500 years…from 1400 BC to 100 AD.
• The books of the Bible were written by over 40 men from a variety of occupations: commercial fishermen, tax collectors, religious leaders, military leaders, political leaders, priests and kings.
• The Bible was written from locations on three different continents and in three different languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
• It’s written in a wide variety of literary styles; poetry, historical narrative, song, memoirs, law, parables, allegory, and prophecy.
• In spite of all of the above, the Bible presents a single unfolding story of God’s love and redemptive plan for mankind.

One of the hallmarks of the Bible is prophecy. It contains thousands of detailed prophecies concerning people, times and nations (sometimes hundreds of years in the future) that have been fulfilled to the smallest detail. It seems like almost every time there’s a major archeological discovery in the Middle East, it verifies some detail that’s recorded in the Scriptures.

“Well, that may be, but the Bible has changed over time, hasn’t it?” Nope. There are nearly 25,000 manuscripts still in existence that are early copies of Bible text. There are fewer than 700 hundred copies of the ancient classic Homer’s Illiad, and that’s the most of any other of the ancient books. In comparing the manuscripts, the experts have found that what few inconsistencies exist (1/2 of 1%) are mostly spelling or style, and not a single Christian doctrine rests on a “disputed passage.”

“Well, what about all the different versions of the Bible?” Here we kinda get caught up in semantics…it’s easy to confuse “version” with “translation” and especially since a number of the translations use the term Version in their name, i.e. King James Version, Revised Standard Version and the popular New International Version. Some Bible translations read differently because some are translated from the original Greek and others from the Latin Vulgate, which is a Latin translation from the Greek. I guess you could say there are three versions of the Bible in the broadest sense. The Jews recognize only the Old Testament, that’s one. Then there are the Protestant and Catholic versions. The Catholic Bible contains a number of books that the Protestant version doesn’t. (The reasons for that are a subject for another day.)

Then to complicate matters further, there are the paraphrases: those “versions” which try to capture the “concept” and present it in a “more readable” format and aren’t necessarily interested in exactness.

Which Bible is better than another? I don’t know, go ask your mother…which is a humorous way to say “We’re outta time again.” Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

FEBRUARY 2008

How Wonderful Is Love like This?
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to February and the Chaplain’s Corner. February brings some mixed emotions for me this again this year. I hit the ol’ “double nickel” on the 28th. There’s something a bit discomforting about turning 55 (my dad didn’t make it to 55), but I’ll get over it. 

For most of us, thoughts of February always bring thoughts of Valentine’s Day, thoughts of love and expressions of love. Several years back I wrote about love as described in the book of I Corinthians in the New Testament of the Bible and posed the question: “Does our love measure up?” The next year, thinking about what to share, I opened my Bible to the concordance in the back and looked at the Scripture references for love. As I read through the verses in Psalms that contain the word love, I noticed the descriptive words attached to God’s love: great, wonderful, enduring and unfailing.

God’s love is great. God doesn’t do things in a small way or half-heartedly. Likewise, His love isn’t tentative or conditional. He loves us a lot.

God’s love is wonderful. Ever heard someone say, “The best thing that ever happened to me was when [whoever] fell in love with me”? When we experience the love of someone who truly loves us, it is a wonderful feeling. Knowing and experiencing God’s love is wonderful.

God’s love is enduring. That means that His love keeps on keeping on. God’s love towards us doesn’t diminish over time or come to an end. Whether we’re 25 or 75 (or <sigh > 55), God loves us as much as He did the day we were born. We may not have loved God all our lives, but He has always loved us.

God’s love is unfailing. At least 24 times the term unfailing is paired with God’s love in the Book of Psalms. Unfailing and enduring go together and express the certainty that any time we seek God, we will find He always loves us. We may go through hard times, times that try our faith, but we will not find a time that He stops loving us. We may feel that God doesn’t love us; we may think that God doesn’t love us, but His Word declares that that will never be the case.

For love to be experienced, it has to be communicated and expressed. On Valentine’s Day, we make an effort to communicate and express our love to those special to us. We should do that year ’round, but we make a special effort to do it on Valentine’s Day. We send cards and letters, and some of us make an annual visit to the florist. God has sent “valentine’s” messages through the written Word we call the Bible. Throughout its pages we read about God’s love for us.

Those terms, “great, wonderful, enduring and unfailing,” while describing God’s love for us, also describe His Son – love personified. Jesus came to show us what true love was all about. He didn’t just talk the talk, He lived it and He died to show us that He meant it. Sometimes within ourselves we feel that we have a “great and wonderful” love for someone and believe that it will never end, and suddenly something happens and we find an end to that love – it fails. That never happened with Jesus’ love. The time came when Jesus’ love was put to the ultimate test, and He endured it; His love didn’t fail. His love for us – you and me – is what took Him to the Cross. It’s an enduring love that is still offered to us today.

But just as sometimes our love is rejected by the person we love dearly, God’s love has been rejected time and again by people all through the years. And like us, He is hurt and saddened by the rejection. In our case, eventually the feelings of love we have towards the one who rejected us fade. That person may come back to us sometime in the future, only to find that we can no longer hold out to them the love we once had. But it isn’t so with God.  Any time we realize that we’ve made the mistake of rejecting His love, we can turn around and run to Him, asking His forgiveness. When we do, we will find that His wonderful, great love for us is still there.

Thanks for riding with me this “shift.” Catch you again next time. Until then: blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

JANUARY 2008

Back to Bluebonnets Again
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



Hello, and welcome to the first Chaplain’s Corner of 2008, another pivotal year in the history of the US of A. It should be interesting, but also for me, disconcerting. Political correctness and the intolerance of those whose idea of “tolerance” means accepting their point of view makes me wonder how this country is going to keep going. There are some things in our society that have gotten better since I was a kid, but I don’t think our country as a whole is better off. The elections coming next November will be about what sort of future this country will have. I hope God will open people’s eyes to what the options and results will really be.
Well, I’ll get off that topic.

Somewhere a looong time ago, someone said to me that the “the things you do New Year’s Day you will do all year long.” Hmm…yeah, I guess that’s so because New Year’s Day I was out in the patrol car, I had three meals…just a “normal day in the life…” But we all try to get a new year started off on the right foot. It’s a time of new beginnings, time to try and have a new positive attitude. A time to start off with a new Chaplain’s Corner column… umm… well…time to start the year off talking about God in any event. I say “umm… well…” because, although I try to not preach the same sermon more than once, I’m going to recycle a January Chaplain’s Corner from a few years back because it says what I want to say again this year. ☺

A new year. A time of new things. Some of us are lucky enough to get new patrol cars. Some of us just got new DVDs, new toys, new gadets. There will be a new Super Bowl champion. There will be a new World Series champion and a new NBA champion. Some of us have made new New Year’s resolutions and some of us have renewed New Year’s resolutions that were not kept last year. And there will be a new crop of bluebonnets – Texas’ State Flower.

Now, I know that New Year’s resolutions aren’t mentioned in the Bible. But, these annual resolutions are usually made with the intention and expectation that their fulfillment will somehow make us a better person. Sometimes we make the same resolutions year after year because we are simply making an intellectual attempt to change, but there is no real change in our hearts. The Psalmist shares the “secret,” if you will, to becoming that better person: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). The Apostle Paul talks about allowing God to become a part of our lives so that we become “new creatures,” the old having “passed away” (2 Cor. 5:17).

The other “new” that jumps to mind comes in the form of a chorus taken from the Old Testament book of Lamentations: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning.” Along this same line, Isaiah records God’s words: “Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth.” I can’t help being reminded of the bluebonnets. Each spring we get a new crop of bluebonnets. Each day during the blooming season, especially early in the season, we get new blossoms every day. There are all kinds of variations in colors and hues. If we stop to look closely we will find blues and whites and pinks and variegates. And they won’t be the same in the same place next year. They are new each spring. So it is with the blessings and mercies of God. Endless variety, new each day, not just each spring.

But I can close my eyes and refuse to look at the bluebonnets. I can mow them down, or plow them under, or plant other vegetation that will choke them out. I can decide to travel other roads where I know bluebonnets won’t be. So it is with the mercies of God. We can choose to ignore them or live our lives in such a way that He can not bestow His mercies on us.

This year, let’s make a resolution that we’re going to let God make a difference in our lives. Let’s let Him open our eyes to the “bluebonnets” of blessings He desires to grow in our lives.

As we go into this new year, I pray that we might have new and meaningful personal encounters with God which result in new and deeper relationships with Him.

Well, I’ve rambled long enough for now. I hope you had a nice holiday season and have a Happy New Year. Thanks for keeping me company for the past year. Looking forward to having you ride along in 2008. Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

December 2007

What to Give?
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


The “age-old question” that gets asked every year: What do I get for (fill in the blank)? Hi, and welcome to the last Chaplain’s Corner of 2007. A first for me as it closes in on my 54th Christmas: I’ve got almost all my Christmas shopping done! I don’t remember how many times I’ve loaded up our daughter about 10 AM on Christmas Eve and headed to The Mall in Austin to do our shopping. This year I started in August. Unbelievable! Maybe someone should take me to see a doctor. ☺

As always, I kicked around several ideas of what to share, and suddenly the question came to mind: “What do you give to the one who has nothing?” Umm…wait a second. Isn’t that supposed to be “What do you get for the one who has everything?” Yes, that is what you’ll hear on all the TV shows (that is, if the writers end their strike) just before they trot out the latest display of semi-useless, high-priced gizmos. But what God dropped into my heart was “who has nothing.” (I’m beginning to feel, as I sit here and start to write, that God has someone specific in mind that needs some encouragement.)

You see, I thought about talking about “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!” and how Christmas isn’t about the newest, prettiest, most expensive. And that’s all very true. It’s more about giving than receiving, but deep down inside, giving without love rings hollow for both parties. You’ll probably hear that from many directions this season. I asked myself, “How does God look at giving at Christmas?” and that’s when He touched my heart.

What do you give someone who has “nothing?” What did God give us that First Christmas? A Baby. Yes, but more than just a Child. “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be for all people,” said the angel. What did God give to those who “had nothing”? The answer I got almost “stopped me in my tracks.” The gift can be summed up in one word: Hope.

God intervened in human history at a time when His people were discouraged. They felt their situation was hopeless and that even God didn’t care any more. So He sent them a Christmas Gift to let them know how much He cared and to give them hope. The Baby that came to us that first Christmas morning was given many titles (Counselor, Prince of Peace, King of kings and Lord of lords, Mighty God) and He is called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Although He was never given the title, He was the “Bringer of Hope.” He showed us that God will walk through life with us and help us.

Life is not fair. Duh. All manner of…what shall we say... ill-fortune? set-backs? disasters? and yes, heart-aches come our way. At times it seems that we’re looking up trying to find bottom and it’s hard to just keep on keeping on. What gets us “on down the road of life” in these hard times is hope. Hope is that little spark down in our hearts that says “it’ll get better if I can just hang on a little longer.”

What I keep sensing is that somewhere one of my readers (or someone close them) is feeling completely devastated. I can’t tell if it was a death or divorce or something else, but there’s a feeling that there’s “nothing left.” To them “hope” is just a four-letter word. Well, God wants you/them to know that there IS hope. He wants to give you/them the gift of hope this year for Christmas. ☺ One day, as unlikely as it may seem now, this one who’s so desolated will be able to smile again. I can’t tell you how it will work out, I can only say that if you/they will reach out to God, He’ll touch hearts and bring hope and begin a healing.

Can we take a minute for me to offer up a Christmas prayer? (Hehe…can’t stop me now, can you? ☺)

Gracious Heavenly Father, I just pause now to offer up a prayer of thanks for the Great Gift You gave all of mankind on that first Christmas when You sent Your only Son to live among us. I thank You for sending Him with the message of hope. I ask now that as we go through the holiday season this year that we would hear once again the glad tidings of great joy. Help us to be receptive and allow You to touch our hearts. Lord, You know who among my readers are suffering heart-ache and have lost a sense of hope. I pray a special Christmas blessing upon them. Come to them in that special way that only You can and wrap them up in Your love and bring them peace. Let them lose their troubles in the wonder and presence of the Christ-Child. Bless all my dear readers and their families. Keep them safe, especially those working the streets and those traveling. I ask these things in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Let me leave you with this benediction from the words of the Apostle Paul: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)

Wishing you and yours a very blessed and Merry Christmas. I’ll catch you again next year.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

November 2007

Pete and Repeat
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


“Two birds, Pete and Repeat, sat on a wire. Pete flew off and who was left?”
“Repeat.” “Ok. “Two birds, Pete and Repeat, sat on a wire. Pete flew off and who was left?” Hi, and thanks for joining me one more time in the November edition of The Chaplain’s Corner. Anybody want to admit to knowing/using that little never ending question? ☺ It just popped to mind as I reviewed past November columns looking at what I’ve shared in the past. In the interest of starting with Scripture, allow me to borrow a few words from the Apostle Paul: “To write the same things again is no trouble to me…” (Phil 3:1)

The two November holidays, Veterans’ Day and Thanksgiving, are soon upon us again, and I wanted to take this seasonally-appropriate time to say thank you again to the veterans among us.

Being that we live “out in the sticks” we don’t get live TV. So, we are “reduced” to watching tapes and DVDs. For the past week or so Claudia and I have been watching the PBS series “The War” that our daughter recorded for us. My dad served in The War, but he almost never talked about it – just one story that I remember about accidentally kicking a live artillery shell down a stairwell at night in Aachen, Germany, and one about a German pilot trying to drop a bomb on him on Christmas morning. Watching the series gave me some fresh insight on why. It gave me a renewed appreciation of what you folks went through “over there” – wherever “over there” was.

On behalf of myself and my family, I would like to again say to each of you veterans, former POWs, reservists, and active duty military, regardless of what branch of service, what Theater of Operations, what war: “Thank you for your service to our Country. We appreciate what you have done and are doing.”

I know too, that there are veterans that have come home and pinned on a badge and serve in yet another capacity. You rank especially high on my list of heroes. Thank you, also, for your service to our Country and your communities.

As we appreciate those who served and made it home from their last hitch or shift, we also appreciate those who did not. ODMP.org lists 20 Texas officers (as of this writing) whose watch ended this year. We extend our heart-felt condolences to their family, friends and colleagues. Thank you for sharing them with us.


The first Thanksgiving was all about giving God thanks for His blessings. When Thanksgiving was made a national holiday, it was for the same purpose…to set aside a time specifically for giving thanks to God. Yes, my friends, both military and emergency services personnel, you are a blessing from God to our Country and your communities. Let’s take a minute more and let me give Him thanks for giving you to us.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You right now giving You thanks for all these who have given of themselves to serve this Country and their communities. Too often they have received wounds, not only from the enemy, but from those they serve. I ask, Lord, that You might bless them in special and unexpected ways. Help them to continue serving to the best of their ability in the positions they fill, even if it’s only being a Grandparent. I pray for those on active duty on the streets or in the military and ask that You would grant them Divine protection. Give them wisdom, courage and understanding beyond their natural abilities. I lift up those who have been injured physically or mentally in the performance of their duties and have need of healing. I pray too for the friends and loved ones that have been deprived of that son or daughter, spouse or sibling, neighbor or friend by a line-of-duty death here at home or overseas. Bring a comfort to them as only You can. And I thank You for giving me the opportunity to serve these, my readers. Help me to be the encouragement they need, that I might be a blessing to them. Continue to give me Your thoughts and words to inspire and guide them. Amen.

Before I let you go, I want to say “thank you” to all my loyal readers for riding with me. ☺ I was blessed to be able to attend Det. Moreno’s funeral in San Antonio in September. While I was there, a Police Chief that I had never met came up and spoke with me saying he’d read my column for years. That was a blessing. “One more,” and I’ll let you go. I also want to extend a special thank you to any Patriot Guard riders who may be here. I appreciate what your group does.

Blessings to you and yours. See you again next month.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

October 2007

Camo Santa

Chaplain Bill Wolfe

Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hi and welcome to the Chaplain’s Corner.  Good to see you again.

Camo Santa?  The Deer Hunter’s best friend?  No.  heehee…good guess, though.  I complain about the stores putting out Christmas items before they put out the Halloween candy, and here I go bringing up Santa already.  Hmmm… lessee… how many shopping days left?  

Seriously, you know I don’t get political very often, but this recent treatment of General Petraeus  just really got to me.  If it had been me, after those opening comments by certain senators, I would have just gotten up and walked out.  We are at war.  Our troops (many of whom are peace officers when not over there) deserve better treatment than they are getting from the Washington politicians.  For the most part, the troops over there are far more in harm’s way than we are over here on the streets.

In the interest of supporting our troops and boosting their morale, I’d like to ask you to consider helping in a “tangible” way.  Many departments have a “Blue Santa” or a “Brown Santa” at Christmastime, so I wondered if we couldn’t have a “Camo Santa.” 

I have been involved with a non-profit organization for about the last year whose sole mission is to support the troops and the Chaplains that minister to them.  The organization is Adopt-a-Chaplain (AAC).  To oversimplify what they do, they send “care packages” to military chaplains who are deployed overseas who, in turn, share the contents of the packages with the troops.  These care packages are great morale boosters.

Let me share a couple of things from the website, emails, and a couple of reports from the field:

It took Adopt-a-Chaplain 18 months to send its 1,000th box. Now it seems that we hit a 1,000 box milestone every 6 weeks! On April 1, 2007 box number 4,000 was delivered to Chaplain McLaughlin and the 2nd Marine Logistics Group. (The week ending September 22, 2007 saw the 9,000^th box sent out!)

(email 9/15/07)  I'm noticing in correspondence with chaplains a concern they don't have home support due to the political climate in Washington.  They're beginning to feel isolated and forgotten.

Notes from the field:

• Please tell everyone thank you for the packages!!! They have been a big encouragement to me and the soldiers. …. Thank you Thank you Thank you for all of your support.  Ch MH

• I returned here to find box 8023 waiting for me.  Folks, this came at the right time.  Not because of the contents of the box (though that is always great!), but because it told me all that is right, good, and honorable about our country.  Your box is a reminder of why I am over here.  Your box tells me there are folks that care.  Your box gives me the strength to go on when I wanted so bad to just chuck it all.  Most of all, your box lets me know we are not forgotten.  And to that, I salute you and the men and women packing these boxes.  You are our heroes!  Thanks again, and please know that we all over here do appreciate this kindness all so very much.  Ch DH
• "Thank You!"  The goodies inside were perfect!  They will love this stuff.  I plan to take all of these items out to our 2 patrol bases.  Most of our soldiers stay at the patrol bases for extended periods of time without coming back to the main base.  During their time out there, they have very little except a cot to sleep on and pre-packaged military MREs.  The items you sent will be a small taste of home for them, something to take their minds off the fight at least for a little while.  I have taken other items out there before, and let me assure you that they absolutely love the snacks and items like the ones you sent.  You will probably never meet these warriors, but you are giving them a lift by your generous care package.  Thanks.  Ch. D.T.

Well…I said all that to ask you to consider helping AAC to get Christmas out to our heroes “over there.”  But, I literally just received this email from AAC:

We are getting a lot of inquiries about "one time" Christmas projects which will always help.

We figure, and experience has borne this out, that lots of people and groups will do a big Christmas push which is great.  But then following Christmas they receive nothing - except from us.  As a result the time right after Christmas is really a tough time for the troops and chaplains.

So. <sigh>  Talk it over with some of your friends and see if maybe we could conspire with AAC to have “Camo Santa” arrive in January…or something.  (♫ On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Chaplain gave to me….♪)

For more information on AAC’s services to the Chaplains or to help, please contact them at adoptachaplain@yahoo.com.  For information about providing support to the Chaplains’ families back home, please contact Ellen@adopt-a-chaplain.org.   Or visit them at www.adopt-a-chaplain.org.  When you contact them, tell them you heard about AAC from a goofy ol’ police chaplain that thinks Santa wears camo.

Think about it and I’ll talk with you next “shift.”

Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill

llanochaps@moment.net

September 2007

Vigilant and Diligent
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Welcome once again to the Chaplain’s Corner. To paraphrase Mark Twain “the rumors of my retirement were a bit premature.” I don’t know who was more surprised to get the word…me or the Sheriff. I guess it was my using the words “parting comment” last month that gave rise to the idea I was retiring. Nope. Can’t get rid of me that easy…I mean that soon. Ah! I heard Fred back there say “I knew it was too good to be true.” ☺

Vigilant and Diligent... two words that rhyme and have similar but different meanings. (Uh oh…Was I supposed to post a “Warning: Educational Content” before I got started like they do on Mythbusters?) I bring them up not because I found two words that rhyme, but because they came to mind as I reflected on one of the calls from the other day. They are words that label qualities that we should possess in this business. They are also words that play in the spiritual realm as well.

Probably most of you have heard of the guy suspected of killing 5 persons here in Central Texas and was finally caught in New York at the end of August. That whole nightmare started in my patrol area not long after my shift ended that day. The days that followed required heightened vigilance while on patrol and diligence on the part of the investigators trying to find the guy. But, even though we strive to condition ourselves to always have these qualities in play on the job, how many of us seek to do the same in our spiritual lives?

According to the dictionary: Diligent: 1. persevering and careful in work. Diligence: 1. the quality of being diligent; constant, careful effort; perseverance. I’ve often heard the term “doing due diligence.” What does that mean? Well, in an LE setting, it means checking something out for yourself and not just taking someone’s word on it, doesn’t it? When there’s a possibility of a suspect being in a building or trailer, do you check it or do you take someone else’s word that the suspect wasn’t in there yesterday so they won’t be there today? That could get you killed, couldn’t it? But isn’t that the way we approach spiritual things – taking someone else’s word? How many have said that “God doesn’t” or “Jesus is just” or “Jesus isn’t” and can also say that that belief is based on a personal diligent “checking it out?” Be honest now… Remember a while back, I brought up the Scripture in Proverbs that says “those who diligently seek Me will find me.”

Now, when someone comes to you and wants to be a confidential informant, do you automatically accept whatever they tell you? Or do you do some diligence to check up on them and decide whether or not they are in a position to know what they’re talking about? All right, how many check out the credentials of those talking down God to see if they are truly in a position to know what they’re talking about? Okay, let’s leave that for now.

Vigilant: staying watchful and alert to danger or trouble. Vigilance: the quality or state of being vigilant; watchfulness. For the last couple of days, our dispatchers had been broadcasting a BOLO. We were to keep a sharp eye out for a suspect and vehicle even though we may not have expected to see either. In our business we sometimes keep a sharp eye out for something specific, or it may be for that “something out of place” or “just doesn’t look right.” Vigilance could be the difference in whether or not we go home at the end of the shift.

Vigilance is important in our spiritual lives too. The Apostle Paul talks about the “sin that does so easily beset us.” We need to be mindful and watch out for the things that would pull us away from God. But vigilance also applies to watching for God’s impending intervention in human history. Jesus told a parable about a group waiting for a wedding to start. The ones that kept watching (vigilant) were ready when the call came to go in and start the festivities; the others were shut out. He also talked about signs of the end times. He said that when we saw the signs starting to fall into place, we were to “look up” or, in other words, to keep a vigilant watch because things will be about to wind up.

Compare the newspaper and the Book of Revelation and see if you don’t agree that it’s time to get diligent and vigilant about the things of God. He’ll be looking for those who are when He comes to intervene in history again. Give it some thought.

Until next time, then: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

August 2007

Stress – the Final Frontier
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hi, and welcome once again to the Chaplain’s Corner. “The Final Frontier”… boy, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve visited the Star Trek theme for a message. But perhaps the Lord dropped this title into my mind for a reason. I wanted to share with you a bit about stress – Critical Incident Stress to be more specific – and just now as I thought about CIS a Star Trek illustration came to mind.

Beam aboard…I mean pull up a chair and sit down beside it and let’s see where this “voyage” will take us. I know that a lot of you may not be Trekkies, but hopefully most everyone at least has enough exposure to understand the Federation (good guys) vs. the Klingons (usually bad guys). Just in case you’re not all that familiar with Klingon starships, they have the ability to “cloak” and become invisible.

CIS is what happens when we’re unexpectedly subjected to an event (the level of participation in the event notwithstanding) that, basically, shakes us to the center of our being. Or to put it in Star Trek terminology – we’re on a steady course minding our own business, defensive shields down, when a Klingon Bird of Prey uncloaks dead ahead and fires a deadly salvo of photon torpedoes that hit our ship, and immediately recloaks and vanishes, leaving us to sit dead in space calling for a damage report on all decks. The event happens so fast, is so traumatic, that we may have to just sit for a minute and say, “What the heck just happened?”

Yeah, Sam said he saw that episode just last week on the SciFi channel. ☺ Seeing it on TV is one thing, experiencing it in real life is something else again, and in our business it happens all too often. And that’s why I bring it up this month.

Quite some time ago, I shared with you that I had “seen a sort of vision,” for lack of a better term, during the night about two officers in a patrol car. Well, about a month ago I had a similar thing happen, but this time I saw an officer that I didn’t recognize in a blue uniform sitting on the curb crying. I know nothing of what or why, and I think his name was Jimmy. All I could do was to pray for God to comfort him. Last week we had a two-year-old boy drown in a pool here in town, and several of our first responders “took a direct photon torpedo hit.” Then the other day, one of my friends from PoliceOne.com wrote about being first on the scene of a fatal vehicle-vs.-bicycle. You just don’t have time to “put the shields up” sometimes. I’ll bet there are a number of my readers that have taken a hit these last few weeks (especially some of our rookies). The cause of the stress doesn’t have to happen on the streets -- someone is having trouble coping with “being shot” in the simulator recently. That’s why I wanted to touch on the subject for a little bit this time out.

Critical Incident Stress is basically just a normal person having normal reactions to an abnormal event. Emergency services personnel deal with more than our fair share of tragedy, and we all have varying abilities to cope with it. Our ability to cope may or may not be directly impacted by our role in the event. Our reactions may set in almost immediately, or they may not surface for hours or even days later. My reaction to an event may not be the same as someone else involved in the same event, but an emotional reaction is normal and to be expected. Don't berate yourself for having these emotional times. They're part of the grieving process and part of the healing process.

Let me just quickly list some of the reactions that a person may experience following a traumatic event: fatigue, headaches, loss of appetite, trouble or fear of sleeping, recurring thoughts or flashbacks (reliving the event), trouble concentrating or paying attention, memory impairment, moodiness, feelings of guilt or depression, crying spells, withdrawal and wanting to be alone. These reactions will vary in intensity and duration for each person.

OK, what do we do to make it go away? That’s a question that I can’t fully answer. It mostly takes time. There are things that you can do or avoid that will help, such as: get appropriate physical exercise alternated with rest, eat well-balanced meals (I hear you LEOs laughing at that one) even if you don’t feel like it, and limit caffeine, maintain normal work and family routines, spend time with others. Don’t self-medicate and do talk, talk, talk to clergy/chaplains/people you trust. I don’t propose to understand why talking and sharing your feelings helps, but it does. One more “big don’t”: don’t make any life changing decisions until emotions settle down. If the emotional reactions don’t seem to be settling down after a time, seek help.

Your department or another agency may offer CIS Debriefings or peer-support meetings, depending on what the traumatic event was and how many emergency services personnel were involved/affected. I encourage you to attend if they do. It helps to know others are going through what you are, and sometimes you may discover a “piece of the puzzle” that will put your mind at ease and give you some peace that you might not find otherwise.

One other thing that helps is talking with God about it. He was there when it happened. He knows your role and your pain, and He’s willing to help. In fact let me pray with you right now.

Precious Lord, I come before You right now on behalf of my readers who are hurting following a traumatic event. You know what they’ve been through and the hurt in their heart. You know how it replays in their mind. I pray, Dear Lord, that You'd come to them in a special way. I pray that they might be able to pour out their heart before You and that You, in turn, would pour forth Your Spirit into them, bringing healing to their spirit. Bring them through this gently, O Lord. For I ask it in Your Name. Amen.

My parting thought? Leave the “stiff upper lip” stuff to the British. ☺ It IS okay to say that YOU are not okay if you're not.

Talk with you next “shift.”

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

July 2007

DIY Deer Guard
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hi and welcome back to the Chaplain’s Corner. Last month I used my experience in hitting a deer with the patrol car as an illustration. I spoke about the deer guard on the car as being symbolic of a relationship with God, one that will help us when we collide with “things” as we go through life. And I mentioned that there are all different “qualities” of deer guards. But, I never said how to “find one to fit your car.” ☺

There is really only one way to get a “deer guard” to fit our “car” – that is to DIY (no, not DUI, wiseguy). Do It Yourself. We have, to some extent, become a nation of do-it-yourselfers. (Just look at all the home improvement shows out there. Several of them feature women complete with nail aprons, hammers and chop saws.) In the spiritual realm, there are no pre-built “deer guards,” each one is “custom made by hand” by each individual.

When it comes to putting things together, my philosophy seems to tend towards WAEF-RTM (when all else fails, read the manual). Sometimes my “flying by instinct” seems to only get me in deeper. So, in this “construction project” let me highlight the main points of the project and we’ll refer to “the manual” as needed. The neat thing about this project is that there are “no special tools needed.”

The first step seems somewhat over-simplistic, but to get started you need to decide that you want a “deer guard” and then talk to the “supplier.” The Scriptures state that in order to start building we must first believe that God exists and is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) In Proverbs God says that when we sincerely seek Him we will find Him. So, the task is doable. ☺

Ok, we’re going to need some “tubing” – the “raw material.” What we start with is an understanding that God loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with us. He may not approve of things we’ve allowed into our lives, but He loves us nonetheless. The Love of God is strong stuff, suitable for making our “deer guard.”

All right, we’ve got a piece of “tubing” that’s long enough for our needs. The second thing then, is getting the “tubing” “bent.” I’ve said “no special tools required” and that this “tubing” is strong stuff. How then do we get it “bent” into the shape of a “deer guard?” Can’t bend it with our “bare hands.” Exactly. That’s the second point. We have to recognize that we can’t do it by ourselves.

The Good News of the Gospel is that what that we can’t do, God already did. Some 2000 years ago, God stepped into human history to “bend” that “tubing” into a “usable form” by dying on a cross. Then He welded it into a seamless piece of work by rising from the dead on Easter morning. The amazing thing is that in those two events, He made and reserved a “deer guard” for every person who would ever come into being.

OK, so philosophically speaking, God’s got this huge inventory of deer guards, one of which is especially made for each of us. What now? Well, in order for us to benefit from that “deer guard,” we have to get it “attached to our car.”

The attachment process again is simple, “no special tools required.” All we have to do is decide we’re ready to do the “install.” We just say to God “Let’s git ‘er done,” to use a little common lingo. It means we place “our car” in God’s hands and we step back and watch while He does the work. I watched the deer guard as it was being installed on one of our Crown Vics one time. The installer positioned it just so and then he bolted it to the bumper and then welded it to the frame. Similarly, God takes our “spiritual deer guard” and “bolts” it to our mind and “welds” it to our heart so that we have a solid understanding and a heartfelt conviction of what He’s done and will do for us.

What’s that? Oh, some astute Investigator over here has pointed out that I said this was DIY and I keep talking about God doing all the work. Well, it is DIY in that it involves: you making the decision to get a “deer guard”, you placing your faith in God and His promises, and you accepting Him in to your life. No one else can do that for you. It’s not a “group” activity, it’s not something that just “gets passed down from Grandma.”

Well, I see by the “word count on the wall” that I’m “out of time.” Blessings to you and yours. Feel free to drop me an email any time and I’ll see you next month. And … Hey! Be careful out there. ☺

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

June 2007

Stand by for Damage
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


“763, Llano… I just hit a deer. Stand by for damage report.” Bother! I did it again! This time it was 60 mph, a 100 pound doe and no time to react. <sigh> This time I went and broke more than just the mirror. Fortunately the County puts deer guards on the cars, so it wasn’t as bad as could have been.

Hi and welcome back to the Chaplain’s Corner. Before I get started I want to extend my condolences to all the departments that have lost officers this year. In Texas we’ve had three officers down in less than 30 days…I’m writing here just a couple of days after the Henderson County, TX shootings and I’m still a little staggered by it. That makes nine in Texas alone so far this year. That’s more than enough.

This month I want to use deer guards and patrol cars for my illustration, bet ya never would have guessed. I know you city folks don’t have deer guards on your patrol vehicles and you probably don’t need them, but out here in the country they make a difference. (City slickers put deer guards on pickups for show, so I know you know what deer guards are.) One thing they’re good for is that when you see a deer guard and overheads, you can tell right away it’s a county officer.

Okay, time to use your imagination a little. I want to use the CV to represent our lives. Those of you that drive Expeditions may have to use a little more imagination.☺ I know we don’t use a vehicle, as such, to simply get us through life, but if you’ll bear with me… as we go through life, sometimes we just feel lazy and we “drive slowly.” Sometimes we’ve got a hundred things to do at once and we “run hot, but not code.” Sometimes something great happens and we “hit the overheads and siren” and make a lot of noise. If you’re like me, working regular shift plus a second job, sometimes we simply “run out of gas.”

Regardless of how fast we’re running though life, there are all sorts “traffic hazards” that we have to dodge as best we can. Sometimes we can see the obstacle a good ways off and have time to formulate a defense. Sometimes it’s just a pothole that seemed to jump out in front of us and we get jolted, but keep on going. Sometimes things to come out of nowhere, not giving us time to react (let alone figure out an evasive move) and we have a “wreck.”

So here’s where the deer guard comes into play. The idea behind the deer guard is that in a collision damage is very likely, but the guard will help minimize the damages sustained. (Granted, there are a number of factors that enter into the “equation.”) The deer guard, in my little illustration here, equates to our faith in God, our relationship with Him.

We are going to “hit things” with little or no warning in our lives. The things we “hit” all have varying abilities to do “damage” to us… small things when we’re moving slow – no big deal, not much threat of damage. It’s when we collide with the big things that our “deer guard” comes into play. Not only the presence or absence of the guard, but the strength of our “deer guard” will have a bearing on how much damage we sustain.

There are all kinds and qualities of literal deer guards on the market. They vary in gauge of the metal, the quality of the welds, how solidly they attach to the vehicle. The stronger the build and the more solid the attachment, the less the damage. Switching back to our “philosophical deer guard,” when the “major wreck” happens and you have no guard or all you have is “my folks sent me to Sunday School when I was a kid forty years ago,” well …. chances are the “welds” are gonna pop and the “metal’s” gonna bend.

God is like a cop: He tells it like it is. He never said we’d get through this life without having any wrecks. What He said was “I’ll go through life, and the wrecks, with you IF you want Me to. It will be easier on you if we do it together, but…it’s your choice.”

One more quick analogy and I’ll let you get back to work. Prayer is like the body shop; God the “paint & body man.” When you wreck out, you take the vehicle into the shop and discuss the damages with the expert. God is the Expert when it comes to repairing damaged lives. He’s been doing it for more years than either of us has been alive. Prayer is just telling the Expert what happened and where the damage is.

I don’t know just how the repairs will be affected on my CV when I take it in, and I don’t know just how God “bangs out the dents” and “matches the paint.” I think that when John fixes my car, he’ll start from the “inside” and work his way out. God does it the same way. He starts repairs in our hearts and minds.

Think about it and I’ll be back again next month. Until then: blessings to you and yours.


Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net



 

May 2007

From Those You Serve

Chaplain Bill Wolfe

Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hi and thanks for joining me one more time.  May is here, and I’ve got a different kind of column again this month.  (Different seems to be becoming usual, doesn’t it?)  I’ve sorta taken Rush’s “Open Line Friday” to the internet and invited the folks you serve out there to say a few words in memory of the fallen or just to say “Thank You.”  So, here we go:

Officer Ippolito Lee Gonzalez and I would often get our coffee at the same time at a local convenience store.  He and I became friends and during this time my mom was diagnosed with cancer. One morning we got the news there was nothing more that the doctors could do for my mom, there were no more treatment options.  The next morning as I was sitting in my car and crying uncontrollably, Officer Gonzalez parked his car along side of mine.  He was ready to go into the store when he saw me and came over to see what the problem was.  I poured out my heart to him.  He listened.  I mean he really listened.  Officer Gonzalez showed compassion and kindness.  After that he would always ask about mom and how she was doing.  When she died, he gave me a small teddy bear.  I still have that teddy bear.  Eighteen months later Sgt. Ippolito Lee Gonzalez was killed in line of duty.  (EOW 5/7/1995)   I miss him greatly.

                                                            Patty (pw1bear), PA, formerly NJ

Thanks to the men and women in blue that protect and serve our communities; I admire your willingness to put the safety and interest of others before your own.

Paul, Homewood, AL

Please pass on my most sincere "Thank You" to all Police Officers.

As a nurse, I would be unable to count the number of times a Police Officer as has saved my back side, helped me with a nasty patient, or helped me restrain someone before they hurt me. 

I am always shocked and comforted by the many odd behaviors of policemen.  While the rest of us are hiding under a large piece of furniture in fear of what an "out of control" person will do, policemen are running towards the bad guy.  It takes more than training to have the personal ability to run towards danger, it takes something different -- something I doubt most of us will ever understand.  I don't understand the part of your personality that allows you to do what you do, it goes against human nature.

Most people are unable to bring themselves to do the things Police Officers do on a daily basis.  For this you deserve a world of credit and a sincere thank you.  I can't imagine a world without Police Officers.  On behalf of the nurses of the world, please allow me to offer a most sincere, Thank You!  Michelle, RN, Phoenix, AZ

Thank you for what you do for us.  I am glad you are there should we ever need you.  May Almighty God bless you and your family/support system and keep you. Be very careful out there.  Bill & MR, North Central, MS

Thank you to the dedicated men and women in law enforcement. We don't know what a day holds, yet there are those who willingly serve to help make our cities and towns safer and for that I am grateful. God bless you and all those who lift you up in prayer.  May God also bless the friends, families, and survivors and give them peace & strength for each new day, healing and joy for the journey.

                                                            Cheryl, Jasper, IN

We just want to say "thanks, gracias, danke schoen, merci" to all you folks in law enforcement here in the Lowcountry.  We'd use more languages if we knew them!  We don't know what we'd do without you.   Ann & Randy, Charleston, SC

We were pastors at the Glad Tidings Church in Grant County, NM when Deputy Ben Green was slain.  (EOW 2/28/1981)  It was not his regular shift.  He was called in to work for another officer that night.   Because of Ben's death, the other officer dedicated his life to God’s service.  It's as though Ben gave his life to cause him to answer his call into the ministry.  The many, many souls won to Christ through this officer’s ministry are literally because Ben gave his life for his brother officer.  God has and continues to use this terrible event to His purposes.  Ben’s sacrifice was not in vain.  Rev. Weldon & June, Harpers Ferry, WV

In memory of Officer Brian Jackson, DPD (EOW 11/13/2005):  Your sacrifice will always be remembered - Thank God for heroes. You made a difference in people’s lives, and Dallas is a better city because of you. Generations who may otherwise have never been born will now flourish thanks to your good work. Blessed are the peacemakers, and the peace officers.

                                                           Charlie, Flower Mound, TX

Deputy Andrew Taylor, LCSO (EOW 5/9/2005):  Hard to believe it’s been two years already.  The pain has eased some, but the hole is still there.  You have not been forgotten, my friend, you have not been forgotten.  And “thank you” to his brother and sister officers that keep on keeping on.

                                                            Bill, Llano, TX

Just a short thank you to our law enforcement. We are fortunate to have brave and willing officers like "Andy Taylor" to protect and serve to fine folks in Llano, Texas.    Jean, Tow, TX

Bill and I want to thank all of the officers of Llano County and the City of Llano who each and every day put your lives on the line for us.  Each time you walk out of your homes you do not know what waits for you out there.  I pray God keeps each and every one of you safe.  You not only protect us, you help us when we are stranded, locked out of our cars and homes, need a helping hand or a kind word or some friendly advice.  You are there when we need you. Thank you. Bill and Faye, Llano, TX

To all police officers everywhere,

From the bottom of our hearts we want to say "thank you" for all you do.  We always know we can turn to the police when the need arises for help.

Thanks again,   Danny & Marty, Orange Grove, TX

Jesus said, "I came to serve, not to be served".   Go out and serve others.  Each of you have done that and we thank you for all you and your family do for us.  Helen, Robstown, TX

Law enforcements officers,

We want you to know we appreciate all the sacrifices you make to keep our state and towns safe.  I know sometimes it is a thankless job, but we want you to know that the Adams’ in Shamrock, Texas appreciate all you do!  Thank you,The Adams, Shamrock, TX

The first time I met Jack and Phyllis Poe, husband and wife and both Chaplains at the Oklahoma City Police department, was in ICU after an officer was hit by a drunk driver while directing traffic.  Jack’s attention to the family of the officer impressed me to say the least. It was almost as if he was living at the hospital just in case someone in the family needed him and need him they did. It wasn’t just the immediate family of the officer that needed Jack but also the police family. The many prayers from Jack and Phyllis gave Spiritual comfort to the family and the staff at the hospital.  Officer Pete Walker survived the ordeal and returned to the OCPD and is now a Lieutenant.  Jack was the Chaplain in charge of all the Chaplains that came to Oklahoma City to help when the Murrah building was bombed in 1995. Jack was a Colonel In the military during the Vietnam War and is a Colonel in the OCPD.  He can be tuff as nails when in the capacity of being a cop, but just under that exterior beats the heart of a devout Christian willing to give spiritual aide and comfort to anyone that needs it.  Jack Poe is a personal friend and a man I respect very much.  Ben, Jones, OK

As we approach May 15, 2007 Peace Officers Memorial Day, I'm reminded of these words.  "The Highest form of Respect, is Remembrance", and so on this day each year we take time for a special remembrance.    Thank God for the men and women in law enforcement!  Mike & Sandy, Duncanville, TX

A big thanks to the local and state law enforcement officers in Crane County. We depend on you and know you are just a call away.   J&S, Crane, TX

Almost four years ago we had an officer by the name of Rodney Pocesschi killed in the line of duty.  (EOW 6/23/2003)  I did not know this officer but felt such sadness about his tragic death. His was the first LODD funeral I attended and it affected me deeply. I visit his Officer Down page often and think about him every time I pass the spot where he was gunned down. His life touched mine and we didn’t even know each other. He has had a great impact on me and I will be forever grateful for him and his dedication to our city! He paid the ultimate sacrifice and I know he did it with Honor, Integrity and Respect. He is a Blue Angel now walking a Golden Beat and watching over his fellow officers! May he rest in Peace.  Donna (luvavbcop),           Virginia Beach, VA

To all law enforcement officers:

As a granddaughter of a police officer, I wish to say "Thank you" to all of you that wear a uniform.  Even though my grandfather retired in the late 60’s, he was able to see that crime would only get worse.  He had a nickname like so many of you have and his was “Mule.”   It is hard for a civilian to understand the type of job you do, but we’re darn glad you do it.  Daily headaches for a civilian can't begin to compare to what you officers face.  As you all know, it really does take a “special person” to be a police officer.  Knowing many of you from the Internet, you have helped me by listening on several occasions & never complaining; again "Thank you."  I hope that every one of you have a blessed day/night!  I also hope that a citizen will say "Thank you" to you in person.  I know that we don't always think to be courteous to an officer.... but you always keep going, making another call & another call...  I pray everyone leaves their shift and makes a safe trip home.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you!

                                                            Samijo, Houston, TX

What’s the best way to say thank you to people who don’t expect thanks for doing something as dangerous as keeping the peace?  People can answer that question in a number of different ways, but to me, anyone who voluntarily puts himself or herself between me and someone who wishes me harm is a hero, so I’ve composed a snippet of poetry in the Old English style that honors the heroic spirit.  Elisabeth, Waco, TX

Hail the Victorious Dead

For 752

How green the grass o’er our heroes, how hallowed

The ground where their graves are!  Greatly they loved us,

Recked not their own ruin, shield-wearing warriors,

Gone now to God’s rest; those good men and women

Laid down their lives for land and for kinsmen,

Sought not for safety in sight of their foes.

Obeying their oaths,  they overcame evil,

Prizing their pledge to protect and to serve.

To all Law Enforcement officers, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you do while protecting the people in the communities you serve. Far too often police officers end their shifts without somebody saying a simple "Thank You."  You all are the first to run to a person with a gun, or to a domestic dispute.  What people fail to realize is that officers are human, just like everybody else: you have feelings that get hurt, you have family, wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends and children waiting for you at home. So for all those people who don't say, "you're doing a great job," or "Thank You," I'm saying it.  You all have my total support. Thank you for reading this.  Have a great day, and stay safe!!!!!   Angie (sweetgirl1976), Barberton, Ohio

 SACRIFICE

There is no greater sacrifice,

Any man will ever see.

Then to have a brave Policeman,

Giving up his life for me.

To all of those who passed away,

I want to be so sure.

Their names will be remembered,

For now, and ever more.

I wish that I could call each one,

By their given name.

To let them know we won't forget,

Their courage and their fame.

They chose this great profession,

And served with all their might.

Not fearing all the danger,

To them each day and night.

Yes, they had picked to walk a path

Where very few have gone,

And now they are protecting

Heaven, from dust till dawn.

So let's all pray they're happy,

In heaven up above.

While in safety they are doing,

The job they dearly love.

I would like to thank all those that "protect and serve" our communities by putting their lives on the line each day they put on their uniforms. If it were not for your gallant efforts, courage, and dedication to duty the world would be a very sad place to live.  One can not imagine how life would be without Police Officers!  Nobody to protect the innocent, old, young, and those that do not know any better.  May God bless each and everyone of you that provide this valuable service to our communities and that you return home safely to your loved ones.  And especially to those that gave all, may the good Lord give them a special place in heaven as they have served their time in hell. 

I know how Police Officers wives and family feel as my husband is a retired municipal officer and is now affiliated with law enforcement on the federal side of the house.

Thanks again for all that you do and God bless!

                       Sharon (Mrs26Trainer), Pine Bluff, AR

A quick thank you to all the members of the St. Louis County Police Department who capably handle the "big" stuff, but who also take care of assistance: checking out an alarm (false, happily) going off at the home of a senior living alone; quieting the loud neighborhood party which has gone a little too long into the night; even securing the home of a family which has headed off on a trip to another city, forgetting to close their front door in the process!  I've personally seen their dedication and professionalism, a solid combination which allows me to sleep like a baby at night!  Thanks again, SLCPD!

                                                Jim, Florissant, MO

Just recently I have been sending sympathy cards out to the different police departments who had losses.  I never realized (I am not sure if I am saying this right) the numbers to be so great. I am now getting ready to send out another sympathy card out along with a get well card to South Bend, IN.

I guess what I want to say is: police officers, please be careful. You are needed. And if something should happen to you, you would surely be missed. I also wanted you to know that I pray for your safety each and every time I pray. Please take care of yourselves. Thank you for all that you do.

                                      Patricia, Mifflinburg, PA

I’ve saved this one for last, a fitting benediction…a prayer for “The Thin Blue Line.”

Dear Father, how I thank You for each and every peace officer in this wonderful state of Texas!  I pray that You will pour out unnumbered blessings on all of these who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times.  May Your favor rest upon each of these public servants; establish the works of their hands, and be a shield about them as they face danger every day in order to protect the rest of us from danger.  May Your angels encamp about these warriors as they protect and serve the people in their neighborhoods.  Keep their families and loved ones safe, and let Your lovingkindness fill their homes.  I pray that You will meet their every need.  As Your servants end their shifts, may they rest peacefully, knowing that You will keep them safe.  May these peacekeepers be anxious for nothing, but let Your peace that passes all understanding guard their hearts and minds.  Guard them as they go out on patrol and as they come in again.  May they never grow weary in their well-doing, and may Your joy be their strength.  I pray in Jesus’ precious, lovely name. Amen.     Claudia, Llano, TX

Once again, I thank you for riding along.  And thank you for your service to your community.  I’m honored to be on the same “team” – The Thin Blue Line.

Chaplain Bill

llanochaps@moment.net

April Fools

Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Well, here it is April again. Every year when I start trying to come up with something for April, I ask myself what sort of April Fool’s joke I can do. While I keep coming up dry, I remember that most folks won’t be reading my column on 1 April. That, in turn, reminds me of what my dad used to say when I’d try hitting him with an April Fool’s joke a couple of days early (or late). He’d tease me by saying “April Fool’s a-comin’; you’re the biggest fool a runnin’.” Always made me blush.

Having decided not to try coming up with a joke, I was out walking the dog (for the ?? time that evening) and I was looking up at the multitude of stars when the thought came that there is so much that the collective “we” know so little about. I don’t know how many stars are in the constellation of Orion, but take, for example, the three stars that make up Orion’s belt. Three stars of apparently equal brightness and an equal distance between the two outer stars from the middle one. But, what do we really know for absolute certain about those stars?

As I pondered that for a moment, my mind recalled the passage in Psalms that says “The fool says in his heart that there is no God.” (Psalms 14:1 and 53:1)
A fool is someone who clings to a belief based on faulty assumptions. A fool, also, is someone that rejects help in a time of need or takes risks that have a high probability of fatal consequences. Why is a person a “fool” to say God doesn’t exist? Let’s look at a few reasons that spring to mind.

The first becomes obvious when gazing at the night sky. To hold as a core belief that God doesn’t exist is to proclaim that the person knows everything there is to know about everything there is to know something about. When you look at the night sky, you can see only a portion of Space. Just because you can’t see a constellation in the other hemisphere doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I can maintain that the Southern Cross doesn’t exist, but those in Australia and New Zealand would think me a fool.

Okay, what’s the difference between a live person and a dead one? There is something that changes at the moment of death. Life departs. Can you prove that “Life” exists? Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you hear it? You can see the “effects” of “Life,” but you can’t see “Life itself.” Just because you can’t see God with the physical eye doesn’t preclude His existence.

Secondly, a person who denies the existence of God is a fool because that person cuts him/herself off from the benefits of a personal relationship with God. It’s a rarely fortunately person that makes it through this life without suffering heartache and tragedy and personal problems. The person who denies that God exists has nowhere to turn for help when the pain and hurt is deep inside. Alcohol and drugs may take their mind off of the problems and pain, but that doesn’t help them heal or solve the problem. The person who says God doesn’t exist isn’t going to find Him in their time of need because, as Scripture records, to find God, one has to “believe that He is, and is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Then thirdly, we get one go-round in this life, and the “roulette wheel” is spinning. We don’t know when it will stop and you’ve only got until it does to place your bet. To say that God doesn’t exist is to put all your chips on 32 Red. If the wheel stops on anything other than 32 Red, you loose the whole enchilada. That’s a mighty big risk when you consider what the Bible says the options are.

I’m sure there’s a bunch of you that are saying “Yeah, but if God does exist, why does He allow…” I don’t know. It would sure make our jobs easier if He didn’t. But the perps will answer to Him eventually. They’re not getting away with it; it’s just “deferred adjudication” – there’s one sentence and no appeal.

Hey, thanks for listening and riding along again.

Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net




March 2007

Spring Has Sprung … A Leak?
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hello, and welcome once again to the Chaplain’s Corner. As you can see from your bulletin, today’s order of service is: a song, announcements, two songs, the offering… Hehe...teasing you. Actually, though, I do have a quick announcement before we get started. My friend, Denise, who writes a devotional for LEOs called CopDevotionals, convinced me to “branch out” and begin sending my monthly column out via email. I’ll put our subscription info at the bottom.

It’s always a little difficult to know when to write about climatic seasons since Spring doesn’t come to all areas at the same time. In Texas we have a saying about the weather: “Don’t like it? Wait five minutes, it’ll change.” Highs: yesterday 70; today 38. (That’s why the grass didn’t get mowed today.) No, I’m not going to complain about the weather, although it does figure in my thoughts this month. Spring has sprung … a leak? What in the world does that mean? Pull up a chair and I’ll explain.

If you read the Gospels, you’ll often come across the phrase “the kingdom of God is like…” Well, the last couple of weeks (while it was still “winter”) I started seeing some similarities between life and the interaction of weather and trees. I know…I’m talking with LEOs, not some group of freshman forestry students, but I think Ricky, and others of you, need some encouragement.

My first observation, looking at a bare tree on a cold, windy, overcast day, was that some would say that was a picture of their life…cold, gray and – dare I say it – with the chill breeze of hopelessness blowing. Cold…yes. Unpleasant…yes. Hopeless…no. I say that first, because as we all know Spring DOES follow Winter. Sometimes it’s a lengthy transition, sometimes it’s sudden. Some years Spring comes earlier than others, but it still shows up. Second, as we look at the tree, even if we get real close, it looks dead and lifeless. But if you could see inside the tiny buds, deep inside there is life – there are leaves…just waiting for the right time to come forth. Sometimes these buds get buried in the branch as it grows, only to pop forth unexpectedly sometime in the future. God has designed it to work that way. No matter how bleak the “winter,” God’s got some new life, some new growth saved back. As long as God loves us, there is hope.

Now, about Spring springing a leak…my second observation. When we moved into this place I planted several ash trees. For the last several years they were among the first trees to feel the effects of Spring and start leafing out. Then winter leaks back in – a heavy frost. Invariably the new growth gets burned and dies. Again, “life imitates nature.” If we’ve lived more than 18 years, we’ve undoubtedly had times in our lives when it seemed things were really taking off, only to have them crash and burn a short time later. Hurt? You bet. But … it’s not the end. When the new growth on the tree freezes and dies, the tree waits a while and then sends out another set of new leaves in a slightly different direction. When frost hits our lives, we grieve for a while, and then gradually we start to grow again, but perhaps in a different direction. There is hope. The frost doesn’t kill the entire tree, it just damages the most tender parts.

The poet says, “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.” Ever admired a pastoral landscape with ancient, majestic trees? If you were to look closely at the branches of those trees, you’d see that they aren’t straight. They bend and fork and go off at different directions. When you look up into the tree, the branches appear a chaotic randomness. But, when viewed from a distance, you get a whole different effect. That is, in effect, what the Apostle Paul is talking about when he writes in Romans 8:28: “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Not everything that happens in our lives is enjoyable. Hurts and heartaches are inevitable. But, if we can get hold of God in the bad times, He will work in us and for us, and in the end we can be like the old, stately, but not straight, tree – a survivor and an inspiration to others.

My life is like a weaving
Between my God and me.
I do not choose the colors,
He worketh steadily.
Sometimes He weaveth sorrow,
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the underside.

Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the skillful Weaver’s hand
As the threads of gold and silver,
In the pattern He has planned.
Corrie Ten Boom


I could go on and on, but I’ve got to stop. We’re out of time again. (This chair was getting too hard anyway.) Feel free to drop me an email and we can continue this discussion if you want to.

Denise’s devotionals are at www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/copdevotionals/
My mail group is at www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/chappys_echaplain_chat/

Blessings to you and yours… and Hey! be careful out there.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

February 2007

Watch His Hands

Chaplain Bill Wolfe

Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hello, and welcome to the February Edition of the Chaplain’s Corner.  This month’s column is a little different, but then, Hey! you’ve known for a while now I was a little different, haven’t you?  hehe 

Hey, I just got a call … hop in.  I want to take you over here a ways to check out a subject that keeps showing us his hands.   Bring your ‘mind’s eye’ and we’ll talk as we pull this call.

Beginning early in the Academy we’re taught: watch his hands.  Keep his hands where you can see them.  What’s he doing?  Watch his hands … your very life may depend on it.  I want to take you over here a ways to check out a subject that keeps showing us his hands.  I guess he knows to keep his hands in plain sight, but there’s more to it than that, I think.

There…that’s him, the dark-headed one with the beard…let’s stand back here for now and watch a minute.

Watch His hands…

They look fairly ordinary hands to me.  Now that I see them closer, they look rough, like a carpenter’s hands, maybe.  Yeah, I remember now…that’s how He made His living as a young man.

What’s He doing?  Watch His hands…

He’s talking with children.  He’s laughing with them, telling stories, giving hugs and drying tears. He’s placing his hands on their heads and blessing them.  Are they priest’s hands then? 

Watch His hands…

There’s dumb ole Peter, thought he could walk on water.  Uh oh, looks like Pete’s about to drown.  But wait…His hands again…reaching out; grabbing Peter and bringing him into the boat.  Are they a friend’s hands then, or are they more than that?

Now what?  He’s coming over to a blind man.  Watch His hands…

He may try to rob him.  What in the world?  He’s making mud and putting it on the blind man’s eyes.  Amazing!  The blind man can see again!  Are they a healer’s hands then?

What’s that in His hands now? 

A basin of water?  What’s He going to do with that?  He’s washing those men’s feet and drying them with a towel.  Are these a servant’s hands then, or something more?

Watch His hands…

Oh no!  He’s being beaten.  But He keeps His hands at His side…in plain sight.  He’s not fending off the blows.  Why?  What’s going on here?  These are certainly not the hands of a coward.

What’s happening now?  Watch His hands…

Those soldiers have thrown Him down on a cross made of wood and now they are driving big spikes through His hands.  Wood and nails; the raw materials of a carpenter.  The hands that once shaped wood now nailed to wood where they’re plain to see.  These hands, this wood, these nails…He is about to use these to build something no mortal carpenter could build.

Watch His hands…

It’s several days later now and He’s showing His hands to His friend Thomas.  Showing them to him to prove His identity.  So that Thomas’ faith will be strengthened.

Look.  He’s walking over toward us now.  Watch His hands…

What’s He have in His hands?  They look empty to me…no…now I see…they’re full of love.  Love and something else…a scar.  Love in the form of a scar.  He’s showing us His hands so we can plainly see what He’s been up to.

A Carpenter’s hands.  A Priest’s hands.  The hands of a Servant, a Friend and a Healer.  Blameless hands that have been pierced by nails.  All to demonstrate to everyone how much He loves them individually.

Now, what are you going to do with these hands?  This Subject?  Say “it’s a civil matter” and drive away?  Say “He’s just a man,” then cuff these hands behind His back and stuff Him out of sight in the back seat?  Or reach out and touch that scar and say “You did this for me?”

It’s your call now.  I’ll wait in the car while you decide. 

Like a Hallmark card at Valentine’s Day…God cared enough to send the very best to say how much He loves you.

Chaplain Bill

llanochaps@moment.net

January 2007

The Fourth Man
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



HAP-PEEE NEW YEA…oh…Hello, and welcome to the first Chaplain’s Corner of 2007. When we were kids, my brother and I would always spend New Year’s Eve at our grandparent’s house and we’d always watch Guy Lombardo and always watch the same movie. I don’t remember the name of the movie now, but it’s one of the Classics. The movie ended with the ballroom full of people singing Auld Lang Syne and one of the main characters shouting “Hap….pee New Year.” <sigh> Fond memories.

Well, ready or not, here it is 2007. I’m looking at the new year with mixed emotions. I’m sure events will come in our lives that will be fond memories years down the road. At the end of February I turn 54; the same age my Dad was when he passed from this life. That has its own set of emotions. I’m hoping that we’ll get a break in the drought. I’m a bit apprehensive about how the situation in the Middle East and the changes in our national government will play out. But it’s all in God’s hands; ain’t a whole lot I can do about it except hold on for the ride and pray.

I’ve recently gone back and have been rereading the Old Testament Book of Daniel, and things are really falling into place, lining up for the “Last Days.” It’s kind of thrilling because it verifies the accuracy of the ancient Hebrew prophets.

One of my favorite Bible passages is found in Daniel. I think a lot of folks have heard the story about Daniel in the lion’s den, but perhaps fewer have heard the names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their tale is found in the 3rd chapter of Daniel, if you want to look it up. (What’s that? You don’t have a Bible in your glove box? If you want one, mail me and I’ll send you one.)

Okay, So what’s the scoop on these three? Well, let me see if I can come up with a “Reader’s Digest” version. These three young men were minding their own business when the ruler of Babylon decided that everyone should follow his religion and worship as he said or their lives would be forfeit. Talk about forcing one’s convictions on everyone else! The three copped an attitude and said “Ain’t gonna do it; you can’t make us.” Well, that put the fat in the fire, literally. The King got his nose seriously bent out of shape and ordered them to be thrown into a blast furnace.

Now comes the best part. (Note: never take jailers out on a fire.) The jailers who brought the trio to the furnace forgot their bunker gear and became toasted marshmallows as they threw the three into the fire. But something tremendous happened! Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego weren’t killed by the fire; they weren’t even singed. And they were joined in the midst of the furnace by a fourth Man who didn’t come in the same way as they did. The king looked in and saw them and declared that the fourth Man looked like the Son of God.

Well, glory! That Scripture always gets me energized. I KNOW that it’s highly unlikely that something like that will happen to me or even in this country. (Any persecution of Christians is a bit more subtle, for the time being at least.) But along with other Scriptures, it confirms that whatever comes this next year, if I’m standing firm in my faith in Christ, He will be there to see me through.

In the Psalms, David says God will be with us through the valley of the shadow of death. In the Book of Daniel, when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, the God he served saved him. Over in the New Testament, when Peter was about to drown, Jesus reached out His hand and pulled Peter to safety.

Forrest Gump once said, “Stupid is as Stupid does.” Well, Peter and I may make some stupid mistakes, but Jesus loves us anyway and is always ready to pull us out or walk through the fire with us. It’s not about rules. It’s about a relationship: taking a stand for Him and then reaching out to Him for help when we find things too hot or the water too rough to handle.

Another new year, plenty of opportunities for letting God show you that He’s real and can make a difference in your life. Give Him a chance. What have you got to lose?

Thanks for “riding along” for the past year. Glad to have you aboard for 2007. Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

December 2006

Do You See What I See?
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hello, and welcome to another Christmas Edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. Last year’s December article, “Christmas on the Dog Watch,” started with my musing about a bright star that I’d see each night. As I write this year, I’m currently on the day watch, but the star is still fresh in my mind.

What was different about that star? “A star is a star is a star, right?” Heehee, spoken like a true city-slicker that can’t see the stars. Well, first off, it seemed larger than the stars around it and somehow it seemed closer than the others. It was very bright and shone with a steady light. (I heard that, wiseguy…no, it WASN’T the moon.) That it was in the western sky, I guess, is what helped draw my thoughts towards the Christmas Star and this piece of Christmas carol:

♪ Said the night wind to the little lamb,
"Do you see what I see,
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see,
A star, a star, dancing in the night,
With a tail as big as a kite,
With a tail as big as a kite."♫

The Christmas Star is mentioned in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (NASB)

I want to take a few minutes and look at a few points about this Scripture.

“Magi” isn’t a term we hear frequently in our society in this day and age. These men were what we’d more likely call scholars. They were astronomers and astrologers. The night sky was their area of expertise, so it would be expected that they’d notice something unusual. What it was about this star that caught their attention is never mentioned, but something about it signified to them that an event of great importance was about to or had just taken place.

Why didn’t others see the star? Presumably it was visible to the “general public,” but then to the casual observer “a star is a star is a star.” Some probably saw the star and said “Wow! Now that’s a star!” and went on about their business. When God tries to get our attention, sadly some just aren’t interested.

Did you notice in the Scripture they didn’t ask “For Whom does the star shine?” They asked “Where is He?” God had settled in their hearts the certainty of what the Star was all about. God had set up a “homing beacon,” if you will, to guide these men.

One other thing that jumps out at me in this passage of Scripture: generally one pays homage to a king, yet they came to worship this one. Subtle difference in meaning perhaps, but while homage is an action to show honor or respect and can be merely for show, worship is the out-flowing of the heart with love and adoration towards what is being worshipped.

A few verses later, the Scripture records that where the star had been leading west for the whole journey, it now changed location and led them south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. As they traveled south, the star rose higher in the sky “until it came and stood over where the Child was.”

We live “out in the country” where there aren’t a lot of ground lights to drown out the stars. As I was walking Mr. Dog here a few minutes ago, I turned out the flashlight and looked up at the night sky. I tried to imagine seeing The Star and I could almost feel the thrill that the Magi must have felt as they came to the place where the star was directly overhead.

How long after Jesus’ birth they arrived is debated, but when they arrived doesn’t really matter. What matters is that they came to worship Him. They came at personal expense and lengthy travel and discomfort, and yet they presented gifts from heartfelt adoration.

Many, many folks missed that first Christmas for a variety of reasons. In my mind’s eye, I can see the crowded inn not far from where a Baby was being born in a stable. I can sense the hustle, bustle and noise as family and friends visited, shouting to be heard over the hubbub. And in so doing they missed it. Others might well have seen the star and blew it off or simply admired its beauty and went on their way.

The birth of God’s Son went unnoticed by the majority who missed the meaning, not just the event, as many still do to this day. Christmas is not about Santa Claus and turkey dinner and PlayStation 3. It’s about the humble birth of an extraordinary Child. It’s about God intervening in human history. As the Apostle says it was “God demonstrating His own love toward us.” That “us” is you and me.

Yes, this season of the year is a hectic one for us all, both on the job and at home. It’s my hope that you will be one of those that takes time to hear and take to heart the news that

“today in the City of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”


Wishing you and yours a very blessed Holiday Season, and we’ll visit again in 2007.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

November 2006

Service that Deserves Thanks
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hi and thanks for joining me one more time. Duty, Honor, Courage, Valor. Welcome to War Stor…I mean the November edition of The Chaplain’s Corner. November brings us elections and holidays. (Opening day of “Deer Season” would be a national holiday in Texas if it didn’t come on Saturday.) I’d like to spend a few minutes tying the two November holidays together – Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving – by doing some giving of my thanks.

Duty, Honor, Courage, Valor. Some of you undoubtedly recognize the “theme words” from the TV show War Stories and know the operative phrase “theirs is a story that deserves to be told.” Let me modify that phrase a little: Theirs is a service that deserves to be recognized and given a big THANK YOU. Each day that passes we lose a few more veterans of all the conflicts from WW II forward. On behalf of myself and my family, I would like to say to each of you veterans, reservists and active duty military, regardless of what branch of service, what Theater of Operations, what war: “Thank you for your service to our Country. We appreciate what you have done and are doing.” Our way of life would be so different if it weren’t for your answering the call. (And all the Wolfes stand up and wave American flags.)

I know too, that there are veterans that have come home and pinned on a badge or grabbed a medical bag and serve in yet another capacity. You rank especially high on my list of heroes.

Duty, Honor, Courage, Valor. These terms also fit other heroes that I want to thank as well. As I have said before: whether you respond in a Crown Vic, a SWAT van, fire truck, med-evac chopper or ambulance, or work undercover, you – my fellow servants in the emergency services fields – are heroes too. You are the everyday heroes that we can’t do without. I know it’s not the same as media or other publicly expressed appreciation, but you all have my family’s admiration and our thanks for serving in the way you do. (And all the Wolfes wave their flags again.)

As we appreciate those who served and made it home from their last hitch or shift, we also appreciate those who did not, and we extended heart-felt condolences to their family, friends and colleagues.

The first Thanksgiving was all about giving God thanks for His blessings. When Thanksgiving was made a national holiday it was for the same purpose…to set aside a time specifically for giving thanks to God. Yes, my friends, both military and emergency services personnel, you are a blessing from God to our Country and your communities. Let’s take a minute more and let me give Him thanks for giving you to us.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You right now giving You thanks for all these who have given of themselves to serve this Country and their communities. Too often they have received wounds not only from the enemy but from those they served. I ask Lord, that this year, at this season, You might bless them with expressions of appreciation when they least expect it. Help them to continue serving to the best of their ability in the positions they fill, even if it’s only being a Grandparent. I pray for those on active duty on the streets or in the military and ask that You would grant them Divine protection. Give them wisdom, courage and understanding beyond their natural abilities. I lift up those who have been injured physically or mentally in the performance of their duties and have need of healing. I pray too for the friends and loved ones that have been deprived of that son or daughter, spouse or sibling, neighbor or friend by a line-of-duty death here at home or elsewhere. Bring a comfort to them as only You can. And I thank You for giving me the opportunity to serve these, my readers. Help me to be the encouragement they need, that I might be a blessing to them. Continue to give me Your thoughts and words to inspire and guide them. Amen.


Blessings to you and yours. See you again next month.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

October 2006

Perhaps
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department


Hi and welcome once again to the Chaplain’s Corner. Good to see ya. 
 

New World Dictionary definition: per-haps adv. possibly; maybe.

Perhaps…maybe…who knows?...Lord willing. <sigh> all sorts of ways I could go here. Yes…yes…all sorts. But there I feel that there is someone out there – I’m sure there is someone – that needs a bit of encouragement.

Encouragement!? Nah. Every officer in every department is fired up and ready to go; on board; 100%. We have to deal with the public, equipment, promotions, the public, the chain of command, spouses and family, the public and elected officials. What’s to get us down? Ummm...all of the above? Yes, I think it’s safe to say that at least one of the above has got a bunch of you this month, but the ones I want to talk to in particular this month are the ones that are discouraged about the job.

Perhaps. Interesting word now that I ponder on it. The two words that the dictionary uses to define it could have somewhat opposite connotations: the word “maybe” expressing an element of doubt and second guessing; the word “possibility” expressing an element of optimism. The latter is our focus. 

For our Scripture lesson this month I want to take us into the Old Testament, to a story that takes up a whole Book, albeit a small one, by the name of Esther. The more I look at Esther’s story, the more police parallels I see. I’ll give you the “Chaplain Bill condensed paraphrased version” of the story (meaning I’m leaving out a bunch of details). The events recorded in the Book of Esther happened around 470 B.C., about 9 years after Esther had graduated from the academy…I mean become Queen. Suffice it to say, she found herself in a position where she had a choice to make. A lot of people were about to be affected by some bad decision making on the part of the King, over which they had no control. Esther’s choices were that she could put her life on the line to protect the lives of people she didn’t even know (some probably didn’t even like her) or “pack it up and go home.” Hmmm….that sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

So, what does she do? She goes and talks to the Chaplain, I mean, her uncle. And her uncle puts it to her this way: “Perhaps you have come into the Kingdom for just such a time as this.” Being from Texas,  Esther said “I reckon yo’re right.” So she asks the Chaplain, I mean, her uncle, to be in prayer for her; plans her strategy and steps into harm’s way not knowing what the outcome will be, not knowing if anyone would later thank her; she just knows she’s got it to do, and she gets it done.

“Perhaps you have come into the Kingdom for just such a time as this.” I did a lot of talking just to get us to where, perhaps, we can find encouragement in this thought.

Whatever our role in law enforcement might be, we can find all sorts of reasons to be discouraged with our jobs. Somewhere out there a patrol officer is sitting in his/her car or the squad room feeling lonely and thinking “What’s the point? Am I really needed out there?” The answer is: yes. I’m sure you veteran officers can say “amen” to this: some day, some time there will be a situation arise where you are in the proverbial “right place at the right time.”

I’m a firm believer in the concept that God does place individuals in the “right place at the right time.” Sometimes that placement will prevent an incident, it may be that your presence will prevent a situation from becoming worse. I can’t tell you what it will be or when it will be in your career, and it’s probably not going to be a once-in-a-career thing. It may be that you’ll be presented with one of those circumstances when you have the choice to take a life-threatening risk or turn and run. When it happens, ask yourself “Perhaps…”

I’m certain that if you’ll just hang on, the time is coming when someone will say to you: “I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t come when you did.” Again, I can’t give you specifics for your life, but I can give a quick example.

We have a reserve officer for the City, 717. He is a trained, career hospital nurse. I believe God put it into his heart to choose to put on the badge this past Tuesday. His partner, 704, has trained as a medic. First crack out of the box: a 3-vehicle 10-50 – 5 flown out. Then roughly five hours later, a 2-year-old girl gets hit by a pickup out in the street. You can guess who were first on the scene. What are the chances you have two medically trained officers in the same car? What are the chances that you have a nurse who lives and works almost 40 miles away on duty the day you have two such accidents?

“Perhaps…” It’s just possible that tomorrow will be your turn to be in the “right place,” and you may not know it until after it’s all over. 

Think about it and I’ll talk with you next “shift.”

Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
 

September 2006

T Minus 3 ½ and Holding
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department



“T minus 3 minutes and holding.” Wow…that brings back memories: John Glenn, Alan Sheppard; Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo; watching with bated breath as heroes rode “fireballs” into the heavens on live TV. Then watching again as they returned to earth no-one-knew-exactly-where; watching the broadcast from the deck of the aircraft carrier as they scanned the sky for parachutes. <sigh> Space exploration just won’t be the same again.

Hey, welcome once again to The Chaplain’s Corner. I bet there are many of you of my generation who remember what I might call “the Glory Days” of the space program – back when everyone in the country was glued to their TV to watch the launches and returns. “Space -- the final frontier.” You youngsters who grew up with the Space Shuttle and Star Trek – The Next Generation missed it. But NASA isn’t exactly the rabbit trail I wanted to chase this month, though it makes a good starting place. J

If I stop and “listen” I can still hear Walter Cronkite saying: “T minus 4 minutes and counting” – the proverbial countdown to launch. The closer it got to 1 minute the more suspenseful. And then Chris Kraft of Mission Control: “T minus 3 minutes and holding.” HOLDING?!?! It was said so calmly. The countdown wasn’t the only thing being held…we held our breath, too. “Holding” meant something wasn’t quite right and we had no way of knowing how long that “hold” would last.

Changing focus now, there’s a “voice” of a different kind of Mission Control that’s saying: “T minus 3½ years and holding.” It’s nigh on to impossible to view the events in the Middle East without Biblical prophecy coming to mind. In fact, the news commentators often use Biblical terminology to describe things over there.

Daniel in the Old Testament, the book of Revelation in the New, and the Gospels all talk about end-time events. For years people have ridiculed those who have proclaimed that we’re in the “last days,” but now as events and political alliances begin to align ever closer to those spelled out in the Bible, as increasing hatred of the radical Muslim world is directed more blatantly towards the U.S. and Israel, I have to wonder how much time is left us.

The Bible speaks of wars and rumors of wars, and we are certainly seeing that played out each day. It says that these are just the beginning of the end. I think that the U.S. action in Afghanistan and Iraq may have delayed the inevitable, but for a short time only. The rallying of the Arab world to Hezbollah in the fighting against Israel shows it “ain’t gettin’ any better” in terms of Arab/Israeli relations.

Every time fighting breaks out in the Middle East, political figures the world over all chase their tails trying to be the one that comes up with a solution to the problem and bring peace to both sides. But it hasn’t happened yet. We’re in a “hold” in the “countdown.” I don’t know how long that hold will last. I can’t predict it any more than I could predict a hold in a NASA launch. But one day – and I think it’ll be soon – someone will come up with the plan for peace. And it will work. The Bible says so. But it also says it won’t be a lasting peace. “T minus 3½ years and holding.” Once peace appears to be truly established in the Middle East the “countdown” will resume. Folks, it ain’t gonna be pretty when the clock runs out.

So…what do we do? Jesus said “when you see these things come to pass, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” He also said we were to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” What we do now is start taking spiritual inventory of our lives. We start paying attention to what “the Good Book” says and start building a solid personal relationship with God while the building’s good.

Let me finish out our time here with this: remember what I said about riding “fireballs” before? Five years ago (short for most of us – eons for others), we all sat glued to the TV to watch a completely different and unimagined kind of “fireball.” It happened that fast. The world changed in minutes.

We watched heroes make “The Ultimate Sacrifice” and then we watched other heroes go beyond human endurance. 9/11 plus 5. Five years since New York’s Finest, both police and fire, proved that they deserved the title. We must never forget that although they deserved the title, they didn’t deserve their fate. The terrorist attacks that terrible day show that the world as we know it, life as we know it, can change that fast.

Not to despair. I’ve read to the end of The Book and I know how it ends. J There are very hard times coming, yes, but at the end of it all God’s going to rebuild it all and for those of us who have built a relationship with Him, life will be better than we could ever imagine.

Until next time: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

August 2006

The Scariest Duty – Part 2
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Heeeeeeeeeeere’s August! Hey! You came back. J  Welcome once again to the Chaplain’s Corner. Wanted to see what kind of “scary” I could dig up this time, eh? Well, right now knowing that there’s a bunch of folks waiting to see what I’m gonna write makes writing this month a little scary. J

Ok. Scary. “It was a dark and stormy night…” nah, I won’t go there. I’ll leave that one for Snoopy.

As a starting point, let’s review something I said last month:

Ok, what makes something scary? Well, there is some component of the scenario that triggers a fear response. That component can be as diverse as the person facing it. It could be the subject(s) involved, the location, the time, the availability of backup. But I would suggest that two of the major things are the lack of confidence in the ability to control the situation, and the fear of the unknown – the inability to know all the variables in the situation and the unpredictability of the outcome. Or, to put it another way, the fear of the unknown is a fear of what impact the resolution of the event will have on me physically and/or mentally: Will it mess with my “status quo”? Will it rock my boat or sink it?

Facing the scary scenario and plowing through it is what some call taking a step (or leap) of faith. A person may well come out the other side a changed individual…

The “Scariest Duty.” That phrase triggers memories and anticipation in most of our minds. What seems frightening at the time often isn’t so frightening when looked at when it’s behind us. Ah, there’s someone out there that isn’t comfortable with “frightening.” I’ve heard it said more than once that police work is 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror. A little fear is what allows us to go home at the end of the shift sometimes.

The scary duty that I want to talk about this time has its basis in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, chapter 18, verses 1 through 6 to be precise. In this passage God tells Jeremiah to go down to a certain potter’s house and watch him making clay vessels. Jeremiah watched as the potter began to form some pot or bowl, and during the making he decided that it wasn’t coming out right. So he began to remold it into a different shape. The point of the passage is that God has a plan for each of our lives, but that our lives don’t always seem to turn out the way He would like to see them. There are lots of reasons for that. The chief reason is that He has given us a free will, a free moral agency. For a lot of us, if we were honest, we see our lives not turning out like we’d like them to be.

The good news is that God can change things. He, as presented in this passage, is very willing to remold us. The catch is…the Scariest Duty. We have to willingly place ourselves on “the potter’s wheel” and allow Him to change those things that need changing. This is equally true for someone who never has had a personal relationship with God and for someone who has walked with God for years. Remember what I said a bit ago? The fear of the unknown is a fear of what impact the resolution of the event will have on me physically and/or mentally: Will it mess with my “status quo”? A person may well come out the other side a changed individual.

Why is it so scary to turn our lives over completely to God? I would venture to say that, in part, it’s the fear of the unknown: we don’t know how it will turn out. Sure, I know that God always has my best interest at heart, but if I get up on that “wheel,” I lose control. I don’t get to say what I want to be. What if He sends me to….? What if He takes away my desire for…? What will my friends/family think? What if I don’t want do what He wants me to?

A police parallel might be: Dispatch sends you on a call. You go 10-23, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Now you have to decide whether or not to get out of the car. What Dispatch hasn’t told you is that the Chief’s inside waiting to present you with an award and promotion.

The plain truth of the matter is that the closer we get to God, the more we learn to trust Him to get it right. And the more we trust Him, the less it matters how it turns out.

I’ve run out of time again. Drop me an email and we can talk more about it.

Until then: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net

 

July 2006

The Scariest Duty – Part 1
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department

Hello, and welcome back to the Chaplain’s Corner. Hang on a second while I turn the A/C down a bit. Tad warm this time of year. I’ve had this title rattling around in my head for some time now, and I think now is perhaps the time to get it out so we can look at it.

I heard that…Tom over there in SWAT just said, “I ain’t scared of nothin’.” Maybe. We’ll see about that as we get further along here. I know an officer (who will remain nameless) that gets unnerved by driving down a dirt road when there are rattlesnakes on it, even though they can’t possibly hurt him. There are all sorts of levels of fear, and what’s scary for some may not bother others at all. Who am I then, you might well be asking, to talk about scariest duty; I’ve never been in a shootout, I’ve never been in a raid on a booby-trapped meth lab, I’ve never been to Iraq. Aahh, but then we’ve been friends long enough for you to figure out that I’m not necessarily talking about on-the-job scenarios.

Ok, what makes something scary? Well, there is some component of the scenario that triggers a fear response. That component can be as diverse as the person facing it. It could be the subject(s) involved, the location, the time, the availability of backup. But I would suggest that two of the major things are the lack of confidence in the ability to control the situation, and the fear of the unknown – the inability to know all the variables in the situation and the unpredictability of the outcome. Or, to put it another way, the fear of the unknown is a fear of what impact the resolution of the event will have on me physically and/or mentally: Will it mess with my “status quo”? Will it rock my boat or sink it?

Facing the scary scenario and plowing through it is what some call taking a step (or leap) of faith. A person may well come out the other side a changed individual, but it’s getting it done that makes heroes of all sorts of men and women. Since this is July, when we celebrate Independence Day, I want to just take the rest of our time this month to honor those men who got that job done. We’ll look at some other scary things next month.

July 4, 1776. The men Continental Congress took a huge leap into the unknown. Thomas Jefferson had stepped to the plate to compose the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. The Congress undertook to revise it. We look back at it from this point in history and see it as fait accompli. We recognize those that pulled this off as great patriots, but I doubt we actually recognize that this was possibly the scariest duty these men could perform. I would think that the fear of the unknown would be heavy upon them…could they pull this off? Could they control the situation? I think it safe to say that once they got the ball rolling, they could but hang on for the ride and hope they ended up where they wanted to be. They could not be certain of what would be the outcome. They could be certain of what would happen to them should they fail. Ben Franklin said of the undertaking: “We must all hang together, or assuredly we’ll all hang separately.” John Hancock decided win, loose or draw, he was in it all the way and signed with a flourish and of a size that could be clearly read. He had no doubt that, should they fail, someone would be coming after him. Brave men one and all. No question. Heroes and patriots. But they wouldn’t have been human if there weren’t private times of being afraid of not being able to pull it off.

Ability to control the situation, and the fear of the unknown – I know a lot of you have faced situations that turn most people into Jell-O and come out on top, even if not unscathed. You are heroes…plain and simple. And you have my admiration.

I must stop for now. Come back around next “shift” and we’ll explore a different type of “scary.”

Until then: Blessings to you and yours.

Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net