From time to time I thought I would share, in addition to my daily thought on bible verses, some stories of people who have made a difference in my life.  Most, but not all, are Christians and some are just unique characters I have encountered.  In addition I will sometimes share some of my experiences as a law enforcement officer, trusting you will be entertained by these stories and people in my life.

This first one is on Norman, my brother-in-love as my mother-in-love used to express it.  She always called me Norm’s little brother.

For most of my teenage life I thought I would be an accountant.  I enjoyed the challenge of working with figures in that manner – I wasn’t good at advanced math like algebra, geometry, etc., but I seemed to be able to work with journals and debits and credits.

That is, until I spent some time with a man that was an accountant and really didn’t care for it.  He worked with my father and was trained by Dad to be a manager in a retail store which dealt with propane and associated products.  As I talked with him I realized that being stuck behind a desk for hours was not going to work for me.

Later, as I was working my way up in a large grocery chain, I realized that wasn’t what interested me either.  I had thought about becoming a minister, but did not truly feel the call of the ministry on my life; my service to Him would be done through my life’s work at something else – something I had not yet determined. 

But I also knew that my service to Him was separate from whatever else I would do and no matter what it was, I owed Him that service.  I was, and am not a silent witness for Him in any of my professions once I accepted Him as my Savior.

During this time I met my wife to be, Carla and her family.  Her one and only brother, Norman, was a police officer for a department in California.  While Norm did not care for the politics within the department, he did enjoy working as an officer and his enthusiasm for the work came through as he talked about his experiences.

He peaked my interest in law enforcement.  More for the excitement and energy of the job, than, what I learned and experienced later, as a career in helping others and a ministry to God.

One day I went to The Dalles Police Department and talked with an officer.  He recommended that I join the Reserves; I would be able to ride with an officer and participate in police activities.  It would allow me to get an inside view of what it was like to be an officer and not have to give up my career with the grocery chain only to find I didn’t like police work.  After all, not only did I have an opportunity at a decent position, but I had a wife and daughter to support.

I followed his advice.  I was a reserve officer for about a year when I decided that this is what I wanted to do, I felt I had found my calling.  I took the tests, passed them and was hired as a Police Officer.  I took a significant cut in pay (and ended up working part time for that grocery chain to make ends meet) and Carla was concerned about how I might face a person like my dad. 

Dad had one time told a judge, after pleading not guilty to a traffic citation (he had actually been going much faster and felt the officer had just guessed his speed) that he did not think much of the intelligence of the officer.  He was found not guilty. 

I handled that kind of criticism, for the ‘most’ part.

But it was Norman that got me interested.

Norman is a Christian.  He was good at his job with the Police Department, but it was in a large metropolitan area and he much preferred the quiet life of country living – so he came back home to Redmond whenever he could to help recharge his batteries.  Carla and I always went down there when he was home.  Thus I was able to spend some quality time with him.

The two of us would spend hours out in the back country, hunting or target practicing.  He had worked for the forest service as a young man and knew certain parts of the country surrounding Redmond very well.  I enjoyed these hours spent with him.

Carla’s family became my family.  They took me in and loved me, helping me with my struggles and showing me Christian love and how to live a life for Christ.  Norm became the big brother I never had and taught me much about living a Christian life as an adult and later as a Police Officer.

To give you an idea of the quality of the man:  He met his wife, Letty, here in the states.  She is from the Philippines and was the first of her family to come here.  The two fell in love, but her father refused to give his blessing to the marriage.  She was not going to go against her father’s wishes.  She respected him and also knew if she didn’t then she would never be able to bring her siblings to the states, a goal they all shared. 

Don’t get the idea that Letty is a timid lady.  She was a CPA in the Philippines before coming here.  Once in the USA, she ran the office for the owner of the largest construction company in the world - supervising several people and responsible for millions of dollars.  She is a successful professional, intelligent and outspoken. 

Now, Norm spent a large part of his time in the Philippines while in the Army – 82^nd  Airborne and Ranger.  He knew the country better than some natives as he would spend his weekends traveling the back country.  He knew and respected the culture.

He wasn’t going to take a long distance no for an answer.  He and Letty flew back there – before they came back to the USA, the couple had her father’s blessings.  Quite a feat if you know the culture, Americans were not well thought of.....  Over the next several years all of her siblings and her mother and father came to the states with the help of the two of them.

Obviously, he made an impression.  Art :-)

(to be continued)

John 15:9-10 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

¹⁰ If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

All of them, Jesus?  I can handle though shalt not steal, or murder, or lie or take your name in vain, those kinds of things, but ALL of them?

All of them, Jesus?  All of them?  Pray for those that hate me and have tried my patience, told lies about me and tried to damage my reputation?

All of them, Jesus?  The man in the alley that is so inebriated he has soiled himself and is abusive and obnoxious to anyone that comes near to him?  I have to show your love to HIM?

All of them, Jesus?  Must I really love my neighbor?  He is such a jerk always finding ways to make life miserable for me and my family.

All of them, Jesus?  Does that mean I have to tell others about you? 

And the list can go on and on; and what I struggle with might be one thing today and another tomorrow.  Why is it that we stray away from God?  Why can’t we keep on task and never be concerned about obedience – so we are always in tune with Him?

Why can’t we be like Jesus, confident in our walk with the Lord, never allowing anything to interfere with that walk?

We allow too many things to disrupt our lives, we cannot focus on one or two things, because there are so many other things demanding our attention.  We have family obligations, work obligations, obligations to friends sometimes we don’t have a single minute, let alone an hour or two to spend time alone with God.

When we take time to really see what we have around us we see the benefits that God has given us, the beauty of our friends and family, the ability to earn a living and take care of our loved ones, the beauty of the world we live in, the Love God has bestowed upon us and the Grace He has given to us. 

If we are too busy to spend a few minutes with God, then we are too busy.  I know, I am retired and have much more time than many of you reading this, but we really do need to prioritize our time.  Even for an ole retired grumpy guy there are times of so much to do and not enough time to do it in.

During those times we need time with God more than ever.  He helps calm the soul and mind and allows us to put things in perspective.  What may be the driving force demanding our time right now, if looked at through God’s eyes, can be set aside for a few moments to allow us to seek His help.

Our world has become so complicated it is difficult to find a quiet moment.  I was watching a car advertisement on TV.  It promises wi-fi in the car so you are always connected with the world.  We need less connection with the world and more connection with our God – He has ALWAYS been available to us 24 hours a day, every single day of our lives.

We need to shut off the TV, the Cell Phone, the computers – or whatever else we may be using to connect to the internet and the friends on it, and focus on Him.  We may find that we will not be as rattled in difficult situations, we will be able to listen to Him and obey Him, following His commandments.

Our love of friends and family; our need to be in communications with them, or just entertaining ourselves should never overshadow our love for God.  If we place Him first then the rest will sort itself out.

Psalm 116:12-14  What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

¹³ I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁴ I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

As we partake of food to keep our physical body strong, so let us take that cup of salvation and call upon God so our spirit will also be nourished.

Later, Art :-) 

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again