I will write and share more about the Rajneesh in a little while, however, I want to give a little background information on me and some of the issues I saw while running for office, what I perceived after I was elected and how we addressed those concerns.  It gives a bit more understanding in the approach we took in dealing with Rajneesh issues.

Many of you are in law enforcement so much of this primary information will be old hat – however, if you care to comment I would love to hear from you.

I was elected in early November 1984 however; I was not to take office until January 7^th, 1985.  The current Sheriff, who I had defeated, allowed me to come into the office and get oriented.

He allowed me to go wherever I wanted or felt I needed to go within the agency without restriction, even taking time to go over some of his concerns he thought I would have to address when I was sworn into the office.

I really appreciated that; he could have just as well told me no.  As I said earlier, he was a good guy, but not prepared to handle the many aspects of the position. 

I had been a City Police Officer and I was good (if I do say so myself) at most aspects of that job.  I worked with a good team of men and women and we function pretty well.

But police departments are focused on enforcing the law.  The officers issue tickets, become mediators in family and other disputes, make arrests and investigate crimes.

I was in charge of Crime Prevention for the department starting it from scratch and building a strong volunteer organization.  It was one of the reasons so many people knew me.

I had always been aware of public relations and the need to relate to the citizens.  I spoke at a number of meetings and I was frequently in the schools talking to students about law enforcement, listening to them and talking about how we worked.

I talked to kindergarten classes and high school classes – often on my own time.

I also spoke, for years, on career days and in classes where the teacher(s) was helping the students explore different occupations, or where they wanted a police officer’s perspective of the constitution and the responsibility of the citizens.

I had some administrative responsibilities, but mainly my position of Commander was more supervisory than administrative.

I had taken many classes in both the private and law enforcement section on management and laws concerning employees as well as criminal law.  I subscribed to management periodicals to help me improve my performance as a Commander.

Those contacts I made over the years as well as the classes I took, many on my own time, helped me perfect my professional abilities and when the opportunity presented itself, I felt ready for the Office of Sheriff.

In many ways I was; I knew the criminal law and the application of it as a police officer.  I knew the responsibility of a manager and leader and was prepared to take that task on.

But a Police Department is a lot different than a Sheriff’s Office.  While I knew what the responsibilities of a Sheriff was I had a lot to learn about the application of those responsibilities. 

While the Sheriff’s Offices do the same job as the City’s Police Departments, we have many additional duties:  Service of civil papers – several thousand a year and you HAD to have a good civil deputy (fortunately we did – we later had another clerk cross trained to take over on her vacations, etc.)

The JAIL, Animal Control, dispatching, contracts with federal and state governments to have extra patrol on the county’s forest and BLM lands as well as on the water ways.

Our patrol area was 2396 square miles as compared to the seven square miles in the city.

We were responsible for Search and Rescue, and while we didn’t experience a lot of calls, we had to respond and deal with them and we didn’t have a team.

In the Police Department I had the responsibility of running a few programs and a shift. I, and two other Commanders, advised the Chief who worked with the City Manager in the operation of the agency. 

While the Police Chief was indeed head of the department the City Manager had to approve of all decisions made by him.  The Chief was given a lot of free reign but, in the end he wasn’t the final authority. 

In the city the City council had direct authority over the City Manager and while they were not allowed to have direct disciplinary contact with the employees, they could direct the City Manager to take disciplinary or discharge action.

There were a lot of levels between myself and the finalization of policies and procedures, personnel issues, etc.  It is much different for an elected Sheriff.

1 Samuel 12:12-18  And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king.

¹³ Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you.

¹⁴ If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God:

¹⁵ But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.

¹⁶ Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes.

¹⁷ Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king.

¹⁸ So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

Why do we think we know better than God?  Why do we continually challenge His love for us, His desire that we might love Him?

Why do we think that God is not able to do all that He has said He would do?  Why do we question His role in our lives?

We can deny it, but most of us live our lives like God’s opinion doesn’t matter.  We make decisions and go about our day without even considering what He wants us to do.

Unless, of course, we are in deep trouble and then we either cry out for Him to take us out of the trouble, or ask – in word or deed – why He allowed us to be in it in the first place?

I know we like to think that we are better than the Jewish people were in the Old Testament.  They were constantly disobeying Him, constantly turning their backs and going against Him and His Word.

But we are not better than them; we make the same mistakes they made.  We would rather have a worldly leader than have God lead us.  They were human and subject to the temptations of the world as are we.

Not everyone turned their back on God and fortunately, for us, not everyone is doing that today – and for the most part Christians really are trying to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Before Samuel anointed Saul, he tried to tell them what an earthly King would demand of them, 1 Samuel 8 gives the description and prophecy that God gave to Samuel – and subsequently we know it to be true.  Yet, they still demanded a King.

Man is not perfect; man sins and can be led astray.  Man can turn from having an interest and desire in serving to only caring for one’s own self and be served by others.

Saul was anointed by God to be King.  He did many good things, but in the end he fell away from and disobeyed God.

Man gets the government it deserves.  That is what Samuel tried to tell the people of Israel in the above verses. 

A government, administered by man, who follows the dictates of God can be blessed and prosper.  A government that chooses to go its own way and deny God, will collapse and the people will suffer.

That truth can be seen in every civilization in one form or another.  Kings rise, their Kingdoms will become great and the cesspool of sin will bring them down.  Sometimes it takes but a short time, as Hitler’s Germany – other times it take centuries, as the Roman Empire.

Those countries that have dictators ruling over them may have some ‘excuse’ by the citizens to complain to God that they didn’t have any choice in the edicts of their governments.  They are still accountable to God for their actions because how they respond and relate to God is what God is looking for – and even though they may suffer from the government’s oppression, they must still follow His teachings.

Those of us that live in countries where we elect our leaders are far more culpable.  As a group of citizens we choose who our leaders are and we have the means to remove them.  We really do get the government we deserve, because we allow them to lead us in the direction they think we should go.

If it is against God and His Word we know it to be wrong – but if we do not correct that by going to the ballot box ( among other things ) than we have endorsed – as a nation – these wrong sided ideas.  We have the ability to choose who will lead us and we must be very careful of who they are.

But. Regardless of who is leading our nations, who is in charge we have a responsibility to pray for them.  We can pray for their salvation, for renewal of their heart by Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Even though Samuel KNEW what was going to happen, he never let down on his responsibility to teach and pray for the people.

1 Samuel 12:32 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

We are going through some difficult times in America.  Open warfare is being waged against Christians.  We have been told we are a minority and have no say in what is happening in our country.  But, we are not being given the protection of the government that they give to other minorities.

We have a responsibility to God continue to stand on His Word and follow it.

Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

And of course, we must be ready for the consequences.

Acts 5:41-42 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

⁴² And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Throughout the ages Christians have had to endure tribulation because of their stand for Christ, we are no better (or worse) than them.  As they once had, we now have the mantle of Christianity upon our shoulders – we cannot let them, and more importantly, God, down.

Later, Art :-)

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