Now back to the job description of the Corrections’ Manager.

Based on this job description it was determined that the position had the same value as a road deputy.  The CO’s had a wage scale slightly lower than the road deputies so he was making more than his employees, but not by much.

More importantly, the pay was not adequate considering the responsibility of the position.

My position has always been that each employee is important to the department.  Each position has a value to the agency and just because a person’s salary is less than someone else’s it doesn’t mean the latter is more important than the former.

Each person helps the department complete its mission and each person deserves respect regardless of how much money they make. 

However, they should be justly compensated for what they do.

I was talking with a reporter one day about the jail.  I don’t recall how we came about talking about the position of Corrections’ Manager, but he was downplaying his position.  One of the comments made, was he wasn’t making the money a sergeant was and therefore was lesser than the sergeants.

Part of the problem was the person in the position was not very well respected by anyone.  Some of it was the wage scale, but most of it was the person himself. 

However, it wasn’t the person we were evaluating (at that time) but what the position was expected to do.  This position was an extremely important position in not just the Sheriff’s Office by for the county.  If the jail wasn’t operated correctly the liability of the county was at stake.

The Correction Manger’s position was much more important than depicted.  I started, among my other duties, to re-write that description.

I did it for basically two reasons, first, of course, it wasn’t even close to being accurate, and second, because it was becoming increasingly obvious to me I was going to have to have a new Corrections Manager and I needed a fair salary (even for the person currently in the position) and to entice someone to apply for the position.

Other Sheriffs were gracious enough to let me use their descriptions which I modified to fit our facility.

I excluded the part about the furnace – we had maintenance personnel that took care of that, it should never have been an issue. 

When I was finished I took it before the committee.  In my mind I had thought with all things considered the position should at least make as much as a road sergeant.  But the committee would draw its own conclusions.

Based on all of the process and formula, the committee placed a wage on the position that was equal to the road sergeants.

There was one difference.  It was a managerial position, not a supervisory position, so the position did not receive any overtime.  Like the Sheriff and Chief Deputy, he worked until the job was done, even if it took several hours beyond the normal 40 hour work week.

Just one more thought before I continue on, as I write I find that sometimes I have to include some incidents or information that happened later in that first term, which, hopefully ties up some loose ends in my writings.

Somewhere along the line, after I had asked the UnderSheriff/Chief Deputy to resign, instead of having that position, I decided to have two Lieutenants, an Administrative Lt. who watched over the jail among other administrative duties and an operations lieutenant that was in charge of the road deputies and investigations.

For whatever reason it just didn’t work out.  After a time I went back to the UnderSheriff/Chief Deputy position and promoted the Administrative Lt. into that position. 

This man was outstanding.  Where my skills were weak, his were strong and we made a very good team.  Through successions of Corrections Managers, we were even stronger as the three of us would meet on a weekly basis.

A large part of the success of our Office, through the years, can be placed on this man’s shoulders.  He was a rock and became a good friend.

Meanwhile, there were other issues on the table that first year and the Rajneesh had a former follower that had some accusations we needed to investigate.

Luke 22:40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

As I was reading Luke’s account of Jesus in the hours before His betrayal and arrest I was struck by a couple of things.

Jesus’ command to His disciples was to ‘Pray that ye enter not into temptation.’

He knew what was going to happen, yet, His concern was that His disciples remain steadfast and pray for themselves, NOT for Him.

Luke 22:41-42 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

⁴² Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Jesus obviously didn’t want to go through with the tribulation and the punishing death He was about to endure.

He was a man and He knew He would feel the pain, the rejection and the death as a man.

He couldn’t separate Himself as God, from the role of a human that God sent Him to be; He could have called on God to deliver Him, but He didn’t.

He didn’t want to do this, but He was sent to do this.  He set aside His human desires to be obedient to the command of God.

He was to be the lamb, unblemished, slaughtered and sacrificed for all mankind. 

We know that God accepted that sacrifice.  But what if He had not?  Was there ever that possibility? 

Jesus was a man who suffered all the temptations that every one of us face.  He had a free will as each of us have.  He came to earth not as God, but as a man.  He was human, just as we are human.

Therefore it was quite possible He could have failed in His mission.  BUT HE DID NOT.

He used this time to ask God to give Him strength to do what He was commanded to do.  He gave us Himself in obedience to God.

We look to both John and Luke to see that He had already prayed for His disciples; AND for US that would follow after them.

John 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Luke 22:31-34  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

³³ And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

³⁴ And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

He pointed out to Peter, specifically, that He had prayed for him – and that even after he would fall to the temptation of denying Christ that Christ would forgive him.  He told John “and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”

Did Jesus pray for them as He prayed in the Garden?  I don’t know, it really doesn’t say.  Knowing His heart He probably did.

Jesus knew that His death would test the disciples’ courage and determination to follow His teachings.  They had been with Him for three years and were as close to Him as any member of any family could be.

When a person faces death, he also faces the fact that his loved ones are going to be left without him.  He is very concerned about what will happen to them when he is gone.

Jesus demonstrated that same concern for His disciples (and for us.)  However, His main focus, in the garden was on asking God for the strength to go through the next few hours.  NOT for deliverance, although He did ask for it, but once He had resigned Himself to the completion of the mission He needed strength to continue with it.

Jesus was a man, He knew He couldn’t go through this ordeal by Himself; He needed the strength that only God can give.

If Jesus, who was perfect and without sin, needed God’s strength how much more so do we need that strength?

Luke 22:45-46 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,

⁴⁶ And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Jesus wasn’t surprised by their lack of understanding of what was to come.  He wasn’t surprised that they were weary and trying to understand what He had been telling them.

He was not surprised they were tired and had gone to sleep – but His question shows disappointment.  It reinforces the need that they should have prayed for themselves to get the strength they needed from God, to endure what they were about to see.

I find it telling that Jesus didn’t ask them to pray for HIM.  He told them to pray for themselves; “lest ye enter into temptation.”

It is important that we take the needs of others to God.  That we pray for their situations; pray for their salvation and deliverance from satan’s clutches.

But we must not forget to pray for ourselves “lest ye enter into temptation.”

May we remember that Jesus prayed to God to keep those that followed Him, but He also prayed for the strength to do what must be done in His service to God.

If He, in all his perfection, felt He needed God’s strength then we, who are imperfect, must also pray for that same strength.  The strength to keep working for Him, no matter the cause.  That we fall not into the temptations which abound all around us, and even if we must die in His service, we serve Him.

That night, in the garden, the disciples were tired and confused with no idea of what was about to come at them.  But Jesus knew.

That is why he told them to pray.

We never know what may face us in the future, we could face horrible trials in the next few minutes.  We want to always be ready to serve God in those situations and pray lest WE enter into temptation, instead of standing upright for Him.

Later, Art :-)

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