Well, another harbinger of Spring, albeit a scary one, two robins using out feeders this morning – ROBINS!  We need more winter to give us the water we have to have in the summer; which means SNOW NOW; Robins love ya, but go south for a bit longer!

The white stuff is disappearing, however, with no snow being forecast for the next week.  What is even worse though is the lack of snow on our mountains – where our water source is most important.

I find it interesting that I heard over and over again, and felt it myself, that we would have a year similar to last year’s – not so far, anyway.

Carla is a farm girl who knows how to make things last and can adapt.  She has been using a broken shovel handle as her walking stick on these icy parking areas – I thought I would be nice and give her one from the store – nope, “my shovel handle works just find for me.”  

And those that know her, particularly our kids will say, “yep, that is her.”

I guess I will use it, if we get any more of this stuff.

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John 16:33  KJV   “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Peace, what is peace?  We certainly haven’t experienced much of it this past year.  According to the on-line Encarta dictionary it is freedom from war, or tranquility, or mental calm, or harmony, or a peace treaty, or law and order.

I understand it means all of that, so what do we have to do to have peace, personal peace?

There are many answers to that question, but the bottom line is how we react to those things going on around us.

That is why some people can remain calm even when their world seems to be in complete destruction.  It isn’t that they don’t understand, it is just they don’t let it affect them; at least from what we see.

My concern, personally, is how I can achieve peace within myself, in doing so I might be able to help others.

I am not a patient person, doesn’t take long to be around me to find that out.

I was thinking the other day of a test I took in a management class.  Can’t remember most of it, but I do remember how our decisions showed whether we were more inclined to be people oriented or task oriented.

I found it pretty accurate except for one part.  Can’t remember the questions but it showed that I would work with employees for a couple of times, and after that I would say, this is the policy, law or procedure and you are expected to follow it.

Period.

What bothered me about it was I knew that I had worked more with employees than just a couple of times (limitations of testing;) I got home and mentioned it to Carla and said, that is not like me.

Her reply?  That is exactly like you.

That is where my peace gets lost, I tend to be impatient and want things to happen right away, and when it doesn’t happen I get frustrated.

Instead of laying my concerns on God, knowing He will do what is right in due time, I try and hurry things along.

I hope that if I had to go through the challenges many of my brethren have had to go through the past 2000 years where millions have been tortured, prosecuted, incarcerated, and killed, I could find that peace that God promises.  

I would rather not be tested that way, of course, not only because those men, women and children had tremendous trauma and of course because I have failed in many minor crises.

But I do know, that when I have and while I might have go through more suffering by the torments of man, God is with me.  His Holy Spirit abides within me and will continue to surround me in His love.

In the end, I will abide with Him, free of my impatience and free of anything the powers of darkness can hit me with.

But I also have an assurance for HIS peace now, if I but trust in HIM.

Philippians 4:7  KJV  “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Thanks be to God, for His love and faithfulness.

Later, Art (-: 

We have the first sign of spring in our neck of the woods; Carla got her first seed catalogue!

I heard someone say something I hadn’t heard in a long time:  “Close the door, were you raised in a barn??!!”

Now whoever came up with that comment had never been on a farm, at least none I have ever been around, I figure it was some big city person that didn’t know anything about farming.

The only time a barn door is open is to let animals in, or animals out – other than that, it is closed.  As a matter of fact, I remember the barn and chicken coops my grandmother had, she had the main door, which was always closed except to enter or leave.

She had a sliding door with chicken wire covering it.  You would close the outer door, open the chicken wire door, close it behind you and then walk over a couple of feet and open the chicken wire door to enter the building, closing it behind you.

All designed to keep the chickens in the building. 

One of my cousins didn’t do that and several escaped – we all learned a valuable lesson (he learned the most...) KEEP THE BARN DOOR CLOSED!

Just thought I would share, my thought...maybe someone has the real story?

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Genesis 1:1   KJV  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

I find it interesting how people mock those that believe the earth is a new earth, somewhere just over 6000 years old.

That God created everything in six 24 hour days.

Some look at creation and say, how could God possibly have created such an intricate universe and all that is in it in just six days?  They believe in God, they believe He created, just can’t believe it took such a short time.

While others will say that we have to adjust what the Bible says, because it doesn’t match up with what scientists say about how old the earth is, so He had longer days, or something, but it has to somehow agree with the evolutionists’ theories – which continually change and many are disproven, but not admitted in their desire to explain in a more ‘logical’ way how the universe came about.

Of course many deny there was any spiritual being that created anything; everything came from a small mass which exploded and became all the suns, planets, moons and anything and everything else in the universe.

Somehow this exploded mass then formed cells that became living things which eventually evolved into what we have today – so our first ancestor was a rock of some kind, I guess.

It just happens that gravity holds things in place and keeps them in place so well that we can make determinations where they will be hundreds and thousands of years from now.

It just happened that molecules came into being, cells were formed, atmosphere, water, animals, and humans all evolved from that first mass of whatever it was that was just out there somehow.

There was no creation, there was no design it all just ‘happened.’

And they believe that makes more sense than a well-planned and designed creation by a being fully capable of doing such a thing.

I am not a theologian, I am not a scientist, but, the Bible makes far more sense to me than evolution.

I believe in God.  I believe He is the Creator.  He created the universe the way He told His scribes to write it. 

And since He is capable of doing such a thing, then He can do it in any time frame He desires!

Isaiah 8:6-9    KJV  “  Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

That makes a lot more sense to me.

Later, Art (-:           

In our neck of the world we have snow, plenty of it, along with slick icy roads.  We are supposed to get warmer weather in the next few days, although freezing rain is predicted for later today and into the night.  But, after that we can see the snow leaving us – for a bit.

We shall see.

We had a delivery driver say he couldn’t make it up the driveway with the snow and low branches.  The branches on neighbors’ trees were hanging even lower because of the snow.

However, they needed pruning back and it got done.  Poor Josh, he and Deed were coming up for a few minutes and he ended up helping with the trimming. 

I always have mixed emotions, they do hang over our driveway but they create a problem by scraping the vehicles – and I hate to cut them back since they aren’t our trees.

ALSO, the lower branches help make the driveway less visible and as we drive up it, like we are leaving the world behind. 

The delivery has been changed to Saturday, if he isn’t able to come up we have an alternative and will use it.  If it was me I would put chains on, although we have not had difficulty getting up and down with studs on the tires. 

Carla was late to work today, I got a call from the store – she is never late.  But, the roads were full of ice as was the parking lot – she is no dummy, she knows how to drive in this stuff CAREFULLY and if it takes a bit longer so be it.  Usually she leaves in plenty of time, but got tied up with finding something for Celinda.

It has been a long time since we have had a five year old in the house for any length of time.  We get to have her here for a week along with Mom and Dad. 

Great to have them.

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Mathew 11:28    KJV  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Rest, although we equate that with sleep, or just sitting back and relaxing, letting our bodies and mind recuperate.  There is more to it then that.

But all too frequently we can’t forget what has happened in the past, or what we haven’t been able to accomplish or have to do and the stress just builds.

We practice ‘relaxation’ techniques and while they may seem to work for a time, the pressures come back.

But there is a difference when we come to God and ask for His rest.  The techniques of praise and worship take us out of ourselves, but it isn’t the same as laying our burdens on Him and then LEAVING them there, with HIM.

While I don’t remember the circumstances or what my concerns were I remember someone saying they watched me.  I went into the church, knelt at the altar and prayed, for a lot longer than I realized.  I walked away with a lift in my steps and the person said they couldn’t believe the difference, and asked what happened?

I left those concerns at the altar with God.  The problem was still there, but it was insignificant and I knew that God had it in control.  The weight on my shoulders was gone, I mean GONE, it was an amazing feeling – and obviously noticeable.

I wish I could say I have always done that when I have had difficulties, I can’t.  I forget, way too often.  I let it drag me down, even when I remember in the o dark thirty hours of the morning when I wake up and can’t get back to sleep.

Now, in that situation I just start praising and worshiping (silently – Carla appreciates that) my God and before I know it I have slept several hours.

But, still, there is a difference between praising and worshiping Him, relaxing in Him and leaving our cares to Him.

The first is easy, the other requires us to truly depend on Him and leaving our cares to Him while we go back out into the world and trust Him.  We sometimes have to remind ourselves we have done that, but when we do, whatever is concerning us becomes less of a problem and more of faith in our God.

Now, if I can just not only remember that, but take the time to share with Him cares He already knows I have, and then truly leave them with Him.

It is a struggle for me, I want to be in charge, I want to take control – but, I need to take to heart “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Later, Art (-:

It has been interesting, this December 2017, in our neck of the woods.  We have had heavy fog and icy roads and drab grey days and the bright sunlight.  Winter is finally telling us it is here, we will have lower temperatures night and day and we are finding that snow, once again, is finding its way onto our mountain tops.

It will be a fun Christmas this year as Steven brings Celinda and CeeCee home for the holiday.  We haven’t had a little one (she’s ‘five now’) to share Christmas with in several years.

Not sure I will be on line much these next few weeks, I have already been limiting my on line time.  I need the time away from all the hatred – from both sides of the aisle – and false accusations and news that seems to be overtaking our country.

Taking solace in the music from AllClassical and their hosts, and watching more positive programs on television, if watched at all. 

I joined Facebook a few years ago to keep in touch with people, mainly my kids, but the language, the ideas being shared are becoming worse, it seems to me, these past few months.

Don’t need it in my life.  So will reconsider whether or not I stay – or cut way back on those I allow into my life via that media.  Some, because I have known them in the past, like them and consider them friends are posting things that make me question just who they really are – not a good thing, at least for me.

We shall see.

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Revelations 1:8  KJV  “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

The other day I was following a car with a bumper sticker which read “God is Dead.”

I haven’t heard that in decades.  I was hoping the driver was going the same place I was, but he went on down the road. 

I wanted to ask him ‘Who WAS your God?

Because my God is alive and well, sitting in heaven with the Son He sacrificed for my sins, and who He raised from the dead sitting beside Him, while His Holy Spirit works in the hearts of man trying to guide them to the way of salvation.

“God is dead,” was a common mantra of the young people in the 1960’s who were rebelling against their parents and their religion.  In their case they were talking about the Judo/Christian God; even though they had no idea of who He really is.

The other was God didn’t care for man any longer, He created the world and then just left us to fend for ourselves.

Either way it is contrary to the God I know; the God I worship, the God I have an intimate relationship with, knowing He knows every bit of my heart and every concern I have.

My God lives and has protected me in so many different ways throughout my life.  Although I have let Him down many times, He has always been there for me.

If your god is dead, he never lived. 

But there is a living God who wants to draw you to his breast like a father wants to bring his lost child home to him.

My God is not dead, sorry yours is, but let me introduce you to the Living God who created all things and is ready and willing to forgive you of all your sins and help you live a holy and productive life for Him.

We talk of the story of Christmas.  That is the reason for it.

Merry Christmas to all, through the birth, torture, humiliation and death of the Christ child who bore our sins to the grave and was resurrected by God the Father – as a message to us that the sacrifice was successful.

That is what I wanted to share with him, but will with you.

Later, Art (-:

One of the things I like to do each day is check the cameras at Crater Lake, Mt. Bachelor and Timberline.  I like seeing the snow building up.  Right now, those places are in the high 40’s and low 50’s in temperature.  With bright sunlight to boot!

Meanwhile, in our neck of the woods, it is 35 degrees; and it seems we have had brighter nights with a full moon, than the heavy fog and low clouds we are now experiencing.

The positive part of that is the clouds also keep the temperatures higher at night since what little heat we have isn’t escaping into the night air.  The 10 to 15 degrees difference makes it a lot easier to keep the house warm – and our exterior friends safer.

Speaking of which, last year we had a Blue Jay show up for a couple of days, then moved on.  This year we have two and it looks like they are staying.  They can be as raucous as the scrub jays we have always had, but they are sure a lot prettier.

Just like a beautiful person, they seem to get away with things that guys like me get called out on......guys like me understand that!  (-:

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“We do not want to take the time to plow and to cultivate. We want the fruit and the harvest right away! We do not want to be engaged in any spiritual battle that takes us into the long night. We want the morning light right now! We do not want to go through the processes of planning and preparation and labor pains. We want the baby this instant!

We do not want the cross. We are more interested in the crown.”    Tozer

Hebrews 10:36  KJV  “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

There is that word again, patience.  Tozer’s comments are almost a directed arrow pointed at me; unfortunately it is a fair observation of my impatience. 

I have no excuses that will satisfy God.

Even at my age, even though impatience has been the way I do things from a young child even today; I must understand that God expects more of me, He expects me to trust Him.

I need to give Him time to do His will – no matter how long it may take; and even more importantly, allow Him to work within me on His schedule, not mine.

Later, Art (-:

35 degrees in our neck of the woods, compared to 46 degrees (it was warmer earlier) degrees at Timberline.  We have air inversions here in the Gorge that holds the fog and temperature down even though it is warmer and sunnier in places that should be colder.

Such is life here in the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous. 

Just watched the Army Navy game, good clean cut action with determination on both sides, Army ended up winning by one, but it wasn’t certain until the last chance field goal by Nave with 3 seconds to go, didn’t go through.

Got a salmon fillet in the large oven and scalloped potatoes in the small one.  Just about time to pull them out.

I don’t particularly care for fish, but Carla does and since she has to work on our anniversary tomorrow, giving her what she likes; turned out well, she was pleased.

The answer is 52 years.

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John 15:5  KJV  “ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

This verse has been on my mind for several days.  How soon we forget when it comes to working under the leadership of God.

We see a need, we know what has to be done to help the person in need, so we tell God what to do.  Oh, sometimes we remember to say, ‘not my will but yours be done’ but do we really mean it?

I am a very impatient person.  It is a big problem for me.  I want to see immediate results when I pray.

Even though I have been reminded in both His Word and in my life, that it doesn’t work that way.

I jump in with both feet, if I don’t see God’s hand right away, and forget that without Him, I can do nothing.

As a matter of fact more than once I have gone forward without a clear direction from Him, just what “I” thought must be done – and many of those times turned out badly; or at least not what I intended.

Instead of humbling myself, I tried to ‘fix’ it and while it did work sometimes, others it did not. 

I need to wait on Him, I need to admit I don’t have the answer every time;, but, He does.

1 Peter 5:6-7  KJV  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Later, Art (-:

After a foggy morning, the sun has come out and we have blue skies in our neck of the woods today.

Have to admit, it does put a spring in our step, I can do without the greyness of the fog.

Getting cold at night, mid-20’s now, for us that is getting cold, I know some of you are in the teens or even single digits at night now, and some of those places I remember well!

Still have some things to get done before winter sets in, hope to anyway.

Had a rather unique experience the other day.  I was parking at one of the stores and saw a couple of gentlemen, one my age and the other younger, turns out to be his son.  They were putting propane bottle in their rig, and having a bit of a time with it.

By the time I was parked and getting out they had it in the car.  The young man looks at me and says, “Hi, Sheriff.”  He then told me who he was, a bit of a problem a few years ago, and how he had straightened out.  Always good to hear.

Then, got home and had a phone call from Tennessee.  The caller was looking for Sheriff Labrousse – even pronounced it correctly.

Turned out he was reading my book and thought he would give me a call.  His mother married my Uncle after his first wife died of cancer, he was a stepson, and so a step cousin.  He was a Corrections officer and then a Chaplain for many prisons in the state.

You never know what surprises awaits you out there.  But it was kinda funny being addressed as Sheriff twice in one day.  The title carries even after leaving office, but few use it – I did for a while when I was selling real estate, I worked with a lot of banks and foreclosure companies because of my past work in the capacity.

As one said, “You know what is required; and that is a good feeling.”

I’ll accept that.

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Colossians 3:22-24  KJV  “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;

²³ And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

²⁴ Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

I was thinking this morning about what does ‘do it heartily’ actually means.

My favorite sport is football.  I don’t so much root for a team as I like to watch certain players play the game, Mariota from Tennessee used to play in Oregon, I like him.  Russell Wilson of the Seahawks, Tom Brady of the Patriots, Aaron Rodgers of the Packers - just to name a few, they are players that go far and beyond just being good, they are the best in their field.

But what was the process to get there?

There are thousands of high schools that have football programs in the United States.  Most of those players are not good enough to go into college football.

From what I have read there are 850 College football programs in the United States; the number of active players is about 80,000.  Most are not good enough to get to the Pros.

Of those 80,000, on any given year, a little over 16,000 are draft eligible.  Of that number only 253 get drafted, that doesn’t mean that others don’t get chosen, but most are drafted, not walk ons. 

Of that number I read where only about 1.5% or about 3 will actually become and remain pro-football players before they retire.

That seems like a low figure, but if we say 10%, 20% or even 50%, the number making it and staying in the game are few.

At any given time there are just under 1700 players on pro-football teams and not all of them play on a regular basis, game in and game out.

Of those that do, only a total of 8, including management and players that were passed over for years, can be inducted to the Pro-Football Hall of Fame in any given year; after they have been off the field for at least 5 years.

As a player goes higher up the ladder, from High School to the Pros, their intensity and skills make them some of the best in the business.  They perform on the field, to the very best of their ability, or they no longer play.

I know, how does that relate to these verses, especially since the vast majority of these men are not Christians?

Doing your very best at something doesn’t make you the best.  Thousands of young men, every year realize they will not go to the next level in football.

Just because they cannot play football doesn’t mean they give up their life.  They find something else to do, they become adults with jobs, raising families, helping others; productive members of society; and many times become the best at what they are doing.

We have all worked with some people that do just enough to get by, they are satisfied with mediocrity; they do what they have to do to continue working, and no more.

They can be very frustrating to those that work hard and, while they may not be the best employee, they work to the best of their abilities.

That is precisely what God asks of us.  We may feel we could be a Missionary, or Pastor a church or some other way of being paid to serve God in a full-time position.  But not everyone can be a Missionary, Pastor, teacher, or other ‘high profile’ position; that doesn’t mean that they can serve God.

If we are given a task, whether at work or at the church, God expects us to work as if we are working directly for HIM.

Put our hearts into it, no matter how menial the job may seem do the job to the best of your ability.

We are not in competition with someone else.  While it may be easy to compare our abilities or skills with someone – God doesn’t want us doing that.  He looks at the heart and if your heart is telling you that you are better than someone else with envy for the position, your heart is in the wrong place.

We need to do it heartedly, with a song of joy in our hearts that we are doing the work of our Lord, even if it may be cleaning out horse stalls or other less than desirable jobs.

He expects no less of us when we serve Him as part of the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31  KJV  “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

²⁸ And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

²⁹ Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

³⁰ Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

³¹ But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.”

The best gift for one person is not the same as the one for another, but if we have those gifts and both do our best - the results will be the best product available – whatever that may be.

It works in His Body, and in real life.

Later, Art (-:

Another pretty day in our neck of the woods, clear skies also mean colder nights, we are used to this and are pretty well prepared.

A couple of observations, not trying to say anything, just thought it interesting.

I park in the overflow parking lot at Water’s Edge.  As I walk into the building I walk past about 20 cars.  Out of curiosity I counted them today and noted 21 cars, 5 of which are ‘American’ cars, with the rest imports – Honda and Subaru’s being the most predominate.

With one exception the imports are the ones parked closest to the building.

Later I stopped off at K-Mart.  Just the opposite was true, mostly American made cars – and those were the closest to the doors.

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John 8:24  KJV  “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

Statements made by Jesus, many times, fully stated that He was the Son of God.

Yet, the Jewish leaders of the day chose not to believe Him.

Even today, when we have full access to God’s Word, people try and manipulate the Bible or insert what they believe so that they do not have to deal with verses such as this.

Claiming He was but a great prophet, a teacher, a Rabbi, a good person with good ideas, but He was not the Son of God, either makes Him a liar – so how could He be such a great teacher? – or the person stating this drivel has not read His Word.

They have willingly closed their eyes to God’s Son and placed themselves in a very precarious position.

We need to stand firm in our beliefs and be very careful to give those that choose not to believe in Jesus, an excuse to continue in their darkness.

Later, Art (-:

In our neck of the woods the sun, he was a shining.  Had a bit of wind this morning, but it calmed down this afternoon. 

Forecast for the next few days is below freezing at night.  It will give me a good opportunity to see how that hummingbird feeder I got too late last year, keeps the feeder from freezing at the bottom of the feeder so the little guys can be fed.

Supposedly, to single digits.

We have two, maybe three that are still here, not sure what happened to the fourth – or third, if we have but two – they are just too hard to count when they don’t show up at the same time and then dart and flutter all over.

I remember, back in the 1990’s some people claimed their Television was spying on them for the government, or whoever.

Then we learned that computers could be hacked where someone could listen in, unaware to us, to everything that was said in the room.

Now, we just bring in the 24 hour a day listener, asking it questions and trusting it to give us the right answer.

If it is answering from searching the internet – who else is listening???????

Just a thought, as I watched a television ad for one of those devices. 

Come to think of it, my television is hooked up to the internet, hhhmmm...........maybe those guys 30 years ago knew what they were afraid of would come about.

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2 Peter 3: 10-11  KJV    “ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

¹¹ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,”

I can’t count the times, mainly ‘cause I can’t remember them all even when told about them, I have made arrests when I am not on duty.

One of the first was when I say some kids taking beer off a truck, told Carla to call the department and I went over and arrested one of them and held him for an on-duty officer to come in.  We went out and looked for the other and eventually found him.

Carla and the kids were left behind; at least they had a car to go home in, that hasn’t always happened.

They were in my car when I was in South County and made an arrest, they had to wait by the road side until I met up with an officer to take the prisoner – then I went back and got them.

While I have had things happen on duty that were almost as effective, most of the times people that are going to commit a crime are looking around to make sure they are not being watched, especially by a police officer.

No one wants to be caught committing a crime if an officer is standing over them.  It would be foolish.

If a person is around his Pastor, it is highly unlikely he is going to do or say something that will embarrass him, he is very careful to be as ‘pious’ as possible.

Yet, too often we act as if God isn’t watching us.  And many people think they have all the time in the world before they meet up with God, so they continue to sin and live their life as if they have all that time to wait before they make a decision.

Not realizing that since they aren’t deciding for Him, they have made a decision against Him.

No one is promised tomorrow, or for that matter, next moment.

I have covered many accidents where the person was in the process of doing something, going somewhere with plans for that day; they didn’t make it.  Most survived, some had to go to the hospital and spend some time there.

Others didn’t live.  They didn’t have an opportunity to put off the meeting they were going to, didn’t have time to tell someone they loved them, didn’t have time to ask God for His forgiveness through His Son.

They didn’t have time; their death came “as a thief in the night.”

But, that is also a lesson for us.  We sometimes think we have time to tell others about the saving grace of God; so we put it off, maybe we are too timid, maybe we just don’t want to take the time because we are too busy.

Whatever the reason, when the Holy Spirit directs us to speak to someone, we can’t wait, it may be the last opportunity we have, AND they have, to find Christ.

We need to speak and act as if Christ was standing, visibly, right beside us – we know in our hearts He is; and do our best to live our life to His Glory; to live our life as He lived His.

And He always made time for the sinner.

Later, Art (-:

No sun today, but then, no wind either in our neck of the woods.

Getting some chores done around the house.

This is my last installment of my ‘novel.’

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Chapter 21

Closing Thoughts

I realize that my Novel may not have been ‘exactly’ what was intended, but it did get me to tell some of the stories I have shared with people in the past.  And, it did meet the criteria of 50,000 words – actually more, and kinda in the style of one of my favorite authors James Herriot, a Veterinarian, who wrote All Creatures Great and Small and several other books on his practice and the people he worked with.  Short stories. 

Not sure I will be making this into a book, not sure of the interest it would garner and it needs a lot, a LOT, of editing.  Then, of course is working with a Publisher.  Steven and Celinda’s plates are full so not sure either has the time to help.

When I was just starting my career there was a lot of turmoil in America, the Vietnam War was being protested and law enforcement was under attack.  Here in The Dalles we didn’t feel a lot of that but there was some hostility.

Police Officers today have it much worse than I did; they are under violent attacks, far more than ever before.

I think most of you realize where my feelings are on that point, but let me discuss it in a little detail.

In America there is somewhere between 900,000 and one million local law enforcement officers – police and deputies. 

That number does not include State officers, but that number is much smaller; and they don’t do a lot of what is required of the local law enforcement – although their backup is always appreciated.

Without going into detail with assignments, management, investigators etc., positions, as well as vacancies, vacations, training that take officers away from the patrol divisions, there are approximately 100,000 officers on duty at any given time - nationwide – give or take 10,000 – 20,000.

These are the men and women that arrive on any given scene, first, no matter the call.  They are the ones that respond to accidents, family disturbances, robberies, murder, lost children, deaths – both violent and natural – and anything else that comes over their radio (or computer, now) for them to respond to.

They answer the call for help as quickly and earnestly as possible.

They patrol dark alleys, make contact with suspicious individuals in those dark alleys; stop suspicious vehicles hours from the nearest backup.

Have you ever walked down a street and crossed it because there is someone or a number of someones that look suspicious and you are in fear they might attack you? 

The police officer doesn’t have a choice; they continue walking down the street, knowing there could very well be danger for them there.

They work traffic details where they never know what they may encounter when they make their stops, it could be someone who has never had a problem before and is just nervous, or someone who just killed their wife (or robbed a pharmacy at a hospital) and thinks the officer is stopping them for that reason.

While the badge and uniform has always been a target, it is even more so now.  Killers are deliberately setting up ambushes for police officers, and killing them.

While it has always been known by the officers that the day/night they go to work may be the last day/night they will see their loved ones, it is even more so today.

100,000 officers across the nation. 

The come from all walks of life, these are people, just like everyone else. 

They occasionally make mistakes, just like everyone else.

They have families, they have a life out of uniform, just like everyone else.

They shop in grocery stores, pharmacies, clothing stores; they help with their kids’ programs, just like everyone else.

But, unlike everyone else, they face the unknown, every single day; every single shift.

When they are called, they answer.

They are the first line of defense in our communities and they are being so second guessed on everything they do they are not able to do their job as well; and are even in more danger because they can’t react as quickly as they should for fear of being branded.

100,000 officers working, on any given day, 365 days a year, holidays, weekends, sun, rain, snow or freezing weather they are on patrol.

They are divided up around the country, some cities and counties have dozens working – others one.

Some have backup a moment away, some have backup hours away; maybe.

They lay their lives on the line on every call, on every traffic stop, on every contact.

They sometimes have to make a split second decision that will be reviewed, dissected, second guessed by others – who were not there, and some who have never faced adversity - over a period of years.

If they are involved in controversy they must remain silent while the incident is investigated by their or another department.  Sometimes that takes days and even weeks to complete.

Meanwhile, people and media with their own agenda crucify them; accusing them of all kinds of misconduct.

When – and that is the majority of such investigations – the officer is exonerated and what they had to do was proper, it lands on the back pages of the newspapers. 

Meanwhile they are ostracized, their families are harassed, other officers are targeted and all because many times those involved lied to the public and media.

There are no apologies by anyone.

And he is expected to go back to his job and not let this affect him.

Law Enforcement is a profession that is not only dangerous because of the potential physical attacks, but dangerous to the spirit, emotions and mental health.  Suicides by police officers are among the highest of professions.

Through the years it has always been difficult finding good applicants for the position – more and more young people are asking themselves why should they put themselves in such a position – and veterans are asking the same thing, it surely isn’t for the money, and finding less stressful occupations.

There have been those that think the federal government can do a better job of local policing – of course many of these are the same people who think that the federal government is evil – kinda catch 22.

It takes months to hire an officer, testing, background checks, training in the department and then the academy, then close supervision for several years as they learn how to do the job.

It isn’t something that is done overnight and it isn’t something that can be sped up.

And many of those federal law enforcement officers, even those who do a very good job, wouldn’t want to put up with nor would they be qualified to be a local officer.

900,000 to 1,000,000 local law enforcement officers, for a nation of over 325,000,000. 

If only 1% of that population is criminal (and we are well aware it is much more than that) the officers are outnumbered 3.25 to one.

And when you consider there are 100,000 +/- on duty at any given time they are outnumbered 32.5 to one. 

Now multiply those odds by 10 or even 20, percentages closer to reality.

Now ask yourself, how many officers are in the news, caught on video, or have complaints against them for doing the wrong thing?  How many have been proven to be criminally wrong?

By all means if a person thinks the police have it easy, or are stupid and think they know how to do a better job, make an application and become one.

Who knows you may make a good one, or you may realize there is more to it than putting on a uniform and strapping on a gun.

Law Enforcement is an honorable profession.  The vast majority of those that join a department and retire wearing a badge have provided dedicated and skilled service to their community.  Even many who have said it isn’t worth it and left for other professions did their job in making the community safe.

Making it a better place for all involved.

Wouldn’t hurt to thank them!

Copyright November 28, 2017 Art Labrousse

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1 Chronicles 16:8-9  KJV  “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

⁹ Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.”

This was a psalm written by David, but it is still relevant today.  Only now, instead of making His deeds know to just the Jews, we have the honor of expressing our love, appreciation and thanks to Him, telling everyone of His wondrous works.

We don’t have to be preachers; we don’t have to stand on a soap box, to talk about our Lord.

While it may seem we are being blocked at every turn, there are still ways to tell others about God and the Son He sacrificed to save us.  We just have to be prepared when those times are available.

2 Timothy 4:2 KJV  “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”

He wants us to share our faith with others.  We just need to listen to and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Later, Art (-:

Lots of sun today, lots of wind too in our neck of the woods.  Carla was hoping to finish burning today, but it is just too windy.

Simmered the turkey carcass for almost 24 hours and am now pressure cooking the broth, will be using it in soups, stews and when I cook rice I add it to the water to give it more flavor.

I used to freeze it, but this way it keeps longer and frees up the freezers for other things.

We have a sandwich or two left of the turkey.  We cook for left overs.  Dad never liked them so Mom always cooked just enough for the meal.  Of course Thanksgiving was different, but that was the only time.

We cook enough stuff that those that eat with us can take home leftovers – now that it is just the two of us, we couldn’t possibly eat all that before it spoiled.

We let the kids do the dividing up, and everyone seems happy with their lots.  Me, I am just glad they do that AND the dishes!

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Chapter 20, The Measure of a Man, continued:

Chris pulled up in his car towing a small trailer with the generator in it.  The back of the trailer identified the trailer as belonging to an Explorer post (that was sponsored by the Sheriff’s Office.)

We stopped off at Madras for breakfast and then continued our journey to Portland.  We were on Highway 26, the main highway between Portland and Central Oregon.

We went through Warm Springs, up the hill and onto the flats.  I didn’t know it at the time, but most of the flats were in Wasco County.

As we hit that long straight stretch we came up behind a 1967 Chevrolet with Washington license plates.  They were going just under 55 mph so Chris passed them.

As we drove by I looked into the car, saw the driver and two front seat passengers; the driver was tipping a bottle of beer.  That was a violation; you could not have an open bottle of alcohol in the car.

I told Christ that they were drinking beers.  He continued the pass and pulled in front of them.

Chris looked in his rear view mirror and called the license plate into the Jefferson County dispatch, a female responded. 

A few minutes later we hear a male voice come onto the radio and asked if that was a blue 1967 Chevrolet and asked if it was possible the plate was different than given by Chris.

I looked at Chris and said, it looks like we have more than an open container.

Chris wanted to be sure of the plate, so he slowed down enough for the car to pass us and then read the license plate, he had transposed a number and the plate that was read to us by the dispatcher was the correct one.

He radioed that it was correct.

The dispatcher said, it is a stolen car out of Washington, there are three people who are wanted for escape and there are weapons in the car.

I was ready to pull them over, there were two of us in the car, both experienced officers, I figured we could do it.

Being a city officer, I was used to back up being available almost immediately and didn’t even think about how far it would be out there; even still I should have known better, this would be a felony stop and the more officers there at the time of the stop the less lethal it would be.

He pointed out we were pulling a trailer and if they ran, we couldn’t run after them.  AND, he wanted to see where our back up was.

The dispatcher, was checking for us and said that Warm Springs didn’t have a car out, Wasco County deputy was too far away and OSP’s nearest car was in Gresham – two hours from where we were.

I remembered the comments by the Portland officers that did undercover work for us – back up is far away.  I now finally realized just how true their concerns were, back up was far away; so we just kept following them.

The dispatcher said that OSP had a resident trooper in Government Camp, an hour away.  They would be sending someone from Gresham and wake up the resident trooper to assist us.

There are two intersections that come onto Highway 26, Highway 216 that branches off and goes east towards Maupin; and Highway 35 that branches off and goes north towards Hood River.

Chris said that if they take either we wouldn’t follow them; feeling that it would make them suspicious and it would allow the other agencies to head out and make a stop.

They continued past both intersections, still heading towards Portland. 

Frankly, that was a long hour; but they didn’t have a clue.

We approached the community of Government Camp and as we did so the resident trooper was coming out of the highway department’s garage area.

The car saw him and instead of continuing towards Portland they took the exit into the business are of the community.  Chris slowed down and motioned to the trooper that the wanted car was right ahead of us.

The trooper pulled in behind the car and turned on his overhead lights.  The car continued a short distance and then turned into a gas station lot, just past the building and lot.  They couldn’t go around it; the building was right up against the mountain.

We pulled into the lot, between the pumps and the building with the car crossways right in front of us.  Both of us got out with guns drawn and stood behind our open doors; Chris had a shotgun and I can remember thinking where in the world did that come from?  The Trooper also had his gun drawn and was behind his door. 

Christ did the commands.  The driver was ordered to drop the keys out of the car and then get out on his side of the car and put his hands on the roof; where the trooper watched him.

He then ordered the front seat passengers out and told them to put their hands on the roof.  The passenger closest to the door immediately complied.

The passenger in the middle, a female, did not, she kept trying to reach into the back seat area – it took several orders before she finally complied.

While Chris covered the two passengers I went around to the driver’s side and covered the Trooper as he searched the driver and put him into hand cuffs.

Just as the Trooper was going around the car to search the passengers I heard a car coming up behind me coming to a screeching halt, I looked at Chris – he wasn’t concerned, so I figure it was the OSP Trooper coming from Gresham – it was, the man was huge, well over 6 feet.

As the Trooper search both the male and then the female passenger I stayed on the driver’s side watching the driver.

The Trooper started searching the female, (in the approved manner) and she yelled at him and told him he couldn’t do that.

I said, yes he can!  The Trooper looked at me and finished the search.

She asked me why they had been stopped, I told her it was because the car was stolen.

She said, no it isn’t we borrowed it from a friend, in a tone that said can you believe that?

I said no it wasn’t you guys stole it.

Who told you so? She asked.

I said, NCIC – meaning the National Crime Information Center that all agencies used to put their warrants on people, stolen vehicle information and other criminal information to be used nationwide by law enforcement agencies.

Her eyes opened wide and she shouted, “The CIA?”

I don’t know what the OSP officers had been told about us, but both of them stopped what they were doing and gave me a quizzical look, like they hadn’t realized we were ‘CIA.’

I said, ‘No, the NCIC, the National Crime Information Center.’

We found a knife in the trunk and I kinda remember, maybe a gun.  The female wasn’t reaching for a weapon, but for her shoes that were on the floor in the back seat – but she almost got herself shot – and would have if one of those shoes came out too fast and could be mistaken for a weapon.

We gave the Troopers our business cards and let them take the suspects into jail and impound the car.

We continued heading to Camp Whithycombe.

Where we arrived without further incident. 

We parked at the equipment garage and then headed to the Commanding Officer’s office.  Chris knew him well and had worked with him through the years.

As it happened this was the last day there for the commanding officer, and his replacement was there in the camp.  He had him come into the office.

He introduced him to Chris.

There are many ways to measure a man, honesty is one of the biggest and what the commander said was one of the greatest tributes to a man I have heard.

The commander told his replacement that he could leave Chris in his office and never worry about anything being taken, not even a pencil.  But, if you negotiate with him you will end up losing everything.

We got the new generator, had lunch then headed back home, by way of Salem.

We went back over the Santiam Pass, rather than Government Pass.  We were a very few short miles from Sisters when we came upon an accident.

A car was off the road and lying on its side, as was the trailer it was towing.  The ambulance was on scene and there wasn’t any problem with traffic, so we continued on without stopping.

We learned later that the driver was an elderly lady that had gone to close to the shoulder and went off the road.  Her husband was killed in the accident and she was in serious condition.

While I road with Chris after that day, none of those patrols had anything unusual happen.

Kinda disappointing.

Copyright November 26, 2017 Art Labrousse

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1 Peter 2:17  KJV  “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”

We read the second chapter of 1 Peter and see commands like these throughout. 

They are hard to swallow; and even harder, sometimes, to obey. 

I can understand giving honor to all men.  I have run into some that I have had to wrestle, to arrest and to testify against, but I always tried to treat them fairly.

Some responded in respect, others not so much.

But even still how do we honor all men, when what we are often facing, as Christians, is hate and attacks on our beliefs.

Alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

Loving our fellow Christians comes a lot easier, although we may not agree with them and we clash in many areas, they are fellow believers, fellow forgiven children of God.

Still it is sometimes with difficulty.  Alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

Fear God.  This part of the verse is a good reminder to us.  We sometimes forget that God is in charge.  When we talk to Him daily, we can become complacent and forget that He is in charge and to not obey can bring dire consequences.

It is like being the friend of a judge.  We spend time together, eat together, share common interests, but if we commit an offense against the government we have to stand before him and accept the penalty for the offense.

Unlike an earthly Judge who may give friends a break or who may remove himself from the case and we have to go before someone else, or decides to look at circumstances and gives a lighter sentence, God makes the decision.  Period.

The only thing He is going to look at is did we fear him enough to obey and accept His Son’s sacrifice for our salvation.

We need to always be aware of who His is, alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

Honor the King.  Now, that is a tough order.  We look at how many leaders have treated their subjects, Stalin, Hitler and other dictators killed people by the millions for no good reason.  How can we honor them?

Listening to some people today denigrating the President because of what they believe he is doing – others had the same problem with the last President, and the list can go on, Senators, Representatives, State officials, county and city officials.

How in the world can we possibly be forced to honor people like that, people that we disagree with, passionately? 

Alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

We have to remember, also, that the God’s Word is just that, written by man, but dictated by God.

2 Timothy 3:16  KJV  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

We cannot use the excuse that we disagree with the leaders, and we cannot say, but God, look at how ill-treated we are, you just don’t understand.

The Roman Empire was a violent, oppressive and hostile governing body, the Jewish people suffered badly and the Christians even more, yet, in the middle of all this Peter writes that verse – as inspired by God.

Yes, we can stand against the government when it orders us to do things that are against His Word – but, we must be sure of our grounds.

Acts 4:18-20  KJV  “And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

²⁰ For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

For Americans with the feeling that freedom of speech allows them to criticize anyone and everyone, no matter what, this part of the verse “Honour the king” is the most difficult.

How can we do that?  Alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

Later, Art (-:

Fog and no sun in our neck of the woods, today.  However, the rival games in college football are on today, looking forward to several of them. 

Unfortunately, Oregon vs Oregon State isn’t going to be televised that I can find.

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Chapter 19

Murders

Dealing with death is always difficult, although a part of our job.  In the city most deaths were natural and signed off by the family physician, some were accidents, some were suicides and we fully investigated those deaths. 

We were fortunate; there were very few homicides in The Dalles. 

The first homicide that occurred, after I joined the force, was handled by other officers.  While I had no involvement in the investigation there were some things that I remember well, and helped prepare me for my time as Sheriff, although that would be many years away. 

                     

The victim was a young lady about 19 years old that had disappeared during the middle of the day.   She had left work to go to lunch and never returned.  Her car was missing.  She normally parked in the City Parking lot north of the railroad tracks and a block from downtown. 

She was reported missing right away.  The investigators did their normal work.  They found out that she was due to get married in a few weeks.  She and her fiancé had purchased a home and were in the process of fixing it up so they could move in once married.  She was happy in her job, a stable personality and really looking forward to the marriage.  Part of any such investigation is to suspect the fiancé and family members, but they were quickly ruled out.  There did not appear to be any reason for her disappearance. 

I remember the Saturday a week or so after her disappearance; I was working the desk.  Her father came into the office and asked if we had heard anything yet.  I was at a loss for words I had not been around, I had been working Graveyard and knew absolutely nothing about the case. 

He was distraught; he obviously had not slept well and had been crying.  Fortunately another officer was there and talked to him briefly.  The officer said we still didn’t have anything, but he was sure she would turn up okay.  We all knew they were hollow words, but what else can you say?  The father left the office with his head down, he had started crying again; this was not like his daughter and he knew something had happened to her.  I learned later that he was coming in every day.

It is so very hard on the families when a loved comes up missing like this, and as Police Officers our hearts are tearing for them, but the only thing we can do is try and solve the case.  Hopefully to find them alive, but if not to find them so their family can begin the mourning process.

Then, of course, to find the person that did it and bring him to justice!

Finally her body was found.  It was about two weeks after the abduction.  She was located on the Washington side of the Columbia River several yards from the highway.  The investigators did a good job and soon located the suspect.  It turned out it was a crime of opportunity.

The suspect was a transient who happened to be in the area walking the tracks.  Even though this was the middle of the day and within a block of the main business area, there are not many people around.  The lot was at the back of the businesses and not readily visible. 

He saw her walking to the car, alone, and grabbed her, forcing her into the car and then taking her across the river.  After he had raped her he became scared and was afraid he would be caught, so he killed her.  He hid the body, but did not bury her.  He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The only homicide I was involved in as a Police Officer (we also handled a series of homicides when I was Sheriff – I am writing another book dedicated to those murders) occurred in early evening on a warm summer Saturday in the City Park. 

We received a call of a stabbing in the park.  Several of us were on duty and responded.  Upon arrival we found the suspect was still there.  The victim was in very bad condition and was rushed to the hospital.  Both men were transients.  Both men had been drinking and were drunk. 

They got into an argument; the victim pulled his hunting knife out and tried to stab the suspect.  They started fighting, the suspect took the knife away and cut across the throat of the victim, or so the story went. 

The victim was taken up to the hospital, but didn’t have a chance.  He was dead on arrival. 

I was sent over to the county to pick up fingerprint spoons.  These “spoons” are curved metal, about the size of eating utensils; they are used to take fingerprints from corpses. 

There are two ways of doing this and both entail cutting the fingerprint card. 

Some people prefer to cut the card into the individual fingerprint squares; others cut them into strips with each strip containing all four squares of the fingers on each hand.  I had never done this before.  I chose the strip method; which worked fine.  The suspect was taken into custody until the investigation was completed. 

From citizens in the park we heard that the two transients had been off in the far corner passing a wine bottle back and forth.  After a while they heard the two getting into an argument that became quickly heated.  They saw the victim pull his knife out and try to stab the suspect, who took the knife away and killed the victim.  After reviewing all the statements, the District Attorney decided not to prosecute; it was a case of self-defense.

Through the years we had a number of assaults with deadly and/or dangerous weapons, but these two were the only ones we had in my service to the City.  There have been a couple more in the past 30 years, but for the most part The Dalles is a safe City where citizens can walk about without fear of violence.

One of the things that all cities are now encountering is that there are a number of mentally ill people who are on the streets; many are homeless.  Some can be aggressive and threatening.

When they take their medications they are stable and don’t create problems.  However, when they get off them, then they can be frightening in their actions.  Seldom is anyone actually hurt, but when you are walking with your kids, or even by yourself and are confronted by someone like this it is not a good feeling; you don’t know what may happen.

The one thing that I do not understand is that these people choose not to take their medications knowing how they are when they are off of them.  Yet, their actions, if done by a citizen who did not have mental problems did them they would be arrested and charged with a crime; but the person who chooses not to take his medications is given a pass by taking them in and getting the person on their medications once again and then releasing them.

And so many of them are alcoholics which exacerbates the problems as they drink.

I don’t have an answer, it has been a question that society has had to deal with for several decades and no one seems to have an answer. 

I do feel for these people, they cannot help what is going on inside their brains, but when they deliberately choose to not take their medications then there should be something that can be done that will drive home the point they cannot have it both ways.

Either they take the medication, or suffer the consequences of actions when they are off of them.

That seems simple, I know it is not.  Sometimes the medication needs to be updated, or it becomes ineffective as the body has learned how to deal with it and overcome it. 

The medication causes changes in the person; some of those changes are not comfortable, they feel like zombies moving about without the ability to ‘feel’ things, to feel like a real human being.  They can’t stand it so they stop taking it, and then their symptoms begin once again.

There is so much that is not known.  AND most of these people have loved ones somewhere that have tried to help them, tried to give them a place to stay and live, but it hasn’t worked out for whatever the reason.

Each situation is different; each person is different.  Many are living in a private closet of ‘hell’ and just can’t get out.  Life is not easy for them.

But there are millions of people who suffer from mental illness, they work with doctors and therapists, they take their medications, they function and contribute to our society.

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Colossians 3:17  KJV  “ And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

If we take this verse to heart, if we realize that every action we have, every word we speak is a direct reflection on our life in Christ we would have a much more effective life in Him.

We wouldn’t holler at people who offend us, we wouldn’t use curse words, even the ‘substitution’ ones.

We wouldn’t do things that afterwards, when thinking about it, embarrasses us and more importantly harm our witness for Christ.

Later, Art (-: