Cold winds a blowing, not hard though, in our neck of the woods, but it does lend its might to the colder temps.  Temperature is 53, but with the wind NOW 20 mph gusting to 30 something, it feels a whole lot cooler and it is a biting cold, but things have to be done.

Sun keeps playing peek a-boo in the clouds.  Got one of the greenhouses put up so Carla can get her transplanted plants in a sheltered environment – will have another one or two before we are done.

Well, Steven and Cee Cee’s visit was cut short, but it was good seeing them.

We went to the Discovery Center yesterday.  I had some of my books I was dropping off – autographed these, and by the way, if any of you have one that you would like me to put my John Henry on, give me a call - plus we wanted to let her visit and see the exhibits.

She was pretty excited about it – more than I would have thought for a four year old.  It is static displays with a few interactive, with most things are above her age level.

We went into the first display area and she went to one of the folders depicting animals that lived around our area, and as she started to flip through the pages she said “what will I learn today?”  - pretty sure that is Mom’s influence.

She got to see some eagles up close.  They have an eagle watch tour – I thought it was going to be someplace on the property overlooking eagles perching, eagles are coming into our area in large numbers – but it was to a small aviary, attached to the building, with a couple of crippled Eagles that couldn’t make it in the wild.  There was also an owl and red tailed hawk, also earth bound.

The eagles gave us that stare that says I don’t want you around me and don’t come any closer or you will truly be sorry.  The poor owl stood in a corner facing it and looked around as if to say, leave me alone.  The hawk kept screeching looking for a mate – all reminded me of people I know.

But after the tour, she wanted to go back where we started so she could see more exhibits – and we did.

Teresa came over for a few minutes and Grandma got to spend some time with them yesterday afternoon and evening, she had today off so we were looking at more time, but it wasn’t to be, just as well, as Steven was getting his call at 0600, Carla was getting a call asking if she could open the store.  She said she would close if someone else opened since they would be gone by that time, and that is where she will be spending her evening today.

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“It is absolutely illogical to believe that nothing produces something, or that profoundly intricate designs have come into existence by self-generation.  The more simple and natural conclusion is that there is an immeasurably great Creator and Benefactor back of all the remarkable existences which we observe and experience.”  Gordon Olson

Genesis 1:21 “And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”  KJV

While we were still trying to wake up this morning, Carla and I watched a documentary on hummingbirds.  We like these little critters and enjoyed ‘most’ of the program.

It always amazes me how these are scripted.  The photography was great, they did slow motion showing how they maneuver, etc. and they ARE amazing little critters.

The narrative and video on how they eat and move around, how much energy they use and how much nectar they need to just live for one day was interesting.

However, the commentary about how they came about because the insects were not capable of doing the job in cold weather – as if evolution said, “oh, those poor plants, they need a special bird that can get bills into the flowers and spread the pollen around.” is hogwash.

So, basically there was a need and evolution somehow created the hummingbird – and of course, it HAD to have happened 50 million years ago, give or take a day or two.  It is amazing what the religion of evolution can accomplish, by words.

The complexity of the machinery of this world has been developed by inventors that saw a need and created a machine that could do the work quickly and with precision.  They are intricate in design and planned and blue printed so they can be replicated and improvements or modifications can be made.

No one looks at those complex machines and says ‘wow, isn’t it amazing how all those gears, and bars, and all that other stuff just came together on its own without any help or planning to make that machine.’  Nope, they admire the ingenuity and creativity of the inventor.

Yet, a far more complex organism, like the humming bird, just came about without any organization.

And they say those of us who believe the Bible’s version of Creation are fools – while they believe that everything just happened, starting with a rock or some minute piece of energy smaller than the period on this page that somehow was there, no one knows why or how, and it exploded; and everything ‘evolved from that.’

Both beliefs are just that - beliefs, both believers must have faith in their beliefs and yet, those of us that believe in a Creator are the ones who are crazy.

It is why I call it the religion of evolution.  With their priests and religious teachers that preach that religious dogma as if it was settled science.

Me, I will stick with a Creator, it makes more sense.  With or without the Word of God backing it up.

Later, Art (-: 

In our neck of the woods I am looking out the window to overcast skies, promise of rain and a very calm morning, absolutely NO wind at this moment – at least thus far.

However, I am watching a KPTV as they show lots of trees down – some very old – limbs breaking off and falling to the ground threatening anyone close to them - and extremely high winds those trees still standing are dancing madly in the wind – tens of thousands – approx. 76,000 as of this writing - of households are without power with the lines being down all over the area.

The wind is blowing so hard there that Max line is seeing limited use – buses are working in their place.

Trust all of you are safely secured in a safe place.

Got a pleasant surprise late yesterday afternoon.  Steven and Cee Cee were coming down to spend a couple of days with us; Celinda is in the middle of a project that she wants to complete tomorrow, so Steven and Cee Cee were letting her concentrate on it.  They arrived after 2300 hours last night.

Poor Grandma, she wanted to wait up until they got here even though she is putting in a lot of hours and had to go in at 0800 hours this morning – it was worth it.

Cee Cee is so active and extremely observant, neat kid.

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Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”  KJV

Ever notice how so many verses strike at your very heart? 

They make you realize how much farther you are from the holiness that God wants us to attain.

I can add nothing; I fall so short all I can do is hang my head in shame, asking forgiveness and strength to be the kind of Christian as Paul described himself.

”yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Lord, I thank you for your patience and mercy to me, please help me achieve this level of faith and commitment to you.

Later, Art (-:

Our neck of the woods, this morning, was dreary with rain coming down and thick fog all around us.  We could see the sun trying to burn its way through, but it didn’t look hopeful.

This afternoon we are blessed with sunshine, calm winds and a comfortable 60 degree temperature.  Nice change.

Carla has most of her garden debris burned and now we are just waiting for the ground to be dryer so when Josh rototills it we won’t have many clots.  We are planning on that to be done next Saturday, hopefully.

We are seeing more hummingbirds visiting our feeders; those that left last fall are starting to migrate through to the north and we will have a few join those that wintered here until next fall.  I enjoy watching them.

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1 John 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” KJV

Living in Christ means sacrifice; even if it means our own life to save another.

To tell you the truth, I am not too sure just what this means, or how we go about it; but it shows one of the reasons that we must be careful about taking verses out of context. 

1 John 3:17-18 “But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” KJV

There may very well come a time when we must give up our life for another Christian, circumstances could be that we are in a land where to be a Christian is forbidden and when we are found out we are told to either give up others or they will torture and kill us – by the way, that is a real reality for many Christians in other parts of the world.

But the whole Chapter of 1 John 3 deals with ways we must treat and look after our fellow Christians who are in need.

God expects us to help others, particularly those that are fellow Christians.  When we see a need and it is within our power to assist them, God expects us to act, not just talk.

Being a Christian has certain expectation from God.  We have agreed to accept Christ’s blood as the redemption from our sin.

However, it also requires we follow Him; do as He directs and as He did himself when He walked on the earth.

To many of us are ‘Sunday Christians’ meaning we go to church worship and pray and then the rest of the week we disregard anything the Holy Spirit is telling us – in particular ignoring the needs of others.

Lord help me open my heart to the Holy Spirit and follow both your Word and your Spirit as I go about my everyday life.

Later, Art (-: 

Overcast in our neck of the woods, might get some rain shortly – probability of that all week long.

Got back from the physical therapist this morning; he has given me some elastic ribbons to use in strengthening exercises; he had to keep going to more resistant ribbons until he could find the ones that gave me the most resistance so it would do some good.

He said, even with the bad shoulder you are pretty strong, what do you do for a living?  Retired, of course, but did say I was in Law Enforcement, and it paid to be strong. 

However, I also told him the best used muscle in that business is the tongue, it can save a lot of frustration and calm things down without having to be physical – most of the time.

We started talking about the Sheriff’s Office, he had no idea of the size of the county nor, much about it.  He had heard ‘something’ about the Rajneesh but it was before his time – born in 1989, he is still just a ‘kid.’  He was originally from Hermiston so understood the terrain and distances.

I told him that I had written a book and since he is on Amazon Prime he can download the book for free.  Will see if he does, since I have a few more sessions coming up.

Still bothering me, but I can tell the difference as I can now raise my arm with a bit of weight in my hand, where a couple of weeks ago I couldn’t do that.  It is encouraging, of course, much rather rehab than to have surgery.

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“The voice of the people, it has been said, is the voice of God; and, however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true to fact.  The people are turbulent and changing, they seldom judge or determine right.”  Alexander Hamilton

To that I would have to say ‘AMEN!’

Hebrews 4:12  ^“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  KJV

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  NIV

When we compare man’s judgement with God’s, one thing stands out, man’s judgement are based on an ever changing world.

What is illegal today can be made legal by the stroke of a pen tomorrow.  What is legal today can be illegal tomorrow by having the same thing done to it.

What is proper in today’s society would make people in the past cringe and run for cover – hey, some of us still do.

And, for that matter, many of the things that were acceptable in the past make us cringe today.

I don’t know how many times we hear, as an excuse for many of the changes, “we are more enlightened than people in the past.”

Consistency is not the world’s forte’ its rules, laws and judgement changes from one time to another, from one country to another, from one state to another, from one jurisdiction to another and in some instances from one judge to another in the same jurisdiction.

As an example, I can remember when Clay had to enforce Oregon Boating Laws on the Columbia River – in some instances what was a violation for those that had Oregon boat licenses or were put into the river on the Oregon side, was not a violation for Washington boaters.

He worked hard to help get the two States to work together to be more consistent in their rules and regulations.  NOT an easy job when you consider both felt their way was best.

Some of those changes in society ARE vital and for the good of society – and when they are we almost always find the Bible concurs.

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” KJV

God on the other hand does not change.  His commandments are the same as the day He commanded them and then later had men inspired by the Holy Spirit write them down.

Where man’s laws and God’s laws contradict, then God’s law prevails.  While there are conflicts in our laws, our nation is relatively in agreement with God’s Word – but for those living in many countries even having a Bible in hand is against their laws and can be punishable by long terms in prison and in some cases death. 

As Christians it is our duty to work to get those kinds of laws overturned and to help those that are being persecuted AND in many cases prosecuted for their faith in Christ.

Acts 4:18-20 “ 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.”  KJV

I can remember having a discussion about certain laws with an instructor and was told, it is legal, now.  I said it may be legal but that doesn’t mean it is morally correct.

I am not advocating over throwing the government.  I am advocating that there is but one way to spiritual peace and certainty of eternal salvation and that is by following God’s Word.  We cannot allow our relationship with God to be trounced under by accepting the world’s standards.

The Bible isn’t suggesting behavior, it is commanding it.  When we choose to ignore it or deliberately disobey, we are risking eternal damnation and nothing that the world says will change that.

Lord, may I always remember that Your Word HAS to be the controlling force in my life; I need Your guidance in reading it and applying its truths to my actions and interactions with others.

Later, Art (-:

Garden is still pretty wet.  We have a sandy soil, but it may not be quite dry enough to plow, at least right now.  We are supposed to receive more liquid sunshine in our neck of the woods this week, we shall see as the week goes on.

While overcast it is a decent day, no wind and temperatures in the 60’s comfortable to be outside working.

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Luke 16:25-26 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

²⁶ And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Below is a brief synopsis, of the third act and some dialog from that act, of the Play, OUR TOWN, (from Wikipedia) it is a poignant play.  I saved the movie, but for some reason the machine didn’t record all of it, enough, that it took me a long time before I could try to continue to watch it – still haven’t finished it.

OUR TOWN is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its citizens.

Third Act:  Nine years have passed. The Stage Manager opens the act with a lengthy monologue emphasizing eternity, bringing the audience's attention to the cemetery outside of town and the characters who have died since the wedding, including Mrs. Gibbs (pneumonia, while traveling), Wally Webb (burst appendix, while camping), Mrs. Soames, and Simon Stimson (suicide by hanging). Town undertaker Joe Stoddard is introduced, as is a young man named Sam Craig who has returned to Grover's Corners for his cousin's funeral. That cousin is Emily, who died giving birth to her and George's second child. Once the funeral ends, Emily emerges to join the dead; Mrs. Gibbs urges her to forget her life, but she refuses. Ignoring the warnings of Simon, Mrs. Soames, and Mrs. Gibbs, Emily returns to Earth to relive one day, her 12th birthday. The memory proves too painful for her, and she realizes that every moment of life should be treasured. When she asks the Stage Manager if anyone truly understands the value of life while they live it, he responds, "No. The saints and poets, maybe—they do some." Emily returns to her grave next to Mrs. Gibbs and watches impassively as George kneels weeping over her. The Stage Manager concludes the play and wishes the audience a good night.

Some of the dialog between the Stage Manager, Emily and Mrs. Gibbs:

Stage Manager:

And as you watch it, you see the thing that they-down there,

never know. You see the future. You know what's going to happen afterwards.

EMILY:

But is that-painful? Why?

MRS. GIBBS:

That's not the only reason why you shouldn't do it, Emily

When you've been here longer you'll see that our life here is to

forget all that, and think only of what's ahead, and be ready for what's ahead. When you've been here longer you'll understand.

EMILY:

Softly.

But, Mother Gibbs, how can I ever forget that life? It's all I

know. It's all I had.

MRS. SOAMES:

Oh, Emily. It isn't wise. Really, it isn't.

EMILY:

But it's a thing I must know for myself. _I'll choose a happy

day, anyway.

MRS. GIBBS:  No!-At least, choose an unimportant day. Choose the least ..important day in your life. It will be important enough.

EMILY:

To herself

Then it can't be since I was married; or since the baby was born.

To the stage manager, eagerly.

I can choose a birthday at least, can't I?-I choose my twelfth

birthday.

STAGE MANAGER:

All right. February 11th, 1899. A Tuesday.-Do you want

Any special time of day?

EMILY:

Oh, I want the whole day.

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After she had observed a while:

EMILY:

Oh, Mr. Stimson, I should have listened to them.

SIMON STIMSON:

With mounting violence; bitingly.

Yes, now you know. Now you know! That's what it was to be

Alive. To move about in a cloud of ignorance; to go up and

down trampling on the feelings of those ... of those about you.

To spend and waste time as though you had a million years. To

be always at the mercy of one self-centered passion, or another.

Now you know-that's the happy existence you wanted to go back to. Ignorance and blindness.

It is a reminder that we take people for granted and need to stop and use our time wisely here on earth.

However, could that scenario actually happen?

We talk about how there will be no pain in heaven, no illness, no sorrow. 

If that is the case, then, I believe, God protects us from those things that would make us sorrowful.

If you will note in the exchange between Abraham and the rich man, he states there is a large gulf between them.

It doesn’t say that Lazarus saw or even heard the rich man.

I sincerely believe that God will allow us to recognize those friends and family who are in heaven, but will not allow us to look for those that are not.  We will not remember them, it would be too painful.

However, I also believe that part of the eternal pain for those who reject our Lord and His Son will be that they remember everything.  They will see those that told them of His love, they will see family and friends in heaven and realize there is nothing that can be done now, except suffer the consequences, seeing what could have been.....over and over again; forever.

And part of that will be knowing that those in heaven will not remember them.

Even as Christians we take life too much for granted as if it will never end.  We are careless of our words, careless of our time and our loved ones could suffer for that, for eternity.

Lord, help me to remember that there are friends and family in the world today that are in need of your salvation and may the Holy Spirit lead them to You, through me or someone else that they too will accept Christ’s sacrifice and celebrate with us forever worshipping You.

Later, Art (-:

Beautiful day today in our neck of the woods.  Carla got to burn most of her debris and will finish it tomorrow. 

Transplanting will get started tomorrow in preparation to get them growing strong so she can plant what she wants and then gives away the rest.

My story today is about dispatchers.  I believe every ‘cop’ will agree with what I say, and for those that have never had to depend on someone while in a crisis mode, you will have a better understanding of how important a dispatcher’s role in in Law Enforcement.

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Psalm 4:1  Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

Every Christian will say the most important communication in our lives is with God.  Without that communication, without that time of prayer and talking with God we can place ourselves in great danger. 

We rest assured that He is always listening and no matter our circumstances, He is with us.  Speaking to God, especially in times of trouble, allows the Holy Spirit to place His hand upon our shoulder and let us know He is there and with us, His hand is a comforting assurance and gives us courage and confidence of making it through the situation.

Prayer is our life line.

To a police officer, that communication is vital.  But another form of communication is also critical and can make the difference between life and death.

The dispatcher on the other end of the radio is every Police Officer’s life line. 

They are the unsung heroes of the Law Enforcement community.

They are always there, ready to take the 9-1-1 calls; ready to comfort a victim; give instructions on giving emergency care until the ambulance arrives; hovering over the radio like a mother hen hovers over her chicks when the officer comes on the radio and answers a call, stops a vehicle, calls for assistance.

A good dispatcher can make all the difference in critical incidents and they can give encouragement to the officer who needs that hand on his shoulder, telling him it will be okay.

I won’t go into the evolution of communications in Law Enforcement, today.  I will show how important that person on the other end of the microphone is with this story.

We had recently instituted a 9-1-1 call and dispatch center in the city.  The center handled all calls for the police and fire department. 

One of the best dispatchers of all time for us, was assigned when the call center became functional and replaced three firemen who used to man the radio when units were dispatched.  The lower three were laid off as firemen and given the opportunity to work as a dispatcher.

Not always were they happy about it and one of them had an attitude that most officers wanted to shake him a couple of times to get his attention – but even he, once he settled in and realized how important it was, did a decent job.

The best, Joe, was used as a training officer.  He was training a new employee and that night he told the Sergeant and me (the only two on the road that night) that he would be letting her dispatch on her own, he would be in our office monitoring the radio, but she was on her own as far as she was concerned.

Our office was in the same building, but a few doors and several feet separated the two offices.

She was a young woman.  She had survived polio as a child and had several physical impairments.  She was pleasant and serious about doing the best job she could.

That first night on her own was a Swing Shift on a Tuesday night.  Usually Tuesdays were very quiet,

so it wasn’t a bad idea to let her feel what it was like to be the only dispatcher on duty.

That night was quiet.  So, quiet that there was hardly any traffic and no calls.  I started doing checks on buildings and hitting our small business areas, to show the flag.

As I drove through one area I saw a man running from a laundry mat into their parking lot.  The laundry set back a bit from the street with the parking lot in front and two stores on either side.

Now, why would a person be running from the laundromat that time of night?

I drove half a block to where a service station was, turned off my lights and watched to see what was happening.  A 1959 Ford Station wagon came boiling out of the parking lot and then turned towards me; lights off.

He made a left turn onto the cross street, I hit the lights and the chase was on.  I had never been in a high speed chase, as a passenger or a driver.  New experience - and with the lights and sirens and the speed we were going on city streets the adrenaline started pumping in overdrive.

I radioed I was in a chase and the speed and direction we were going in, I heard a calm voice saying ‘10-4.’

I got close enough to read and call the plate in for check for warrants/theft and registration.  I hear a calm voice saying ‘10-4.’

My voice was far from that calm. 

The driver still didn’t have his lights on and anytime we had a car come at us he would go into their lane – they would swerve to the right, over correct and come right at me as I was going behind him.

And my thoughts were: she has NO IDEA WHAT IS HAPPENING!

So, I am driving down city streets at over 50 mph, first chase, and adrenaline already pumping; now, I have a dispatcher who hasn’t the slightest idea what is going on.

I felt I was in way over my head and in deep trouble.

Then Joe came on the line.  It was like he had reached over the frequency, put his hand on my shoulder and told me I would be fine.

I was no longer in panic mode.  My training and knowledge, along with what little experience I had in these kind of situations took over.

We blew through town, several times he lost control, hitting parked cars, one time hitting a house that was at the end of the street (dead-end) and each time I thought he was down – he righted it and away he went, lights still out.

That car was like a tank.  Nothing was stopping it – he even drove down a street with railroad tracks in the middle - on the tracks.  We often have drunks misjudge and get struck on those tracks, but he just barreled on through to the next block and was back on a full street hitting a couple of parked cars as he got back in control.

Through stop signs, through red lights we went, fortunately it was a quiet night, very little traffic, although anytime he could he would aim at the oncoming cars to distract them and put me in danger.

I thought to myself, he has done this before – he was obviously more experienced at this than I was.

We headed out of town.  He slowed way down.  I figured he wanted me to try and pass him and force him over – no chance, I was driving a Ford Torino, a mid-sized light car (it was during the gas crisis of the 1970’s and we went to smaller, more fuel efficient cars) and he was driving this tank.  It would have been like a jeep trying to stop a tank, I just stayed behind and radioed info into the dispatch center.

As we headed up Auction Yard Hill – named because, yes, it had an auction yard on it, on the state highway I would soon be out of radio range.

Joe radioed to turn the radio over to County (we had recently purchased radios where we could transmit and receive four frequencies the three of them were county’s since they had a local transmitter and two repeaters.)

I did so.  When I got over there Joe told me that they had received a call from a lady in the laundromat.  The driver of the car ‘your cop is chasing’ tried to rape her.  He had notified the Detective Sergeant and she would be coming in to meet with him.

You always wonder why these idiots run – there has to be a reason and we always figure it is the worst as most of the time it is, now, I knew.

The problem was I was virtually all alone.  I had talked with the lone county deputy about 10 minutes before the chase started and knew he was going in the opposite direction to check on a small community about 9 miles from the city. 

The Sergeant hadn’t come on the radio.  He told me afterwards that he didn’t want to interfere with my transmissions, but he was heading my way.  After Joe told me to go to the county frequency he radioed into the center.

When I didn’t try to pass him he stepped on it and we were going over 90 mph on the highway.  He still didn’t have his lights on.  Fortunately we didn’t encounter any on-coming traffic.

About 5 miles out he makes a sudden right turn onto a dirt road, his car lifted up on two tires and it looked like he was going to roll over – I was about to radio for an ambulance, when he righted the car and off he went.

I radioed that we had gong onto a dirt road about five miles out.  While I traveled the highway often in route to visit family and friends, I had not paid attention to the names of cross roads, so I couldn’t give it a name.

However, it is named Five Mile Road and the deputy (actually two the one Klickitat deputy on duty – Washington State was listening) both deputies knew the road and heading my way to help.

We went down the dirt road, he went around a corner and as I went around, he was sliding cross ways in the road.  I tried doing it on purpose and wasn’t doing too bad, until my back wheels went off the road.

My car whipped around and I was heading down a steep ravine, all I could think of was, “Lord, here I come.”

I made it safely to the bottom, got out of the car and ran back up the hill – car was still there, but the driver was long gone.

I went back down to the car – the ravine was only about 30 feet deep, so that could have been a lot worse, many in that area were several hundred – but couldn’t radio out, I was in a dead spot.

I saw a farm house with lights on about a half mile down the road so ran over to it.

I hammered on the door, out of breath and a young lady answered.  I think I ‘asked’ if I could use her phone and quickly told her I need to call dispatch.  She let me in.

I called dispatch the new dispatcher answered; I said, this is Officer Labrousse, and in between breaths gave her a run-down where the vehicle and I was.  I asked her if she had all that, she said yes. Then,

“Who is this?”

I was able to drive the car back to the office.  We didn’t locate the suspect that night, but he came in the next day with his attorney and turned himself in.  I had the privilege of lodging him in the County Jail on a myriad of charges.

I asked Joe if she had any idea what had been going on, he said yes, even better than he did at first since he lost part of the communication going from our office to dispatch.

I am glad I talked with him first, because, frankly I wasn’t real happy.  However, now knowing she had remained calm ON PURPOSE, I thanked her and asked how she could remain that calm.

Her answer, ‘I wouldn’t do you any good if I didn’t.’

From that day, until the day she went to another agency in the valley, she was first my second and then when Joe got his job back as a Fireman, my favorite dispatcher.

She was good.

That was my first experience that I KNEW the dispatcher made a real difference, but I have been reminded many times over through the years.

She was better than most.  But, with few exceptions they all maintained a professional attitude and did a very good job.

It is hard to remain calm when things are seemingly out of hand for citizens and they have to calm them, dispatch the proper agency and then keep track of all the other units that are on the air.

The dispatchers are a Police Officer’s guarding angels, and they treat us that way, calmly waiting on edge until we can tell them we are okay.

They have our backs.

But the Holy Spirit is with us, 24 hours a day, every day of our lives wherever we are and whatever our circumstance.  Always prepared to put His hand on our shoulder and tell us He has our back, He is there for us.

When He dispatches us, He has our backs!

Later, Art (-:

Sunshine the past couple days in our neck of the woods – but we are having some winds along with them.  Carla is looking forward to burning the piles of debris she has created in cleaning up the garden. 

Now, if, on her days off, the weather cooperates – by keeping the winds down - she should be able to get that done this week.  Then Josh can come in with the tractor and prepare the ground.

Rough week, physically, for me this week.  So far tests we have run are negative – which is good – but doesn’t explain what is wrong.  Nothing serious, just bad enough to keep me down and from doing some of the things I want to get done – which includes my writings.  Still meditate and pray, just don’t have the wherewithal to put meaningful sentences together.

Feeling much better and hopefully getting over this bout, but it is lingering.

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Deuteronomy 5:17 “ Thou shalt not kill.”  KJV

Every Law Enforcement officer that wears a shield or star must understand that in the course of his/her duties the possibility always exists that the officer may have to kill someone.

No one understands it better than a Christian Police Officer.

I doubt that there isn’t a Christian PO that hasn’t heard ‘you can’t be a Christian AND a police officer’ because of this commandment.  Yet, there are; thankfully.

So how does a Christian PO deal with this dichotomy?  It is a very real dilemma.  The PO knows that to serve and protect are just not words; they describe a real mission and obligation to the citizens and fellow officers.

We must serve our citizens and we must protect them to the very best of our abilities, even if it includes taking the life of another person.

Every officer, city, county, state or federal, that puts a gun on their hip KNOWS that, and must prepare themselves for that possibility.

It doesn’t matter if the PO is a member of a small department or a large one, it can happen anytime – the first day on the job or the last one – and anywhere a city of 100 population, or 3 million.  There is no place free from the possibility that the PO may have to shoot to protect himself or another.

Christian Military people go through the same mental process, many become conscientious objectors – and they serve as paramedics and in ways that doesn’t require them to take up a firearm.

I have no criticism of these individuals, there are many ways to serve our country and our fellow man and that is one of them and an important one.

But many Christians do take up arms and must deal with the possibility that they will have to fire at an enemy and kill him.

The missions of the two professions are similar, they are there to protect the citizens of our country and those that are being oppressed, and they serve the country in that capacity.

I had a discussion with a Viet Nam Vet one time.  It was about the fact that a local deputy had killed a suspect, it was a ‘good’ shooting which basically means he didn’t have any other real choices, and was having a difficult time dealing with the fact he had killed another human being.

The Vet genuinely couldn’t understand that, he had been a sniper and had killed several of the enemy and he too was a Christian.  He didn’t feel any remorse.

While the missions are similar the way the professions work and train is different.  While simply stated and without going into detail, basically the military seeks and destroys the enemy, he doesn’t interact with them.

The PO has intimate contact with the public.  The emphasis is to help them and bring the criminals to justice, not kill them.  His nature is to NOT kill, but to avoid it as much as possible using other means to subdue the suspect, whenever possible.

That is a major reasons we see standoffs so much now, the idea is to take time, don’t endanger the general public and do all that is possible in getting the suspect to surrender without charging into the barricaded area very likely killing the person.

While different people handle things differently, this deputy was, like a lot of officers, having difficulty with taking a life.

The Vet better understood the grief the officer was going through as we talked. 

Of course we also know that many of our Veterans suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome and some of those do suffer because they had to take a life of another person.

And, it doesn’t make any difference if they are Christian or not, they are humans; humans aren’t supposed to kill other humans.

Citizens often do not understand what a PO must train for nor how they train.  Training with firearms is extremely important, knowing when to shoot is as important as to how to shoot.  The training enables the officer to be proficient at both and if the PO must use the firearm he is able to better shoot with accuracy and endanger as few others as possible.

Throughout my career, both on and off duty, I spent countless hours visiting and speaking to students in the schools, all the way from kindergarten through high school. 

One of the questions asked by many was, ‘Have you ever killed someone.’

The answer, fortunately, was no.

I can remember the first time I was asked if it is true that a PO must ‘shoot to kill.’  Back then, that WAS the phrase that was drilled into every officer’s head.

Meaning, if you take that gun out of your holster you must be ready to kill the person you are pointing it at.  There was no shooting of a leg, or gun out of the hand.  The PO is trained to shoot the largest target, the chest area, and the possibility is great that it will kill the person.

Now, the phrase is ‘shoot to stop the threat.’  They both mean the same thing, it is just a better description of what is actually taught and what the PO is trying to do.

Back to the question:  It was a Jr. High School student and when I said, yes, we shoot to kill, her eyes went wide and I could see she really was shocked.

I then explained the terminology and the fact that when the suspect is down, we do not go over and make sure they are dead and if not we kill them; we go over and administer first aid, trying to SAVE them until an ambulance arrives.

I was surprised at the relief I saw in her eyes.  It was an interesting interaction, especially since she couldn’t have been more than 13 or 14.  From then on I immediately explained the thought process and after a few years it was a bit easier with the change in terminology.

As with most Christian PO’s I have been asked how I deal with the potential of taking another life.  I had given it a lot of thought before I took up the profession.

Now, some well-meaning Christians said, “Art, the actual term is murder, though shalt not commit murder” which is not the same thing.  While that may sound good the end result is the same, a Christian has taken a human life.

My answer, which at least satisfied me, was that if the time arrives and I must fire my weapon, I will do it with all the training and skill I have and I trust God to direct the bullets and take care of the results.

It is a simplistic answer, and, fortunately, I never had to test it.  But I truly believe that God will indeed help a Christian PO in fulfilling his duties, no matter what they are and how they must be done.

Like many Christian PO’s, being a cop was my calling from God and my ministry to those I served.  I was able to use my relationship with God to help me with my many contacts with the citizens, giving talks, incidental contacts in passing, victims of crimes and suspects, and many times I was able to share my testimony with them.

Yes, Christians CAN be Law Enforcement Officers – and while we are not perfect and we do make mistakes it doesn’t detract from the fact that we serve God and man in the process.

Later, Art (-: