She was just a child with a 22 bullet in her head. Kids playing with guns is a recipe for disaster. Her blood covered my right hand as I tried to control my emotions and deliver her to the ER alive. Almost forty years later, it can still bring tears to my eyes. Life’s tragedies play out in every community across the country and someone has to be there to try and pick up the pieces. I volunteered for this position.

I believe this was a calling on my life, but there was an even greater calling.

“Who will go for us?” is a line from the Bible verse found in Isaiah 6:8.

What have you been called to do?

Give it some thought.

Gary

An acquaintance told my wife that she missed my working for the ambulance service because I could bring so much calmness into a chaotic situation. What so many didn’t know was that every time my pager went off, my stomach would tighten and I would never feel prepared for the situation that I was about to face. I think if anyone enjoys this occupation, he or she needs a shrink. Only saying— my personal experience. When I arrived at a scene, I would put on my “I’m-in-control mask.” Then, I’d go about trying to bring order out of the chaos. That lady didn’t know I had such a thing.

How many wear a mask so no one can tell what is on the inside? The Pharisees wore a mask and Jesus removed it in John 8:7.

 “Let him who is without sin among you, cast the first stone at her”

You, behind the mask, give it some thought.

Gary

This elderly couple was well-known for the verbal combat that they engaged in their entire married-life together.  On this day, he was leaving the apartment on a stretcher and they both knew that their being under the same roof had come to an end. She had a stricken look in her eyes like she was losing something special that she’d never have again. I felt like saying, “Are you sorry?”

 Sadly, some don’t appreciate their spouse until such an event takes place.

Ephesians 5:28 

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:33 

However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Yup, give it some consideration.

Gary

As a paramedic, one of my least-liked duties was taking people out of their homes for the last time. This particular elderly gentleman had put a lot of work into his house and property. He had even planted trees in a circle so he could hide in their midst and watch the wildlife in his field. The pain on his face, knowing he would never return, was palpable.

Everything in this life comes to an end. We need to learn not to hang onto it too tightly and start considering the eternal home that awaits us. If you haven’t made a reservation for that place with your name in His Book of Life, I hurt for you.

James 4:14 

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

Psalm 90:12 

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Give it some thought before the ambulance pulls up to your door for the last time.

Gary

At 5:45 in the morning, I’m out walking the dog. I know, but that’s what you do when you’re old. As the sun is trying to rise,  I look up and gaze upon what is known as the Morning Star. It’s Venus and its light left that planet almost four minutes ago. Again, I marvel at how God speaks through creation.

Romans 1:20 

For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Jeremiah 32:17 

‘Ah, Lord God! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You.

My God is an awesome God. Give it some thought.

Gary

When I was growing up, the big thunderstorms would be coming from the west. If a person was looking up the river, the black clouds could be seen from a distance, and one knew to find shelter because a downpour was coming.

From my examination of Holy Writ concerning the last worldwide flood, I would say there is a real possibility another worldwide judgment is about to hit. Not water this time, but multiple disasters from diverse angles. It’s called the Great Tribulation period.

How should one be ready? Glad you asked.

Matthew 24:44 

Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

John 5:24 

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Give it some thought.

Gary

My wife and I were watching geese practicing for their long flight south. Their loud, insistent noises had drawn our attention.  Did you know that geese honk to coordinate position shifts while flying in that V formation, which makes the flock more aerodynamic? Geese also honk to encourage one another to stay in position.

Christians are to be like geese. We need to encourage one another to stay in position, and at the same time, help lighten the load.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Give it some thought, and don’t be afraid to honk encouragement at those in the same flight pattern.

Gary