Cold Water Challenge

You know, it has been a very interesting few weeks around the upstate with a lot of successes, large operations, and a lot of heart ache.  As we celebrated the memories of so many fallen heroes this weekend, I watched a simple game take off with my brothers and sisters around the fire service.  I watched many of you raise money for your respective charities while having fun doing so.  But for many of us, this was not our first cold water challenge.  We participate in a cold water challenge multiple times every winter at structure fires.  We participate in a cold water challenge on every river rescue.  We participate in the cold water challenge every time we conduct an extrication in the rain.  And for those of us who were around to actually ride tailboard or open jump seat, you, like me, can remember hosing down our frozen gear inside the station to get it to thaw out after returning from a structure fire in below freezing temperatures.  I’m sure all of you could tell story after story, but the point I want to make here is that each of us made a conscious decision to serve others.  This weekend was no different at all as each of you took the challenge to yet again, serve others.

Many of us have come up around the Chief Brunacini’s and the Billy G’s (you should know who Billy G is) and have bathed in the leadership examples set by men like them.   But what examples are we setting for those that follow us?  Are we teaching the value of brotherhood to the young men who are following in our footsteps?  Are we teaching them to recognize how important relationships are and the feeling you get when you hear a friend’s voice on the radio and you know that friend is coming.  He is coming not because somebody dropped a set of tones; he’s coming because it is you and likewise, we go because it is our friend. 

Finally, are we telling stories?  When I was 20 years old as a rookie firefighter, my Captain had been with the department for 30 years.  Gerald “Fudd” Nicholson was one of the best, if not the best Captain I ever had the opportunity to serve under.  I enjoyed hearing him tell stories of, “The Old Timers” and the fires they had fought along with some of his famous sayings (that I’ll refrain from posting here).  He had been there, done that, and had the experience to prove it.  Every fire we fought, he was right there with me proving to me that everything was O.K.  and investing in me.  Fudd had a very positive influence on me and impacted the way I supervise 20 years later.  The question now should be asked, “What am I doing to impact leaders 20 years from now?”  What are you doing to impact leaders 20 years from now?  If you are reading this on Facebook, take a minute to look up the “Bring Back Brotherhood”  page and look at the post from May 14, 2014.  They provide us with a great example of brotherhood with great instructions to follow.  Make a difference!

Special Purpose

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it."  As a supervisor, this is one of the hardest, if not the hardest thing in my professional career to do.  It is not because of my distrust in the people who work for me, rather it is my built-in nature to be in control.  Truth be known, I have the most wonderful people in the world to work with and am fortunate to supervise some of the smartest and most capable people in the world.  But my thoughts here are not for the working world, although they can apply to the work world.  Rather, I am thinking more about our lives as Christians.

Have you ever thought about why God chose you?  Why did he create you and what did he create you for?  If God designed us, created us for a purpose, and chose us for a purpose, he must believe we are, "the good men to do what he wants done...".  The question is, "Are we?"  Genesis 1:27 reads, "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."  From the very beginning, we know that God created us all and more importantly, he created us in the "his own image".  I think many times, we feel as though we are are of no value to anybody in the world and we may feel worthless.  I remember remodeling our master bedroom bathroom several years ago, and let me tell you, it took me FOREVER!  I had to gut the entire floor and one wall because of a water leak.  To this day, I walk into that bathroom and smile because I know how much work went into the finished product.  So if I took so much pride in creating a bathroom, how then must the Lord feel about us, his creation?  The book of Jeremiah tells us a little about how God feels about us in Chapter 1 verse 5 which reads, "
⁴ The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord."

So from what God spoke to Jeremiah, we now know that not only did God create us for a purpose, he knew us when he formed us in the womb.  In verse 8, God gives us some real encouragement when he says, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you."  He created us, called us to do something special, and reminds us that no matter what, he, "will rescue you"! 

My point here is that we are all created for a purpose by a God that loves you very much.  My challenge to each of you is that you will live out your lives to serve him and that others will see God through you and when in doubt, just do the right thing.  I want to leave you with a link to a YouTube video that demonstrates the power of sharing the love of Christ.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-2dKOfbC9c

*BREAKING NEWS*

It has been a long time since I have written a blog, in spite of the many requests from those of you that actually read my blog.  I think between school, work, life, and more, I have failed to take time to prayerfully consider a blog.  However, recent events have motivated me to spend some time reflecting on the week’s events.

Do you remember that kid in school that everybody picked on and made fun of and who really didn’t have any friends?  You know, the kid that never got invited to parties, never had a girlfriend, and sat by themselves or with the same one or two people at lunch?  Well, that kid was me.  Junior High and Senior High School was particularly tough for me as I was the kid that didn’t have many friends and often was the victim of what we now call bullying.  I can count on one hand, the number of people that were genuinely kind to me.  Not knowing any better, I just assumed it was part of life and made the best that I could of it.  I do not mind sharing with you that I have struggled with those  scars most of my life including my refusal to attend either of my class reunions.   However, this blog is not about me; it’s about somebody else.

Undoubtedly, many of you have read, watched, or heard about the recent passing of Laurie Lomax Patton.  In reading many of the posts on Facebook, it is obvious that she impacted so many lives in so many positive ways, including mine.  In High School, Laurie was a popular girl who hung around the other popular kids, but that is where the similarities of the popular kids stopped.  Laurie was genuinely kind to everybody no matter their social status, style, age, friends, or anything else.  As an adult, I did not have a lot of contact with Laurie directly, but because of her being, “kin folk”, my  Mom kept up with her.  It came as no surprise to hear that she had not changed a bit from her co-workers and students alike during her funeral today.  In fact, it is safe to say that Laurie was an inspiration to all she came in contact with, young and old.  With the loss of such a wonderful person, one might ask, “Why would God take such a wonderful person?”  This is not the first time I have faced this question as I had the same question when my good friend Ike Brissey passed away unexpectedly.  So, I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the matter.

The bible is very clear that all of us will die; sooner or later, we will die (Hebrews 9:27).  Good, bad, or indifferent, we will die.  Then why is it that we are so adversely impacted when somebody like Laurie unexpectedly passes?  I think we can compare it to news stories.  If you watch the news, the leading stories are almost always something extraordinary, or, “Breaking News”.  Think about it!  When was the last time a break-in at a home was the leading story on any news outlet or for that matter, any part of the news at all?  Unfortunately, these crimes do not make headline news because it has become the norm.  Likewise, when an average person passes, it impacts  the immediate family, but fails to make breaking news.  Laurie, like my good friend Ike, were the images of Matthew Chapter 5 in every aspect of their life.  They were extraordinary and their passing was like the breaking news stories on the evening news simply because they were extraordinary.  They put others above themselves and strived to make a difference in every person they came in contact with.  You see, they exemplified a life of Christ.  As a result, their loss is extremely difficult to deal with and understand.

So this should be our lesson.  If one person can have the impact that Laurie and Ike had, what kind of impact would 10 of us have?  What about 20, 50, 100, or better yet, all of us?  My challenge to each of you that have read to this point is to live a life worthy of such an epitaph (the stuff they write on your tombstone).  Live the life that encourages everybody you come in contact with and makes them want to be like you, or more importantly, like Christ.  In other words, would your death be, “Breaking News”?

It's Christmas!

Yes, I know that it has been a long time since I've written a blog.  To be honest, it takes a lot for me to come up with something intelligent to put down on paper (or screen).  Today is Christmas and I have been able to sit in my recliner while I watched all three kids open their gifts.  Many Americans will not understand why I feel blessed to be able to be home on Christmas morning, but many of you that read my blog will.

There are numerous verses throughout the bible that deal with public servants, but I will only share two.  The first is found in Matthew 5:9 which states, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  Peacemakers are found in nearly every part of public service.  From the police officer, to the firefighter, the paramedic, the dispatcher, the soldier, the nurse, etc.  If you serve the public in some form or fashion, they you are considered a peacemaker.

The last is found in Isaiah 6:8 which reads, "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”" In this day in time, every person who serves does so by their own choice; nobody is drafted anymore which makes serving a free choice.  Each of you have made a choice to sacrifice and place others above yourself!

What do these two verses have to do with anything?  Well, for the first 13 years of my career, I worked almost every holiday and can only remember one year where I had both Christmas eve and Christmas day off.  I was taught very early on (before the kids came along) to either come in early or work late for the guys that did have kids so they could enjoy spending Christmas morning with their children.  If you work 12 hours shifts, there are many occasions where you might have worked both Christmas eve and Christmas day.  Like every morning, I woke up and checked my phone for messages and pages from during the night to see what major event shave occurred during the night.  And like most days, there were a couple of structure fires and a fatal event.  Now, for those of you who don't have family that work in public service, imagine if you will, you are the dispatcher that took the frantic 911 call for help, the officer who responded to the violent event, the paramedic that attempted to save the life of your loved one, or the ER nurse or doctor that had to decide there was nothing more that could be done to save your loved one.  Now imagine going home to your family on Christmas morning after responding to such a violent call?  

Christmas can be very difficult on public servants for a variety of reasons, but the point of it is, that they sacrifice so much, so you can have a "silent night" and "peace on Earth".  So as you enjoy time with family and friends today, please take a moment to think about those men and women who serve you every day, as they spend their day away from family to keep you safe.

To all of my brothers and sisters, you guys ROCK!  Thank you for your willingness to serve and know that you are holding a special place in my heart for your sacrifice.

Mixed Up

WARNING! This might be a long one and might just be opinionated.

I try very hard to keep my personal life and my professional life separated.  My reasons for this are fairly simple.  One, it is the policy of my employer that I do not post pictures, videos, or comments related to the employer on my personal social media sites.  I personally agree with my employer on this one as you never know what somebody might post.  Two, there are many people in the legal community that would love to get their hands on the things that some of us post on our personal sites, and then use them against us.  And finally, my 1st amendment right to free speech protects me, as an individual citizen, not an employee.  As an employee, I represent the employer; not myself.  I think too often, people forget that we represent somebody.

You see, we, as Christians, represent somebody higher than us. It's our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  So today, I am going to exercise my right to free speech and represent the opportunities given me throughout my life by my Lord.

I'm sure there is not a person in our Country that has not heard, read, or watched the news regarding the tragedy in Newtown, CT.  Words cannot describe the sadness and overwhelming feeling every parent in the US has for their own children after hearing of this horrific act.  My intent here today is not to rekindle those feelings in you, rather it is a call to action.  Many people question how such a horrific act can happen and I think there will be many fingers pointing the blame at somebody of something.  A tee shirt I saw recently summed it up best by reading, "Dear God, why did you allow such a tragedy to happen at school? Sincerely, Concerned Citizen.  Dear Concerned Citizen, I am not allowed in school. Love, God"  Before I go any farther, a little history lesson.

Our Country was founded on many of the beliefs of our forefathers.  One of those core beliefs was that of independence.  Do you realize that, in plain language, independence is another word for rebellion?  Independence is defined as, "not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct, etc.; thinking or acting for oneself:"  So we as Americans, do not like to be told what to do.  Just look around at how dysfunctional our Country has become and see for yourself.  The mindset of many Americans today is that I will do what I want, when I want, and where I want.  And, when I screw everything up, I will blame the government and then demand them to bail me out.  

Many Americans, do not like to adhere to the notion, "it could happen here" and when faced with more strict safety and security measures, we cry foul and blame somebody else or make accusations of constitutional violations.  In the wake of attempted commercial airline bombings, there was an immediate outcry, sensationalized by the media, to immediately cease and desist the, "unconstitutional" search of people boarding airplanes.  Oddly enough, some of the same people would cry that profiling is unconstitutional.  So if you cannot search people and you cannot profile, how then should you prevent terrorist acts?  Yet society continues to point the finger and blame events on anything that helps us escape discomfort.  This statement applies to so many concepts such as building homes in a flood plain, hurricane prone coastline, or on an earthquake fault.  The thought is, "In my 40 years, there has never been an earthquake in this area." or "What's the big deal? There hasn't been a major hurricane here since the 60's!"  Consequently, when our culture thinks of terrorism, the vast majority think of foreign, middle eastern males screaming some sort of gibberish just prior to attacking.  Unfortunately, that is simply a stereo-type.  The definition of terrorism is, according to the FBI, “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” and it does not stop with foreign terrorism.  It includes domestic terrorism (home grown) that is alive and well today.   Fortunately, our Country has been blessed in the lack of attacks when compared to other countries.  Israel, for example, lives with the constant fear of missile attacks, suicide bomber attacks, and car bombs just to name a few.  If you watched any of the news coverage from the recent conflict between Gaza and Israel, you would have seen the blast proof doors and windows at the drug store, people seeking cover under buildings and covered walkways, and more.  Terrorism is a way of life for many places in our world today.

It saddens me when things such as terrorism, gun control, and other emotional hotbeds become the center of politics.  In the recent presidential campaign, much of the debate was over the response to the attack on the US Consulate in Bin Ghazi.  The reality is that neither candidate really cared about the attack other than to increase their desire to point fingers and blame the other candidate.  And we see this everyday in federal, state, and local politics in some form or another.  The grandstanding by politicians that will follow in the days to come will be sickening.  The majority of our culture wants to blame somebody else for our problems.  After all, it couldn't possibly be our fault.  "We need to ban all guns!", "We need to spend more funds on rehabilitation.", and on and on.  At some point, we as a Country, are going to have to answer for our lack of responsibility in teaching the next generation how to have respect and concern for our brothers and sisters.  Instead, we are teaching the next generation to blame somebody else for our problems, to ignore what might happen so it will not happen here, and then require the government to bail us out when we do things we know better than doing.  It is not the government's responsibility to prepare you and your families for emergencies; it is ours!  My first priority is to my family then to my job and I would personally prefer that the government do their job to provide the core basic functions of government.

There are many institutions that choose to ignore the possibility of such a horrific event Newtown experienced out of political concerns.  "If we plan for an active shooter, then the parents will think that their kids aren't safe; we have to admit that it could happen here."  We can't require secure entry to our schools, because parents will get mad when it takes so long to get in."  "We can't arm our teachers because you don't want guns blazing in a school!"  So in the case of Newtown, you have a lone individual that committed potentially a series of illegal acts upon 600+ defenseless law abiding citizens with a total disregard of any laws or regulations.  Now, the outcry for more laws to prevent the next attack from somebody without regard for laws will be loud and clear and will be sensationalized by the media.  How do you regulate somebody who cares nothing for regulations?  You cannot.  There are many people in our culture that refuse to deal with such events, but there was a guy by the name of Louie Pasteur who is credited with the statement, "Chance favors only the prepared mind."  We MUST plan and prepare!  We must!  You can no longer say, "That will not happen here" as the population of Fairfield County CT (the county where Newtown resides) is just over 27,560 according to the 2010 census.  That is just about as small town as it gets.  What are you doing to plan and prepare?  Are you willing to accept safety and security over convenience?

My intent here is not a doomsday scenario or to scare you, rather it is to remind you to plan and prepare for emergencies of all types.  From installing a smoke detector (and changing batteries), to being mindful of your surroundings in a parking lot, to working with your schools to promote safer and more secure facilities.  Encourage your schools to make it more difficult to access the school and be glad when it takes you longer to get in to the school.  Be happy when you are asked to present your photo id when you arrive at a parent/teacher conference or when you pick up your children early.  Get to know your child's teacher and Principal and let them know you.  Visit your neighbors more often and learn who belongs and who does not.  Community groups are not a thing of the past rather they are a concept of protecting each other.  Do you know your local law enforcement?  Do you know where the local police department or Sheriff's Office is?  How about your local fire department?  Have you ever taken a CPR or first aid class?  These are all critical ways of thinking in an effort to become prepared.  If we will all take a small piece of responsibility and then teach our kids that same responsibility, I would not have to write such a blog as this.

If you have managed to read everything to this point, I want to say thank you.  Many of you who read my blog have dedicated your careers to protecting and serving total strangers.  To those of you that have read my blog and are now offended, tough.  These are tough times we live in and they will require tough decisions and sometimes offensive actions.  It offends me that there are people who refuse to prepare and instead of accepting the blame, and then point their finger at somebody else.  At some point, we as a culture are going to have to rise to the occasion, take the blame, and begin to make a change.  If you are offended by my comments above, let me put the icing on the cake for you.  If you want to see real change in our Country, spend more time on your knees in prayer.  Not to a shrine or statue, but to a real and living God.  The power of prayer is an amazing tool not to be underestimated or underused.  "Father, forgive me for not teaching responsibility to those around me."

History

I want to share the history lesson(s) I've experienced in the last couple of days.  To start, let me give you an overview.

My dad served our Country in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.  His duty assignment was on the USS Enterprise (no, not the Starship Enterprise) between 1970-1972.  On 1 Dec, the Enterprise will be, "Inactivated" and the process to dismantle her will begin.  Dad was invited to attend the ceremony and to tour the Enterprise one final time.  So, dad, mom, my middle son Will, and myself have traveled to Norfolk, VA to tour the Enterprise.

The first history lesson was learned during the ride up here.  It was a lot of fun listening to mom and dad reminisce about the trips they had taken on the very same route some 42 years ago.  "Well now this road was just a two lane road the last time we were here."  When dad was drafted into the Navy, he and mom decided to get married.  The interesting part here is that my grandmother (notice I didn't say, "grandfather") had to sign off for mom to marry because she was only 16 at the time.  Can you believe that she was only 16?!  So dad went off to basic and received orders for his first duty assignment on the Enterprise which was docked at Norfolk for her first nuclear refueling.  Mom and dad moved up to Norfolk for six months while the ship was in port.

I learned on this trip that mom and dad collectively earned $90 per month in late 1970 (about $530 in today's money) and they lived in a small apartment.  My mom worked at a place called, "Shakey's Pizza".  I think my grandparents only knew it as Shakey's Pizza because they'd have had a duck if they knew their 17 year old daughter was playing piano for a bunch of drunks in a bar.  LOL!  Mom talked about how that she and three other sailor's wives would work together to by groceries and gas.  Mom and dad were the only one's with a car; a 1963 Ford Falcon with a busted out back window.  Now this was during the winter and being the good educated folks from the upstate of South Carolina they were, they obtained the finest clear plastic and duct tape they could find and taped up the back window.  My great aunt Felcie and other members of the family would take turns sending them gas money to make the trip home when dad would have leave time while in port.  They would then make the eight hour trip home and back in the Falcon with the plastic window. 

Today, we got to tour the Enterprise and I must admit, I was extremely humbled to witness the extreme amount of pride held by every sailor we came in contact with both past and present.  I've heard mom and dad tell stories about the how the community in Norfolk took care of the sailors and their families and I have witnessed that sense of pride today.  Our tour guides were two individuals with jobs that according to society, were less than desirable.  But these two young people spoke of those jobs as if they were the most important jobs in the world.  Why? Because they understood that we all have an important role to play in life and that each of us are important.

Now, if you have continued to read to this point, let me share my thoughts with you.  My mom and dad made a commitment to each other when they got married and that commitment meant something to them.  How many newlyweds would stay committed to each other, out of town, in an apartment, working at a bar, collectively earning $530 a month in today's economy?  How many 18 year old individuals would brag about cleaning up after people or working in a chow line? 

God hasn't called all of us to be Billy Grahams, presidents, or millionaires, but he has called us to do a job for him.  He only asks that we do the very best we can at the task he has for us.  I can tell you that I have been humbled by many real world examples of such commitment.  I for one am proud of mom and dad because they chose to be committed and set the example for me.  I can only hope that I am setting the example for others like has been set before me.

Lord, thank you for the examples you've provided for me.  Help me to earn the efforts and examples set by those before me by setting the example for those around me and who will follow me.

Chicken Crap for the soul

When I was growing up, we had all kinds of animals, critters, and creatures ranging from horses to cats, birds and dogs, ducks and geese, and we even had a turkey that thought he was a dog.  I'm sure you are wondering what in the world can I be up to with a title such as, "Chicken Crap for the soul" so let me explain.  We also had chickens and lots of them.  My dad had a whole mess of laying hens that would produce eggs out the tail (no pun intended, well yeah it was intended).  Dad had also built them a chicken house (hen house)where they spent most of the time.  And, like you might imagine, they created a lot of crap.  Here is where things get interesting.

We also had a garden every single year.  I hated working the garden as a kid because it was a whole lot of work for food I really didn't care to eat.  Money was always tight around our house, so we didn't waste a whole lot; including the chicken crap.  My Dad would shovel all that crap out of the hen house and spread it out on the garden spot year round.  Over and over again, he would shovel the crap and spread it out in the garden.  For you city folks, that chicken crap was used for fertilizer which helped produce some amazing gardens and we didn't even need to go to the all natural store to buy it.  It's odd to think that something like crap could be so useful isnt' it?  I mean, it's chicken crap right?!

I think the same concept can be related to our lives every day.  So many times in life, we've either found ourselves in a hen house full of chicken crap, had the misfortune of shoveling a load of crap, or maybe even had to be the one to spread the crap.  For sake of discussion, we'll call these things, "Crap Jobs".  The real question surrounding all this crap is, "What is our intention?"  Often times, God asks us to do things we think are crap jobs but God knows what the end result will be.  Just as with our gardens, the crap is an absolute essential to having a healthy life and whether I liked it or not, it put a lot of good food on the table.  Instead of spending time thinking about all the crap we're dealing with, maybe we should take a step back and see what God is doing with all that crap!

God never promised us life would be easy but God is infamous for making something special out of nothing.  He turned water into wine, made paraplegics walk, blind people see, and on and on.  It amazes me every single day that God blesses and loves me the way he does. 

So, when you find yourself being crapped on, shoveling crap, or spreading crap, just remember that if applied correctly, all that crap can be used to yield some amazing results.  The crap your cussing God over, may just be fertilizer, or "Chicken Crap for the soul".

Have a great week!