The chronicle of my life would be incomplete, and leaning toward valueless without this portion of my life being examined as some length. Indeed, much of what I have become professionally is a result of following what was clearly laid out before me as the will of God.
The Pitcher family has a long history of the Christian Faith. There have been full-time clergy and other dedicated, though not full-time, servants in our past for many generations. Most of my generation, and our offspring are following the same path.
Growing up in East Chatham, our family had long been been part of the East Chatham Methodist Church. Though part of the United Methodists, we often referred to ourselves as "Untied" Methodists, as we didn't have much association with any other UM churches in the area, due to the trend in the first half of the 20th century in which the denomination had begun a slide into liberalism and loss of doctrinal stability. That little church would serve me well all my growing years and into the early years of my marriage, up until we moved to Brooklyn.
It was not, of course, about a church; it was about having personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ, that mattered. Through good background training in East Chatham, strong family teaching, and ultimately a message by Jack Wyrtzen, the founder of Word of Life, I came to that relationship with Christ at age 9. Life was pretty stable with regular church attendance, summer camp at New England Keswick, and other appropriate, though unremarkable activity.
That's not to say there were not a few rough spots. In my late teens, I often found excuses to stay out of church when I could get away with it and avoided anything other than Sunday Morning services; but starting a relationship with Peggy put an end to that and we settled into regular attendance, though often going to her home church. The other bump in the road was after I'd started work for Chatham Police Department. The first solo shifts any newcomer was allowed to work were day shifts on Sunday--the perfect excuse to not go to church. Even after that settled out and I was working other times and days, late nights on Saturdays made it tough to get up for Church on Sunday AM. Peggy would leave for Sunday School with the boys and would have a firm promise from me to meet her in church...you can guess how that worked out. I'd hit the kill button on the alarm, roll over and she'd wake me up when she got home from church. Then our pastor and good friend, Noel Williams got into the equation. He jokingly--so I thought--told me that he'd call me to "help" me get out of bed. He did! Up until those late shifts ended, he dutifully called me every Sunday morning so that I could get to church on time. The lesson here is that sometimes it takes a bit of a forceful friend to make a person do the right thing. I'll be ever grateful to Noel for his diligence and good humor to do what he did, the way he did it and for keeping at it long enough to get me past what could have been a rough time.
Moving to Brooklyn after becoming and ECO, we joined long-time family friends worshiping at King's Highway Baptist Church. We tried a couple others but there was nothing there for us: no doctrine, no sense of community--nothing, It would be King's Highway for us; we'd be well taught for our time in Brooklyn. Our last Sunday evening service there upon transfer to Staten Island was special for us. I have no specific memory of what the pastor said or the text of his message; but at the end of the evening Peggy and I both recommitted our lives to the Lord and we moved to Staten Island the next week no knowing what that would bring.
The following Sunday morning, a collection of events and thoughts took us to Bethel Evangelical Free Church. We were immediately welcomed and plugged into an adult Sunday School class while our kids were escorted to the age appropriate classes for them. By nightfall, we were having coffee with the Pastor Bob DeRitter and his wife Nancy--two of the most transparent Christians we'd ever met--our kids were playing with their kids and our church home for our years in Staten Island was well established. The preaching, teaching and other ministries of Bethel perfectly fit us where we were at that point in our lives. We joined the church in due time and one evening the pastor told me that my name had come during a nomination committee meeting and anything I would be asked to do had his complete agreement. It was only a short time afterwards that one of the deacons, Bob Carey, came up me and told me that they'd like me to join them on the board. I replied that I'd need a while to think about it so, he took a step back, then stepped back up to me, raised his eyebrows and said "Well?" I assumed the empty spot and took my responsibility seriously. For the first time ever I sat down and read the Bible cover to cover, doing it in about a couple of weeks. I was helped along in that because, for the first time in my life, I'd been really exposed to something other than the King James translation. Though Peggy had long used an New American Standard, something had kept me from getting into it. I started reading the Old Testament with the NASB, and shortly bought my first New International Version, the translation that (in its older form) is still my favorite as of this writing. My spiritual adventure had begun to take off. Life would never be the same again. We were ripe to learn and in the perfect environment for us to do so. It was in Bethel where I first preached and thought I could really get used to doing that.
We left Staten Island in 1986, heading to Fulton County and first tried to establish ourselves in a church in Johnstown. That didn't work well--about drove me into another time of failure to attend--and we soon found ourselves in the Cranberry Creek Community Church. We were there for 17 years. I again served as deacon, taught an adult Sunday School Class for quite a while and even had a few more chances to preach.
It was also in that time that I uttered what a friend calls a "self-satisfied prayer." Though it was heart-felt and I surely don't regret it, it was a true life changer. I was praising the Lord for His grace and goodness especially about what he had made me into: I was approaching the top of my career, had acquired some special skills and was just so happy with my family, professional, and spiritual life I didn't really know how to properly express it. It was in closing that prayer that I added something like "...and if you need a police firearms instructor, you'll know where to find one." Oh, how that changed my life.
We'd started supporting a family doing ministry with Peace Officers for Christ some time before that and were getting the organization's newsletter. Shortly after that prayer, I opened the newsletter and read "HI, BILL, YOU'RE GOING TO VENEZUELA." Actually it said "POFCI goes to Venezuela." but that's not how I'd seen it. I'd seen it as God calling in the IOU. As a matter of fact, there was a need for a police firearms instructor! We raised our support, obtained passports and a few months later my wife, our youngest son and I packed up and spent two weeks on a trip ministering to police, their families and some neighborhood kids in and around Caracas Venezuela. It was the beginning of a long-term commitment to ministry. There have been many trips to Latin America. We're still involved with POFCI and have a great heart for the police of the region. Our pastor at the time we got involved with that first trip made the observation that no matter what what we did among the people we went to serve, we would come home changed. He was so right.
In my last 10 years or so as an ECO I started to become far more vocal in my faith while in the workplace. Though I took some good-natured harassment over it, I was pretty well respected and so my faith was accepted as part of what and who I was. I was also frequently asked to offer invocations and benedictions at graduation and award ceremonies. That opened the door for some conversations and I found that I had a gift for smoking out the closet Christians within the department. Now, in my semi-retirement work in other agencies, the Lord is still doing that same thing with me. He's also allowed me the opportunities to open conversations that would bring people to the saving knowledge of Christ.
As of this writing, we're members of the Baptist Church of Northville NY, where I am a deacon and Peggy sings in the choir and helps with several youth programs. I'm also a lay-preacher and preach often in local churches when they need pulpit supply. It's a great thrill to be able to do that.
God has been so good. He's blessed me all along the way giving me successes in personal, professional and spiritual realms. He promises that if we trust Him, He will give us the desires of our heart. He's gave me the love of my life who has given me three great children. He's supplied a profession I love, within that was my career as an ECO that I had wanted so badly. He gave me the opportunities to train police internationally while proclaiming His Gospel. Finally, He's given me the chance to proclaim His Word as a preacher.
God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good! I've seen it proven.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Children of Designer Gods (part 5)
Moving along yet further into the making God in our own pattern concept, we'll now look briefly at the idea of why Jesus came to Earth. If we were to ask that questions, many would say things like "to teach us how to live good lives," "to heal sick people," and a host of other things, all of which He did, but none of which are the reason He came. It's specifically stated once. In Luke's Gospel, chapter 19, verse 10: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost."
What was lost? Man was lost--unable, on his own power to come to God. All of us have sinned and fall short (daily, I might add) of God's Glory. The penalty for that sin is death--eternal death, Hell, horrible punishment. The single way to escape that is by trust in Christ and His work on the cross. It was on the cross that He died for our sins and that is how he saved us.
So, Jesus came to provide a way for us to be reconciled to God. He came to seek and save us. Along the way, he did some great things. He healed many, fed lots of people, performed all kinds of miracles...so many things that John's gospel tells us that there were not enough books to record all His actions within those three short years of ministry; but those things were not the reasons He came. He came to seek and save the lost--I was among the lost, you were among the lost (hopefully, the past tense is correct, if not the time to correct that is now).
We can't be fooled by those who take bits and pieces of the Bible and use them out of context to prove something which is contrary to the book actually says. Jesus did NOT come just to do good things, or teach us how to live good lives. He came to seek and save the lost. That's the whole story. Tho think He did less, is to sell Him short, to design him as we want Him to be.
What was lost? Man was lost--unable, on his own power to come to God. All of us have sinned and fall short (daily, I might add) of God's Glory. The penalty for that sin is death--eternal death, Hell, horrible punishment. The single way to escape that is by trust in Christ and His work on the cross. It was on the cross that He died for our sins and that is how he saved us.
So, Jesus came to provide a way for us to be reconciled to God. He came to seek and save us. Along the way, he did some great things. He healed many, fed lots of people, performed all kinds of miracles...so many things that John's gospel tells us that there were not enough books to record all His actions within those three short years of ministry; but those things were not the reasons He came. He came to seek and save the lost--I was among the lost, you were among the lost (hopefully, the past tense is correct, if not the time to correct that is now).
We can't be fooled by those who take bits and pieces of the Bible and use them out of context to prove something which is contrary to the book actually says. Jesus did NOT come just to do good things, or teach us how to live good lives. He came to seek and save the lost. That's the whole story. Tho think He did less, is to sell Him short, to design him as we want Him to be.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Children of Designer Gods (part 4)
How much can I get away with and still go to Heaven?
That's the question asked on a bumper sticker seen on and off over the years. The fact that the questions has been asked should make us wonder what's going on in the mind of the person asking. Does the questioner think that there's a certain sin limit that can be approached, but not exceeded, before God's wrath is incurred? The whole question there is just wrong in so many ways; we'll look at the practical and the theological only.
First, we never "get away" with sin. Sin can be forgiven--and made of no eternal consequence--by merely confessing it asking God to forgive it. That provided that a person has made a commitment to Christ, taking Him as personal Savior. However, the sin will just about always bring some measure of consequence in this life. Stealing, for instance will put the thief at odds with the person from whom he steals and might very well be dealt with by the courts and land him in jail. Adultery, though confessed and forgiven will often put stresses and strains on a marriage, wrecking forever the trust that should be between a man and wife. Lying will make a person unlikely to ever trust the liar again. So how much did a person really "get away with?" On the theological side, the Apostle Paul deals with this in Romans, Chap. 6. "...should we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!" Some were saying that since God is a loving God (starting to sound familiar?), and gives grace freely, is it not better to take more grace by sinning more? That is that statement to which Paul objects in such strong terms.
If you push God for his grace, are you really a child of His? It's certainly fair to ask that question.
This should have been put to rest by the writings of Augustine of Hippo, many centuries ago--long before bumper stickers. His statement, often written as "Love God and do as you please," on the surface might be misconstrued to think that we might live according the "how much....?" question above. However, Augustine understood that if we love God we do what He wants, what His will is. In context of how and what he wrote, that's very clear.
If you're asking how much you can get away with, I doubt that you poorly understand the nature of God. The answer is NOTHING.
References:
John 14:15
1 John 5:3
Psalms 119:167
That's the question asked on a bumper sticker seen on and off over the years. The fact that the questions has been asked should make us wonder what's going on in the mind of the person asking. Does the questioner think that there's a certain sin limit that can be approached, but not exceeded, before God's wrath is incurred? The whole question there is just wrong in so many ways; we'll look at the practical and the theological only.
First, we never "get away" with sin. Sin can be forgiven--and made of no eternal consequence--by merely confessing it asking God to forgive it. That provided that a person has made a commitment to Christ, taking Him as personal Savior. However, the sin will just about always bring some measure of consequence in this life. Stealing, for instance will put the thief at odds with the person from whom he steals and might very well be dealt with by the courts and land him in jail. Adultery, though confessed and forgiven will often put stresses and strains on a marriage, wrecking forever the trust that should be between a man and wife. Lying will make a person unlikely to ever trust the liar again. So how much did a person really "get away with?" On the theological side, the Apostle Paul deals with this in Romans, Chap. 6. "...should we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!" Some were saying that since God is a loving God (starting to sound familiar?), and gives grace freely, is it not better to take more grace by sinning more? That is that statement to which Paul objects in such strong terms.
If you push God for his grace, are you really a child of His? It's certainly fair to ask that question.
This should have been put to rest by the writings of Augustine of Hippo, many centuries ago--long before bumper stickers. His statement, often written as "Love God and do as you please," on the surface might be misconstrued to think that we might live according the "how much....?" question above. However, Augustine understood that if we love God we do what He wants, what His will is. In context of how and what he wrote, that's very clear.
If you're asking how much you can get away with, I doubt that you poorly understand the nature of God. The answer is NOTHING.
References:
John 14:15
1 John 5:3
Psalms 119:167
The Game Warden Files (career in brief)
Over the years, many times I've made halfhearted attempts to write down some of my experiences as a Game Warden--a New York State Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO), to be exact. I'll start again here and see if it actually turns into something this time. It may or may not run in order---we'll see how...or if...it progresses.
This career in law enforcement all started when I was very young, probably four or five, and my interest in law and order took form. It probably started from watching westerns and such things as Tales of the RCMP, and progressing through the years to The Everglades...lots of that type of TV influence. That interest was encouraged--or at least humored by parents and even more so by my grandfather who let me spend Sunday afternoons at his house "hunting bad guys." With the bolt out of his old single shot .22, I'd prowl the house and make arrests (generally in the dark reaches of the root-cellar) of imaginary people for all manner of evils committed in that little burg of East Chatham, NY.
I took a lot of interest in the outdoors and when my grandfather became the Justice of the Peace in the mid-1960's, each year he'd give me his outdated copy of the NY Fish and Wildlife Law which I would devour. Many years later (1978) when I took the test that would lead me to my career as an ECO, some of that old text was still in the law and I had to read and answer questions on it during the test. I'm sure that those memories helped.
When I was about 13, I received a scholarship to attend the New York State Conservation Camp DeBruce in Livingston Manor, NY. My folks delivered me there on a Sunday afternoon and picked me up the following Saturday. During that week we learned to tie trout flies--never did master that; were shown how to trap fur-bearers--didn't do much for me either; had some lessons in forest management--interesting, but not career-setting; and got to meet a couple larger than life Game Protectors, as they were then called. That seemed to set the path in motion.
In the 60's and 70's there was not much information out there for following a career choice like mine. My high school guidance counselor found the closest thing he knew about and hooked me up for a forestry curriculum at Columbia Greene Community College, then in Athens, NY. It wasn't sending me down the right track, and college wasn't really for me anyway at that point in life, so I left after a year to pursue other fields, seeming to abandon the dream of becoming a Game Warden. The major thing I did gain from college was that I met the girl who would become my wife and partner on the journey. Though we were "just friends" then, the friendship stayed alive with an occasional phone call and letter and, on June 29, 1974 we were married. As I type this Peggy Lester Pitcher and I have been married for nearly 39 years, and are more in love than when we said "I do."
After leaving college, I worked on furnaces and drove an oil truck, then drove a truck delivering dairy feed for Blue Seal Feed. It was during the feed truck days I really reconnected with my "friend" Peggy and the relationship turned serious and led to our marriage. It was also during this time I connected with a local legend, Johnny Bell. He was another truck driver for Blue Seal, and was also a part-time patrolman for Chatham Police Department.where he had acquired the status of a legend. For all he was and wasn't, he was a good friend and mentor to me, and got me started as a part-time officer with Chatham PD. I started my career in law enforcement on June 5, 1975. I became full time with CPD in 1978. That job got me into a basic police school which got me into a seasonal job with the NY State Park Police, Taconic Region. Along the way I did some time also with the Columbia Co. Sheriff's Office also.
In 1978, all the police work I'd been doing plus my year in college qualified me to take the Civil Service test for my dream job. Though the job had been titled Game Protector when I had first encountered it, then become Conservation Officer, it was now Environmental Conservation Officer, a job with all the same authority as the New York State Police.
Thought I'd done alright on the exam, there'd been no contact about jobs so I had pretty well given up on ever wearing that green suit; but one day in 1981 I was called for an interview. I got on a train in Hudson, NY, rode to NY City and soon found myself sitting across from Capt. Dennis O'Reilly, a long-time friend who had recently been promoted to Chief ECO in the NY City Region, and Lt. James (Jay) Molinelli. I'll never forget being almost speechless as I looked out the windows of the conference room in the south west corner of #2 World Trade Center on that clear summer morning. NY Harbor was busy, there was blue sky and puffy white clouds as far as I could see--which was quite far that morning. I thought, "Gee...I could like it here." Though I did OK on the interview, they opted to hire right down the list, taking the top four or five from the 10 or so they'd interviewed. I was number 7, so my dreams went back in the box. However, I stayed in touch with Dennis O'Reilly, who had been a friend before either he or I was in the law enforcement business, and he kept telling me that I needed to come to NY City for a visit to "check things out," so it should have been no surprise when I got a call asking me to come to Albany, DEC Headquarters, for another interview in April of 1982. There was going to be a Basic School for ECOs starting soon and they were filling a few more positions before it began. Was I interested? I asked for a physical before the interview because I'd had a life-long problem with my eyes, and didn't want to get my hopes shot down after I'd been offered a job. I got through the eye exam--barely, I might add--and got an appointment for an interview the next day. In the morning, my wife left for a conference before I headed for my interview. As she was getting in the car, we looked around at our mobile home on rented land and thought "what have we got to lose?" She called me that night and asked "Well?" I replied "Dennis is sitting on the couch, what does that tell you?" Her response: "GO FOR IT!"
The die was cast, we were on the way to a new adventure. She got home from her conference Sunday evening, I dumped her clothes out of the suitcase, packed mine, and headed to Albany to be part of the Fourth Basic School for Environmental Conservation Officers. I was sworn in the next morning, April 19, 1982, and settled in for sixteen long weeks of basic training. The position to which I'd been appointed was in New York City.
About a month before graduating, we took a weekend and headed to New York to have a look-see. I was going to be assigned to Brooklyn and would have to live somewhere in that borough--Kings County. We found an apartment we could handle in a pretty decent looking neighborhood, made an agreement with our perfectly stereotypical Brooklyn land-lady, and shortly, with two little boys moved to 6517 Ave. N, Brooklyn. We were now "CITY PEOPLE!" I had the dubious distinction of being the "Game Warden of Brooklyn.
We stayed in Brooklyn from Sept. 1982 until February 1984, when we moved to Sharrotts Rd., Staten Island. In September of 1985 we had our third child. We stayed until June of 1986, when there were a few openings in upstate areas that we liked the looks of. It was down to either Saratoga or Fulton Counties and we'd have taken either. The choice was taken out of our hands when an officer with more seniority chose Saratoga. That left us with Fulton. On Peggy's birthday, 1886, we closed on our first house, on Rosewood Ave., Johnstown, and on our anniversary had a truck packed and were northbound. We settled in and on by the Fourth of July Weekend that year I was finally a country game warden.
Johnstown was a great place to raise kids. We had a good neighborhood, decent school system and lots to do.
We were there about 17 years. After our youngest was out of high school we sold that house and moved to the quiet little hamlet of Meco. I retired from DEC in 2008 after nearly 27 years of service. I now work as a part-time deputy for a sheriff's office nearby and as a part-time patrolman for a small PD a short distance away. Almost like I've run full circle. That's the short version of the career.
This career in law enforcement all started when I was very young, probably four or five, and my interest in law and order took form. It probably started from watching westerns and such things as Tales of the RCMP, and progressing through the years to The Everglades...lots of that type of TV influence. That interest was encouraged--or at least humored by parents and even more so by my grandfather who let me spend Sunday afternoons at his house "hunting bad guys." With the bolt out of his old single shot .22, I'd prowl the house and make arrests (generally in the dark reaches of the root-cellar) of imaginary people for all manner of evils committed in that little burg of East Chatham, NY.
I took a lot of interest in the outdoors and when my grandfather became the Justice of the Peace in the mid-1960's, each year he'd give me his outdated copy of the NY Fish and Wildlife Law which I would devour. Many years later (1978) when I took the test that would lead me to my career as an ECO, some of that old text was still in the law and I had to read and answer questions on it during the test. I'm sure that those memories helped.
When I was about 13, I received a scholarship to attend the New York State Conservation Camp DeBruce in Livingston Manor, NY. My folks delivered me there on a Sunday afternoon and picked me up the following Saturday. During that week we learned to tie trout flies--never did master that; were shown how to trap fur-bearers--didn't do much for me either; had some lessons in forest management--interesting, but not career-setting; and got to meet a couple larger than life Game Protectors, as they were then called. That seemed to set the path in motion.
In the 60's and 70's there was not much information out there for following a career choice like mine. My high school guidance counselor found the closest thing he knew about and hooked me up for a forestry curriculum at Columbia Greene Community College, then in Athens, NY. It wasn't sending me down the right track, and college wasn't really for me anyway at that point in life, so I left after a year to pursue other fields, seeming to abandon the dream of becoming a Game Warden. The major thing I did gain from college was that I met the girl who would become my wife and partner on the journey. Though we were "just friends" then, the friendship stayed alive with an occasional phone call and letter and, on June 29, 1974 we were married. As I type this Peggy Lester Pitcher and I have been married for nearly 39 years, and are more in love than when we said "I do."
After leaving college, I worked on furnaces and drove an oil truck, then drove a truck delivering dairy feed for Blue Seal Feed. It was during the feed truck days I really reconnected with my "friend" Peggy and the relationship turned serious and led to our marriage. It was also during this time I connected with a local legend, Johnny Bell. He was another truck driver for Blue Seal, and was also a part-time patrolman for Chatham Police Department.where he had acquired the status of a legend. For all he was and wasn't, he was a good friend and mentor to me, and got me started as a part-time officer with Chatham PD. I started my career in law enforcement on June 5, 1975. I became full time with CPD in 1978. That job got me into a basic police school which got me into a seasonal job with the NY State Park Police, Taconic Region. Along the way I did some time also with the Columbia Co. Sheriff's Office also.
In 1978, all the police work I'd been doing plus my year in college qualified me to take the Civil Service test for my dream job. Though the job had been titled Game Protector when I had first encountered it, then become Conservation Officer, it was now Environmental Conservation Officer, a job with all the same authority as the New York State Police.
Thought I'd done alright on the exam, there'd been no contact about jobs so I had pretty well given up on ever wearing that green suit; but one day in 1981 I was called for an interview. I got on a train in Hudson, NY, rode to NY City and soon found myself sitting across from Capt. Dennis O'Reilly, a long-time friend who had recently been promoted to Chief ECO in the NY City Region, and Lt. James (Jay) Molinelli. I'll never forget being almost speechless as I looked out the windows of the conference room in the south west corner of #2 World Trade Center on that clear summer morning. NY Harbor was busy, there was blue sky and puffy white clouds as far as I could see--which was quite far that morning. I thought, "Gee...I could like it here." Though I did OK on the interview, they opted to hire right down the list, taking the top four or five from the 10 or so they'd interviewed. I was number 7, so my dreams went back in the box. However, I stayed in touch with Dennis O'Reilly, who had been a friend before either he or I was in the law enforcement business, and he kept telling me that I needed to come to NY City for a visit to "check things out," so it should have been no surprise when I got a call asking me to come to Albany, DEC Headquarters, for another interview in April of 1982. There was going to be a Basic School for ECOs starting soon and they were filling a few more positions before it began. Was I interested? I asked for a physical before the interview because I'd had a life-long problem with my eyes, and didn't want to get my hopes shot down after I'd been offered a job. I got through the eye exam--barely, I might add--and got an appointment for an interview the next day. In the morning, my wife left for a conference before I headed for my interview. As she was getting in the car, we looked around at our mobile home on rented land and thought "what have we got to lose?" She called me that night and asked "Well?" I replied "Dennis is sitting on the couch, what does that tell you?" Her response: "GO FOR IT!"
The die was cast, we were on the way to a new adventure. She got home from her conference Sunday evening, I dumped her clothes out of the suitcase, packed mine, and headed to Albany to be part of the Fourth Basic School for Environmental Conservation Officers. I was sworn in the next morning, April 19, 1982, and settled in for sixteen long weeks of basic training. The position to which I'd been appointed was in New York City.
About a month before graduating, we took a weekend and headed to New York to have a look-see. I was going to be assigned to Brooklyn and would have to live somewhere in that borough--Kings County. We found an apartment we could handle in a pretty decent looking neighborhood, made an agreement with our perfectly stereotypical Brooklyn land-lady, and shortly, with two little boys moved to 6517 Ave. N, Brooklyn. We were now "CITY PEOPLE!" I had the dubious distinction of being the "Game Warden of Brooklyn.
We stayed in Brooklyn from Sept. 1982 until February 1984, when we moved to Sharrotts Rd., Staten Island. In September of 1985 we had our third child. We stayed until June of 1986, when there were a few openings in upstate areas that we liked the looks of. It was down to either Saratoga or Fulton Counties and we'd have taken either. The choice was taken out of our hands when an officer with more seniority chose Saratoga. That left us with Fulton. On Peggy's birthday, 1886, we closed on our first house, on Rosewood Ave., Johnstown, and on our anniversary had a truck packed and were northbound. We settled in and on by the Fourth of July Weekend that year I was finally a country game warden.
Johnstown was a great place to raise kids. We had a good neighborhood, decent school system and lots to do.
We were there about 17 years. After our youngest was out of high school we sold that house and moved to the quiet little hamlet of Meco. I retired from DEC in 2008 after nearly 27 years of service. I now work as a part-time deputy for a sheriff's office nearby and as a part-time patrolman for a small PD a short distance away. Almost like I've run full circle. That's the short version of the career.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Children of Designer Gods (part 3)
Another fallacy of today's so-called Christians is their acceptance of others' beliefs as equal to their own. Usually it's expressed something like "as long as they're sincere in their belief," or something similar. Sorry folks; you cannot be a true Christian and think that a good Buddhist , good Muslim or good anything else will be going to Heaven--their fate is a one-way trip to Hell. If you believe that, you're not trusting in the Christ of the Bible. The fault for holding this kind of belief lies squarely in the teachings of many churches. They're not holding fast to God's Word!
After preaching in a local church one Sunday morning, I shared coffee with an interesting fellow who had only recently started attending there. He'd grown up in a main-line denomination in which some churches teach the Bible properly and others teach whatever they want, or so it seems. My new friend was commenting on the large number of Buddhists that had been moving into the area and mentioned that they were "good people" and made some other comments that put his theology squarely in my sights. I commented that, thought they were good people: helpful, hard working, industrious..., their beliefs were taking them straight to Hell. My new friend stopped and looked at me strangely. "I've never heard that before," was his reply. He'd never heard that, though he'd been brought up in and around a church. The church had failed him.
Jesus clearly said that He is the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Him. That's pretty plain, pretty exclusive. It completely contradicts any statement about "as long as they're sincere...." Some other religions even give credence to Jesus as a great prophet, though saying he's not divine. He clearly said "I and the Father are one," so if He is a great prophet He should be believed; therefor, His statements are to be believed; they therefore condemn themselves by what they say.
The second half of this is that the churches have failed to teach the reality of Hell--the penalty for sin. There was a time when preachers preached "Hell-fire and damnation messages," and that time is gone--replace largely by the God is Love message. God is certainly Love; but love without truth is valueless--not really love at all. Maybe we need at least a bit of that fire and brimstone preaching again.
When churches ceased to preach the Bible theology began to drift; people's knowledge and understanding of God went by way of the wind and they started making it up as they went along--thus the designer gods however you want it. The fix for that is to return to the Bible. Read it, study it, memorize it; get into a church where it is taught reliably and regularly; surround yourself with folks who attempt to live it and apply it to their lives. Then you will better understand God as He is, not as each might design Him to be.
References:
Johns 14:6
John 10:30
After preaching in a local church one Sunday morning, I shared coffee with an interesting fellow who had only recently started attending there. He'd grown up in a main-line denomination in which some churches teach the Bible properly and others teach whatever they want, or so it seems. My new friend was commenting on the large number of Buddhists that had been moving into the area and mentioned that they were "good people" and made some other comments that put his theology squarely in my sights. I commented that, thought they were good people: helpful, hard working, industrious..., their beliefs were taking them straight to Hell. My new friend stopped and looked at me strangely. "I've never heard that before," was his reply. He'd never heard that, though he'd been brought up in and around a church. The church had failed him.
Jesus clearly said that He is the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Him. That's pretty plain, pretty exclusive. It completely contradicts any statement about "as long as they're sincere...." Some other religions even give credence to Jesus as a great prophet, though saying he's not divine. He clearly said "I and the Father are one," so if He is a great prophet He should be believed; therefor, His statements are to be believed; they therefore condemn themselves by what they say.
The second half of this is that the churches have failed to teach the reality of Hell--the penalty for sin. There was a time when preachers preached "Hell-fire and damnation messages," and that time is gone--replace largely by the God is Love message. God is certainly Love; but love without truth is valueless--not really love at all. Maybe we need at least a bit of that fire and brimstone preaching again.
When churches ceased to preach the Bible theology began to drift; people's knowledge and understanding of God went by way of the wind and they started making it up as they went along--thus the designer gods however you want it. The fix for that is to return to the Bible. Read it, study it, memorize it; get into a church where it is taught reliably and regularly; surround yourself with folks who attempt to live it and apply it to their lives. Then you will better understand God as He is, not as each might design Him to be.
References:
Johns 14:6
John 10:30
Monday, April 1, 2013
I Must Be a Menace
After noticing that the image I had been using for this blog was actually the website logo for a gunshop--my apologies, and thanks, by the way; it's a great picture--I decided I'd make one of my own, though it's surely not as good nor as eye-catching. So, I started sorting out stuff with which to make a new photo. DARN! I've got a bunch of stuff. If someone were to come in and count my rounds, I'd probably be declared a menace to society. The fact that I have many rounds of many types of ammo surely makes me dangerous.
I've owned guns all my adult life. There's a .22 in my collection that dates back to the 1930s. My grandfather bought it from Sears and Roebuck, through the mail for about $14. With that rifle, my grandfather taught all the boys in the little community of East Chatham, NY to shoot--with them earning NRA marksmanship awards along the way. Those young men, by the way, all went on to serve their country. As part of the Greatest Generation, they showed up in all corners of the globe, and thankfully all returned home safely.
I've owned guns all my adult life. There's a .22 in my collection that dates back to the 1930s. My grandfather bought it from Sears and Roebuck, through the mail for about $14. With that rifle, my grandfather taught all the boys in the little community of East Chatham, NY to shoot--with them earning NRA marksmanship awards along the way. Those young men, by the way, all went on to serve their country. As part of the Greatest Generation, they showed up in all corners of the globe, and thankfully all returned home safely.
I bought my first gun at 17, or more accurately, my mother bought it for me. The Gun Control Act of 1968 had come into force by then, and since I was under 18, she had to make the purchase. That single shot Winchester is now long gone, but it provided me with many great memories and put a pheasant or two on the table. Many rifles, shotguns, pistols and revolvers have come and gone over the years, but I still have a handful, and a bunch of ammo. Whenever I found a good deal, I bought some. This means I can do a lot of target shooting with about anything I own and still have plenty to spare.
As I look over my pile of stuff, I realize how horrid it is for me to have it. I'm obviously a mentally deranged, dangerous criminal. My old--long pre-1994--magazines for my semi-auto .22 has caused so much crime; same with my 10 round magazine for a .22 pistol that's even older. We won't even discuss the magazines for my center fire pistols, those guns that have been carried for thousands of days without ever hurting anyone.
So, remember, if laws progress the way they are going, at some point in time just by the possession of what I have, I'll be declared a menace.
Children of Designer Gods (part 2)
One of the great fallacies of the day among professing Christians is that they can, as one friend said years ago, "worship God better sitting out there on my rock," without the need for regularly attending a church.
We can and will agree that to worship the Creator in the midst of His creation can be a valid and valuable thing. However, we're directed to meet together regularly in worship; to do otherwise is another part of designing God after our pattern, not conforming to His.
The concept of a church is first mentioned by Jesus when he said "upon this rock I will build my church." That rock mentioned here, by the way, was not Peter himself, but more accurately understood as the truth of what Peter had just stated: "You are the Christ, the son of the Living God." The church is further pictured in the New Testament as the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. Common sense will tell us that brides want to be in close contact with their grooms and body parts when separated from one another are not of much value. Jesus envisioned the Church as a group, not a bunch of individuals. There are two general concepts of the church. One is the church at large: all believers of all times, world-wide; the other is the local church: local gatherings, whether small or large of believers.
The whole concept of a church is not a building, but rather a gathering together of like-minded people. It exists for several purposes. One of them is for the building up and encouraging of other believers. That's among the reasons that the writer of the book of Hebrews warned about neglecting meeting together. When you're running around solo, it's easy to become discouraged, when discouraged easy to fall away. Using the imagery of the sheep and shepherd, it was the solo sheep that were caught by the wolves. Of course, it's also the place to be taught, corrected, nourished, comforted, protected and a host of other things; but we're specifically warned that to be without fellowship and encouragement is a dangerous thing.
Most of us recall that Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. It's wise to consider that since we are His sheep, we should be in close contact to the rest of His flock.
I will never say that any local church is perfect, none are. All are composed of imperfect people. One pastor friend even has commentary on the imperfect nature of his church by calling the church's website www.imperfectchurch.com/.
So, thought we might occasionally be upset or disappointed in any church; we cannot escape the fact that we belong there--regularly. I know few, if any Christians who have not had periods of running solo. As a lone sheep, I could easily have been plucked off by a marauding wolf a couple of times. God has faithfully brought me back each time.
If you're trying to worship on your rock, isn't it about time to get back to the flock?
References:
Matt: 16:16-18
Heb. 10:25
1 Cor. 12:27
Rev. 21:2
We can and will agree that to worship the Creator in the midst of His creation can be a valid and valuable thing. However, we're directed to meet together regularly in worship; to do otherwise is another part of designing God after our pattern, not conforming to His.
The concept of a church is first mentioned by Jesus when he said "upon this rock I will build my church." That rock mentioned here, by the way, was not Peter himself, but more accurately understood as the truth of what Peter had just stated: "You are the Christ, the son of the Living God." The church is further pictured in the New Testament as the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. Common sense will tell us that brides want to be in close contact with their grooms and body parts when separated from one another are not of much value. Jesus envisioned the Church as a group, not a bunch of individuals. There are two general concepts of the church. One is the church at large: all believers of all times, world-wide; the other is the local church: local gatherings, whether small or large of believers.
The whole concept of a church is not a building, but rather a gathering together of like-minded people. It exists for several purposes. One of them is for the building up and encouraging of other believers. That's among the reasons that the writer of the book of Hebrews warned about neglecting meeting together. When you're running around solo, it's easy to become discouraged, when discouraged easy to fall away. Using the imagery of the sheep and shepherd, it was the solo sheep that were caught by the wolves. Of course, it's also the place to be taught, corrected, nourished, comforted, protected and a host of other things; but we're specifically warned that to be without fellowship and encouragement is a dangerous thing.
Most of us recall that Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. It's wise to consider that since we are His sheep, we should be in close contact to the rest of His flock.
I will never say that any local church is perfect, none are. All are composed of imperfect people. One pastor friend even has commentary on the imperfect nature of his church by calling the church's website www.imperfectchurch.com/.
So, thought we might occasionally be upset or disappointed in any church; we cannot escape the fact that we belong there--regularly. I know few, if any Christians who have not had periods of running solo. As a lone sheep, I could easily have been plucked off by a marauding wolf a couple of times. God has faithfully brought me back each time.
If you're trying to worship on your rock, isn't it about time to get back to the flock?
References:
Matt: 16:16-18
Heb. 10:25
1 Cor. 12:27
Rev. 21:2
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)