1 Apr 13

Important security axiom, from a friend on the East Coast:

“As you know, I run the security detail at our church. And, as you know, it is an extremely large one!

Our Senior Pastor, like most, is a gifted speaker and well known, so we have people assigned to him all the time. We have numerous, well-rehearsed plans for dealing with threats to our pastor’s safety. One of them involves his immediate evacuation from the property. So, during services, and other times he is on-property, we have his car parked in a guarded location, with the key in it, so he can duck-out, get to it quickly, and get out of there, with or without one of us along.

During our Easter Service, I noticed his car was not parked in its assigned place, so I confronted him during the break between convocations. He told me that, without thinking about it, he had carelessly parked his car elsewhere and that the keys (he was ‘pretty sure’) were in his office.

The obvious dissatisfaction on my face would have been hard to misinterpret!

‘I’ll be okay,’ said he, clearly embarrassed by his security faux pas, but with a slight overtone of condescension. I’ve obviously thus-far failed to effectively communicate to him the seriousness and critical necessity of effective church security!

After the service I confronted him again on the subject. He smiled and jokingly said,

‘George, where is your faith?’

I responded,

‘I have profound faith, sir, just none in mankind!’

We’re still working on the issue!”

Lesson: “Denial” is a deadly form of mental illness!

It will remorselessly assassinate all who accept the comforting numbness it offers. Like opium, it manifests a sense of euphoria, a sense that “everything is okay,” even when everything isn’t. It represents a convenient “happy pill,” but it will softly murder you at the moment you least expect!

“How many legs does a dog have, when you call its tail a ‘leg?’

Four!

Calling its tail a ‘leg’ won’t make it a leg.”

A Lincoln

/John