Macs dilemna 08Apr05

Mac had a little scare today. He was playing safety boat for a det in Yuma. They had a chief had that was retiring and this was the last jump before he had to start paying for the thrill. Since I and the five other participants were off recovering from the night before I scheduled him for the Op. So there he was enjoying the show as these particular jumpers exited the aircraft. He was so enthralled by this spectacle that he failed to notice that he was being pulled into the jaws of the surf zone. Until he felt splashes on his shoulder. When he turned around he witnessed another wave coming that looked big enough to swamp boat. So he put his engines into reverse in an attempt to back out of the surf zone. Unfortunately that took him into the wave that crashed over outboard and snuffed his engines. He tried unsuccefully to restart said engines as aother wave hit him and caused him to broach. Through either deft skill or blind luck, I am more partial to believe the latter than the former, he managed to right his boat pointing its nose toward the beach. Which is more than a good thing because it was a couple set and he was on the beach. So there he was high and dry, stranded up on the beach, with nary a concept as to how to correct this unfortuate situation. A maelstrom of idea occured to him and were either discarded or shot down. One particular idea was to have the Z-bird run a tow line to the ACB standing off outside of the surf zone. Two problems with this idea was: A) The line would have to be at least 50' long, possibly 3" in diameter. B) 1 ACB wouldn't be strong enough to pull the stranded boat free if it were grounded hard on the beach. C) The Z-bird operator didn't feel comfy with the idea of braving the waves if they were as big as he pictured them. Given to the understanding the last reason kind of wussy I also under that if the believed it than in his mind it was real. If he paniced during the rescue operation and made a mistake we would be just one more person requiring rescue. After some consideration I decided maybe the best route would be to use two ACB's to pull the beached craft back into the water. However my figured that the Z-bird would be towed around the horn instead of launching from the beach. SBU 12 was willing to offer the use of a couple of 50' tow ropes to use. My plan however was to stay on the drawing board because Mac found a solution to his dilemna. He asked a couple of instructors if he could borrow some students. So out came a group of trainees and once they reached the craft immeadiately began to push on it. Their enthusiasm, though appreciate, was futile. Because in their haste to please they did not take into consideration that they would need some water to float the boat otherwise they would be pushing the entire 1200 lb of it. Once Mac called this their attention all went well. The waves came in floated the boat and with a lot less effort the boat was back into the water. As soon as Mac was waterborne he cranked the engines getting port the fire but starboard was still done. He had the trainees swing the boat around so that the nose was pointing out and away he went. He hit three waves on the way out. The first one tossed him nose down into the next wave, which drenched the entire ACB in green water. The third on caught him as he emerged from beneath the second wave and launched him almost verticle into the air with nothing to hold onto but the steering wheel. I'm sure we're going to catch hell for this but it makes for an interesting blog.

WHAT GOD HATH PROMISED

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the laborer, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
–Annie Johnson Flint

The Gospel 03apr05

I was watching movie, Hero, before I left for home from duty. At the risk of seeming fanatical, I love that Movie. Not just because Jet Li is an exceptional movie maker. Though he does not wish to be compared to Bruce Lee, I believe their goal is the same in the end. To bring the beuty of chinese culture to the west. However, I must reiterate that is not the major reason that I like the movie so. it is because when the story was put together they inadvertently, I'm sure, placed the gospel theme into the movie.

unbelievable but true, if we look at the scene in which Broken Sword and his estranged lover flying Snow meet for the last time. Broken Sword asks her what would it take to prove his love. She does not answer his question. Instead she picks a fight because she feels he had betrayed her, and the Zhao people. After a brief fight he waits until she rushes him and at the last minute drops his sword. After she runs him through she is astounded because her charge should have been an easy block. She asks Broken sword why he didn't block her attack and he tells her it was prove his love for her. You are probably wondering what does all this have to do with the Gospel? Well this scene brings to mind what Jesus tells his disciples. Jesus told them that there is no greater love than when one gives his life for his freind. That is why Jesus died for us. In fact the stage was set at the creation of the world for this to happen. It was no accident Adam and Eve faild so miserablely. God knew what he was doing and knew that free will was too great an instrument to put into the hands such as us. Indeed, not even the angels who can stand blameless before the Lord our God are allowed the luxury of free will. Never the less free will was necesary if we are to love him. Otherwise we would be automaton no better than a radio spew out words that the broadcaster wished us to say. The Lord did this for us knowing full well the lengths he would have to go through in order to win us back from our inevitable downfall. the Lord knew he would have to give himself in the form of his only son. All through his ministry on earth Jesus preached this message to his disciples, and to others. It seeed that everytime he did Peter, the brash and couragious, tried to veto his word. Imagine trying to tell God there has got to be another way, of course I know I am guilty of such sin. However Jesus said there no other way and constantly rebuked his disciples for suggeting such a thing.
At any time Jesus could have saved himself the brutal touture, and painful death. In the end though he held his tounge allowed himself to be led, and kept the angels at bay that at an utterance would have swept down and saved their Lord and taught those wicked little beings the folly of mistreating the vine dressers son.