Fire Alarm
The week between Christmas and New Year’s is typically very quiet. All the program staff are in recovery. All the Admin staff are in preparations for Year End mailings. As such we generally run a skeleton crew. About 3:30 pm on Monday the 29th the fire alarm went off. Odd. Most likely dust or something in one of the A/C duct detectors. So I grab the keys, go to the control panel in that section of the building to silence it. Panel read “CE 208″ and “2 Hallway”. Both sensors are in the CE building that was built in 1965. Odd. Might as well go look…..
Halfway down the hallway I smell smoke! This isn’t good! It is amazing how fast your mind works. In the time elapsed between when I smelled the smoke and got up to sprint speed, I had already mapped out the location of the three fire extinguishers, what kind they were, and when the last time I paid the bill for their annual inspections. When I got to room 208 there was indeed a small fire. Flames, the whole works. Fortunately, it was small enough to blow out.
Our youth director’s 9v battery powered Korg GT-3 had been left on, overheated, and set fire to the rug he had over top the desk he used as a lectern. It eventually made its way to his bible. What you can’t see in this picture is that the rug created flakes that were about to fall on the rug below, which then would have continued to the rest of the room.
The top of the little desk was charred, but fortunately it did not flame up(fire retardant). The wondrous thing about this is, had it happened two hours later, the fire would have most likely spread and we would have sustained major damage to that section of the building.
Things I am thankful for:
- In 2004 we decided to add this section to the fire alarm. Otherwise, we would have never known it.
- We were there at the time.
- It really wasn’t anyone’s “fault”. Sure, it should have been turned off, but I bet there are hundreds of these things on inside guitar cases right now. This was a fluke like an overheating cell phone charger or laptop battery. It was powered by a 9v!
Another disaster averted. (Yep, gotta get in the obligatory plug for Jan 26th)
Jesus, the poor, and time management
I am currently in a study of the book of John with some friends of mine. We are coming up on chapter 12. Verse 8 is one of those puzzling verses in the bible. In reading Matthew Henry’s commentary on this verse, he had this to say:
We need wisdom, when two duties come in competition, to know which to give the preference to, which must be determined by the circumstances. Opportunities are to be improved, and those opportunities first and most vigorously which are likely to be of the shortest continuance, and which we see most speedily hastening away. That good duty which may be done at any time ought to give way to that which cannot be done but just now.
So, basically what Henry is saying is those things which can be done right away, and which if you don’t do them right now the opportunity would be lost, should be done RIGHT NOW. And then, when you have taken care of the things which can only be done now, and are important enough to do now, go back to the long term good you can do. The key is the going back to the long term, harder tasks. Not neglecting them for the immediate.
Henry starts it out with “We need wisdom”. When it comes to today’s busy world with everyone claiming their issue is a crisis, I have just one thing to say to Mr. Henry:
“Preach it, brother. Preach it.”
Birds of a Feather
What do the following all have in common?
1. The largests provider of ChMS
2. The second largest manufacturer of computers in the world
3. A leader in online event registration
4. Developer of Web 2.0-based online collaboration system for churches
Give up? They have all been selected as part of the Florida Church IT Roundtable on January 26, 2009.
That’s right ACS, Dell-courtesy of Florida VAR Eventus Group, ServiceU, and 360HUBS will all be there. Keep your eyes out. There may be others!
Now, if it is important to them, wouldn’t it make sense that it is important to you?
I know you aren’t breathing now with Advent Season, but by the end of January you will be bored and need a road trip.
Check out FL.citrt.org and forward to a Florida friend.
