From Above!

Recently the news has been less that comforting. The war, the price of energy, to say nothing of all the weather related problems...sometimes we simply need to hear some good news that will take us through to the next day and beyond.
Psalm 34:3 says " O magnify the Lord with me ". We are so good at seeing the trouble looming on the horizon that fills our news reports and our minds...but here we are told to join the Psalmist and think on a higher level...to think about the attributes of our Creator Father and Friend.
Listen the these words, (author unknown)

"He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He is the keeper of Creation, the Creator of the universe, the Manager of all time. He always was, always is, and always will be.
The world can't understand Him; it's armies can't defeat Him; it's schools can't explain Him; it's leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him. The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him. Nero couldn't crush Him. Hitler couldn't silence Him.
He is the power of the powerful, the Ancient of day's, the Ruler of rulers, the leader of leaders.
He is holy, mighty,and true. His ways are right, His word eternal, and His will unchanging. He is Redeemer, Savior, Lord and Guide.

When I fail, He forgives. When I am weak, He is strong. When I'm lost, He's the way. When I'm afraid, He's my courage. When I stumble, He steadies me. When I face loss, He provides for me. When I face death, He carries me home. He said it, that settles it.
He is on my side...He is in control...

All IS well with my soul! "

Blessings...

Cort

cort@clfmayville.org
414.350.3678

On June 20th, 2006, American Airlines Flight 1740 landing in Chicago from LAX, skid to a stop without the use of it's nose landing gear. Fortunately, all the passengers and crew exited the aircraft safely without injury, and the aircraft was returned to service shortly thereafter. This event happened at 6:30 am after the crew had flown all night and at the end of a three day trip.
On top of being fatigued by body clock reversal, the long flight from LAX left little fuel on board for troubleshooting and maneuvering, making time very critical and adding to the stress for both the cockpit and cabin crew. Once the landing gear was selected to the down position in the final approach phase, it was soon determined that the gear was unsafe. The crew flew the jet passed the O'hare control tower and controllers confirmed that the gear was in fact, not down.
From that moment on, there was a systematic flurry of activity in the cockpit and the cabin. Checklists for landing gear abnormalities were performed, maintenance was contacted for technical help, Chicago tower was giving ATC instructions, the cabin crew was briefed for an emergency landing , the passengers were informed about the nature of the emergency, and finally... as the aircraft neared the runway to land, the fire department was briefed on the landing, and the expectations of the flight crew.
After the jet came to rest, 7000 ft down the runway, the fire department personnel quickly assessed the damage to the airframe, and the passengers were then deplaned though the normal exit doors without the use of slides or emergency devices. The passengers were then bussed to the terminal and continued on their travels. All of these events took about 25 minutes.

Twenty five minutes can seem like an eternity when the out come of a crisis is pending. An even more striking truth is that this life of ours is but a "mist vapor" in time... a puff of misty smoke that is here today and gone tomorrow. Most all of us have times of spiritual chaos and hardship, but nothing compares to the crisis of a life without God... which in eternal terms, is a pending crisis.

Titus 3:3-7 says " Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were mislead by others and became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy. We hated others and they hated us. But then God our Savior showed us His kindness and love. He saved us , not because of the good things we did , but because of His mercy"......"He declared us not guilty because of His great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life."

This is the right help at the right time! God knows how to save us from anything or anyone and especially from our fallible selves. American Flight 1740 received excellent help from people working in their field of expertise whose goal was only to protect the lives of 136 people. God is also completely capable and unfailing in His promise to protect our fragile lives for eternity if we will call out to Him for His help.

Is your life a pending crisis? Are you without God and unsure of the destination of your life? Call out to Him and He will provide you the right help at the right time...and that time is now!

If you need to talk or wish to contact me , e-mail me at cort@clfmayville.org , or call 414.350.3678.

Blessings.

Cort Tangeman, Captain, American Airlines Flight 1740