THE CALL OF GOD

When any of us "old heads" who have been in emergency services of any kind, get together and start telling "lies" someone always says, "We ought to put this stuff in a book".  Well, I thought I would, at least some of the more interesting ones.

I wasn't on this particular call but my boss and fellow paramedic Keith was and I have heard him tell the story and I have told the story many times.  Her is how it goes.

Keith was the director of the ambulance service in Chilton County back in the mid to late 70's.  Keith worked the day shift, another senior medic named Jimmy worked the 3-11 shift and I worked the 11-7 shift.  On Monday morning, Keith and his driver got a call reporting a man stuck under a house.  It sounded interesting at the onset.....it got better.

They drove out into the rural, I mean rural, areas of Chilton County.  These folks didn't even get the Grand Ole Opry on the radio until Wednesday. (Only the old folks will get that joke). So they arrive at an old beaten down wood frame home.  It was built up on rock pillars. You may have seen the type.  You could bend down and see all the way under the house from one end to the other.  The occupants of the home were an elderly man and his wife.  Living with them at that time was their 20 something year old son Johnny. 

Now I don't want you to think that I am making fun of anyone.  Those who know me know that I would NEVER do anything like that.  But Johnny was, how shall I say this....special.  He wasn't the sharpest pencil in the box.  I'm not sure why.  He may have been born that way but we speculated that it was probably because of the amount of drugs he was inclined to enjoy.  At any rate, Johnny had enjoyed the weekend much too much.  He had left the home sometime on Saturday and had spent the weekend out in the woods. Lord knows there was nothing else around that place but woods.

Come Monday morning, after calling and looking for Johnny all weekend, the old man and woman decided to call the sheriff's office and get some help in rounding up Johnny and getting him back to the house or somewhere he might get some help.  After much searching and calling the sheriff's deputy had finally found Johnny.  He was hiding way up under the old house and he wasn't coming out. 

After much coaxing and cajoling with no success the sheriff's deputy called for the ambulance service.  You Chilton County folks have to understand that this was the beginning of rural fire/rescue units and there were not many available in the rural areas.  The ambulance service got called on everything that wasn't law enforcement related.  And I guess it really wasn't against the law for Johnny to be under the house. 

Keith and his partner arrived and were briefed about the situation.  Keith walked over to the edge of the house, bent down and yelled under the building to Johnny.  "Hey, Johnny, this is Keith with the ambulance service.  Come on out from under the house now.  We just want to help you". 

"No way"!  Johnny said firmly.

"Ah, come on Johnny".  Keith called out,  " No one is going to hurt you". 

"I'm not coming out".  Johnny replied. 

Keith was desperate.  He knew that if Johnny didn't come out someone was going to have to go under that old house and get him. Keith had an idea that no one there was going to volunteer and that he would be the one crawling under the house to get Johnny.

"Johnny why are you under the house, man?  Why won't you come out"?  Keith asked.

"God told me to come under here".  Johnny said empathically.

There was a long pause.  You could almost see the gears turning in Keith's head. Then softly, gently, Keith said, "Johnny, this is God.  Come on out from under the house". 

"Ok God" said Johnny  "Be right there". 

Johnny crawled out from under the house, dirty, hungry and tired. 

"Johnny"?  Keith said.  "Yes God".  Johnny answered.  "Johnny get up on this stretcher so we can take care of you".

"Yes Sir God" and Johnny climbed onto the stretcher and was taken to the hospital for treatment. 

There are probably many applications we could take away from this story.  One that comes to mind is from I John 4:1 where we are told "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world". 

I believe Keith for one is glad that Johnny didn't try the spirits that morning.  I don't think Keith had many more miracles left in him.