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About Butte Falls bulletin. (<1994 Dec.->) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2003)
Happy New Year from the Town Council! "Johny Law" Report I haven't sent out a single Christmas card in two years. It's not that I don't want to or don't like them. I just haven't been able to find the time to deal with them. Christmas is such a busy time. I don't know about all of you, but I am shopped out and I didn't even go to a store on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I'm not into crowds. My wife and I did most of our personal Christ mas shopping by way of gift certificates for out-of-town relatives. It cuts way back on crowd crunching time and really saves on wrapping and mailing expenses. Even then, we had to endure several days of gift hunting in Klamath Falls, Medford and Redding seeking gifts for coworkers, grandchildren and private business clientel. Also, as conservators for another family member who I is a stroke victim ancTvvDfribfsenKgift certif icates, we had to do all the shopping, wrapping and mailing for her. So, its like having to shop for two complete families. At one point I was actually losing patience and getting frustrated with Christmas because I didn't think I would ever get all the wrapping and mailing done. One evening while I was frantically trying to wrap gifts, my wife wanted to go listen to a special traveling musical church ministry. I almost declined to go with her. I did, however, recognize my angered state of mind and decided that I needed both a break from the wrapping project and a little spirtualtherapy. I'm glad I went. I came away with a refreshed appreciation for Christmas that helped me finish my wrapping and mailing project a few days later in a much better state of mind. What this all means is that Christmas is about Christ and the joy His birth brings to us all. I know you will not have read this article until after the holiday season is over. However, I hope each of you took time to either go to church or at least outwardly fellowship with family members on the real reason for the season. I'm not a preacher and I don't play one on TV. I do know, however, that as a police officer, my life and yours would be a lot easier if everyone either attended a church or a fellowship even just once a year. I once told a probation officer that if he could order criminal offenders to attend educational training and 1 2-step recovery programs in an effort to get them to change their behavior that there was no reason why he couldn’t order them to attend a church of their choice every Sunday as long as he didn t mandate their faith. I just figured that if someone was required to hear "the word" that there was the real possibility that over a period of time it might begin to mean something to them. Maybe, just maybe, someone might change their behavior because they heard the word. You may have heard of alcoholics or drug addicts getting clean. For everyone that does, there are many more who fall back into addiction after trying to go clean. The problem is that they are doing it for themselves. Well, most of us won't be able to do it just for ourselves. For there to be real change in behaviorial lifestyle there has to be a foundation of religious faith upon which it is based. I don't say this from a religious standpoint. I say it from a reality standpoint. Like I said, I'm not a preacher even though I am a believer. I say it as a cop and a former jail commander. I watched many an inmate leave the Klamath County Jail saying, “ I'll never be back again because I'm a changed man.” Well, in some cases that was true. But, in most cases it was not. For those who failed and returned to jail, their proclamation of intent was based solely on a desire not to go back to jail. For those who succeeded and didn't return, in almost every case it was because they became actively involved in a church or other religious fellowship organization. Sure, they didn't want to return to jail. But, that wasn't the motivating factor. They sought spiritual satisfaction, not human satisfaction. On many occassions I would be walking down the street and have someone I didn't remember walk up to me and say, "Hello, Mr. Lawson. Do you remember me? I used to be in your jail." In every such case that person had been converted by the jail ministry program and had stayed : active in their new found faith after leaving the jail. So, as a parting note, if you have a friend in need, and that could just be yourself, help them seek faith in that which is bigger than themselves. Being a criminal is nothing more than wanting to control others for personal benefit. Being a law abiding person is nothing more than respecting the rights and will of others, especially that of God. Okay, I'll get off the pulpit. I hope each of you had a very marvelous Christmas and I wish each of you a very happy and prosperous New Year. John F. Lawson Chief of Police THIS IS BEAUTIFUS! Mercy Flights News... Thanks to an anonomous donor with wonderful Christmas Spirit y©ur Butte Falls Ambulance Area Membership has been paid for. Thank you to whomever you are! We appreciate this! Totem Pole LKJIHGFEDCBA New Year’s Eve Prime Rib Dinner With All the Extras! Come Join Us... Serving at 5:00 PM until gone... 865-3311
