The Little Things Can Trip Us Up-Circumcision, Blackflies Or Police Dogs Series

SERMON MANUSCRIPT: GALATIANS 5:1-12

THE LITTLE THINGS WILL TRIP US UP-WILL IT BE BLACKFLIES OR CIRCUMCISION

It has been encouraging and enjoyable to study unity and preach unity over the past while, and I thought it time to break away with an entertaining story, I hope, and discuss the work of the apostles a little further in a shorter, but fun way…

I have been blessed that the Lord provided me with a career that has allowed me to share some fun stories, interesting events, an opportunity to see how God works through the strangest of circumstances when remembering those calls for service that are embedded in memory. Jesus is our greatest story teller…

Part of my duties in police work was as a member of the tactical unit, along with other responsibilities. As a young cop, most of us were adrenalin junkies, longing for the big calls…As a tactical guy, some thought we were a little touched, and certainly arrogant, yet we were trained to take the calls many couldn’t.

SO…JB-His full name I will try not to give, was a great name for a bad guy-a movie name-Our team was called in to deal with a serious matter. JB had escaped on a short pass given to him while serving a sentence for violent crime and was a member of a major motorcycle gang.

A close source to JB was providing our intelligence officer with information that he had planned to rob a bank in a busy location in Peterborough. Our team was short, as it was the end of May, and holiday times were beginning. We had to work with just four team members out of a 10-member team. My partner Dan and I took the bank being targeted and set up surveillance. We were geared right up and sadly could not warn anyone as it would start a major frensy of worry on busy Lansdowne Street. Information came in that JB was not going to be taken alive and will kill any cops in his sight. He will not return to jail, and wanted nothing more than to connect with his g/f.. He was armed with a machine gun pistol. This certainly do a great deal of damage within a few seconds, plus the weapon can be concealed. We were on high alert since we couldn’t find him... He had the upper hand. We had tips, but he could have been watching us as we sat in wait.

The long day came and went without incident, except JB was still loose. No robbery occurred. We were now over 24 hours in. Dan and I stayed on for the night shift as the next bit of intelligence had been validated- JB was going to pick up a Harley Davidson motorcycle left for him on a porch in the north end of Peterborough. The tech 9 machine gun was still in the conversation along with the jargon “I will not go back to jail.” I picked up a marked police cruiser as this event could end up in a police pursuit- we needed the emergency lights and siren The day and night dragged. Dan and I took turns resting as we were into day 2. Plainclothes officers were watching the motorcycle in a surveillance van.

We thought, well…another dead run, and we were at least 35 hours in. Suddenly the call over the radio. JB just arrived, jumped on the bike and started it. Our plainclothes officers had him sight. Dan and I jumped into action. He was in an unmarked car, I took the lead in the marked. I was point on this call, driving quickly with hopes of stopping this fellow who was now driving aggressively on Parkhill Road trying to get out of the city.

• Behind him early, lights on, no stopping,…I feared that he would just turn around and spray me with bullets. He had a leather coat on unzipped-I assumed the gun was concealed in the coat.

• I had to broadcast the pursuit and the location. I was right behind him. Harleys are not that fast, and rather awkward for maneuvering. But he was fast.

• He slowed down dramatically on the bike…, I thought he was getting ready to shoot at me…police cars were all over despite being told to stay clear. I (Instead of shooting, He took his helmet off and threw it back trying to break my front window. He missed.

• I had all my lethal equipment ready to go.

• Chase continued at a high speed out of the city.

• Highway 7 was approaching. (Parkhill Road and Highway 7 if you know it…no easy left turn) It was a 90 degree intersection. No way was he going to make this 90 degree turn in my opinion. Harleys don’t turn easy….. There is also a stop sign, not it’s a traffic light, here leading to a busy highway, although it was dark and early morning.