When an emergency happens where do you turn

There isn’t much traffic on Bradenton’s streets at 12:18am and for that I am thankful because I was driving Margaret to the ER at Manatee Memorial Hospital. Even the red lights all changed for us, except one stubborn one, but that was okay. She had been awakened at 11:43pm with a severe chest pain followed shortly by another. Then she noticed that she was also experiencing atrial fibrillation (Afib).After taking a baby aspirin she woke me up and off to the ER we went. They will probably keep her for a couple of days for observation. Her blood pressure was okay, but her heart rate had gotten up to 170 beats per minute and was very irregular. One of the dangers of Afib is a blood clot being sent to the brain. She has been under a lot of stress recently with the slow decline of the health of one of her favorite brothers and probably had over did it a little yesterday, but that is a matter for another discussion.

As I sat with her in the ER I had forgotten how crazy those places could become after midnight. There was one lady whose alcohol level was too high to be released. She had been brought in by ambulance and wanted out of there. She was very vocal about her desires. But, she didn’t have any shoes, pants or means of transportation. “Well, h..l, the ambulance brought me here it can d..n well take me home too!” As Margaret was being wheeled to her room that poor lady was still declaring that she wanted out because it was just too bright (though she didn’t want the light turned off in her room) and too loud (though she didn’t want the door closed, even a little, to her room). It was hard not to laugh.

Margaret’s experience with Afib did cause me to go back to my Hudson days. We had a couple of couches in the narthex of the church and they were in continual use as people either needed to lie down or sit down after walking in from the parking lot. My standard joke was that their heart just couldn’t take the excitement of coming to worship to hear me preach. My ushers were on a first name basis with the EMT people who worked Sunday morning because we had to call them regularly. It was the only church that I knew about that required its ushers to have CPR training … not a bad idea for any church.

There is one story, from those days, that I have told many times. One older gentleman just loved to sing in the choir. He had had the flu for a couple of weeks and really missed coming to church. So, after missing two Sundays, he felt that he was feeling good enough to come and sing in the choir. In was the 2nd Sunday in January and rather cold outside. He bundled up with long johns, T-shirt, dress shirt, sweater vest, and a coat. When he robed up for the choir he didn’t take any of those items off. He just put his robe over all of his attire. I was just getting into the introduction to the sermon that included how much I love parades and was in the process of listing out all the parades that I have placed on my bucket list when the gentleman got too hot and passed out. The ushers rushed in, the EMT was called and worship stopped. As they were wheeling him out, he took my hand and said, “I’m sorry that I rained on your parade!”

In times of emergencies it is good to have doctors, nurses, emergency rooms and hospitals. It is good to have the ability to call 911 and know that you can get help immediately. It is great to know that help is on the way. But what do you do when your emergency isn’t of a medical need. Where do you turn when help is needed for other concerns? Here I remembered something that I had saved a number of years ago.

Emergency Telephone Numbers … These are more effective than 911
When -
You are sad, phone John 14
You have sinned, phone Psalm 51
You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91
People have failed you, phone Psalm 27
It feels as though God is far from you, phone Psalm 139
Your faith needs stimulation, phone Hebrews 11
You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23
You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34
You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13
You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18
You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39
You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30
It feels as if the world is b bigger than God, phone Psalm 90
You need Christ like insurance, phone Romans 8:1-30
You are leaving home for a trip , phone Psalm 121
You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm 87
You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1
Inflation and investments are hogging your thoughts, phone Mark 10:17-31
You are depressive, phone Psalm 27
Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37
You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13
It looks like people are unfriendly, phone John 15
You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126
You feel the world is small compared to you, phone Psalm 19
You want to carry fruit, phone John 15
Paul's secret for happiness, phone Colossians 3:12-17
With big opportunity/ discovery, phone Isaiah 55
To get along with other people, phone Romans 12

ALTERNATE NUMBERS …
For dealing with fear, call Psalm 47
For security, call Psalm 121:3
For assurance, call Mark 8:35
For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18

All these numbers may be phoned directly. No operator assistance is necessary. All lines to Heaven are available 24-hours a day.

Margaret is going to be fine. She will just have to take some medication and try to manager her stress a little better. I pray that will be the reality for your life as well. I also pray that your spiritual and emotional health will be as healthy as your physical health. Remember that God is only a prayer away!

Quote for today: Feed your faith, and doubt will starve to death. Author unknown




http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/atrial_fibrillation/afib.aspx