I mentioned last week about my dad being a truant officer. He started out in education by being a teacher. I think he was a 7th grade teacher, actually. Eventually, he became a principal (and for a year in my life he was MY principal at my school, imagine that!) and from there became a truant officer.

We chuckle at the quaint thought of a truant officer, or "attendance officer" as I believe they are now called. Maybe when you grew up, you watched the Little Rascals and remember an episode or two where they are outsmarting the poor fellow, as only the members of Our Gang could. If only it was as easy as those comic shorts made it out to be! Because surely it is not. Let me tell you a pair of stories, as best I remember them.

I got to see my dad in action once in a while, because as a kid I was a member of one school district, my mom (also a teacher) taught in a second, and my dad worked in a third. Of course they never seem to take spring break at the same time, so I would end up staying at home with my brother and two sisters. Since I was not the wonderful, well behaving person I am now (grin!) that didn't work out too well. So, I would ride around with my dad. Most of the time that meant going to court, where it seems policemen spend a lot of time, much more than I had ever realized. And a truant officer is just that. That means my dad had an Ohio State police badge, like any other correctional officer. He had a certain amount of training, and responsibility, that went along with that office. My dad didn't carry a gun, but he did see them now and then. Case in point: One day (not while I was with him!) my dad went to a house to serve a summons. If you are a kid and don't go to school, you become truant. You are breaking the law! That means, if found guilty you get to go to this wonderful place called the "correctional facility." You think you are hot stuff, but once you get there you see guards, bars on the windows, etc. - I.E. JAIL for kids, And when you read in the paper about some dumb kid that kills his parents or something, guess where he goes? Yep, the "correctional facility." You just don't want to go there! Well, dad knocked on the door and suddenly he was staring in the face of a loaded shotgun. The kid told him to get out of there or else! Twenty minutes later he was back - with the local sheriff. The kid was arrested and off he went to jail (oops, I mean "correctional facility").

I could make a lot of bible lessons from this story so far, but wait there's more. The kid's dad had to appear in court, since you can't try a minor without his parents being present. Well, the guy was off hunting in Pennsylvania and was mad mad mad he had to come back early from his hunting trip. There he is in court, and he started demanding. What was he demanding? That his son be released? Oh, no! He wanted his shotgun back. It was his favorite. "You can keep the kid!"

Last week I talked about timing. Here's my dad, up in the pulpit at church. He is delivering an invitation on Wednesday night and says, "oh, I haven't told my wife about this yet, but here is what happened to me today". He tells the first part of this story. His point was that you never knew when you were going to die. You might wake up one day in excellent health, and get hit by a bus. Or have a heart attack. Or have a shotgun stuck in your face. He was right, we never know when we will die. Are you ready???

BTW - I thought mom was going to kill him!

Matthew 24:42-51 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 12:16-21 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Luke 21:33-36 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.