A Lesson In Reading Gauges

Back in the late seventies my wife and I were invited to be speakers at several of the famed Southeast Alaska floating logging camps. They consisted most times of several cabins built on a huge floating log raft. The rafts were anchored by pilings being driven into the sea bottom and chained to those pilings.

They were reachable by small Cessna single motor planes or boats of various sizes. The boats were used to ferry crew to the areas they were logging at the time. When they finished logging that particular area for which they had contracted, they would hook on to the rafts and tow them to the next logging operation and the process would start all over again.

I remember the shock we encountered as we stepped out of the Cessna that had picked us up in the town of Ketchikan and ferried us out to that particular camp one Friday afternoon. We stepped from the plane on to the log raft and were immediately surrounded by laughing and chattering children all wearing a life jacket. They wore them in case they fell into the bay as they rode their bikes or romped and played as children are want to do.

We conducted Friday evening and Sabbath morning services at that logging camp and then we boarded a small plane and were flown to another such floating camp for another service. In the afternoon, we flew to yet another camp for mid-afternoon service. It made for an interesting but busy Sabbath but we met lots of wonderful people in the process.

It was while we were flying to another appointment in a pontoon plane equipped for water landing only, that I noticed the gasoline gauge in front of me. It was having a love affair with empty. In shocked disbelief I glanced at the gauges in front of the pilot thinking at least his tank would be full. It too was hugging empty! In my meek and mild manner, I pointed those facts out to the pilot and suggested that I must not be able to interpret gauges correctly. He casually glanced at his gauge and then, rather surprisedly at the one on my side and said, "Hey, you are right, we are nearly out of fuel."

At that particular moment, we were flying at about 1500 feet altitude over land heavily covered with tall Douglas fir trees. They seemed to be reaching up their billowing boughs to embrace us. I nervously scanned the area in every direction looking for open water. There was none. We flew on and I prayed. Edna prayed. If the pilot did, he did it with his eyes open. I know, cuz I peeked.

Soon however, we were over water again and we came to another logging camp complete with filling station on their dock. We landed, taxied up to their gasoline pump and filled up both tanks. It was a very convenient and unique station. They kept at all times a salmon in process of being smoked. Any one who stopped for gas could help themselves to free smoked salmon. The pilot indulged.

I prayed for a safe landing and the Lord provided. His message to all pilots everywhere."Check your gauges often." His message to all passengers in the skies of life: "If God is your copilot, switch seats with Him NOW."

Some Church Bulletin Board Messages

You aren't too bad to come in.
You aren't too good to stay out.

God loves you
Whether you like it or not.

God answers knee mail.

Jesus is my rock and
My name is on HIS roll.

Words can't break bones
but they can break hearts.