Article 7: The Parachute Jump
Ten years ago I was serving as a Youth Pastor…my degree actually is in Christian Education and I am a graduate of Biola University.
One day as I was sitting at home with my wife there was a knock on the front door. Here were seven young people who where off to train for their first parachute jump. They had this idea that I was going to go with them! After some pleading one of them said the magic words that all males cave into and those were, "he's chicken."
We all piled into our cars and drove off to the regional airport. There we were put into a class with a qualified instructor. The instructor was telling us about how to land when to pull the ripcord, how to exit the plane, etc. We even had to take a practice jump off of a 60-foot tower so we would know how to tuck and roll as we came down. I hated that tower, I hate heights. That is why God made me short!
After going through the class they put a chute on our backs. My first question was, "you guarantee that the chute will work." The answer was, "absolutely." After receiving that guarantee another "emergency chute was place on my chest!
"Wait," I said, "If there is a guarantee on the first chute what was this one for?" The answer, " That's in case the guarantee on the other one isn't good anymore!" That did not bring peace to my mind or heart.
We were loaded into a plane for the ascent where we would jump. Higher and higher we went, more nervous and nervous I became. At the designated jumping point I was elected to be the first one out of the plane, and they called ME chicken! Of course they had to do a little pushing to get me to let go of the door!
As I leaped into the air my heart was pounding. I was falling yet it seemed as if I was flying. I opened my eyes and looked around and was delighted to see the view. It was incredible.
Then there was a loud obnoxious buzzing sound. It was my timer telling me to pull the ripcord. I found the cord and pulled….nothing happened. The guarantee did not work! I pulled again and still it did not work.
It is amazing what goes through your mind as you are falling. There I was ready to become a pancake and foolish items flash like…did I pay the electric bill this week! Then I remembered….the other chute!
I felt around until I found the other cord. Gripped it in both hands and pulled…NOTHING HAPPENED! Now was the time to really get worried. I gripped it again and pulled. STILL NOTHING!
I had only one more chance before I would be too close to the ground for the chute to work. So I grabbed the cord and pulled with all my strength…. that's when I woke up on the floor of my bedroom with my pajama shirt torn!
Now stop and think. It was very easy to get some of you to believe that this story actually took place. It is the same with false information about Y2K. If a person says that they heard such and such, people often believe it. If it is on TV or the Radio it is often accepted as the truth.
We need to be careful about what we read, hear and see. Just because it is being talked about doesn't mean it is reality.
Y2K is a parachute story that many people are believing. They have not taken the time to check out reality. DON'T DEPEND ON OTHERS. Verify facts from many sources. Check out stories. Talk to knowledgeable people. Simple steps to help you land with both feet on the ground.
Write to me at Ed Harvey, C/O The Electronic Village, P.O. Box 388, St. Rose, IL. 62230 or send me an e-mail at harvey@papadocs.com. Y2K is not a parachute jump, just a hop off the front porch.
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