Listen to GOD!

Kirk_Allen · September 10, 2005, 03:12:49 PM

Last week while I was working on felling my White Oaks I had Chad, my college helper come out for a day of work limbing the tops. The night before the day of work I woke up at 3 AM and said to myself, I HAVE TO make sure Chad wears chain saw chaps. Now I can only conclude that the Good Lord woke me up with that thought. I thought it then at 3 AM and I KNOW IT NOW.

While Chad was limbing a branch it was under tension and when it snapped free it drove the saw into his thigh. Note the kevlar bound up in the sprocket. Now this photo was about 5 minutes after it happen. Chad had to check his drawers. How fast did it happen? I turned and looked when I heard the saw stop. Chad was looking at it as if to say "why wont the chain move?" I signaled for him to shut off the saw. When he did, he saw all the fishnest kevlar and said "Where id that come from".

I said. "Your Chaps, young man, Your Chaps!" while pointing to his thigh. He could not believe how fast it happen and how lucky he was to put on the Chaps. I assured him luck had NOTHING to do with it. He thanked me for making him wear the chaps and I quickly told him he better be thanking someone a whole lote brighter than I, then I told him the story of waking up at 3 am. ( while cutting he was also wearing ear protection and eye protection.)

Texas Ranger · September 10, 2005, 03:59:47 PM

Amen, brother, amen.

Ianab · September 10, 2005, 05:24:49 PM

When ANY little voice says "you should have some safety gear on when you are doing this"

It pays to listen ;)

I take it you have got a new convert for chainsaw chaps there Kirk?

Ian

Kirk_Allen · September 10, 2005, 06:20:29 PM

I dont think you will ever see him run a saw without them in the future!

Best $60 I have ever spent.!

Linda · September 10, 2005, 08:58:13 PM

Kirk Allen,

Isn't it nice to know we have such a wonderful Lord who takes care of us. Even better when we listen! ;)

I can't count the number of times my sleep was interrupted by the Lord telling me something He wanted me to act on. Seems I'm always so busy He has to get my attention in the middle of the night. :

Lets just say, I've learned to listen!

This is a key fob we use for our F250. PackRat ElectricAl got this key fob in the late 70's from a local Case tractor dealer and just started using it. It has CASE on the other side :D

Hope he reads it every time he drives

Kirk_Allen · September 10, 2005, 11:16:30 PM

Amen Linda! 8) 8)

Part_Timer · September 11, 2005, 11:43:48 AM

Kirk

Thanks for taking the time to post that Picture. I saw with several people from work who refuse to wear anykind of safey protection. I use the back of a bookcase in the office to put pictures of sawmilling adventures on. I'm going to add your picture to it. maybe I can get just one of them to convert. All I can do is try.

Thanks Tom

SwampDonkey · September 15, 2005, 10:59:24 AM

Thanks Kirk for bringing this to everyone's attention. People getting cut by chainsaw is quite common and still people refuse to wear safety gear.

I can remember working on the west cost and preaching to new employees about how to safely handle an axe. One of things I always observed was the tendency for people to hug the tree with a knee against the tree directly below the area they were to blaze. I musta seen 6 or 7 gashed knees from folks in other crews. Another favorite was using the axe to blaze with the chain still wrapped on the handle with the potential to fetch up abruptly and cut yourself or the end of the chain off. >:(

rebocardo · September 24, 2005, 12:55:24 PM

Yes, listening is a good thing, as is praying before you start. That $60 was well spent for sure. One reason I wear a helmet too. I have been wacked/whipped in the head more then once by a small branch or "twig" that would have put a hurt on me if I did not have the helmet with the face screen.

Linda · November 01, 2005, 09:16:17 PM

A helmet is good for more than just logging.

Three weeks ago our oldest son, Shaun, rode up on his friend's motorcycle. He asked if we still had any helmets from our "biking days." ElectricAl said the mice had gotten into most of them (they are stored in a shed out back), but he would look when he had time. I felt somewhat uneasy when he left without a helmet; especially since he had actually asked for one (he is the only one of our 4 kids that usually won't wear a safety device :

).

A week later Shaun shows up again on the bike, so I asked Al if he had ever checked out the helmet situation. He said he hadn't, but would get to it soon. This nagging feeling inside told me that it had to be now. I insisted that Al go look while Shaun waited. Al found that the mice hadn't ruined mine, so we sent Shaun on his way wearing a very snug fitting helmet.

The next time we heard from Shaun, it was by phone at 4:22 a.m. this Sunday. You guessed it, he was in the hospital. He had hit a patch of gravel at 45 mph while doing a "hole shot."

He was wearing the helmet, but had not fastened it. The helmet was snug and stayed on his head to take the initial impact, which probably would have ended his life. The impact popped the helmet off his head and he slid across the concrete face down with the bike on top of him. :'(

The skin was stripped from his right eyebrow and cheek down to the bone. His nose has several stitches and he has some road rash on his right side, arm, and leg. No bones were broken and he still has his life. He knows for sure that "Someone" was watching over him. He sure wishes he would have fastened the helmet. :-\

It's a good thing God keeps after us until we listen; Isn't God awesome! 8)

Now, I just pray our wayward son starts listening to God all the time!

Tom · November 01, 2005, 09:23:27 PM

I'm sure glad he made it.. skin heals. Ethics grow. They just have to be provided the opportunity.

Norm · November 02, 2005, 07:38:42 AM

Sure glad to hear Shaun is going to be ok Linda. Calls like that are what all parents dread getting.

PawNature · November 02, 2005, 08:29:21 AM

It has been my experience that when GOD speaks one better listen.

Linda · November 02, 2005, 08:47:36 AM

That's for sure, but some of us learn the hard way and that has been Shaun's way his whole life through. He is learning though, that is for sure!

He has always thought his good looks were his strong point and I think he is pretty upset about his "face being 1/2 gone." I pray that he learns there is more to a person than outward appearance, I also pray that this is a turning point in his life; towards our Father in Heaven.

Anyone who wants to pray for Shaun would be much appreciated, he needs all he can get right now.

Thanks guys!

Patty · November 03, 2005, 09:10:01 AM

Linda, I hope he recovers quickly and thoroughly. I, like all parents, are terrified of getting that phone call some day. I trust God will look over him in the future, just as He has done in the past.

jon12345 · November 03, 2005, 08:55:40 PM

I never wore a helmet while operating a chainsaw, until I paid for someone to make me wear one - in college. Chaps abd a helmet with face shield and ear muffs was required for any class I was taking that involved a chainsaw, and some we were required to wear protection during all forest activities. Since then I wear all my gear whenever I'm cutting, no matter how ridiculous it looks smiley_whacko.

Paschale · November 04, 2005, 01:41:18 AM

When I was working on a project on my house to replace a rotted base on a porch pillar, I had a very near accident. I had a floor jack under that side of the porch to raise up the pillar enough so I could freely slide in the new base. Well, I was slowly turning the threads on the thing, one turn after another. I was about to turn one more time, when I had this feeling that I better not. I had this uneasy feeling, and I looked at the threads on that floor jack. It seemed to me that I was seeing A LOT of the threads sitting above the jack, and I had this concern that I was at the very limit of how many threads I had in the jack. I pondered this as I went to the garage to grab a second jack. Before putting that second jack up, I placed the threaded section up to the floor jack I was using as comparison. It was EXACTLY the same height! One more turn, and I would have completely turned that jack out of its housing, and the DanG roof of my porch could've come down on top of me, or at least slammed all the way down on that base with a horrendous crash. I attribute that to God watching after me! That voice, though quiet, was something I just couldn't ignore.

Thank God for that!

rebocardo · November 04, 2005, 07:33:54 PM

Sorry to hear about Shaun, just reading that made me tense up. Bad news about the face damage, I hate seeing that happen to kids, but, he is alive 8) I know of others that did not make it for lack of a helmet and my wife used to work at a nursing home where all the quad kids (dozens) with brain damage were almost all young men/kids that rode without helmets. Which is law in Massachusetts.

It might be time to keep him in a car with a seatbelt.

Kirk_Allen · November 04, 2005, 09:05:37 PM

Our prayers are with you Linda. Sure hope he heals quick. Like you said, he has his life.

Every day I do my best to stop and listen! It always pays dividends.

ElectricAl · November 06, 2005, 12:42:30 PM

Oops! I forgot to log ElectricAl out and me in. :-[ ;D

I'll try again. :

Linda

Linda · November 06, 2005, 12:48:45 PM

Patty,
Trusting God gives us peace. It is a must, especially when you have a kid that always learns the hard way. I'd never sleep otherwise. :-\

Jon12345,
I'm glad you are smart enough to realize the value of life. I'm sure you don't look ridiculous when you wear safety equipment. At least not to the people who matter (especially those who really care about you). By the way, Welcome to the Forum!

Paschale,
I'm glad you listened, it could have been a terrible tragedy if you hadn't.

Rebocardo,
I'd love to keep him in a car with a seatbelt. Unfortunately, he is 25 and not under our roof anymore (not that it was easy when he was). :

He thinks our ideas are okay for everyone except himself until he is hit full force in the face with reality (please pardon the pun).

Oh, how We've prayed for him over the years! :'(

Thanks Kirk and everyone else for your prayers! We really appreciate them.

Linda · November 30, 2005, 08:45:28 AM

Thanks for all your prayers.

The doctor is very pleased with Shaun's healing.

Shaun is healing so well, that He will probably only have a scarred nose and a scar from his eyebrow down to his cheek on the right side. He is doing much better mentally, too.

Linda

Fla._Deadheader · November 30, 2005, 10:16:45 AM

That's mighty good news, Linda. Maybe he will think a little harder from now on. ;)

gdingee · January 04, 2006, 09:48:57 AM

good thing to be wearing chaps, but would it not be even better to wear approved cutter pants. I foolishly used to only wers jeans or wool pants while bucking up my firewood. Never had any accidents but fortuanatley, during a safety course was told that even chaps are not safe as they can wrap around your leg and still aloow tha cahin to do damage.

Now, Ialways wear approved pants when handling the saw.