Make the Call

I took the photograph on the blog page a couple of years ago. It is in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge. My wife and I were in San Francisco because I was attending a conference with the Association of Professional Chaplains. My friend, Keith Munford, and his wife, Pam were there too. They had a car rental and we went with them to explore some of the surrounding area. We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, then went to Muir Woods and finished the day with dinner at Scoma's in Sausilito. It was a memorable day with good friends.

When I was going through my pictures file to select one for the blog page, I came across this one of the bridge sign and it caught my attention again. Though records are incomplete, it is estimated that 1200 to 1500 people have ended their lives by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. The deck is 245 feet above the frigid, turbulent waters and a jumpers reach speeds of nearly 90 mph before hitting the surface. Only the seriously suicidal take the plunge. Thus the sign.

It is simple and straighforward. Crisis Counseling. There is Hope! Make the Call! Followed by the warning that jumping is nearly 100% fatal. One of the striking things about the sign is that it has no phone number! (As I recall, other signs do have a phone number).

People who tell others that "you just have to have faith" are like that sign. Wanting in the information department. Faith is transitive. It requires an object. A "Someone" to believe. There is a Someone. Jeremiah 33:2-3 has sometimes been called God's phone number. 2-3"This is God's Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: 'Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.' "

Make the Call.

Glimmer Man