Ken is filling in for Tom this month while

Tom recovers from a rare, but severe, drug interaction.

We are happy to report that Tom is now on

the mend, working on getting his strength back.

—RJD

My “day” job is managing the security

department of a hospital. On the morning

of May 1, I had just sat down at my desk

in my office when the announcement

came over the public address system:

“Please join with the administration of Regional

Medical Center of San

Jose, in welcoming the surveyors

of the Joint Commission

to our hospital.” As soon

as I heard the announcement,

I sat for a moment in disbelief.

I thought, “That’s not

possible, why it’s Tuesday,

and they wouldn’t come on a Tuesday,

they would come on a Monday…” However

the announcement was the announcement,

so it had to be a fact. The “ones”

that we knew could arrive anytime after

January 1, were actually here, and of

course it couldn’t have come at a more

hectic time. Once I was able to arouse

myself from the initial shock of what I had

just heard, I focused my attention on what

the events of the week were going to be

like, as well as prepare myself for the stress

wads, otherwise known as the Directors of

each department. You see, the “Joint

Commission” is the term used to describe

the third party accreditation organization

which reviews hospital operations and

procedures, in order to ensure that hospitals

are keeping in compliance with the law

and best medical practices. The term

“Joint Commission”, or “JCAHO”, strikes

fear into the hearts of those who work in

the hospital industry. The findings of

these surveyors can literally make or break

a hospital; huge fines, firings, departmental

shutdowns, are just a few of things that

can result from one of these surveys.

The first thing I did was notify my

security officers that JCAHO was on-site.

The second thing I did was plan my

strategy of how I was going to handle the

onslaught of requests for ID badges,

with every conceivable (and inconceivable)

excuse as to why they don’t have

one. Occasionally someone will be honest

and say, “Oops, I forgot my badge.”

Standard policy is that everyone who

works in the hospital must have a

picture ID visibly worn above the

waist at all times. While most generally

adhere to the policy, many

laugh off the “requirement” as an

annoyance and a joke…. Except

for when JCAHO comes, then it

becomes a matter of the highest

priority. All employees know that

JCAHO scrutinizes every detail, and ever

since 9/11, the wearing of the ID badge

is seen as an important security measure.

Being the Security Manager, I “preach”

all the time about the importance of

wearing the ID badge. My message is

often met with a snicker and roll of the

eyes, but not today, for every person,

from the CEO, to doctors, all the way to

the volunteers, will be wearing their

badge in full view.

The whole scene reminded me of

Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins. Five of

them were ready for the arrival of the

bridegroom, the other five, Jesus called

“foolish”, and they were not ready for his

arrival. Even though the date and time of

the bridegroom’s arrival was a mystery,

the first five of the ten, were prepared to

go out and meet him should he arrive at

a time when they were not expecting.

However the other five, didn’t give any

thought to preparation, so when his sudden

arrival took them by surprise,

they attempted to make hasty

preparations that should have already

been done, and of course, it

was too late.

As I pondered for a moment

the connection between the parable

and the almost hysterical

panic of ID badge seeking doctors

and employees, the thought came

to me: Going to church is one of

the many ways one can prepare

for the unknown time of the arrival

of “The Bridegroom”. In staying

regularly connected to the

church, believers in Christ find

encouragement to do the things

Christ calls us to believe and do,

in spite of what the rest of the

world around us wants to scoff as

irrelevant. In committing to the

body of believers in the church,

we help keep one another

“awake”, to see life and ourselves

through sober eyes, seeing

through the eyeglasses of the

Word of God (and yes, keeping

each other awake through sermons).

In giving ourselves to the

life and ministry of the church, we

keep ourselves well stocked with

spiritual oil (like the first five of

the ten virgins), in preparation for

the surprise visits of life, and the

eventual surprise arrival of our

Savior.

Over the last couple of weeks

of the end of my wonderful stay

as intern of Santa Teresa Hills

Presbyterian Church, I saw the

church receive new members and

newly confirmed young people,

who decided to show themselves

as being counted among the rest

of the believers at STHPC. These

times may seem trivial to some,

but not to God. Even though

“membership” within a local body

in some ways is a man-made system

in which to operate in, it is a

commitment to the Body of

Christ as well, which is a Godmade

institution.

My prayer has been for

STHPC, and will continue to be,

that the church will be a place that

never ceases to encourage one

another to look forward to “The

Day”, so that it never catches any

of us by surprise. That way none

of us will ever get caught having

to say, “Oops, I forgot my

badge.”

Thank you all for a wonderful

year, and look forward to seeing

you again soon.

Intern Ken Jones