The red hot fire fighter

A disillutioned fire fighter finds God inside of a burning building

As Ann A. Myta (being me) where I find myself progressively moving forward in my arrested attempt at a writing career, where over the course of my writings I can now begin feeling that incredible surge of power said to be within the strokes of a writer’s pen.

And what of this said power that compels one to write --- could it by chance be a human quality, or could it more-or-less be one of a spiritual guidance? But for whatever the case, I recall the immortal words quoted by the English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton who profoundly and historically went-on to state that “how the pen is mightier than the sword,” which through the ages has come to be an unwritten religious rule of thumb when it comes to writing.

Whereas one can take it on faith, or on one’s own belief that the words written in the Holy Bible were written by some of the world’s greatest writers whose hands and thoughts were guided by an unseen spiritual force that which compelled them to scribe past, present and future events, which eventually became the basis behind the truth in writing.

But to the non-believers, and those who leave their faith to science and chance; this Holy book of religion and man’s beginning is not foreseen by non-believers as the actual written words and the thought predictions of a mighty God--- one whose ways are beyond our ways of understanding; his thoughts are beyond our thoughts, and his love and forgiveness is beyond our love and forgiveness --- and it's he alone who stretches-out the heavens as far as the human eye could possibly see, as well as commands the sun to rise and the stars to hold their position in the skies, and to those of little or no belief, the Holy Bible simply reads as pure fiction.

While inside of this number one selling book known to-date as the Holy Bible, and or the Koran, which from my own understanding was written by the hands of disciples, prophets, and seers, as they all tell of the greatest love story ever told about a God and the love he had for his people. Which in itself entails extraordinary documented cases concerning, Miracles, drama, horror, murder, and tragedy's of a worldwide proportion, and not to mention even prophecy's that in time will reveal itself as being the gospel truth in writing. Where aside from being a how-to book about the pitfalls of good versus evil and how to sanctimoniously live one’s life in the eyes of God, it also contains everything else that a great writer ever thought to write about, in order to make his novel more compelling, believable, and influential to its readers.

Whereas for years as a non-writer, I never gave that much thought to that saying of how the pen was said to be mightier than the sword, at-least until I found myself wielding that pen of power. For I now believe that a day will come, when I’ll find myself writing a wrong that could only be felt and understood in written words, and not just actions alone. Thereby over-powering the strength of the invincible sword of bladed steel, but until then, let’s you and me talk about made-to-order Gods; the kind of Gods that are produced at a moment’s notice in order to suit the needs of an individual --- for their own purpose and cause.

A dear close friend of mines once told me, that if one wanted to attend a church where they believed that you could get into heaven just by living right; that they do in-deed have those around. And if you ever wanted to attend a church where they practiced voodoo spells as a part of their sacrilege; they have a few of those around too. And if you even wanted to attend a church where celibacy was their way of life, and others where you require a vow of silence, then you’re in luck, because they have quite a few of those too. And even if you wished to attend a religion sect, where God was said to acknowledge a strong belief in suicide bombings, they've also got an abundance of those said to be around, as well as Snake charmers, Devil worshipers, and even churches where Marijuana is ritualistically smoked.

While although the Bible refers to these such out of the way practices as Baal, but when it’s all said and done from this writers opinionated opinion, there’s only one true God whose recognized by many names, as one brave firefighter by the name of Phil Raven is about to find out, as he sets out on a quest to find himself a personal God of his very own, and while in his endeavored search to find his self a true God his travels will take him a lot farther beyond just the seven churches mentioned in the Bible. So the bottom line here is, whatever particular kind of God that you seek in your religious cuisine, there’s definitely one out there tailor-made just for your culinary divine taste?

The city is Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the inner-city on the north side of town, where it's on the corner of Teutonia and locust street where there sits a fire station that’s been an icon of this neighborhood for many a years. It’s within this neighborhood fire station, where there resides a firefighter by the name of Phil Raven. Phil Raven has been a Milwaukee firefighter at this same location for over seventeen years. While in his own words as he'll be the first to tell you, how he loves every minute of his job, and all that it entails, and how he wouldn’t trade his position for anything in the world.

Fire-fighter Phil Raven has come to see his fair share of fire related tragedies throughout his many years of devoted service to the fire station. While along the way he’s been accommodated with a countless number of medals, awards, plaques and certificates for his heroics and valor in the face of not only just fire related dangers, but also non fire related life threatening situations. Well the foundation of this story isn’t based on the valiant deeds of one such brave firefighter, but of his faith, or more specific the lack there-of, when it came to his own real danger point that he came to face in his life.

It started out on one balmy summer day during the month of May, where the temperatures outside had reached a sweltering 82 degrees as things were moving along as usual when there came a call to the fire station; and no it wasn’t a call to arms that was preceded by the sounding of the fire station horn, but instead it came in the form of a telephone call from the Aurora Mt. Sinai hospital, as the person on the phone requested to speak with one Phil Raven.

Upon answering the phone call, it turns out that Phil was told that his mother was involved in what started out as a simple mugging that then turned tragic. It seems that she was robbed at gun point by an erroneous street thug, and when she refused her assailant his demands, he then preceded to violently pistol whip her, and then robbing her of her purse and crucifix that she’d fought so hard to protect.

Once there at the hospital the doctors assured Phil Raven that his mother wasn’t going to pull through, but as Phil sat there at her side holding-on to her hand, he practically guaranteed her in his prayers that the doctors were wrong in their diagnoses while she laid there unresponsive in a comma.

It was Phil's undaunted belief in a higher being that caused his disbelief in what the doctors were trying to tell him about his mothers dwindling condition. Because Phil felt in his heart that God would never let him down by taking his mother's life.

After-all Phil Raven and his mother had been faithful follower of the church for many a years. He then while kneeling there on his knees at her bed side prayed to God once again saying, “please dear Lord, don’t take my mother from me, you know that she’s all that I have in this world, you know that she has a good heart and soul, and besides that, she’s one of yours,” but to no avail Phil's prayers went unanswered, and his mother past away later that night.

Upon hearing the bad news of his mothers passing Phil become devastated and furious as he blamed God for the tragedy that befell his mother. He then began cursing God as he blasted him telling him how selfish he felt that his God was, further stating, “You knew how much she meant to me, but yet you still saw fit to take her away from me especially after I pleaded and begged with you to spare her life.” He then went-on to vow how he would never ask for anything else from this so-called God who kills innocent women ever again, and I hate you was how he ended his last words to God.

Now having turned his back on God, Phil Raven began to now see the flaws in man, that which he never really paid that much attention to before as he blamed God for all that was wrong in man.

The youth of the world were running amok, and for this he also blamed God, along with the state of the economy, high taxes, failed relationships as he went-on to blame it all on God.

It was soon after the death, and the burial of his mother, with the expenses of the cost of her funeral and all, did Phil Raven start to experience money problems, and who do you think he blamed for this? You guessed it, none other than God himself.

Phil soon started calling in at work saying not today. No longer feeling as though he wanted to be a part of this evil society, Phil was content with just staying at home watching TV. and drinking his life away.

It was two months later that the man who assaulted and killed his mother was eventually caught and convicted, but he only received a five year prison sentence through a plea bargain deal, which Phil saw as a further insult to him and a slap in the face of justice. Unable to take the miscarriage of justice and this half a God situation, Phil vowed to come face-to-face with that same God one day and spit in his face, telling him how he was less than a true God in the eyes of man, but in the mean time Phil would be on the hunt for that real true God. One that he could call his own, one that would be there for his needs, his wants, and his desires, one that would never turn his back on him no matter what.

Feeling a little better about his decision, Phil returned back to work, only to realize that through a few mishaps, that his now God seemed to be on vacation when he needed him the most. And as time went-on Phil went from religion to religion in search of the one true God, but none of his choosing were ever there to be found in the ways that Phil was looking for a God.

As time moved forward during his one man crusade, it happened one night after a long tiring, and exhausting work week, while Phil lay tossing and turning in his bed on this night unable to get to sleep. So he decided to take in the night air while sitting out on his porch. and it was while he sat there gazing up into the heavens, when it was the smell of smoke that aroused his attention back down out of the clouds, where he noticed the apartment building directly across the street from his house was on fire.

It was smoke that could be seen fuming from a few of the open windows within the building around the top floors of this two story apartment building. Instinctively phoning it in to his department Phil then rushes over to the smoldering building in order to lend a helping hand until more help could arrive. And by him being the first fire fighter on the scene, he made sure by knocking on doors that everybody got out of the burning building safely. Right about then the fire trucks were now arriving on the scene as the fire began to burn out of control. It was one of his fellow fire fighters who hands Phil a uniform and helmet as they began to battle the blaze from the ground level of this apartment building that was now a burning infernal. Just then a car comes rolling up to a screeching halt where a young woman jumps from behind the wheel screaming and pleading, my babies, my babies are still inside, I just went to the store she said as she pleaded with the fire-fighters to let her go back inside. Hearing this hysteric mother’s plea, firefighter Phil instructs his guys to hose him down saying, “I’m going in,” he tells them. They then tell him that it’s impossible because of the intense heat from the fire is much too hot for anybody to try and go back inside, let alone could there possibly be any survivors in a fire of this magnitude, and that there was only a slight chance that the kids were still alive, where the fire chief was more than sure of that by now they probably have already been over-taken by the thick smoke inhalation, as he assured this mother and Phil that there was nothing more that they, or anybody could do at this point. But After hearing the apprehension of his fire chief, and hearing the begging pleas of the mother, Phil takes it on his own as he bolts from the grasp of his fellow fire-fighters and runs into the burning building. It was without any luck that they were able to grab a hold of Phil in order to prevent him from entering the burning building as he quickly disappeared into a cloud of billowing smoke.

Once inside Phil makes his way to the second floor where the children were said to be. While in close pursuit of him, it was a group of his firefighting comrades who also braved the intense flames and tried to follow him in, but the front stairway between Phil and those close behind him quickly collapsed under a gulf of flames, causing them to be cut-off from assisting Phil in his plight of possibly saving the lives of the children whom his chief presumed were already dead, as his fellow fire-fighters also now assumed that Phil likewise had perished in the raging fire. Now having no other choice but to back off in retreat for that moment as they now waited on standby for the flames to die out and then they would go in; in order to retrieve what would be left of fire-fighter Phil Raven and the children's charred remains.

Unknown to his fellow firefighters, Phil Raven was more than alive inside this burning apartment building as he managed to make it to the second floor where the children were said to be.

And although he was still alive it was a smoke filled firewall of flames that now surround Firefighter Phil, with the flames and the heat becoming so intense that his fire retardant suit was now beginning to melt as he could feel it liquefying as it ran like melted wax from off of his body, along with parts of his flesh that he could smell beginning to smolder inside what was left of the suit. While it was just up ahead behind a wall of flames, where Phil could hear the faint sounds of the children crying as they were gagging and choking for air that was nowhere within these black clouds of smoke to be found. While now more than ever Phil was determined not to give up, yet still there was only so much a man on fire could do to save these children from there fate of a fiery death. With his suit now burned completely off of his body and unable to see his own hands before his face as the smoke now completely clouded his vision, thereby preventing him from seeing past his own nose on his face.

Phil could now feel the extreme intensity of heat from not only the fire and the flames that were burning out of control all around him, but from the line of fire that was now inching its way up what was left of the bottom of his pants legs, while at the same time burning away his outer clothing down to his flesh, and all around his waist the fire danced with him as thou he was its tango partner out on a dance floor causing him to once again smell his own skin frying to bacon burnt. Now at this point Phil Raven was unable to go on any further as he thought that he saw his life flashing before him.

Now dropping to his knees Phil cried out, “Oh dear God! Please! At least save the children.” And just then at the end of his plea for help, he sees something more-or-less someone, just on the other side of the wall of smoke and flames standing before him as this person whomever it was held-out what Phil believed was a hand extending itself towards him. Where this stranger was then heard by Phil to say, “Put your life into my hands, and come unto me my lost sheep.”

Barely unable to see past the fire and smoke that continued to build-up all around him, Phil does musters enough strength while on his knees as he crawled over to where this stranger stood while reaching his own hand out and grabbing a-hold of the hand that was reaching out towards him. When instantly upon touching the warm hand of this stranger as Phil now found himself standing on his own feet looking into the face of this stranger who came to his aide. It was then the subtle voice of this stranger who now said to him, “my son, why you have cursed my name so, when I have showed you nothing but love.” “I do what I do for reasons, which you’ll never understand, but I feel that I must put your mind at ease at this time.” He then pulls Phil by his hand, bringing him in closer to his bosom as they both begin to slowly soar upwards above the flames of the fire, up through the roof of this burning building, and up past the clouds and into a dark space above the planet.

Phil is now able to see down on the world below from up above at a bird’s eye view. No longer was he aware of the fire that engulfed the building, nor could he smell the fumes of fire and smoke that less than a minute ago threaten to smolder his life like blowing out a candle. Phil's mind for that brief moment in time was at peace and all was now right with the world.

While unable to believe what was now happening to him, Phil relaxes his once tensed body and listens to the words of this spirited stranger who says to him in a soothing like voice, “I am the alpha and the omega,” to which the embodied spirit then goes on to explain to Phil Raven just why certain things are allowed to happen in the world, and why others are not. He then shows Phil Raven what's to come in time, and what will never be. Although now at ease, and it's not solely because of the comforting words that this spirited stranger speaks of, but because of the immediate company that Phil now finds himself in-comforted of, that he now believes that he knows who this disembodied spirit is.

It was then in the twinkling of an eye that Phil Raven was wisp-off and given a complete tour of the entire world from a bird’s eye view, as he now saw so many others in sickness and in pain, along with starvation, and famine from all over the world. And for the first time beyond his own personal despair Phil saw true pain and suffering, to which none like he’d ever seen before. He was then given witness to see wars being fought as well as the casualty's which were the dead who came to wander aimlessly above and below the seven sea and they were many. He was then taken to a place said to be the outside gates of heaven. It was then that the embodied spirit explained to Phil Raven that how he couldn’t take him inside, for it was only through death that any man would enter the kingdom of heaven. But It was while they both stood there outside the gates of heaven that Phil happened to look inside and saw that something was a midst. This was not the heaven that he’d heard, read and had been taught about, for he saw angels without wings or silken-ed robes, but instead they were wearing L. A. Laker's jerseys, sagging pants, while wearing Michael Jordan sneakers. He also noticed groups of angels as they played cards and gambling at the slot machines right near the front gate. He then noticed the arch angel Gabriel had traded his golden horn for a set of drums. St. Peter was having a bar-b-Que near the back gate and instead of hearing the sounds of heavenly hymns; there was rap music in the air. That’s when God said “oh no! Satan has done it again,” as he went on to explain to Phil Raven that how each and every time that he leaves heaven to attend to one of his lost sheep that Satan sneaks in and disrupts everything in heaven.

And that’s when Phil Raven fell to his knees at the feet of his God who by now he knew exactly who he was, as he begged for his forgiveness for being a whinny, snot nose ungrateful human being, it was then that God took him by the hand and said to him, “my dear child, Satan does this all the time, and you, nor anybody else has any idea how many times that I’ve had to redo life on earth and the heavens for the sake of things that have to be,” he said, “its time I that took you back,” and before Phil knew it, they were once again back in the mist of the internal fire of the burning apartment building. And it was at that moment when God was about to depart that Phil did wonder and asked of him, why he took this moment to intervene. That’s when God told him that the children of whom he was attempting to rescue, had he known that they belonged to the man who murdered his mother; would he have still have rushed in to save their lives. But before Phil Raven could answer, God answered his own inquiry and said, “Yes I believe you would have, thereby making you a Saint among Samaritans and because of your valiant effort, I chose at this time to make myself known to you, because your were putting your life on the line ahead of theirs,” and then God concluded by saying how dear the little one were to him, and with that he said, “Phil Raven, I now bless thee,” as he then reached out his hand and touch the top of Phil's fore head leaving him once again surrounded by a wall of flames, in the center of a blazing inferno of fire.

Once Phil became aware that he was once again in the mist of the fire he now saw his team of fellow fire fighters at the bottom of the stairs, attempting to put out the flames on the first floor. Yelling down to them they become amazed and shocked that he was still alive. Firefighter Phil then tells them that the children are still alive trapped in the rear of the building. He then suggested that they come up the back stairwell and lend him a helping hand. Upon retrieving two of the children Phil hands them off to the awaiting firefighter who now had made their way up from the rear stairwell. They then notice that their comrade is without his uniform and how he's badly burned over portions of his body. Telling him to come with them for he was in dire need of medical help. But Phil told them that there was still another child trapped in another part of the apartment, and how he was going back in to save this child. But they insisted that there was nothing more anyone could do because the fire was now burning completely out of control and they had to get out of there now if they wanted to save their own lives. But Phil insisted on going back in, thinking that Phil was over taken with smoke inhalation and that he wasn't thinking clearly about what he was attempting to do his, fellow firefighter once again attempted to grab a-hold of him as they were going to bring him out by force, but then the floor in between them gave way creating an eight foot gap in between them and Phil Raven. They then suggested that he jump across and so that they could all get out of the fire, but knowing that there was still a child trapped in the fire Phil was determined on saving that child's life so he insisted on going back in and trying to save the one child whose cries he could still hear coming from somewhere in the rear of the apartment, and before they knew it Phil had made his way back in thru the flames of the fire in-search of the other child. They'd all but given up once again on Phil Raven, as they turned to made they way back down out of the building when Phil suddenly reappeared with the child in his arms. But there was now an even bigger problem. For you see the floor in-between Phil and the awaiting arms of his fellow firefighter was too large a gap for Phil to now jump across, especially with the added weight of the child whom he caressed in his arms, but Phil Raven was not about to go down without giving it his best effort and seeing as how all other routes of escape were cut-off by walls of fire and the only exit was across the large hole in the floor. By now Phil and this child were now themselves being surrounded by fire on all sides with no way out as the flames now began inching its way up what was left of Phil's pants leg. Upon seeing this the firefighters on the other side of the collapsed floor were momentarily forced back by the intense heat of the fire that was continuing to build itself as it now threatened to engulf them all. Calling on his walkies-talkie one of the fire fighters tell his ground crew how he can see Phil and the child from where he's standing but they can no-longer get to them, he also informed them of how he sees third degree burns over 95% of his body, and how he has to be down to his last brain cell, I can also see his skin starting to burn away, I’m sorry but there’s no hope for him and nothing that we can do to possibly save the life of our fellow firefighter but to watch him burn with this child in his arms. Its then that the firefighter on the mic looks up again and he can swear that he now sees someone else in the fire with their arms draped around the shoulders of Phil Raven and this child then again he thinks to himself it’s just the smoke of the flames messing with his eyes. He then pauses in the middle of his report as he sees Phil Raven backing up, as though he were about to attempt to jump across this large hole in the floor that had been burned through. It was now the firefighters who stood on the edge of the other side just in case he came short of his jump, which more than all likely hood that he would, because they were now looking at; at least an 18ft. opening in the floor. And as Phil came running towards their direction, giving it his all, each and every firefighter would later tell how they held there breathes unable to breath for that brief moment when he took flight as though he had a helping hand that cradled him across. Once on the other side the firefighters began grabbing hold of him, for he was so badly burned that his skin was coming off in their grasp. They all knew that he wasn’t going to make-it. Quickly wrapping him in one of their thermos-blankets in order to start the cooling down process of his body temperatures. As he was literally one red hot firefighter and as they gather around him they ushered him in the fashion of a fallen hero, as he’ll surely go down as one of the bravest firefighters ever, as they start to already write his eulogy. It was the next morning while at the hospital as his body lay bandaged from the top of his head to the tips of his toes while being hooked-up to life support monitors and breathing machines, that they didn’t give him good odds on making it through the day.

As the team of doctors and nurses stood by his bed side making sure his last moments were pleasant ones by doing the best that they could to ease his pain. It was his fellow firefighters who were allowed to stand by his side as they praised his heroics, when one of the firefighters thought to ask him about the person that he could swear that he saw along side of him in the fire. Unable to answer at that precise moment because his monitors began going haywire, as all of his well wishers were immediately excused from the room as the doctors and nurses now had to quickly cut away his bandages in order to gain access to his vitals.

They tell him that this is it while they snip and cut, cut and snip, but it was halfway through the removal of his bandages that they couldn't believe what they’re seeing as they call in for more help in removing what’s left of his body wrap and bandages. After every bandage was removed the entire surgical team stands back in awe, everyone in his room became speechless no one could find the words to explain what just happened. Its then one of the nurses who wheels the bedside vanity table over to where Phil Raven was now sitting up, and when he looks into the mirrored reflection of his self he sees not a hair out of place, not a scratch to his skin, not a burn, not even so much as a sun burn, he’s a perfect specimen and that’s when he said, to those of you who asked the question as to who it was in that fire along side of me he answered boldly, “that was the one and only true God.”