Could Have Been Dead

In city ministry in particular, we had various security breaches over the years. A more serious case was a disgruntled ex-employee, who had been dismissed for slashing his wife with a whip (a sjambok). Our diaconate afterwards heard that he was openly threatening to “get” the minister. Therefore they banned him from the premises. But our caretaker let him in -- carrying a gun. Our minutes record: “A letter will be written to her [our caretaker], asking her to be more security conscious.” We asked a consultant to write it up, which means that it was not just the usual note. OBSERVATION: The employee's anger at me, the minister, was misdirected, since I didn't have authority over staff. I could have been dead.