--- id: 20150301_analyze_situation_take_action title: BLOG - Analyze the Situation and Take Proper Action category: Biblical Life Counsel predicted_narrative_arc: emergency-wisdom-to-hopeful-trust sentiment: Practical emotions: - Steady - Instructive - Hopeful keypoints: - Second emergency action is to analyze the situation and take proper action - Thinking ahead beats last-minute feeling; inaction can worsen a crisis - Best action solves the problem that created the challenge - Flying jets trained Dean to anticipate and face unexpected circumstances - Jeremiah 29:11 frames God's plans for good, future, and hope summary: > Dean Rush teaches the second emergency discipline — analyze the situation and take proper action. Drawing on a lifetime of flying, he urges thinking ahead rather than reacting by feeling, warns that inaction can worsen a crisis, and points readers to site questions that build a personal foundation. He closes with Jeremiah 29:11 — God's plans for good, a future, and a hope. tags: - blog - human-resources - emergency - decision-making - flying - analysis - jeremiah-29 - hope - preparedness - dean-rush sycophancy: 0 truth_score: 8 entropy: 3 sample: false consent: owner_approved agent: blog created: '2015-03-01' updated: '2026-09-09T00:00:00Z' vault_stage: 07_CODEX headwaters: BLOG prefix: BLOG enrich_status: ok enrich_blockers: [] enrich_method: manual pipeline_filename: BLOG_2015-03-01_analyze-the-situation-and-take-proper-action.md source_kind: blog_article proposed_topic: Wisdom lane: Wisdom voice: desk active_voice: desk voices: - desk routing_source: carbon corpus_topic: Wisdom content_status: active date: '2015-03-01' share_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/analyze-the-situation-and-take-proper-action source_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/analyze-the-situation-and-take-proper-action site_category: Human Resources archive_month: 2015-03 description: > Dean applies flight-trained foresight to life emergencies — analyze, act on the real problem, avoid both panic and paralysis — and anchors hope in Jeremiah 29:11. --- # Analyze the Situation and Take Proper Action **Author:** Dean Rush **Original post:** [deanrush.net/blog/analyze-the-situation-and-take-proper-action](https://deanrush.net/blog/analyze-the-situation-and-take-proper-action) **Archive month:** March 2015 · **Site category:** Human Resources > Voice note: Everything under **Dean's article** is Dean's original prose (lightly cleaned of HTML/image artifacts only). Sections marked **Biblical foundations**, **Scholar sidebar**, **Takeaways**, and **First-time learner** are enrichment for Asker / first readers — not Dean speaking. --- ## Biblical foundations (preface) Dean teaches crisis wisdom — analyze before you act, aim at the real problem, neither panic nor freeze — and closes with God's good plans in Jeremiah 29:11. The enrichment below does not replace his flight-trained counsel; it shows the wider biblical frame for a first-time reader. | Dean's claim | Scriptural undercarriage | | --- | --- | | Feeling-driven reaction often fails | The simple believes everything; the prudent considers his steps (Proverbs 14:15); be quick to hear, slow to speak (James 1:19) | | Inaction can make trouble worse | Whoever knows the right thing and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17); the sluggard's craving kills him (Proverbs 21:25) | | Aim action at the root problem | Get wisdom; get insight (Proverbs 4:5–7); examine yourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) | | God holds future and hope even in crisis | "Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11) | --- ## Dean's article ### Second action in an emergency ![Sky divers image from Dean's original post](https://deanrush.net/Portals/0/images/article/sky%20divers%20(2).jpg) The second action in an emergency is to analyze the situation and take proper action. It is important to think ahead as much as possible because in many situations you cannot wait until the last minute to take action. Responding with what feels good normally doesn't help the situation. On the other hand, inaction can make the situation worse. It should be noted that the best action is one that will **solve the problem that created the challenge.** > **Scholar sidebar — Prudence between panic and paralysis** > Dean names two failures: impulsive feeling and frozen inaction. Proverbs repeatedly praises the prudent who consider their steps (Proverbs 14:15; 22:3). James 1:19 pairs quick hearing with slow speech and slow anger — analysis before reaction. James 4:17 warns that knowing the right deed and refusing it is sin. His maxim — solve the problem that created the challenge — matches wisdom's demand for root-level insight (Proverbs 4:5–7), not cosmetic busywork. I appreciated flying airplanes throughout my life because flying required me to think ahead. Flying jets also helped prepare me for unexpected situations. Surprising circumstances usually occur at the least appropriate times in our lives. There are methods to minimize the effects of emergency situations and that will be an ongoing discussion in articles to follow. The questions on the first page of this web site have the purpose of establishing a foundation for you to begin analyzing the situation in your life. I suggest you take a moment and provide your personal answers. It will help you begin formulating a plan for handling an emergency if you are confronted with a serious situation for you or your family. ### Thought for the day! Jeremiah 29:11. **"11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."** > **Scholar sidebar — Jeremiah 29:11 in crisis counsel** > Spoken first to exiles in Babylon, Jeremiah 29:11 is not a promise that every emergency will feel easy; it is God's pledge of welfare, future, and hope under His sovereign plans. Dean places it after practical analysis — not instead of analysis. That order matters: believers still think ahead and act (Proverbs 16:9 — man plans, the Lord establishes), while refusing despair because God's purposes outlast the surprise. Read nearby verses (Jeremiah 29:7, 12–14) for the exile context of seeking the city's good and calling on the Lord. --- ## Takeaways 1. **Analyze, then act.** The second emergency discipline is clear-eyed assessment joined to proper action. 2. **Feelings are poor autopilot.** What "feels good" in the moment usually fails to help. 3. **Inaction has a cost.** Freezing can worsen the crisis as surely as panic can. 4. **Aim at the root.** Best action solves the problem that created the challenge — not a side symptom. 5. **Hope is theological.** Jeremiah 29:11 anchors future and hope in the Lord's plans while Dean still urges personal preparation. --- ## First-time learner ### What is Dean saying in one sentence? In a crisis, think ahead, analyze the real problem, and act — don't ride your feelings or freeze — and trust God's good plans for your future. ### Why flying? Because jets forced him to anticipate. He treats aviation foresight as transferable wisdom for life's least convenient surprises. ### Key verses to read with this post - **Proverbs 14:15 / 22:3** — Prudence considers steps and sees danger. - **James 1:19** — Quick to hear, slow to speak. - **James 4:17** — Know the right and do it. - **Proverbs 4:5–7** — Get wisdom and insight. - **Jeremiah 29:11** — God's plans for welfare, future, and hope. - **Proverbs 16:9** — Plan your way; the Lord directs steps. ### A simple practice (Dean's challenge made concrete) Today: answer the foundation questions Dean points to on his site (or write your own: What threatens my family? What must I decide before the last minute?). Then pray Jeremiah 29:11 and name one root problem you will address this week instead of managing only symptoms. ### How this feeds Ask Dean This post is seed material for questions such as: *What is Dean's second emergency rule? How does flying shape his counsel? What does Jeremiah 29:11 mean in a crisis?* Answers should keep Dean's voice primary and use the scholar notes only as supporting biblical scaffolding.