Inter-agency Rivalry

Well folks, we survived the DNC and, thank God, most of the more serious problems our fellow warriors in Minnesota are having to deal with now. I was particularly gratified by the generally outstanding inter-agency cooperation (what some would call a miracle in itself – see below) and planning that truly paid off in almost every respect. Great job by all! I trust that you MADE the time to get some rest over the holiday weekend.

Speaking of Minnesota and the RNC, wasn’t that an outstanding speech by Sarah Palin? Right on target and very timely given that 911 is just around the corner.

We’re on track for our next law enforcement Bible study/prayer/fellowship meeting this coming Saturday (Sept. 6th) at our regular time and place: 0900, Calvary Chapel South Denver in Littleton . A conversation with my chief last week and the comments that precipitated it provided me with the focus of this week’s study: how we as Christian officers should be responding to negative interagency “rivalry” (aka gossip, “bad mouthing,” and the proverbial “we’re better than you” mentality that is all-too-common in our profession). I realize that there are those that will say that this issue is just too ingrained to impact or change. Of course, that notion simply fuels my “agent of change” juices -- especially since the Word (Bible) specifically deals with this issue. “What?!” you say? The answer is an emphatic “YES” and we’ll dig into it on Saturday – hope you (locals/visitors) will make time to join us.

On a related issue, officer/chief/instructor Dr. Richard Weinblatt has written an outstanding article that should remind us about why we got into this profession and how we need to be conducting ourselves both on and off duty. Check it out on www.PoliceLink.com or directly at http://policelink.com/news/47402-professionalism-what-does-your-badge-stand-for. While not a Christian article per se, it is absolutely relevant to what we are trying to accomplish through this ministry.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

(1) Colorado Division or Revenue Criminal Investigator and Chaplain Richard “Rico” Predovich will be teaching a Christ-centered crisis intervention class in Grand Junction on September 23rd. Entitled “Shields of Faith Law Enforcement Chaplain and Pastoral Training in Crisis Intervention,” the program is sponsored by the Colorado Law Enforcement Officer’s Association (CLEOA). Check out www.cleoa.org/documents/ChaplaincyTraining.pdf for more.
(2) Reference the batch of TCM T’s, polo’s, and sweatshirts I’m working on, I’ll be meeting with fine Christian folks at J & R Graphics (www.JandRMarketingTools.com) before week’s end to see where we’re at. I’ll keep you posted. JeffCo Deputy Art Briles gave me some great ideas for the design – thanks Bro!

PRAYER REQUESTS & PRAISE REPORTS:

Praise report! Suzi (area police dispatcher) recently underwent surgery to deal with some very serious cancer-related issues. She writes, “Surgery went well! My doctor called me on the 28th, telling me most of it was pre-cancerous, thank our Lord, and they found less than a millimeter of cancer, which was also removed. I will see her every 3 months to stay on top of it all.” I’ll definitely call that a PTL/”Thank you Jesus” moment! Thanks to all of those who have been keeping Suzi in prayer. Continue to pray for complete recovery and continued health.

(1) Refer to our website (www.TheCenturionLawEnforcementMinistry.org) reference the prayer requests I sent out earlier this week. Keep praying!
(2) A former peace officer turned pastor in NC is seeking God’s direction for his calling to ministry. He is also dealing with very some tough marital issues and, all-in-all, could really use our prayers.
(3) Pray for a NM officer who was recently diagnosed with a spot on his lung (healing, effective medical intervention, benign diagnoses, etc.).
(4) Continue to keep our brother and sister officers serving overseas in Guard or Reserve units. Derwin: we’re praying for you Bro!
(5) Chief Jeff Farnsworth in MA sent us this timely reminder to keep our country in prayer. The verse he sent is one I’ve used here before but, with perhaps our most important election in the last 100 years or more looming just around the corner, it is prudent to post it again: 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Stay safe and make time to join us on Saturday!