A Call to Arms!

Brothers and Sisters of the Sword:

After my somewhat lengthy (“extended”) newsletter last week, you’ll be relieved to discover that this week’s edition is a tad more abbreviated due to the weather-induced cancellation of last Thursday's profession-relevant Bible study. That said, we should be “good to go” this Thursday and I’ll post a detailed recap for everyone in next week’s newsletter – stay tuned!

As you know, prayer is a major part of what God is calling us to do through this ministry. An email from my friend and fellow Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers (FCPO) board member Paul Lee in Tennessee helped confirm that emphasis and I wanted to share some of his thoughts with you. Like many of us, the forty percent increase in line of duty deaths (LODD) in 2010 along with our tough start to 2011 has been very much on Paul’s heart. Paul writes,
I really can’t put into words what I am feeling. I guess the best way would be the uneasiness before a battle or an aggressive SWAT action that you know is about to happen. I do believe if Christ is preached to those in law enforcement and to those in the highways and byways, the alleys and streets, to the victim and the criminal, God is going to use FCPO as a driving force. We need to get ready and make sure all our brothers and sisters have all their armor on.

Well said my brother, well said! Paul will be sharing more with us in the coming weeks but his email has me once again urging you to take on a profound sense of exigency – a “CALL TO ARMS” if you will, to:
(1) submit your life to Christ if you have not already done so
(2) get off the “stinkin” fence” and be “all in” if you do know Him as Savior
(3) become battle-hardened prayer warriors for each other, our families and marriages, our profession, FCPO and this ministry, our nation and the world as a whole.
Jesus is coming soon – are you ready?


The Latest PRAYER REQUESTS & FCPO-Denver Area MEETING SCHEDULE are both updated and posted here on our website (next post). Check back frequently and be sure to take note of our new relationship with Calvary Aurora where we will be meeting once a month starting February 17th. Yes, we’re still meeting weekly at Calvary South Denver in Littleton – we’re just moving one of those meetings to Aurora in a "missionary" effort to be more inclusive of others in the metro area. All are welcome and we encourage spouses to attend. Please keep us in prayer regarding this endeavor.


ON PRAYER & HEALING

In lieu of my regular recap, I am instead sharing a brief devotional on the subject of healing. Biblically speaking, it is important to understand that while our Lord does in fact heal, He does not do it “on demand” or as if He is some kind of divine “Santa Claus.” On the contrary, our Lord heals in response to our prayers solely in accordance with His loving, perfect will. Accordingly, our goal should be to become more and more “like Christ” (Romans 8:29) in all we do – to seek God’s will and plan over our own. Jesus modeled that for us perfectly: "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know" (Acts 2:22). Jesus Christ said of Himself, "The Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees the Father doing" (John 5:19). In the Greek the word nothing has a unique meaning -- it means "NOTHING" -- just like it does in English! Jesus displayed two main distinctions of His humanity:
(1) He had no sin to separate Him from the Father.
(2) He was completely dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit and God the Father working through Him.
So what then are the distinctions of our humanity? We are sinners cleansed ONLY by the blood of Jesus. Through His sacrifice Christ has successfully dealt with the power and effect of sin for all who believe and have placed their trust in Him. As such, nothing now separates us from the Father.

There remains only one unsettled issue - how dependent on God are we willing to live?
That is indeed THE question – how say you? Yes, we should absolutely pray for healing but we must do so while seeking first His perfect will and plan for our lives.

Our friends at GotQuestions.org have written some great articles on the subject of healing that I encourage you to read. See http://www.gotquestions.org/healing-Bible.html and the Related Topics section below it.


Warrior TRAINING!

(1) Yesterday I received the much-awaited after-action report on the Greeley (CO) shooting/LODD of Weld County Dep. Sam Brownlee. The report is both very well done and compelling in its conclusions. Please take the time to read it, discuss it and apply it. The report has the potential to save lives – and that will be a fitting legacy for Sam. See http://www.weldsheriff.com/assets/9387362c32c1cCDD8661.pdf.

(2) With both Sam’s death and that of others fresh in our minds, I direct you to the following article: http://www.policemag.com/Channel/Recruit/Articles/2011/01/Stopping-Gun-Grabs.aspx.

(3) Tulsa PD Captain and fellow ministry leader Travis Yates (www.tenfourministries.org) has put together an outstanding police driving video that is a must-see: http://www.policeone.com/policeonetv/videos/3229237-travis-yates-importance-of-good-eyesight/.

(4) I strongly support retired Illinois police Lt. Jim Glennon’s outstanding training seminars and website (excellent articles). Check out http://www.lifelinetraining.com/index.html and consider scheduling Jim for a seminar in your area (the website contains Jim’s current training calendar).

(5) One of my own God-given law enforcement gifts is in the area of interview and interrogation and this month’s Reid I & I tip is a great read on the subject. Check out The Lie, the Bluff and False Confessions: http://reid.com/educational_info/r_tips.html.

(6) Finally, consider attending any of Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s outstanding seminars. Dave will be partnering with Travis Yates and I this coming April 7th in Oklahoma for a very special presentation that we strongly encourage you to attend. For details, see Travis’s http://warriormissions.org/ and Dave’s http://www.warriorsciencegroup.com/.

These and other training resources are available on our website under the Law Enforcement Training – The Way of the Warrior section (scroll down on the left side). I’ve also added a number of new links and other profession-relevant info – check it out.


Lastly, the long-awaited family-oriented and law enforcement-based film The Grace Card will be begin showing at theaters on February 25th! This is a “must see” flic. Check it out at http://www.thegracecardmovie.com/.

Hope to see you Thursday if you’re in the Denver-metro area. Regardless, let’s make an extra effort to keep up with your time of worship, prayer, godly fellowship and Bible study (spiritual readiness) along with your ongoing physical training and warrior skills (note – being a sheepdog should not end with retirement).

To arms! The time is now and the battle is upon us.