A Cop's New Year -- TCLEM/FCPO-Denver Newsletter

My hope is that you have both survived and thrived through Christmas. Now the New Year is fast approaching and many of us will be serving in the chaos and miscreant activity that typifies the holiday – and we will be putting our lives on the line as we do so. Accordingly let me again urge you to be sure you have a right standing with God in Christ – the eternal definition of “officer safety” by His perfect standard (the Bible). Read on for more…

If you’re in the Denver area, we invite you to join us this Thursday (Dec. 29th) at Calvary South Denver in Littleton (www.CalvaryCSD.org for directions) for our final Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry/FCPO-Denver “Cop Church” fellowship of 2011 where I’ll be teaching a very interactive, profession/life-relevant Bible study that I’ve entitled Trusting Your “Gut” (“Feelings” vs. God’s Word). I’ll of course submit a detailed RECAP in next week’s newsletter – stay tuned!

New Year’s Resolutions (“A Cop’s New Year”):

The New Year will also give rise to the proverbial “resolutions” that often mimic the Christian walk of many of us: starts out with a sprint but then fades to a crawl (or not moving at all). The same can be said for many law enforcement careers: we start out with “gung-ho,” change-the-world enthusiasm but end-up as RODs (“retired on duty” officers) long before we turn in our shields. My prayer for each of you in 2012 is that you will seek the power of the Holy Spirit for both a renewed and sustained commitment to your relationship with Christ and your families as well as to the “ministry” of law enforcement. Let’s run hard and finish strong in the power of the Lord!

Is Christ your true Lord and Savior? If your life ended today do you KNOW for sure where you would spend eternity? On what authority? Have you repented (a “180”) of your sin, sought God’s forgiveness and entered into a life-saving/life-changing relationship with Him through His Son? Perhaps you “feel” that you are already a Christian yet there is no EVIDENCE that would PROVE you “guilty” of being a true believer in a court of law. If either of these describes your “condition,” let me strongly encourage you to scroll down the left side of this website to True Officer Safety ( How Can I Be Saved?). There you will find a series of links that will help you make a decision for Christ – TODAY. The third link under that heading -- Are you Sure? -- will take you to a page on my fellow warrior Travis Yates’ Ten-Four Ministries website (www.tenfourministries.org/knowGod.php) where you will find some outstanding teaching videos and other resources that will truly help you understand what it means to be a Christian.

The following Bible verses are a great way to begin “A Cop’s New Year” (renew your walk with God and help deepen your commitment to living your Christian faith):

New Birth - A True and Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (NIV)

A New Hope and Future

Jeremiah 29:11
"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. (NLT)

A New Heart

Ezekiel 36:25-27
"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command. (NLT)

Forgetting the Past and Embracing the “2nd Chance”

Philippians 3:13-14
No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (NLT)

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)

Learning to Live in the Present

Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)

Strength & Courage for the Battle

Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (NLT)

Isaiah 40:31
Yet those who wait (trust) for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (NASB)

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV)

RESOLVE in 2012 to LIVE and SHARE your faith with others (including simply passing on our newsletters, website info and brochures or inviting a colleague to join us on a Thursday evening). My own pastor, Sam Park of Calvary South Denver, shares my heart to make 2012 a “Year of Evangelism.” Take a moment to read from his Tuesday Night Dialogue (the Tuesday night service that I and many TCLEM/FCPO-Denver folks also attend) Newsletter:
“…I want to share my heart with you by URGING you to make this year a year of personal evangelism. By "personal evangelism", I don't mean that you have to share the whole plan of the Gospel and lead someone in the "Sinner's prayer" every time you speak to them. What I'm talking about is simply being vocal about your faith by living it "out loud" more this year than you did in 2011.

When I worked at the Auto Club of Southern CA, I took my Bible with me and kept it on my desk in very plain sight. And during my breaks, I would read it in the break room. People would ask me all the time, "What are you reading?" I'd tell them that I was reading "God's Word." And many times that would lead into lengthy conversations… I never had to stand in the middle of my office to "preach" the Gospel to anyone but because I was living my faith "out loud", everyone knew what I was about. Throughout the years, I had the privilege of bringing many of my co-workers to church and seeing many of them accept the Lord, all because I was living my faith "out loud".

My challenge to you is to just live your faith "out loud" and be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as you progress through this coming year.”

I concur! Resolve to not let “officer safety” to cross over into being “safe” about sharing Christ with others. Rather, let’s resolve to loudly (boldly) live is (as) Christ (Philippians 1:21) in 2012 and beyond.

Finally, please take a moment to join us in praying for all those requesting same – the latest PRAYER REQUESTS have been posted here on our website (next post below) and many are quite pressing.

Have a great New Year in Christ!