"Act of Valor" Event! TCLEM/FCPO-Denver Newsletter

We had an outstanding time of fellowship, prayer and profession-relevant Bible study at last week's Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry & FCPO-Denver "Cop Church" meeting. Our own Jim Wattles led an very interactive and thought-provoking message that he entitled "Expected Virtues." As always, I've posted the recap below and encourage you to adapt it to your own devotions and studies.

This week's "meeting" will be a group event to see the new movie, Act of Valor. If you're in the south Denver area, please consider joining us for the 6:45 PM showing at the AMC Highlands Ranch 24 theater just south of C-470 and Broadway (103 W Centennial Blvd., Highlands Ranch, CO). We'll meet at 6:15 inside the main entrance at the bottom of the escalator.

For everyone else around the country, we're encouraging you to see this movie with your spouse, a fellow officer, service member and/or your those in your local fellowship. As stated previously, this is NOT a "Christian" film but, as detailed in last week's newsletter, it DOES serve as a "hook" for that officer or military brother/sister who may not know Christ as Savior and would not otherwise see a movie like Courageous: it opens a door for you to share!

As I reported last week, two former Navy SEALs have formed a companion website to Act of Valor called Life of Valor (www.lifeofvalor.com) that DOES have a powerful biblical message. Accordingly, review their site, last week's newsletter for more.

Message RECAP: A Cop's "Expected Virtues"

Here is Jim's recap from last week's message:

What is your reputation? What are your personal virtues? Do you sometimes feel like there is too much expected of you to the point that you find yourself asking, "Who do they think I am...some sort of superhuman?"

Cops are "expected" to carry out duties that quite literally come from real-life biblical figures. Among just a few of those things cops are "expected" to have are the:

* Strength of Samson

* Wisdom of Solomon

* Patience of Job

* Aim of David

* Leadership skills of Moses

* Foresight of Noah

* Honesty of Jesus

* Mercy of God.


A cop's reputation may be both favorable and unfavorable, depending on who is expressing their opinion. Our reputation is most generally decided by how we are viewed in terms of our character, honesty, reliability, strengths, weaknesses and achievements. Most of those character traits are developed by one's personal virtues, or moral character. Cops are "expected" to possess the highest of moral standards as they carry out their duties but most of us fall far short of the ideal. However, the "Good News" -- especially for the Christian officer -- is that many of these virtues can be learned and improved upon.

Simon Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:5-7, But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. The first thing Peter tells us to add to our faith is virtue -- an essential trait in making us more effective in living like Christ. Pastor Charles Spurgeon said, "The two most important things in our holy religion are faith and life." He added there is "an intimate connection" between the two and "they shouldn't be severed; God hath so joined them."

Does your reputation and "expected virtues" differ within the ranks of your fellow officers and those held among members of you family, your church and the community where you serve? Yes they do. Many officers who enjoy a great reputation and are considered to be virtuous by their fellow officers, family and church may have quite a different reputation among those in the community they serve in that the latter may see us as hateful, prejudicial, brutal, unforgiving, lying or just generally untrustworthy. This reputation is often the result of one or more incidents of cops using offensive language, losing their temper or displaying otherwise improper behavior, which then becomes the generalized reputation of officers everywhere. Do we as LEOs sometimes abuse the powers given to us by God as revealed in Romans 13:1-7? While God has been given us the authority to take a life, liberty and property, that authority sometimes be abused.

When most of us were sworn in, we took an oath, placed our hand on a Bible (?) and may have repeated the words, "So help me God." Romans 13:1-7 reveals that even if those four words are omitted and the Bible no longer present, we were still making a promise to God along with the responsibility to honor that promise.

Whether you view your law enforcement position as a "calling" or just a job, we all need to realize that we are under the watchful eyes of God, those of our fellow officers, our families and the citizens we serve. Go back to the advice of Simon Peter and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to improve your faith, moral excellence (virtue), knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness and love. Watch how your life and the lives of others will change around you. See if it doesn't make your life more effective and useful to Him, to the citizens you serve and to the family you provide for. Serving as a Christian officers is by no means easy but stay encouraged by Galatians 6:9 -- And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.


I would add the following to Jim's final line: for the believer, we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

The latest PRAYER REQUESTS, announcements, local meeting schedules and more are posted here on our website and updated regularly. This newsletter will also be posted on our Facebook pages. Please respond to God's COMMAND ("The Great Commission") to share the "Good News" of the Gospel by passing-on these newsletters, inviting a colleague to church or a police Bible study in your area, or -- as stated above -- taking them to see a warrior-relevant film like Act of Valor and then using it as a "tactical op" to share God's love and plan for their lives.

-- Next week (Thursday, March 15th) I'll be teaching a powerful, profession-relevant message at Calvary Aurora based on our signature passage from Romans 13:1-7. Stay tuned for details in next week's newsletter that will also include a great short devotional, news and more for all our fellow officers around the world.

-- Finally, Denver PD Officer Rob Parks will be sharing his testimony and a special message about police marriage at our March 22nd meeting. Please bring your spouse and join us if you're in the area. I'll of course post a recap of Rob's message in the following week's newsletter for everyone else around the world.


That's it for this week folks. Let's exercise solid officer safety out there while at the same time being bold, radical followers of Christ our Captain. As always, please feel free to contact me at thecenturionministry@yahoo.com if I can be of service.

Det. Sgt. & Chaplain M.C. Williams
Director, The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
Vice President, Fellowship of Christiain Peace Officers - USA