An Uncompromising New Year

Fellow Sheepdogs:

Most of us – by the grace of God -- survived the Christmas weekend (Anyone else notice that you duty rig seems to have shrunk??!) and are preparing for the next wave starting this Friday (New Year’s Eve) with the standard fair of drug and alcohol-induced carnage. This year our LODD are up at least forty percent over the 2009 totals and we lost four more fellow officers over the Christmas weekend alone (not including all who were injured). This begs the question, “Are you ready?” If your earthly life ended today, where would you spend eternity? Perhaps you think you’re “good enough” to get a “pass” into Heaven due to your LE service or otherwise. I touched on this subject in my newsletters leading up to Christmas and some of my readers have taken me to task for it. Let me say that your argument is not with me but rather with God. Moreover, this ministry will NOT compromise on matters of biblical truth. Tulsa PD Captain and fellow law enforcement ministry brother Travis Yates of Ten-Four Ministries (http://tenfourministries.org/) sent me the following article on the subject that is both disturbing and eye-opening: http://www.sermonaudio.com/new_details.asp?ID=30706. My own reaction was a huge “WOW!” Bottom line is this: it does not matter what you and I “believe” if what we believe does not line up with God’s inerrant word (aka, the Bible). The only thing that matters is the truth and God’s word is the personification of truth. Accordingly, this will be the subject of our year-end Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry/FCPO-Denver Bible study this Thursday, December 30th, starting at 7:00 PM at Calvary South Denver in Littleton. I’ll post a detailed recap in next week’s newsletter for all our readers everywhere else…stay tuned!

Speaking of Travis, I will once again be joining him this Friday, December 31st, at 12:00 (Noon) CST for another edition of Centurion Radio where we will be discussing servant leadership in law enforcement from a thoroughly biblical perspective. I encourage you to join us, call-in, or listen online after-the-fact as your schedule permits. Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ten-four-ministries/2010/12/31/centurion-radio-14-servant-leadership for a preview and to learn how you can take part. Travis’s programs are always entertaining and spot-on for all in our profession. Listeners can also check out previous programs by going to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ten-four-ministries.

Citing just one recent example, Travis’s guest for the December 17th show was my friend Lt. Jim Glennon, a world-renouned law enforcement trainer, speaker and author of the highly-acclaimed new book Arresting Communication. Check it out at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ten-four-ministries/2010/12/17/centurion-radio-13-arresting-communication. Jim can be reached via at www.lifelinetraining.com. Hope you can join us this Friday for the 2010 finale!

Also on the subject of Travis and leadership, he will be hosting Lt. Col. Dave Grossman in Oklahoma on April 7th, 2011. I will be a part of this unique event and we strongly encourage you to join us in Tulsa. Travis and I will have much more on this in the coming weeks and months – stand-by!!

I’ve posted the latest prayer requests, announcements and local (FCPO-Denver) meeting schedule here on our website (next post below). Please take the time to check back frequently as I update the website on an almost daily basis. Don’t forget that we’re also on Facebook (search The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry and FCPO-Denver)!


FCPO-Denver and “Locals” News:

** BAPTISM Service! We will have our first-ever (hopefully “1st Annual”) baptism service on Saturday, January 15th. This will be for officers and their family members who have accepted Christ as Savior but have not yet been baptized. No, infant baptism is not a biblical concept. Those interested need to shoot me an email ASAP to fullarmor911@yahoo.com. I will also be teaching on baptism at our Thursday, January 13th meeting and I’ll need a headcount by the 6th of January.

** GraceFM (89.7 FM in the Denver area) has launched! They are still working out the kinks to be able to listen online (for the rest of the country) but they are in fact on the air. Great teaching and great Christian music without all the ads. See http://www.897gracefm.com/ for more!

In closing and in keeping with our theme for this week’s Bible study, our own Det. James “Jimmy” Wattles of History Channel’s Gangland fame (and a legend in his own right) sent me the following piece about legendary Green Beret MSgt. Roy P. Benavidez and his heroic action in Vietnam that earned him the Medal of Honor. His story is truly amazing and is a tribute to all the Vietnam vets whose stories haven’t been told or have been ignored. Go to http://biggeekdad.com/2010/01/tango-mike-mike/.

I’ll leave you with this question: Did Roy know Christ as his Savior and where will he spend eternity? Like all of us, Roy had a choice to make. How choose you? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). Our prayer is that all of you will make the right choice – the ONLY choice – so that you can truly have a safe, joyous and thoroughly uncompromising New Year. Blessings!

Newest Prayer Requests, Announcements and Meeting Scedule Updates

PRAYER REQUESTS continue to flow in (always welcome and encouraged). Here are the latest:

UPDATED 11/22/2010

-- Be in prayer for Pastor Ed Taylor's (Calvary Chapel Aurora) son who is a Colorado State Patrol trooper.

-- I again visited with wounded Polk County (WI) S.O. Dep. Mike Severson who was shot in the line-of-duty 19 years ago and is being treated at Craig Hospital in Englewood due to complications from that shooting. Mike will be at Craig until at least Dec. 14th. Please keep our brother in prayer and -- if you reside in the Denver Metro area -- stop by and pay him a visit 3rd floor West -- check in at the desk).

-- Wounded Carbon County (WY) S.O. Lt. Kyle Rosentreter will be returning to Craig for additional treatment starting Dec. 19th -- please be in prayer for this warrior as well.

-- Be in prayer for a chief in the midwest who is dealing with the politics that are endemic to the post. He is a finalist for a number of other positions both in his state and elsewhere. Our brother is a godly servant-leader who seeks only God's will and direction. But that we would have more like him in the profession...

-- I've received a prayer request for the trapped minors in New Zealand, their families, and for the for LEOs who are assisting in this disaster.

-- Continue to be in prayer for retired Mesa (AZ) Police Officer Lance Heivilin as he battles cancer. Check out Lance's Facebook page for more!

-- Louie Jaramillo (DPD Ret.) asks that we pray for his sister who does not know Christ as Savior. Keep Louie in prayer as well -- he lost his wife a short time ago.

-- Arapahoe Co. S.O. Dep. Brad Ginn askes us to be in prayer for his mother and father-in-law who are dealing with some tough medical issues (healing, restoration).

-- As many of you know, the much-publicized case in Ohio has taken a new turn: the bodies of the rescued 13 y.o.'s mother, young brother, and a family friend have been found. This little girl needs our prayers, but so do the officers investigating this matter. This is a tough one... See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40258902?GT1=43001.

-- Be in prayer for Utah State Park Ranger Brody Young who was critically wounded after exchanging fire from a gunman Friday evening. The search for Brody's shooter continues -- pray that he will be stopped before he hurts anyone else. Here's the latest: http://www.moabtimes.com/view/full_story/10395168/article--BREAKING-NEWS-Police-may-be-closing-in-on-man-who-critically-wounded-state-park-ranger-?instance=home_news_1st_left

-- Grant Wolf in Chattanooga (TN) writes, Hamilton Co. (TN) S.O. Deputy Marcus Dotson and his wife are expecting their first born late this month or early in December. Mrs. Dotson has been diagnosed with preeclampsia, which means her blood pressure is high and health is not good. As of today, she is in Chattanooga’s major teaching hospital with some health issues. The baby is fine, extra care is being taken. Please keep the Dotsons in your prayers. They know both Mrs. Dotson and their unborn daughter are in God’s hands, and they have placed their trust in Him.

-- Please continue to pray for CSP Trooper Gene Lawyer -- a believer going through every cop's worst nightmare (see previous posts for details).

-- Pray for Mark Roggeman and his family as they travel and assist his elderly parents over the holidays.

-- James "Jimmy" Wattles forwarded the following:
(1) Pray for DPD Lieutenant Scott Kaye who is fighting a serious infection and is extremely ill. Pray also for Scott's wife Victoria and their girls.
(2) Sergeant Troy Ortega’s grandson, Devin Rodriguez, is just 3 1/2 years old. This precious little boy has battled with cancer for the past two years. Please keep him in prayer. With regard to the financial aspect of this crisis, Sergeant Ortega has taken on sole responsibility. Please assist Sergeant Ortega in this undertaking by donating at the Rocky Mountain Law Enforcement Federal Credit Union
The Devin Rodriguez Fund
Acct # 23009013
Rocky Mountain Law Enforcement FCU
700 W. 39th Avenue
Denver, CO 80216
303-458-6660


OFFICER DOWN/Request for Assistance from FOP:

Through the month of November, OnStar is helping the families of fallen officers by contributing money to the Fraternal Order of Police Foundation. All you need to do is click the “Like” button to like OnStar on Facebook and OnStar will donate $1. Their goal is to raise $250,000. As you know one of the main functions of the Foundation is to assist the families of those officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. At the annual Memorial service in Washington DC we honor those brave heroes. With the holidays quickly approaching, what better time to keep those memories going.

All you need to do to show your support is to click here: http://on.fb.me/braveon.
This is a new link that OnStar has developed that gets you right to their site. Please use it even though you may have already done so. Some of you have already shown your support but we need more help. We need our local lodges notified and their members. We know a number of them send email messages on a regular basis. Likewise we need to notify our family and friends. I told my daughter about it and she took the information to college and got a number of the students to “like” OnStar. Once you have clicked “like” on the OnStar Facebook page, we encourage you to “Suggest to Friends”. Under the OnStar Brave On Campaign Logo in the top left hand corner of the page, click “Suggest to Friends”. Then click all of your friends and send them invitations to “Like” the OnStar Facebook page. I would also encourage you to pass the information by word of mouth. Make copies of this message and pass it around. It cost nothing other than a few minutes of your time. Let’s take those few minutes and honor our fallen heroes.

Dave Hiller, National FOP Vice President


UDATED Local FCPO Chapter MEETING SCHEDULE:

-- Thursday, November 25 NO MEETING (Thanksgiving -- enjoy with you families). Those looking for an option should consider joining us for the Tuesday (11/23) night service at Calvary South Denver in Littleton. Several of our regulars have been attending and we'll have a special Thanksgiving-esque worship service this coming Tuesday starting at 1900 hours. Please join us.

-- Thursday, December 2nd, 7 PM, Calvary South Denver in Littleton. We will be meeting in our "old" location in the big Multi-Purpose Room just inside the entrance were we will have a special showing of the new DVD "Shattered." This unique 1-hour presentation is a must-see for parents and law enforcement personnel alike. Our own Jimmy Wattles (retired DPD, current CO State Criminal Investigator, and "star" of the History Channel's "Gangland" show dealing with the Sons of Silence OMG) will be leading the charge.

-- Thursday, December 9th, 7 PM, Calvary South Denver, in our "regular" High School Room location.

Check back frequently for the latest updates and announcements!

A Question of Leadership

Fellow Servant-Warriors:

Lots to put out this week so please bear with me and take the time to read it through.

First off, we’re ”on” for this week’s profession-relevant Bible study and fellowship meeting this Thursday (Jan. 21st) at Calvary South Denver in Littleton starting at 1900 hours in classroom #7. This week we will begin a new series on LEADERSHIP in the law enforcement profession based on Col. Ray Fairman’s “Leadership Lessons from God” (from his book, Are you Destined to Lead? A Bible Examination of Leadership). The series will challenge us to accept the call to leadership that God has placed on everyone who serves in law enforcement (regardless of rank). As always, I’ll include a detailed recap along with a link to each lesson/chapter on Ray’s website (for all those outside the Denver metro area). See http://www.rayfairman.com/ for more on this retired marine, police officer and active police chaplain. Stay tuned!


BIBLE STUDY RECAP:

Last week we concluded our discussion about what it means to be a “true Christian" by examining what happens after we die (and what happens after a cop goes down in the line of duty). The superb biblical website http://www.gotquestions.org/ provides a great short article on the subject:

Within the Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion regarding what happens after death. Some hold that after death, everyone “sleeps” until the final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to heaven or hell. Others believe that at the moment of death, people are instantly judged and sent to their eternal destinations. Still others claim that when people die, their souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” heaven or hell, to await the final resurrection, the final judgment, and then the finality of their eternal destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death?First, for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that after death believers’ souls/spirits are taken to heaven, because their sins are forgiven by having received Christ as Savior (John 3:16, 18, 36). For believers, death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). However, passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describe believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection? It seems that while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified, and then reunited with the soul/spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit will be the possession of believers for eternity in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21-22).Second, for those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior, death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the destiny of believers, unbelievers also seem to be sent immediately to a temporary holding place, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny. Luke 16:22-23 describes a rich man being tormented immediately after death. Revelation 20:11-15 describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected, judged at the great white throne, and then being cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers, then, are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but rather are in a temporary realm of judgment and condemnation. However, even though unbelievers are not instantly sent to the lake of fire, their immediate fate after death is not a pleasant one. The rich man cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24).Therefore, after death, a person resides in a “temporary” heaven or hell. After this temporary realm, at the final resurrection, a person’s eternal destiny will not change. The precise “location” of that eternal destiny is what changes. Believers will ultimately be granted entrance into the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). Unbelievers will ultimately be sent to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people—based entirely on whether or not they had trusted Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Matthew 25:46; John 3:36).

So what about a police officer? Folks, while the Bible clearly supports our calling in law enforcement (we are his ordained “ministers”), we do NOT get some kind of “get out of Hell free card” for our service. Like anyone else, we MUST trust Christ -- and Christ ALONE -- as Lord and Savior in order to enter eternal life with Him. Are you ready to say “YES” to Christ? Are you a believer or a “make-believer?”

On the subject, check out this great resource on from the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officer’s (FCPO) website: http://www.fcpo.org/audio.html. Important stuff about life’s most important question.


FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Retired DPD and current fellow State criminal investigator Jimmy Wattles (of History Channel’s Gangland fame) sent me the following video and asked me to share it (much for us in law enforcement to think about in terms of redemption).

Jimmy writes, “Ron "Bad Ron" Gruber was a former member of the Sons of Silence motorcycle gang in Iowa. He was a very violent member, along with his two brothers, Jeffrey Gruber, "Bad Ron," and Mark "Turd" Gruber. Ron is doing time in Iowa after taking a plea bargain to charges related to the murder of a young woman who was the girlfriend of another member of the Sons of Silence. Jeffrey Gruber is doing a life sentence at Florence FCI.”
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w55b55a27Lo


OFFICER DOWN NEWS:

As of today (01/17/10), we are up to a dozen officers killed in the line of duty so far in January alone. One of those, Special US Deputy Marshal Stan Cooper (EOW 01/04/10), began his law enforcement career in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1960 before moving to Las Vegas were he retired as a sergeant. In 1994 Stan went to work at the LV Federal Court House where he was serving when, while defending others on January 4th, God called him home after 42 years of service. Regarding Stan, a colleague sent this article to me today in response to a previous question I asked about whether or not Stan knew Christ as his Savior. The article, in a VERY secular newspaper(!), not only answers that question with a resounding “YES” (praise God) but also says volumes about drawing close to God so we can be ready to be used by Him in “Esther” (Esther 4:14) moments. Please take the time to read this incredible short article and then ask God to use you “for such a time as this!” http://www.lvrj.com/news/court-worker-describes-final-moments-with-dying-security-officer-81924722.html.

Remember that while Stan died doing what he loved, he is now with the Lord not because of his service in law enforcement but rather ONLY because he trusted in Christ as his Lord and Savior. What about YOU?


TRAINING RESOURCE:

Chief Investigator Ken Wallentine has a tremendous resource available to law enforcement personnel. Ken writes, “Xiphos (pronounced zee-phose) is a biweekly summary of recent court decisions about criminal procedure and other subjects important to law enforcement officers and administrators. The xiphos is a short double-edged sword used essentially as a backup weapon by ancient Greek warriors. This service is provided at no cost. To subscribe, send a message to http://us.mc516.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Xiphos-subscribe@KenWallentine.com.” Ken also has a great website with Xiphos archives: http://www.kenwallentine.com/index.html.


PRAYER REQUESTS:

(1) I’ve been asked to put out a prayer request concerning the upcoming selection process for Grand Junction’s next Chief of Police. Let’s ask God to put HIS person in that position and that this person would lead with a servant's heart (our profession is DESPERATE for godly leadership).

(2) Also on the subject of law enforcement leadership (from a reader): “Lt. Chris Hoye of Las Vegas Metro PD has been nominated to be the new US Marshal for Nevada. Chris's faith is an inspiration to all who know him. Moreover, his work ethic and integrity are above reproach... Chris has already passed the vetting process and awaits only the President’s approval. Chris is a true leader of men and a servant-leader in every respect… Please pray that the nomination goes forward without any problems.

(3) Ron Leonard of Christian Military Fellowship (http://www.cmfhq.org/) sent me the following regarding the situation in Haiti: “As all of you are now aware the tiny country of Haiti was hit by a 7.2 earth quake that has left the country in shambles. They are now est. more than 100,000 may be dead! I know many of you are already giving to the need there. But if you are still praying about how to give here are "Proven" organizations that are helping. http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ (Headed by Franklin Graham), and www.salvationarmyusa.org. These are two of the ones who have come to my attention that we know the money is getting directly to the Haitian people! Most of all my brothers and sisters, please pray!”

I second that in every way. Let’s be praying for our fellow officers and military personnel serving there as well as they are most definitely in “harm’s way.”

(4) Pray for our ministry worship leader, Matt Wallenburg, as he pursues his own calling into law enforcement (testing with a number of agencies).

(5) Please pray for the wife of a JeffCO deputy who is battling cancer. Denise’s husband has only recently returned to work after recovering from line of duty injuries that nearly took his life last year.

(6) Fellow FCPO member Ray Bell asks that we be in prayer for his father-in-law who is battling cancer.


Finally, don’t forget about the going away party for wounded Dep. Chris Dewey tomorrow. See the previous entry (below) for more!

Stay strong and safe in Christ!