Quality Time with the Local Police Department

I have a great deal of respect for members of the Police Departments, here locally and across our country. They get to work interesting hours, and although they know what time their shift starts, depending on what might be happening several hours later, they aren’t always sure of what time they might get to sign out and head home.

                Recently I thought it might be interesting to spend a few hours on patrol in the neighborhood of the church where I’m a pastor, so I reached out to the local Police Department. Diana Lopez, the Community Outreach Coordinator, was able to make the arrangements. Thanks, Diana! Last weekend, Officer Ken Huckaby was kind enough to let me spend a few hours riding with him. And a couple of hours into the shift, we realized that we work in the same area of Ogden, and we’re also neighbors where we live.

                I’m not a big believer in coincidences, but there are a lot of “God-Moments” in my life. Shortly after Diana had arranged this ride-along, a blog post appeared in my inbox. The author listed 14 ways to better understand the community in which you’re doing ministry, and one of those 14 things was “Ride with a Police Officer or Firefighter”. Police officers and firefighters tend to be great resources when it comes to learning about the community. And Officer Ken was no exception—more later on that.

                There are always some conditions: you have to agree to some things ahead of time…nothing out of the ordinary, just things to keep you safe. And signing that waiver was just the first of the paperwork I saw that evening. And by the way, that was the only paper work actually done on paper. Computers can make life easier, help with a quicker response—and save trees.

                When I walked into the Francom Public Safety Building, there was a man in a wheelchair on my side of the window. He said something to me, but he was looking down, and I couldn’t hear him very well, so I assumed that he was talking on the phone. It was only when I sat down to wait for someone to escort me back to fill out the waiver, that I realized that he was talking to me. His motorized chair needed to be charged and he couldn’t get home, so he stopped in to use an outlet.  I don’t know if that’s the norm, but it was gratifying to see that this man’s needs were being met.  His appearance and mumbling might have made him a persona non-grata in many places.  He wasn’t hurting anything, or bothering anyone, he just needed enough charge on his battery to get home. And as we talked, the discussion turned to faith. An answer to prayer: “Lord, bring me to people who want to hear about Jesus”. A friend of mine qualifies that when he says that he can make small talk all day long, but he’d rather talk about God's Kingdom.

                It was a slow start as my Ride had paperwork to finish from calls during the first part of his shift. As he worked, we chatted about a number of things happening in the community. Some of the biggest problems were no surprise.  Mental health issues, gangs, and overcrowding in the jail system all contribute to the problems on the streets. Add in drugs and alcohol, and it’s no surprise that the Police Department keeps busy. (Except on this shift. Officer Ken said it was a boring evening, and I should try again some other time. Note to self: try to get a repeat ride)

                How long does it take to become so aware of what’s going on? I thought that I was pretty observant, but it didn’t take long to figure out that situational awareness is a strong point for those who patrol our streets. I could barely make out what the dispatcher was saying, and Ken was responding. After one call in particular we left Ken’s area, and there were several other patrol cars heading the same way. I was pretty amazed at how, without any obvious coordination, each of the responding officers could determine in which direction he needed to head. Ken recognized the person who had called in for assistance, and stopped her to get some more information about her call. It’s interesting how some people who have a lot of contact with the police have a lot of contact with the police!

                Has your car been reported stolen? The oncoming shift is told about it, and as they patrol, they’re looking for it. Concerned about loved ones with whom you can’t get in touch? Someone might be dispatched to check on them.  Something suspicious going on in the neighborhood? The patrol officer might just be driving by, see it, and stop to make sure everything is all right. Something missing and presumed stolen from your apartment? You guessed it, the officer on shift will be sent to investigate and take your statement.

                Of course, there’s a shortage of officers in most departments across the country, there’s a shortage of jail beds, a shortage of funding, and even though mental health issues rank high on the list of problems that an officer might see during any given shift, there aren’t enough Psych hospitals or beds to handle the magnitude of the problem. There is a lot of latitude given when it comes to dealing with issues. Sometimes, usually, a ticket is a much better option than a trip to the 12^th street jail.

                What did I learn about police? If Officer Huckaby is any indicator, most police officers are a lot more like Jamie Reagan on Blue Bloods than they are like Hank Voight on Chicago PD.  Ogden is lucky to have officers on the job who care about the community and the people they serve. And a lot of those serving the community have also served their country by spending time in the Armed Forces.  I’m retired from the Air Force, and frequently people tell me “thank you for your service”.  It’s about time members of our Police Departments (and Fire Departments) get the same measure of respect.

                So, what did I learn about my community?  A lot had to do with the people. Seems like the people who show up at homeless shelters and churches aren’t always strangers to the police. And then there are the gangs. I’ve heard of a few of them, but the list is longer than I thought. There are also some places in the neighborhood that are more prone to trouble than others. Interestingly enough a couple of the areas which were pointed out to me, are areas where I’ve recently done prayer walks. Some people might think they should stay away from those areas. I’m thinking I should up my Situational Awareness quotient, and spend more time in those dark areas, praying for God's light to shine there even more brightly.

                And I’m off to pray for a couple of streets in my neighborhood, and for the officers that patrol those streets! 

Be a blessing

I’ve been thinking a lot about blessings lately. Oh sure, we all like to be blessed, have someone unexpectedly show up to mow the lawn, take us out to dinner, or bring us a present. And we really like the blessings that come in the form of cash or checks- especially in large amounts. But somehow I don’t think that’s what God had in mind when He talked about blessing people.

I have to be careful when speaking of blessings because of the culture in which I live. The LDS church is big on blessings. Some of their members receive Patriarchal Blessings, they bless babies, they offer blessings in cases of illness. Blessings are a good thing, but I don’t know enough about the LDS church to know what exactly is meant by the term. Maybe they mean the same thing I mean, and maybe it’s something different. I don’t know, so please don’t read something that I didn’t write. Don’t hear something that I’m not saying. It’s a word. Some people use it one way, and some people use it to mean something else. Don’t get confused, don’t get upset. Just read and draw your own conclusions.

In their book The Gift of the Blessing, (Thomas Nelson, 1993) Gary Smalley and John Trent talk about the components of the Old Testament blessing. They write that the 5 elements include 1) meaningful touch, 2) spoken words which 3) express high value 4) picture a special future, and 5) entail an active commitment on the part of the person offering the blessing.  Pretty powerful stuff.

And all this because, like many other parents, I want to be able to bless my child. Don’t get me wrong, he has everything he needs, and probably most of what he wants; we do things and go places, but I want to bless him in the sense that God blessed Abraham, that Isaac blessed Jacob (instead of Esau) and like Jacob eventually blessed Ephraim, the son of Joseph.

I want him to know that he is extremely valuable in my eyes and in the eyes of the Lord. I want him to know it because I’ve put my hand on him and told him so. Teenagers often have an inflated sense of their own importance, so he may or may not need affirmation and confirmation – today. But at some point reality hits and he will realize that there’s more to life than what he thinks of himself. I want him to know that apart from what he thinks he is important.

Hopefully he’ll be able to envision the future that lies in front of him, a special future, that means he will accomplish great things, not just to make his life financially secure, but things that will have an eternal impact for someone else, things that will impact a much larger circle than just his family and friends.

It’s easy to assume that he knows I’ll be there for him; that I’ll support his decisions and his endeavors, but he knows, and you probably know,  a lot of people whose parents aren’t necessarily there for them. He’s only going to know that I am committed to him if I let him know it, if I do what it takes to tell him and show him that I’m committed to helping him grow into the person that God intends him to be: a very special person with a great future.

Special and great because God created him that way. As the Psalmist said (Ps 139:14) "fearfully and wonderfully made." 

God created a lot of other people that way too. Who do you need to bless today? Who do you need to touch and affirm? What commitment are you willing to make?

Bless someone today. Future generations will be glad you did. 

FEARLESS : God at work in the life of Navy Seal Adam Brown

If you’ve spent much time reading the Old Testament, you’ll remember that it’s a story of a people who are chosen by God, who promise to be faithful to God, who forget their promises, and eventually return to the God who never gave up on them. You might also remember that there are a lot of things in the Old Testament that just couldn’t have happened. That is, they couldn’t have happened without help – a lot of help. Maybe a better way of putting it would be that God orchestrated some of these situations so that it would be obvious that He was in charge, that this wasn't something that human beings could do on their own.


Reading “FEARLESS” ( Eric Blehm, WaterBrook Press, 2012) reminded me a lot of the flow of the Old Testament, along with some similarities to the parable of the Prodigal Son. Promises made, promises broken, things that couldn’t have happened without God's help, but God was there, helping, and waiting patiently for the prodigal to come home. And Adam Brown did return.

This is the story of Adam Brown’s journey to become a member of an elite team: SEAL Team SIX. Along the way there were lots of obstacles; as his faith and family, along with a lot of prayer, helped him to overcome those obstacles, God was at work doing the humanly impossible.

A history of drugs and arrests didn’t keep him from his goal, even though the military has a very low tolerance for that sort of thing -God at work. (The publisher assured me that the accounts of drug abuse and arrests had been verified.)A couple of physical injuries should have kept him from meeting his goal; they didn’t – God at work, again.

Although most of us will never be called upon to be the type of hero that Adam Brown was, if more people could learn to face challenges like he did, the world would be a far better place.

This is not just a story about the rigors of becoming and serving as a SEAL, it’s a story of how one man was strengthened by his faith and the love of and for his family. It’s a story of overcoming obstacles, pursuing a vision and becoming the person that God wants you become.

And it’s a reminder that sometimes things happen in ways that make it clear that this could have only happened with God's help.

Adam Brown made the ultimate sacrifice for his country when he lost his life on a mission in Afghanistan. This book could have been told from the perspective of honoring a hero, but Adam himself wanted the story to include his life before Christ, so that in perspective the reader would have to see that this is a story about honoring God.

Wondering about how to live a Christian lifestyle and move along in your Christian walk? Is drug abuse a part of your history? Are you in the military and scared about this deployment or the next one? (Yeah, scared, deep down even though you don’t want to admit it to your friends) FEARLESS may be the book that helps you face those issues head on!

Here are some links provided by the publisher that you can check out

NBC coverage: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/05/11/videonews-adam-brown-fearless-navy-seal-nbc/

Book trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_L8ca7AKEA

WaterBrook News:  http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/03/26/video-fearless-the-undaunted-courage-and-ultimate-sacrifice-of-navy-seal-team-six-operator-adam-brown/
Read the first chapter: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/04/03/sneak-peek-fearless-by-eric-blehm/

And My Favorite (big smile):  http://vimeo.com/41939208

Thanks to the publisher for providing me an advance review copy of this book.(I was not required to write a positive review). Thanks also to the publisher, author and family, for several copies of the book which were donated to the Chapel at the Air Force base in my community.

digging in the wrong place.

Building projects require some preliminary work, and the other day my back yard got its share of colored paint so the contractor would know where to dig. (actually so he would know where not to dig.)He spent a lot of time with a shovel looking for electric or gas lines, but couldn't find them. The next day he had the yard painter come back to repaint. so he could dig some more. Turns out he would have spent a lot of time looking because the lines were painted in the wrong place.

It reminds me of that old(?) song: "Lookin' for Love in all the Wrong Places". You just can't find something when it isn't there. Doesn't matter that someone said it was there or might be there, that it used to be there, that it should be there, or that you want it to be there; if it's not there, it's not there.

And if you're looking in the wrong place, you'll probably find something, it just won't be what you thought you were looking for.

Or maybe it's like the treasure maps we used to have as kids, "X" might have marked a spot, but I never dug a big enough hole to find the buried treasure.

A lot of people treat prayer like that too. We say we're praying, but in actuality we're just going to God and telling Him what we want Him to do for us in a particular situation. We're drawing lines so we know where to dig for the answer. Then we sit back and wait, and when we don't get the answer that we told God would be an acceptable response, we decide that God wasn't listening or God doesn't answer prayers, or worse that God just doesn't care. Sometimes we've drawn the lines in the wrong place.

Wrong!

Sometimes we just need to get out of God's way, and let Him answer our prayers in the way that He thinks is best. The lines we draw, the "X" that we put on the map, the places we decide would be the best places to look just might not be right.

Learn to let God decide for you, and you might just be surprised.

If the Government Shuts Down: Pray don't Criticize

I’ve just been reading some of the headlines and they don’t make much sense. If the government shuts down, military members are not subject to furlough, they have to work, but they won’t get paid. Congress, on the other hand, is exempt from the shutdown, so they have to work, but they do get paid - but there would be inconveniences: the people who work the elevators in the Senate or staff the free gym for the House of Representatives, not to mention the people who work in the cafeterias and clean at the Capitol would all be furloughed, so our leaders, who got us into this mess in the first place by not doing their job as well as they might have, might have to brown bag it, clean up after themselves, and stand in lines.


On the count of three AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Poor Babies.

Hard to feel sorry for them.

But the proper response from a biblical standpoint isn’t to criticize: check out Matthew 7 and read what it says about ignoring the plank in your eye while you deal with a speck of sawdust in the eye of your neighbor. Or how about how we’ll be judged in the same way that we judge others?

According to the Apostle Paul, we should be praying for those in positions of authority so that “we may live peaceful quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Tim 2:2).

The bible doesn’t tell me that if I hire someone to do a job and he doesn’t do it, that I’m obligated to keep him on the payroll, and so come the next election day, some of the people who aren’t doing such a great job, may find themselves out of work, but in the meantime, it’s time to get on our knees. It’s time to pray for our leaders, our country, our troops, and time to pray that solutions will be found to the problems that face us.

It would be a lot easier to criticize, but I think I’ll start praying. Won’t you join me?