A YEAR WITH JESUS

R.P. Nettelhorst has followed up on last year's "A Year With God." In "A Year With Jesus" you will find devotional insights that are scholarly and biblical, yet still applicable to the average person's daily life.

Nettelhorst is able to plumb the scholarly depths and bring treasures to the surface for us ordinary mortals to enjoy. Your reading diet is lacking essential vitamins of you pass up his work.

SOUTHWEST CHRISTIAN WRITERS STUDIO

I have made my way to Glorieta, New Mexico this week for the Southwest Christian Writers Studio. Not a massive, top-heavy, cattle-car conference, the SWCWS is quite intimate. Some might see a smaller conference as a bad thing. Not so. This conference is person-to-person, hands on brilliance.

I don't have to stand in line to talk to one of the well-qualified staff. I sit down with them at meals, walking across campus or in the coffee shop. The classes are small enough to encourage interaction and the seminars are down to earth and applicable to the every-day writer, every day.

For those of you who have not yet attended a conference, I highly recommend them. Not only do you learn inside tips and facts about the publishing world, but you meet WRITERS. Established writers, novices, and in-betweeners are here. You will talk to publishers, agents and editors in a casual, friendly, setting. The networking you accomplish is more than worth the cost of the conference and travel. You are starving your writing career if you ignore the conferences.

It's pretty exhausting, running around at 7,500 feet, but well worth the effort.

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

Emo Philps--BEST RELIGIOUS JOKE OF ALL TIME

I've always thought this joke encapsulates the absurdity of religious discrimination. According to Emo, "jokes are how we humans avoid violence. Jokes are our safety-release mechanism. Sure they can sometimes be offensive. So can burps. But if you ban them even worse results happen. And believe me, if someone tells a joke that truly offends, he or she will be punished for it."

Here's The Joke

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!"

Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.

THE P.A.U.S.E. THAT REFRESHES

ARTICLE WRITTEN FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT

There is a fantasy theme common to many television commercials these days. Somebody finds themselves in an unpleasant situation, so they simply fast-forward or re-wind the situation to suit them. …I wish I had that in my life. I can see it now: There I am, listening to another long, convoluted excuse for why the broken cookie jar on the floor has absolutely nothing to do with the cookie in the perpetrator’s hand. And PRESTO! I hit the remote and zip past that life-sucking waste of time. Yes, it’s really a shame that life requires us to experience such squandered moments undiluted; but it does.

Too often the pressures of life demand quick decisions. We find ourselves living on the move, like a halfback fending off tackles while running for the goal line. There is little time for intense, logical thought processes; we must make-do with training, past experience and instinct. But SOMETIMES we are presented with a situation that must be negotiated AND the luxury of time to think it through. In those instances, we ought to make good use of the opportunity provided. I like to use the acronym P.A.U.S.E. to help me.

PREPARE: Think it through and gather information. I see this most often when called to a domestic conflict, both as chaplain and pastor. I can either use my authority to shut down the situation immediately, or I can try to find the underlying cause and address that. A fully buffered MDT argues for option #1, but the probability of frequent recalls suggests option #2. Often times a simple solution presents itself which the parties in conflict were too angry to see.

AFFIRM RELATIONSHIPS: One of the nice things of patrolling the same area is that you get to know the people—the interesting people—well. I’ve watched deputies use their relationships; confrontational as they often are, to deal sensibly in street-side clashes. I try to use this myself. It helps to know a person’s motivations when appealing to their better nature to calm a situation.

UNDERSTAND INTERESTS: There is a biblical principle: Look not only for your own interests, but to that of others. A good negotiator knows it is one thing to force a conclusion, yet another to get the warring parties to agree to a solution. That’s not always possible, but it is always desirable.

SEARCH FOR A CREATIVE SOLUTION: Chaplains have another tool in our belt; we can pray for insight into a better way. That doesn’t mean only chaplains can pray, but it does mean we need to look for options when negotiating. This may sound touchy-feely but I see deputies in the field do this all this time, and it always impresses me. If a problem can be solved it’s much better than a problem shelved.

EVALUATE OPTIONS: Practically speaking, there usually aren’t a whole lot of options. The few that are available must be considered objectively and reasonably. What is reality? What is fantasy? Is it possible this person will accept any kind of solution? Probably not, but possibly so. Again, if a problem can be solved it’s worth a reasonable amount of effort to try.

So when you need to negotiate, P.A.U.S.E.

A THEOLOGY FOR GUNSLINGERS

ARTICLE WRITTEN FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT

Though the modern idea of a police force is less than two hundred years old, the concept of community protection is ancient. The biblical book of Genesis tells of Pharaoh’s Captain of the Guard who served more as a civil than military functionary. Throughout the Jewish scriptures are references to watchmen whose duty required them to guard the city gates, stand watch on the walls and keep the city lamps burning throughout the night.

In speaking to a crowd, John the Baptist told them to share with those in need. Some tax collectors spoke up and asked, "what should we do?" John told them, "don't collect any more than you are required to." Finally, some soldiers—militia—had the same question for John, "…and what about us?" they asked. John replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."
To my mind, John's exhortation to the crowd is nothing more than we would expect from a preacher. However, John's word for tax collectors and soldiers is NOTHING that the people of that day—or even our own—would expect.
Many good people at that time believed tax collectors—lousy, quisling, Roman puppets—had lost any hope of salvation. Yet here they are seeking baptism and, therefore, repenting. And John's word to them is NOT, go to H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks, or even to abandon their evil profession. He simply tells them to do their job honestly.
But I find John's response to the militia truly eye-opening. It makes no difference whether these were Roman soldiers or Jewish Temple police. John does not condemn their profession either. In fact, he gives them the same word he gave the tax collectors. Do your job honestly, with integrity. Absent, I notice, is any prohibition against practicing the warrior's arts (that's intellectual talk for meting out violence and death).
So here's my point: In a fallen world it is part of God's economy for our civil police forces—warriors of integrity—to protect us from those who would practice evil.

Thus endeth the lesson.

JERIMIADS METEOR SHOWER

Every 2,500 years the earth passes through a dense debris field in space, so thick as to cause a spectacular meteor shower. Beginning after midnight tonight, the eastern sky will be aglow with brilliant flashes of light so intense as to give rise to the term "raining fire and brimstone." Stay awake or set your alarm, you won't want to miss this.

WRESTLING WITH DESPAIR

ARTICLE WRITTEN FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT

Recently, a deputy I was riding with responded to a suicide in the community. I ended up manning the tape barrier, separating the warring sides of the family. For three and a half hours I listened to wild accusations from the front lawn and wails of anguish from inside. After the coroner sanitized the situation, I prayed over the deceased with the family.
This is what I call a “normal” night. I don’t mean to appear callous when I say I went home and right to sleep. It was sad and pointless, yes, but something I’ve had enough experience with to handle, as a Pastor and a Chaplain.
However, I did have another day that challenged my commitment as a Chaplain. One event shook me beyond expectation. It may seem much more trivial than suicide, but that’s my point. An event that challenges one might go unnoticed by another.
Deputy S. and I caught the tag for a robbery. A twelve year old girl had tried to rob a nine year old boy for shopping money. Watching the cuffs placed on that little girl and locking her in the back seat was hard for me. As Deputy S. administered the Gladys R. competency test, he asked, “Where did you learn to do this?”
“My brother,” she answered.
At the station, the Watch Commander ordered Deputy S. to keep her out of lock-up. “...and no way am I sending this kid to Juvie tonight. Call her parents to come get her.”
While the Deputy attempted to contact the parents, I spoke with the girl in the report room. She sat handcuffed, crying in this bad, scary place. Good, I thought, she needs to be scared. “Remember this, I said. “You never want to come here again.”
Meanwhile, Deputy S. got the father on the phone. But Daddy didn't want to come to the station because he had outstanding warrants. Deputy S. said, “Sir, I will write you new warrants, come get your little girl.”
He did come to the station; FOUR HOURS LATER. By this time, the girl seemed no-longer scared. She was bored; which was infinitely worse.
The hard thing, the thing that challenged my commitment, was despair. Twelve years old, I thought. She has a brother who’s taught her to steal and a father with warrants for God-knows-what. She has no chance to make it in society. Why am I spending my time for people like this? I should go back to my cozy, suburban congregation and stay there.
Later that night, in conversation with a new deputy, I heard, “We should just lock them all up. We’re getting nowhere.” He was dealing with the same flood of despair as the Chaplain. Hmm... I found this hard, the deputies struggled with it, and my wife, a teacher, expressed the same frustrations, when I told her about it.
So what are we supposed to do? How do we escape the torrent of desperation?
First, I think frustration is not a sign of weakness. The fact that these events bother one shows there's still hope. Second, I know of two people who by God's grace escaped similar situations. One grew up in South Central, in the exact same circumstances. She's now serving a church in the Valley. The other case is a seminary buddy who worked with inner city kids in San Francisco. One boy in particular caused my friend to despair. Years later, my friend returned to find this problem child leading the youth ministry.
At times, the battle may seem lost, but that's not completely true. There are way more decent people out there than otherwise. Even people who appear hopeless may find hope. If you deputies don't do this often thankless job, who will?

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ” 2 Corinthians 4:9

EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM DEPUTIES

ARTICLE WRITTEN FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT

After three years as a Sheriff volunteer, I have come to some conclusions. Hollywood and the general public seem to view law enforcement as some secret, clannish cult. Oh, sure, procedures and nomenclature are unfathomable to the uninitiated, but the same is true of my specialty: theology. To the contrary, I have found the LE community to be ruled by honesty and practicality. That’s why I can say, everything I need to know I learned from deputies.

Keep Your Hands in Plain Sight
Hands can be trouble, that’s why deputies always watch them. A dark vehicle and hidden hands shout possible danger. Keeping our hands in plain sight is a good metaphor for life. Life’s relationships are best founded on honesty and openness.

Show Me Some ID
We all carry identification, whether it’s a card in my wallet, or the badge on your chest. In the field, establishing identity is primary to officer safety. These days, it’s not enough to wave a card or badge, for false identity is a growing problem. In life, it’s important not just to proclaim an identity, but to be who we say we are. Navigating life’s choices gets much easier when we are true to ourselves.

Put On Your Game Face
Teachers have an aphorism: don’t smile before Thanksgiving. Like deputies, they know the importance of command presence. Without it, a classroom quickly degenerates into chaos. Inside the station, deputies can rival the highest paid comedians. Once in the field, however, deputies put on the game face. Public safety and confidence demand your command of every situation. Fun is fun and some situations call for a touch of humor to deal with the tension. Conversely, there are times where firm, no-nonsense, determination is the appropriate response to the problem.

Why Am I Here?
This is not a philosophical question with deputies; they make it a commandingly factual one. Deputies often deal with chaotic situations. I’ve heard rambling, pointless narrations with little relevance to the situation. At those times, deputies always ask something like: “Why am I here? What do you expect me to do?” I’ve picked up on this, and ask myself the same question when confronted with confusion in my own life.

Proverbs 3:21-24 says, “My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” Life can be tricky. Thankfully, there are simple, honest, guidelines out there that can help us find our way.

DON'S FAVORITES

If you are reading my blog, I invite you to check out the lists on the right for "Don's Favorites." These are posts I think of as significant thinking, not just snide humor. The humor is a very real side of me. My favorite posts show that I am capable of actual thought.