The Article
WATCHMAN ON THE WALLS (Link News Article from Enterprise Journal)
By Ernest Herndon, Enterprise-Journal
A McComb police lieutenant is a contributor to a new book of writings from law enforcement officers around the world who share the importance of religious faith in their work.
Lt. Sean Gill has two chapters in “Stories of Faith and Courage from Cops on the Street,” compiled by Grant Wolf (2010, God & Country Press). The book consists of 365 one- to two-page entries, one for each day of the year.
Each of Gill’s chapters consists of a poem followed by a description of what inspired it.
“A Service Call” describes an officer’s feelings when the radio sounds, dispatching him to a scene. “Final Rest” was inspired by a train wreck that left three children dead.
Gill, 46, has been writing for around 20 years. After he became a Christian in 1997, his poems and essays turned to spiritual themes.
He ran across the book “The Peacekeepers: A Bible Study for Law Enforcement Officers” by Michael Dye of Florida. Gill read the book, contacted Dye, and they became friends.
Gill then found out about the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers and joined. When then-president Grant Wolf issued a call for writings to compile in a book, Gill sent him some.
The resulting book came out in late 2010. It’s available at local bookstores and online, Gill said.
Gill, whose middle name is Aaron, signs his writings “from Aaron’s pen.” He plans eventually to compile his work into a book of his own.
Gill grew up in Bogalusa, La., where his father, the late John Wayne Gill, died of brain cancer when Sean was in high school.
He spent six years in the Army, including three in Italy. When he got out, he went to work for the New Orleans Police Department for a year, then applied to the McComb Police Department, where he’s been for 20 years.
Gill and his wife Tamara have two daughters, Hannah, 9, and Sarah, 7.
Gill was attending church at Thompson Baptist when he was baptized in the East Fork of the Amite River. He and Tamara attend Grace Temple Ministries of Hattiesburg, where they started going when she was a student at University of Southern Mississippi.
Two years ago he went on a short-term mission trip to Kenya, Africa, to help build a seminary.
Gill credits Tamara with leading him to Christ. “Tamara was the light of God’s world stepping down into the darkness of my life,” he said.
He sees police work as a calling from God and cites Bible passages that seem to support that view.
• Isaiah 62:6: “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem.”
• Ezekiel 3:17: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.”
• Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
• Romans 13:4: “For he (governing authority) is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.”
Gill also takes inspiration from Ephesians 6:10-20, which describes putting on the “armor of God.” Gill said he thinks about that when putting on his uniform.
“I’ve come to see that this is my purpose, what God is calling me to do,” Gill said of police work.
“He calls on us to serve Him in everything we do. My job as law enforcement officer is an intricate part of serving Him.”
Gill hopes people will read the new book. The writings, from officers across America and in other countries, describe incidents ranging from life-and-death experiences to day-to-day tasks.
“It will definitely give insight into law enforcement. That’s definitely what we need, given the negative stigma in law enforcement,” Gill said.
“Hopefully this will open up some of our fellow officers in, ‘Hey, this is where God placed me.’ ”
WATCHMAN ON THE WALLS (Link News Article from Enterprise Journal)
By Ernest Herndon, Enterprise-Journal
A McComb police lieutenant is a contributor to a new book of writings from law enforcement officers around the world who share the importance of religious faith in their work.
Lt. Sean Gill has two chapters in “Stories of Faith and Courage from Cops on the Street,” compiled by Grant Wolf (2010, God & Country Press). The book consists of 365 one- to two-page entries, one for each day of the year.
Each of Gill’s chapters consists of a poem followed by a description of what inspired it.
“A Service Call” describes an officer’s feelings when the radio sounds, dispatching him to a scene. “Final Rest” was inspired by a train wreck that left three children dead.
Gill, 46, has been writing for around 20 years. After he became a Christian in 1997, his poems and essays turned to spiritual themes.
He ran across the book “The Peacekeepers: A Bible Study for Law Enforcement Officers” by Michael Dye of Florida. Gill read the book, contacted Dye, and they became friends.
Gill then found out about the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers and joined. When then-president Grant Wolf issued a call for writings to compile in a book, Gill sent him some.
The resulting book came out in late 2010. It’s available at local bookstores and online, Gill said.
Gill, whose middle name is Aaron, signs his writings “from Aaron’s pen.” He plans eventually to compile his work into a book of his own.
Gill grew up in Bogalusa, La., where his father, the late John Wayne Gill, died of brain cancer when Sean was in high school.
He spent six years in the Army, including three in Italy. When he got out, he went to work for the New Orleans Police Department for a year, then applied to the McComb Police Department, where he’s been for 20 years.
Gill and his wife Tamara have two daughters, Hannah, 9, and Sarah, 7.
Gill was attending church at Thompson Baptist when he was baptized in the East Fork of the Amite River. He and Tamara attend Grace Temple Ministries of Hattiesburg, where they started going when she was a student at University of Southern Mississippi.
Two years ago he went on a short-term mission trip to Kenya, Africa, to help build a seminary.
Gill credits Tamara with leading him to Christ. “Tamara was the light of God’s world stepping down into the darkness of my life,” he said.
He sees police work as a calling from God and cites Bible passages that seem to support that view.
• Isaiah 62:6: “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem.”
• Ezekiel 3:17: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.”
• Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
• Romans 13:4: “For he (governing authority) is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.”
Gill also takes inspiration from Ephesians 6:10-20, which describes putting on the “armor of God.” Gill said he thinks about that when putting on his uniform.
“I’ve come to see that this is my purpose, what God is calling me to do,” Gill said of police work.
“He calls on us to serve Him in everything we do. My job as law enforcement officer is an intricate part of serving Him.”
Gill hopes people will read the new book. The writings, from officers across America and in other countries, describe incidents ranging from life-and-death experiences to day-to-day tasks.
“It will definitely give insight into law enforcement. That’s definitely what we need, given the negative stigma in law enforcement,” Gill said.
“Hopefully this will open up some of our fellow officers in, ‘Hey, this is where God placed me.’ ”
