Prospective Shift Two

I was having coffee today with a Pastor had I have just met from another church in my area. He is a part of Chicagoland Transformation Fellowship(CTF) which is a group of pastors and Churches that pray and ask God for his blessings and correction in local government (Aldermen, Public Works employees, Police Officers and yes even firemen-may they stub their toes in their next on duty beach volleyball game). I had never heard of anyone setting out to pray regularly for local government unless it was an election. This is a much needed and excellent method for Christians to positively affect their communities. But then again I digress.

I have been in this profession long enough that I reflexively interview people that I do not know. Somewhat suspicious of this Pastor (Officers are paid skeptics)for no other reason than I had never met him in person before, I was asking him questions to get information out of him to see if he was on the level and providing him with as little information about me as possible...all of this happening before I was even conscious of it. Anyway, he provided me with his testimony.

Now most testimonies are very similar with a narrative that begins with too much alcohol, sex, drugs, jail, violence, etc, you then decide you hate your life and everyone around, Jesus finds you in the gutter and you start your walk as a forgiven saint. This is where he threw me down, mentally, and provided me with a prospective shift. What he said was, "I enjoyed my life (pre-salvation), I enjoyed the drugs, I enjoyed the alcohol and I enjoyed the sex. I was happy with my life and did not feel compelled to change anything".

Yet because a co-worker began witnessing to him while he was at work, he started asking the questions, accepted the Lord and never went back to the list of sins he had been committing. He had not fallen into the gutter, God had not removed all the support in his life, he had not suffered any profound affects of sex, drugs and alcohol. God found him where he was at and convicted him before the final blow came.

I always conceptualized our path as sin that was pleasurable, that turns to suffering, then redemption and the Holy Spirit's aid in removal of this sin from our lives. It never occurred to me that God (and of course he can) can convict and remove sin while it still was pleasurable. What hope! We do not have to wait till we suffer the consequences of our actions before we can repent and move on. I have always become convicted of an area where I have fallen into sin, only when it has turned from pleasure into pain. Now I have a chance to turn pleasurable sin into forgiveness and extinction of the action/thought from my life. What a wonderful chance to return to the straight and narrow path in a few steps, rather than returning, bleeding, cut and numb and tired from walking in all the circles. How much more can God's plan be carried on with more steps upon his path.

Prospective Shift One

One of the reasons we attend our church-Harvest Bible Chapel, is that Pastor James can take a passage that I have read a multitude (of sins? of angles? of the dead? the saints? I digress but you gotta love the concordance)of times and yet he will present a take on that passage that forces a prospective shift. The latest one is about the Apostle Thomas.

The verses are from John 20

24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

I always read that passage as an example of a lack of faith and a cautionary example of living out your faith. The classic negative example and as such I always looked askew at Thomas.

This is what Pastor James pointed out.

From John 20 again.

19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

What Thomas was really asking for was only what the other Apostles had already received. He missed out and only desired the same conformation of Christ's resurrection.

Pastor James then said Thomas has gotten a bit of a raw deal (paraphrase) because he was not asking for the extraordinary only for what had already been given. Jesus statement of 29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." was for all of them not just Thomas.

Prospective shift on Thomas-I do not look at him in the same light anymore. I find that I would definitely would have been Thomas in that circumstance and probably would not have availed myself as well as he did when he was martyred.

Corssroads again

I think that I am safe in assuming that I am not the only one that finds himself/herself looking back and being surprised at my current location, bewildered by the multitude of happenings of luck/fate/choice (IE Gods hand) that it took to bring me here and wondering where I am going from here.

Every so often an opportunity presents itself that allows you to have the ability to see the divergent paths separating in front of you rather than discovering all the forks in the road only after you have passed by them.

I have encountered a simple one in which I really do not know which path I will take, the right or the left.

I have applied for tuition reimbursement from my department for a program that I wish to join. While it is in our contract, and a fantastic perk, its acceptance is far from assured, simply because of our current slumping economy and my cities sales tax revenue losses. So I now sit and wait, having taken all the steps that I can take and waiting to see which path God's hand will push me, the right or the left.


PS The program is a cool one and it is from Olivet Nazarene University. It is a Ed.D in Ethical Leadership. It is an expedited executive program and completes in just three years. I hope I find myself there by this time next year, but only if that is where God wants me to be. Here is the link for the program-cut n paste- http://www.olivet.edu/academics/GCS/edd_el.asp

Michelangelo's Narzis painted on a pin head

Sometime ago I stopped watching television for entertainment (exception is Doctor Who, Torchwood and occasionally the Simpson's). It was not for any direct reason but rather just happened over time as less and less of the shows being broadcast grabbed my attention. I of course did not use this newly gained time wisely but rather, instead of watching television, I played my PlayStation 2. I am currently saving up for a PlayStation 3, so I have been forced to play the occasional online flash game (since it does not require downloading software onto your computer flash games tend to be simple, small slices of fluff compared to regular gaming consul games).

I ran across a simple diminutive game called Little Wheel. Simple, beautiful and brilliant, this is the best flash game I have played in a very long time. It is like a Da Vinci masterpiece painted onto a postage stamp. Enjoy, the link is below.


Play This Game

The Only Guarantee We Have Is

I was watching an ESPN special which concerned Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young (I know two sports posts in a row I promise this is not turning into a sports blog). If you are not aware Vince Young was in a game on September 8, 2008 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vince was not having a good game and in the process threw an interception for which the local fans booed him. As a result Vince fell apart in an ugly and public way. His coach (Jeff Fisher ex-Chicago Bear) pushed and prodded him back on the field, soon there after he had a "knee sprain" and left the game. The next day he was scheduled to take an MRI (which if it was a "knee sprain" rather than a knee sprain he could not allow to be taken) which he failed to attend and disappeared. His therapist telephoned his coach told him that she had been contacted by Vince and he had mentioned taking a gun with him and suicide. The police got involved, intervened and probably saved his life which of course they do not get any credit for.

Vince Young of course has a different version of the story and I can not say that he is lying because I do not know even 1/2 of the facts but his nonverbal body language all scream deception, but then who knows, the truth is always somewhere in between.

I am a big proponent of finding the life script in interviews. It is a technique in interviews where you let the bad guy rattle on and on at the beginning of the interview. Everyone has a template of themselves in their mind as to how they would like others to view them, the goal is to understand what the bad guy's life script is. Most crime runs against their life script, so throughout the interview you are linking the different aspects of their life script to the crime so as to make the confession in sync with that template. Officers who are really good at this can create a situation where the bad guy feels he has to admit to the crime because of who he is, the best person I have ever seen at this has people practically jumping out of their seats to tell the truth.

OK that is a long explanation to get to my main point. I was listening to the interview and Vince kept emphasising "The Boos". Not people were booing but as if the boos themselves were a physical entity (IE the boos ran against Vince's life script as a winner-to put it crudely, it created a significant attack on his sense of self that overwhelmed him).

I was surprised that anyone could truly believe that they would always win, always be loved and never have hardship. Vince clearly believed he would never suffer. The one thing that the Bible promises us as Christians is that we will suffer. John 15:19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. The Bible is full of analogies of hate, battle and evil as it pertains to us; John 3:20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 1 John 3:13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. Our own savior fulfilled a plan where he was beaten, whipped and crucified and he asked us to risk the same, Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me".

Our promise is that in the end we will be in Paradise with him with no more tears forever. But the promise for us here on earth is, John 15:18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first". We should not be Vince Young, we should expect hatred, which we are to respond with love, evil which we are to respond with forgiveness and sorrow, which we are to respond with joy.

In a way it is a blessing, suffering is an excellent indication that you are following the same path as our Lord. Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

Real American Heroes

I happened to be on a very small 1982 CESSNA 210 CENTURION (I think. I was a passenger not the pilot, I just knew it was small, very, very, small) last week for about five hours, flying in neat little circles around the Chicago land area and like NASCR it was left turn only.

Being up there with earphones on waiting for when the rubber band turning the propeller would be breaking and I would suddenly find myself plummeting to my death, my mind understandably started to wonder. The pilot of this airplane had just been back from a tour of Iraq. The pilot was a reservist that volunteered to go back to full duty even though he had not been called up. He left a family behind and went to do what he felt was his duty. He has now returned and has continued serving people with his civilian job.

His service to our country and our people, made me wonder about the nature of heroes I keeping hearing in the media. I keep watching how ESPN is doing everything they can to bring Kobe Bean Bryant (LA Lakers)back into respectability. I watched how LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)just stormed off the court when he could have shown the world what good sportsmanship looked like. One of my heroes once was Michael Jordan but he has been revealed to be a twisted and broken human being that was only good for one thing and that was basketball.

Today, it seems our heroes are only about what they accomplish in their limited given arena. We are supposed to be impressed by their money, their consumption, their greed, what ever can be marketed to the public and what the purple diamond ring they buy to get out of trouble.

This is a real hero. It is someone that cares about others more than themselves. It is someone that understands that the things of this world will not last and rather than buying that Bentley gives that money to the poor and drives a Toyota. It is someone that knows that they will have to sacrifice some of their desires/needs/wants in order to aid others. It is someone that holds others up before they hold themselves up. They do not hate, they love. They do not seek revenge, they provide forgiveness. This is a real hero. This was the pilot of my plane. These are the people I look up to and these are the people we should be telling others about.

Throw out your Jordan, LeBron and Kobe gear, buy a white tee shirt and find your local hero. Write his/her name on the shirt and tell everyone you know why the name on your shirt is the name of a true hero. I think one of the greatest things in the world would be the question of, "whoes that guy?" So I can say, "let me tell you of my hero".

John 15:13

13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Its been busy

I try to get at least one post a week and hopefully find time for two, but this week would not allow this. The week consisted of getting up in the early morning and coming back in the early morning so I was a little long in getting a post up. In the next day or two I will do a regular post but until then enjoy this.


Ex-con allegedly targets cops for robberyNew York | July 23, 2007 12:01:13 AM IST

An ex-con allegedly tried to rob two people in New York, police said, but didn't notice his intended victims were police officers -- in uniform.

Police said 33-year-old Jermaine Washington allegedly was so intent on robbing someone Saturday that he pulled a fake handgun on the two armed police officers as they walked through Riverside Park, The New York Daily News said Sunday.

It was stupid criminal tricks, a police source said. The guy didn't even look to see who was coming.

After Washington allegedly pulled his fake gun, the two officers drew their real weapons and Washington surrendered after a short but tense standoff.


Job Security is a great thing in these tough economic times.



Proverbs 14:7
Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

Coming up Empty

Our team recently completed a project and while arrests were made and a small amount of narcotics were recovered, for all intents and purposes, we came up empty in this investigation. Sometimes you just strike at the wrong time. In this case we slowed them down but did not knock them out.

Logically, this has frustrated the case agent, the team and me. Primarily because of the time spent here when other cases that could have garnered better results were temporally sidelined (looking back is always done with perfect vision). But I was struck by the swing of emotions that I went through in about ten minutes. There was the thrill of the take down, the panic when we realized that what we thought would be there was not, the rush of anger as we scrambled to the new locations and the frustration when we struck out.

This reminded me of variable-ratio conditioning. This is the mechanism that get people addicted to slot machines. The payoffs are random and could yield different outcomes (1 coin on the second pull, 15 coins on the 14th pull). It is considered the best way to have an animal (or man) conditioned to repeat an action for the longest amount of time. IE he/she will pull on the lever of the slot machine as many times as it will take as long as they believe that the next pull could yield the reward.

This is very similar to what any Police Officer experiences when they go out on patrol. You could score the big incident (bank robbery) or medium incident (major traffic accident) or low incident(telephone harassment-the bane of many a police officer) or nothing at all.

This would suggest that the nature of Police work could have an addictive quality to it. This could explain why so many officers prioritize this job over everything else (our 75% divorce rate is an example of this).

Is Police work addictive? I will have to figure this out...well once I get back from my double shift at work.

Surveillance

Recently, we began a project that has both built in time constraints and is very surveillance heavy. So I have spent the last four days sitting in a car making sure my head is not above the window line for thirteen hours at a time.

A long time ago, the bad guys started watching for cars sitting around where they were "working" that would routinely come and go (Det. eating, going the bathroom etc). If the drug dealers saw this pattern, they would quickly shut down and disappear. In order to counter, their counter surveillance, we arrive in the early morning and stay, in basically one place, until night fall.

This week was the first week I have had of multiple stints of this type of surveillance. I can not remember when I have been this sore. Everything hurts and not like the R.E.M. song. I am still trying to figure out why after doing nothing for thirteen hours, it feels like I have been digging a ditch for those same thirteen hours. Plus, you have not lived till you have to create a bathroom schedule and pack three lunches keeping in mind that your food will be staying with you the whole time (I will not make a salami sandwich again...at the end my car smelled like a dumpster in the back of an Italian deli).

I did not think it was possible but I ran out of food, reading materials, people to talk to on the phone and people to send text messages. I have realized that I could never be a monk, I simply do not want to sent that much time with myself.

Anyway when you see surveillance on television or in movies, they have space, the bad guys show up quickly with their intentions clear and the protagonists do not smell of rotting sandwiches. I wanted to provide a slice of reality and I hope that my next assignment does not find me sitting in a cardboard box next to a warehouse (its been done).

Joel 2:20
"I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise." Surely he has done great things.

Second set of operating verses

I have long used Romans 13:1-5 as operating verses of my work for the Lord in law enforcement. Again this year I am going through the, year through the Bible, style Bible study, and discovered these verses at the beginning of May that will now operate as my second set of verses of Biblical wisdom to govern me in my work and in my life. You got to love the Cop verses, especially verse 8.


Psalm 101
A psalm of David.
1 I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
I will praise you with songs.
2 I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.
3 I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
I will have nothing to do with them.
4 I will reject perverse ideas
and stay away from every evil.
5 I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.
6 I will search for faithful people
to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
will be allowed to serve me.
7 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
and liars will not stay in my presence.
8 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
and free the city of the Lord from their grip.

I think I like this for all the wrong reasons

Professionally this hits home...well if home is a card board cut out of a house that your were tricked into buying.

A moment of Clarity

I have a very good friend that is currently, gainfully, employed at Wal-Mart. I met him and his associates in a professional capacity because he was in a law enforcement liaison position at his store at that time.

Anyway, one night we and two of his associates were wondering around his store trying to find a subject I was seeking to make contact with for an investigation unrelated to the store. We had entered the pet area and walked to a section that was selling frogs in small plastic cups. I said, "Hey look, frogs, I wonder what they are called?". I pulled a frog off the rack and read the label and it said, Frog in a Cup.

I suddenly had a moment of clarity. I shared my findings with the three other people with me and once they got over their fear of, this cop has just lost it and is armed. I explained, "It is one of the few things in this world that is just what it is...A frog in a cup. Nothing more, nothing less. It is the sum total of what you are getting in four words."

We all sat there staring at the frog in the cup. This has become a saying with our group when we want to express that something is just what it is, IE she was cheating on him, that is why he broke up with her, frog in a cup."

In life so many things are hidden or over hyped or contained unexpected negative elements or varnished with deceit or a bitter disappointment or extremely complicated or experience sudden uncontrolled change, simply...most of what we experience is not truth. This was a truth. However it should never be confused with The Truth. It just was a small-a truth.

Simply, it just was nice to have just one thing that was just simply what it was. A clear bell ring in the silence.

Frog in a Cup.

Psalm 119:30

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

Maintaining your Police Job-A Simple Guide

Maintaining your Police Job-A Simple Guide to staying out of trouble and making it to retirement.

Last week into this week, it seems like I have been bombarded with one law enforcement officer gone bad after another. They are either stealing, providing the bad guys with operational information (see US Marshal trials) or tragically striking a vehicle when drunk and running away while the other vehicle's occupants were burning alive. While I have only been at this slightly over a decade I have seen my share of Officers loose their jobs and in rare instants a few commit actions that result in criminal charges (this always catches me by surprise, it is not usually the person you think it is and only after they leave do you discover what actually happened, I thank the Lord that I have never had the criminal act happen in my presence).

This has spurred me to create a simple list that if followed will eliminate over 95% of the reasons officers find themselves either unemployed or jailed.

1. Don't drink and drive...others get arrested, pay a fine and go about their lives, we get fired.

2. Places to not get drunk. A) local bar filled with yahoos, B) neighbor's backyard, C) weddings, D)funerals and E) well...every place outside the home...how about...do not get drunk.

3. Do not cheat on your wife/husband...especially with a coworker or someone to whom you have just provided a service (see domestic violence pickup).

4. Do not Lie. If you are on the stand and everything is going badly resist the temptation to lie. Believe it or not you will score points with, "I do not know" or admitting your mistake. You will destroy your career if the lie is discovered (once a liar always a liar, in the court's eyes)

5. Do not steal, while it may be the bad guy's money/jewelry/cellular telephone/clothing and in one case underwear and there is no chance of being caught...just don't do it.

6. Treat your co-workers, bosses and the public the same way you would want to be treated. I can think of a number of instances, in which the incident was used to get rid of a real cock@#$%^& that had it been anyone else they would have suffered a mild reprimand.

7. Do not beat your wife/husband...enough said.

8. Anything over a cup of coffee should never be taken for free...let me say again nothing over a cup of coffee should never be taken for free.

9. Do not accept cash/services for your performance or lack of performance...your pension is worth 1,000,000 over your retirement lifetime...is it really worth risking over 300?

10. If you are depressed/sad/consistently angry, seek help, quickly.

11. Your family is priority one and the job is priority two...the second that switches you have already slipped halfway down the slope without realizing it.

12. Revenge is not your job, justice is not your job, your job is protecting the weak, gathering evidence for the court and arresting the bad guys AND NOTHING ELSE. Payback only pays you back.

13. Finally, insurance fraud is well...a crime!

14. Well I thought finally, but there is one more. Ok for some I will have to speak slowly...do...not...have...sex...with...anyone...under...18! (Thanks Eric, not the sex part but sending me the story about this twisted officer).

Basically follow the ten commandments. My list of 13 is for situations that I have known about in some form or another. It really is pretty simple, be smart and learn to delay gratification.

Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods before [a] me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

13 "You shall not murder.

14 "You shall not commit adultery.

15 "You shall not steal.

16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Easter HE IS ALIVE

The Stone was rolled away. The grave is empty.

Mark 16
The Resurrection
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Good Friday

Chicago Police Contract

One of the most unexpected benefits of my current position is my exposure to law enforcement professionals from a multitude of other departments; local, county, state and federal. It has taught me a number of things, primarily, that the men and women who serve us in law enforcement are a credit and a boon to America and secondly I come from a good department.

I have gotten to know a number of Chicago Officers while I was going through my master’s program and then met even more now we are all working together to pull illicit drugs off the street. They are being disserved by the Daley administration. The officers have been without a contract since 2007 and yet other city services find a way to increase their pay and benefits package (See Chicago Aldermen). Mayor Daley has made the simple calculation that it is cheaper to keep the money with the city and eventually pay out retro checks then to settle the contract quickly, well unless he can get the union to make substantial cuts into the proposed benefit package. This is coming dangerously close to the Cook County Model in which when one contract is finally negotiated, they have to instantly begin new contract negotiations because once the new contract is approved and signed it has expired.

I brought up the problem that Chicago PD is going through to a group of my non-law enforcement friends and immediately the response was, “Well they should be taking a pay cut like everyone else.”

That got me thinking about the unique characteristics concerning Police contracts.

First, the general purpose of the employee contract rather individual employment/ at will employment is to; theoretically, remove the politics and personal gain issues that affect private sector employment. If you are in negotiations as a group, then individual actions can not improve individual employment keeping Officers actions on the street for law enforcement purposes and not for personal gain.

Second, everyone regardless of individual performance gets paid the same. In patrol for instance the lowest ticket writer gets paid the same as the highest. The only change in pay comes with either positions (investigators get paid the same as other investigators but higher than patrolmen), promotion or time on the job.

Third, the reason the Officers do not deserve a pay cut is primarily due to point two. When economic times are positive Officers upward mobility in both position and pay is restricted. Promotion comes only through a testing process that is conducted only once every couple of years. The Officer also does not get increases based on performance but rather negotiated raises throughout the year. In the private sector when a company is successful and the employee is performing at a high standard, their compensation is improved whenever the company deems fit. I get all kinds of calls from my friends wondering why I picked this profession when I could be making so much more money in the private sector. When times are bad I get calls to the reverse. The bottom line is that public sector pay is a slow line increasing up and we can not take advantage of the good times and are not hurt as badly during the down times. However if a pay cut is implemented for a contract employee it is a permanent loss since you do not get a corresponding pay increase when times are good to offset the loss.

Finally, the last in this post but certainly not the last element concerning contracts is the retro check. When a post due contract is finally signed and ratified the pay that the Officer should have received is calculated and put into a check. The problem for larger Police departments unions is sometimes the money that the city can make in interest and alternate use is greater than what they will eventually issue in retro checks. So in essence there is little hurry for the city to negotiate when they are essentially making money by holding up the contract negotiations.

These are just the concepts I brought up that night and there are a multitude more to choose from but I can see how frustrating it can be to work for years without knowing how much you are making and what is your benefits package.

The bottom line is Chicago Officers deserve a contract.

Chicago Police FOP Rosanna Pulido 2009

I have made a point of staying apolitical but for one post I will rescind my policy.

I hosted Rosanna Pulido, the Republican candidate for the Illinois 5th congressional seat at my home for a meet and greet. She stayed for four hours. I can say with certainty that she is pro law enforcement...she was even a dispatcher for Northfield Police Department. I was impressed with her dedication, intelligence and well thought out positions.

The Chicago Police Department FOP members had a rally on April 2, 2009 around City Hall. These Officers have been without a contract since 2007 and yet the Mayor's office and the city alderman seem to have no problem finding pay increases for their positions and the positions of their subordinates. Rosanna was there and marching with the Officers. The democratic candidate was no where to be found. This was noticed...

Rosanna Pulido, Republican candidate for the 5th Congressional District. What a kick in the teeth it would be for a Republican to win Rahm Emmanuel's old seat. We don't care if she's not your typical candidate. She was there. Quigley wasn't. What does that tell you? That is from Second City Cop Blog http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com

If the FOP really wants to send a message. Back Rosanna and get her elected to the 5th...this is a very heavy CPD area. The democratic party is so sure of the FOP/police vote they have become contemptuous. Why would they help if they are guaranteed the vote.

If Rosanna is elected not only would a pro-police politician be in office but she would be beholden to FOP and intervene on their behalf. Do you really believe that Quigley would take on Daley?
They need to vote for their own best interest and not to keep their piece of the Chicago dum-o-cratic machine.

Rosanna's links

http://www.rosannapulido2009.com

http://www.wbbm780.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3594532

Interesting

I am always intreguied by the different unique abilities people have, here are three videos that I found interesting. One sand, one hand and one band...enjoy. Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!




Pilobolus Dance Theatre - Free videos are just a click away

Similar Fates Similar Struggles

I have written in a couple of early posts (See entries at beginning of the life of this blog like may 22 2008) concerning my placement on my Sgt test and my reactions to it. In my self centered, egotistical approach to my life one of my constant mistakes is that I believe that everything that happens to me is unique. Well its not. Below is an e-mail sent to me by a brother in Christ that recently learned about his placement on his departments list. We eventually arrived at the same conclusion but unfortunately for me and fortunately for him, I certainly thrashed around A LOT more than he before settling down and trying to see things from God's prospective. Its is a credit to his mature walk with Christ and another wake up call about mine...

Note the team is our Pastoral Security Team...

Hey team! I just wanted to thank you for your prayers, supportive emails, and phone calls this week. I ended up dead in the middle of the eligibility list…#11. What that means is 10 supervisors would have to vacate their positions in the next three years for me to move up….probably not going to happen, but then again…..

Please no consolation emails (but sarcastic jeers are fine J), as I am perfectly content with it all and I know I did my best. The blessings in my life are abundant, and my focus in life is Jesus Christ, my family, you all, and the career I am so fortunate to have. God gave me some clarity to this, this morning…before I even knew the results. There’s really only one eligibility list that matters when it’s all said and done, and numerical rank does not exist…I’ll take that promotion any day!!

Romans 8:9
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Duracoating Firearms

I just ran into this product Duracoat. It is a non-heat treatment that refinishes handguns/shot guns/ rifles to whatever design you want. According to their literature it is a permanent finish that has the same life as the firearm itself. It also is not that expensive (well as aftermarket gun customization goes). The examples go from cool to silly. I might consider this treatment when I finally hang up the ol' side arms and stick it on a plaque.

For your consideration...

Greg Laurie

I had the privilege of meeting Greg Laurie and his son Jonathon (really mostly Jonathon) when they came to my church to speak and for a book signing. I was very impressed with Jonathon-a guy who was sick, that just got off a plane and still had the time to share his message and spend a little time with this knuckle head. We all have our stories about where we were before we came to Christ and what changed after but few have the ability to articulate the journey Greg and his family have been on.

Saying your a Christian is easy when the times are easy but the real proof of a transformed life is when the trials and the tragedy come.

He tells his story here



Titled I Still Believe

Ask or look up white arrow stickers/pins (Christopher Laurie).

Psalm 59:16
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

PS more than 600 people received Christ between the three services where Greg and Jonathon preached together.

Love and Valentine's Day

The origin of Valentine's Day is really the celebration of the sacrifices and martyrdom of a number of early Christians named Valentine. I think this is a better lens to view Love then the current "I love you" cards and candies (I still participate in those too, I want to stay married). So while celebrating this day keep in mind...

1 Corinthians 13:4-13

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

And... well... let's not forget also...


Song of Solomon 1:1-4

1 Solomon's Song of Songs.


Beloved [a]
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
3 Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens love you!

4 Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.

The Sinners and Me

Anyone who interacts regularly with the criminal mind quickly discoverers two quirky mental processes that they pretty much all exhibit.

The first is that they will always ask you not judge them by the act that has brought them into your temporary sphere of influence. They all will insist that they are basically good people except for, the car they stole, the drugs they sold, the wife they hit...etc.

The second is that criminals see the world through their criminal actions. For example, higher end illicit drug dealing is not really about the drugs but much more about a lazy short cut to achieve wealth. This person views everyone through the lens of greed. A well dressed investigator will walk through the room and the drug dealer will always tell you that, while they do not know that officer they can tell they are on the take. Or the drug dealer will suggest that if you had been in his or her shoes you would do the same things that they did. It simply does not compute to them that you may have chose to suffer in poverty than sell cocaine/heroin etc. I have seen this for the rapist (world view-restrained lust), abuser (world view- powerlessness) and a multitude of other major crimes. One of the primary reasons recidivism is so pervasive is due to the inability of the person to shift their decision making from a egocentric self serving paradigm to an altruistic one.

I always make a point of telling the person that I am being forced to work with that it is their actions that are the true indication of what type of person they really are. A "good person" does not sell drugs, strike their wife, steal from their job etc. If they want to be considered a "good person" he or she needs to start doing positive things now and if they show a consistent pattern of positive behavior then I will shift them from the category of "bad person" to "good person". I have had many people who have no remorse for what they have done get visibly upset and cry because the police officers have decided the are a "bad person".

As for the other quirk of lack of the ability to consider an alternate perspective, I long ago gave up trying to convince them that I or anyone else would have proceeded with a different series of decisions then the ones that they choose that led to their capture. It only leads to an endless series of unprovable scenarios for both parties.

What a hypocrite I am. If another person observed me going through my day would they view my actions as the actions of a follower of Jesus? Or would they take the totality of my day and then place me in the "bad" category. This stance of mine is really developed from the prospective that I am better then the person that I am dealing with...that I am not a drug dealer so I am not only better than they thus I am "good". How does that stand when the standard Jesus set is perfection? What I should have been saying is because of the love that Christ has for me, I have been given the honor of making less negative decisions than you. We are all sinners, we are all "bad people" but I can hang my sins on the only one that is blameless and perfect that can take the sins away from me, rather then you who keeps then wrapped around you like a cloak of evil ready at any moment to pull you down to the pit.

We are all "bad people". The only split category is "saved" and "unsaved".

Matthew 5:27-29

27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'[a] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

KettleBells

I was working with two ATF agents the other day and we had a couple of hours of down time and we got to talking (after we had used up the typical police conversations) about workout routines. One of the agents told me that he has had serve shoulder problems ever since he finished playing College ball (football), and had to give up his free weight routines because of the pain. But he looked around for a while and he found a solution...he had discovered kettlebells. He told me that not only had he gotten stronger but had improved his flexibility. He then told me that the entire workout takes about 30-45 minutes.

My free weight work out takes about two hours and I simply have not had the time to maintain it as I should. So I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and picked up a couple of 'Bells'.

I have now been at this workout for two weeks or so and I have to say I am getting really positive results. The same results in 30 minutes as my two hour free weight workout plus my right side second degree untreated shoulder separation has not once twinged. I would highly recommend it.

The agent said to stay away from the fad workouts with this system and focus on the work of Russian Special Forces systems. I started with Pavel Tsatsouline.

I believe this is certainly worth a look.

Judges 3:21-23

21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

The New Year-New Beginnings

The Lord has recently and consistently been pointing out two areas/actions/practices in my life that I need to cease and for the first time these do not concern ethics or learning to forgive others or try to deprioritize my desires but rather for the first time,lifestyle personal actions. One I have probably been doing for 26 years and the other for 16 years.

I thought that while it might be a little hard to get rid of these two things, I thought, a little will power and it would slowly extinguish itself out with little fuss. Strangely in my attempts to rid myself these self inflicted sins, they have wrapped themselves tighter around me, more so than ever before. It seems that now that I have been directed to excise these actions out of my life, they have become a focus and gained a stronger foothold then they ever had before. I have had a few good runs but then POW I am back in the saddle again.

This personal trial and subsequent multiple failures has coincided with the new year to remind me that while God is in ultimate judgement he also is a God that forgives failures and failings. It is the source of my joy and hope, that not only will he aid me in this personal purification but he will not turn his back on me while I struggle through the process. The list below are Biblical examples of failings and regeneration back into God's plan.

Peter-Matthew 26:75 Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Thomas-John 20:24-29 24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." 26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

The Twelve-Mark 9:33-35 33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

Paul(Saul)-Acts 8:1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. [ The Church Persecuted and Scattered ] On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

Zacchaeus-Luke 19:1-9 1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " 8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Samaritan Woman-John 4:17-18,28-42 17"I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." 28Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ[b]?" 30They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41And because of his words many more became believers. 42They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

I truly thank God that this list could go on and on and on. That is one of the Hopes to be found in Jesus Christ.

Christmas

This is Christmas-Nothing else matters.

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Job Security

In an economy that is still heading into a deeper recession it is good to know that my clientele is still out there needing our life style management aid programs. There are two main ones...the right cuff and the left cuff.

Psalm 74:22 Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.

Tokyoflash Shinshoku-my new watch

I was surfing the Internet the other day and I started wondering if there was a way to tell time that was not an analog dial or digital number readout. Well I found it in the Tokyoflash Shinshoku. It uses a row of red LED's for hours, yellow LED's for minutes and green LED's for 15 minutes segments. It took me a little while to learn to read it quickly but in the end it warmed the Japanese Techno geek part of my heart. I got it direct from Japan and my wife made me promise that if I ever get another item from Japan I will have to go to the post office to sign the customs, deleration forms, because she will not ever do it again (took 45 min...waiting in line, postal employees finding right forms, finding the package itself and arguing about what procedures had to followed).

While I have worn the watch around off duty I so far have not quite got the gumption to wear it on duty...


A brief explanation form their site. Link: http://www.tokyoflash.com/en/watches/tokyoflash/shinshoku/ Industrially designed to make a truly individual statement, this unique time piece has become one of the most popular designs to emerge from the Tokyoflash design studio. Shinshoku's solid, continuous stainless steel band wraps comfortably around your wrist and features a matrix of punched out holes with twenty-nine super bright LEDs beneath the surface which illuminate to present the time. A single touch of the upper button animates the LEDs which then cascade across the band to present the time. Pressing the lower button skips this animation and presents the time immediately. Twelve red LEDs indicate the hour, three green LEDs indicate 15, 30 and 45 minutes past the hour and fourteen yellow LEDs indicate single minutes. This unique time telling method makes it easy to see the approximate time quickly, whether it's quarter past, half past or quarter to the hour whilst also telling the precise time.


"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. " Colossians 1:29

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. " James 1:17

We beat Texas A and M!!! (Blog spot will not allow use of the "and" sign)

Griffin leads Baylor to 41-21 win over Texas A and M on November 15, 2008

Since I do not get to say this much about my Alma Mater/Baylor Bears football team I will use this post to celebrate this, an unfortunate all to rare, football victory. In the history of these two schools stating in 1908 the record is slightly in the Aggies favor at 54-28-8. The last time we beat the Aggies was in 2004, and that was when Baylor defeated its first ranked opponent since 1998, #16 ranked Texas A and M, by a score of 35-34 in overtime on a two-point conversion.

The following is the write up of the game from ESPN's web stie.

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=283200239

WACO, Texas -- With a couple of long passes and some nifty pitches, Robert Griffin helped lead Baylor to a rare victory over Texas A&M that ensured the turnover-plagued Aggies a losing season.

Griffin threw touchdown passes of 31 and 55 yards and Jacoby Jones ran for two scores after taking late pitches from Griffin in Baylor's 41-21 victory Saturday. It was only the second time the Bears won in their last 23 meetings against Texas A&M.

The Aggies (4-7, 2-5 Big 12) came in with slim bowl hopes in their first season under coach Mike Sherman, but had five turnovers. That included two interceptions by linebacker Joe Pawelek, the second coming in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Jay Finley added a 12-yard TD run for Baylor (4-7, 2-5), which played its home finale for first-year coach Art Briles.

Griffin, an 18-year-old freshman, didn't start the season opener at home in late August. But he entered that game before halftime and has started ever since. The dual-threat quarterback has accounted for a school-record 25 touchdowns (14 passing, 11 rushing).

Jones had a clear path to the end zone along the right sideline for a 12-yard TD that made it 13-0 after Griffin, while shedding a tackler, pitched the ball. Then on a fourth-and-1 late in the third quarter, Jones scored on an 18-yard run when Griffin got rid of the ball just before being slammed to the ground by a defender.

Griffin was 13-of-23 for 241 yards and added 56 yards on 12 rushes. Finley carried 23 times for 116 yards.

The Aggies' Jerrod Johnson was 19-of-30 for 244 yards with four interceptions and a late touchdown. He had only four passes picked off in his first eight games before throwing two in A&M's 66-28 loss to Oklahoma last week.

Jorvorskie Lane scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, increasing his A&M school records to 49 career rushing TDs and 50 overall.

Baylor led 6-0 after Ben Parks had field goals of 42 and 28 yards, the first on the Bears' opening drive of the game and the second after Leon Freeman recovered a fumble caused when Johnson was tackled from behind by Zac Scotton.

Dwain Crawford's interception set up the drive that led to Jones' first TD and included Griffin's 49-yard pass to Ernest Smith to convert a third-and-14.

The Aggies finally scored when Lane plunged in over the left side after Johnson's 51-yard pass to Mike Goodson, who made a leaping, stretching catch between three defenders.

Woo Hoo!!!!!!

Pieces of the puzzle

Carol and I have been pretty active socially tying to reinvigorate our friendships that got put on hold a bit because of my masters program. It struck me recently all the different vocations of our friends. There was a: cardio-tech, mamogramist, supervisor of a work crew for a country forest preserve system, elementary school teacher, police officer, full time student, private investigator, quality control supervisor of a major drug company, a watch salesman, a coffee bean sales rep, two retirees, a Police Chief, a nurse, a Colon-Rectal surgeon and an esthetician.

I tend to get caught up in a Christian law enforcement prospective and forget that God has his people in all places and in all professions. We are all working for his glory and to further a small part of his Holy plan. I find this comforting. In a time in America where we find ourselves confronted by change, economic hardship and threats to our safety from both domestic and foreign sources, it is nice to know that we are surrounded by a Christian "safety net" that covers all places and all situations and not simply ones that deal with just law enforcement circumstances.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


1 Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.

Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Romans 15:17
Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

I am a Dufus

Maybe one day I can tell the story once it is declassified...anyway it involves our President elect, more than a couple of millions of dollars and embarrassing myself in front of him and a bunch of secrete service...and the best part is that none of these elements are associated in anyway with each other, think three cars crashing at a three way intersection from three separate directions.

The things people do

I am continually amazed by the means in which people find to make money (legally) and what they do for hobbies. Case in point. I have a friend that I met at church who is a Police Officer for another suburban township. We were talking over the cell (I suddenly have a lot of down travel time) when we starting talking about my desire to one day own a 1978-1980 firebird/trans am, the Smokey and the Bandit, style. He then told me that his hobby was talking 1980's pontiac trans am's and making them into KITT (The car from the television show Night Rider). He then sent me these photographs of one that he had put together. It really looks like the real/fake tv show car. I included the pictures he sent me. His final plan is to make the television in the consul really receive feeds from cameras placed around the car. It is a excellent example of so nerdy that its cool, or at least I think its cool...so what does that make me? Anyway right now I am trying to think of a joint project with him that would include a cheap old classic car jazzed up to look like a famous movie/tv car.

1 Corinthians 3:10
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

Election Judge

I have been following this presidential election closely and probably a little too passionately, so to back up my political oration to friends, family, strangers and my dog, I became a Republican Election Judge. The term in office is for two years. I felt I do not have a right to criticize the process unless I participated in the the process, so...here I am.

I took a three hour orientation and certification course and now I can and will serve on election day.

I took away one insight from the class that was not on the course syllabus. In Illinois there is a record number of registered voters (1.7 million) and they are forecasting a 70%-80% voter turnout. If this prediction comes to pass this presidential election will produce the most votes ever cast in any election in Illinois' history. The usual voter turn out is a little above 30%.

So all the acrimony and accusations have led to an incredible American voter participation in the election process, which is a good thing. It makes true of our forefathers wish of a bloodless revolution every four years.

Probably the single biggest benefit anything associated with this election is a renewed interest in the processes of governance of our country.

SO VOTE!

Romans 13
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

I have Graduated

I have finally graduated...when I started it seemed like it would take forever and now that I am looking back, it seems like time just flew by. Prospective is everything.

The ceremony was at the Symphony Center in Chicago last Sunday. So I am now the proud owner of a Masters in Police Psychology from the Adler School of Professional Psychology. I am currently attempting to discern what God would have me do with this degree since I will remain full time in law enforcement.

Right now I am in the application process for adjunct professorship at a couple of Universities and Junior Colleges. I hope this is the right path, if not I am confident He will show me the way.

Psalm 17:4-6

4 As for the deeds of men—
by the word of your lips
I have kept myself
from the ways of the violent.

5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.

6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.

Christian Rock

I have been very very busy at work and have fallen off my target of two posts a week. However now that my master's program has concluded I should have the time to stay on target.

Carol and I have begun attending Christian concerts on a fairly regular bases in the last year or so because of our discovery of: Jeremy Camp, Mercy Me and the News Boys. Carol and I and a bunch of our couple friends have attended a number of concerts by these three bands. However at the last Christian music festival I was talking to the other husbands, that while these three artists were our priority in selecting which concerts to attend, it would be nice to have a heavy metal/hard rock alternative. Well I think we have may have found one.

Brian Welch was a founding member of Korn and their lead guitarist, when he became addicted to crystal meth, hit bottom and found the Lord. I have listened to his album and I like it and we may going to the next local place he plays. I am approaching his recent works with caution because salvation is the greatest step but nevertheless the first step on a long road. Brian's got the "Matthew 11:28" tattooed to his neck and "Jesus" on his knuckles but like all of us he is a work in progress that I hope provides a lasting positive influence on Christian heavy metal but then again may falter.

Here is the article in the Chicago Tribune where I found out about his conversation.

Ex-Korn guitarist Welch navigates his new path
Louis R. Carlozo, Tribune reporter
October 6, 2008
In the heavy rock band Korn, Brian "Head" Welch provided the guitar attack for a collective whose lyrics ranked among the raunchiest around. Then Welch found God, became a Christian and left the top-selling act. In Chicago to promote his debut solo album "Save Me From Myself" (Driven Music), Welch talked about his new path, old bandmates and the trials of not fitting in to any musical camp:

Q Have you shared what's going on in your Christian life with your former Korn band mates?

A They all know what happened to me. One of the other guys in the band actually got saved too; he's just working within the band. But for me it was like, 'I'm out, I've gotta go.' I want to give everything that I am, I want to have that resurrected life. And that's just so good. So they understand where I'm coming from. But I don't really talk to them. I talked to them last summer and we were going to hook up but it didn't really happen. I'm just doing my own thing and they're doing theirs; they wish the best for me and I wish the best for them.

Q How are you tackling the challenge of getting your music exposure? I'm sure it was much easier in Korn than it is now.

A You know if Korn puts out an album, they'll get play on every radio station, the best radio stations. I put out mine and it's a struggle, it's a fight. Some stations are really cool. They're playing it a little bit here on Q101, but some stations are just like, 'No thanks.' Maybe because they know what happened to me and they think maybe 'That's it.'

Q You say you're trying to provide an alternative by making very heavy music, but with a positive message. Tell us about that.

A I was one of those kids who was just not happy in my own skin. I drank and did drugs all the time. You call it fun, but the real reason you do it is that you don't like yourself, and you're just trying to escape, because you want to be happy and feel good. The whole thing about God was my eyes were opened, and I want to do anything I can with my power and my gifts to open as many eyes as I can. My message is, 'Don't listen to me, go try talking to God yourself and trying to change your life, and you're going to believe.'

Q Have you listened to much Christian music?

A It just seems like the Christian radio stations, it's all one type of music. I guess it's made for praise and worship. But it seems like there's this one group of bands that they play over and over, and I just wish they'd expand more—especially the Christian media too.

Q It seems you're misunderstood in the Christian world.

A I've got a new video out on my website, and it's really raw. It's about drugs and flesh, and there are girls in it who are sensual with each other, and they're playing with this pink powder that's supposed to symbolize drugs. I've gotten comments on my site that are saying, 'How could you show that stuff?.' When I saw my video, I was like that too: 'Can I do this?' I'm a Christian but I got over it. I like to be shocking, not for the sake of it, but to show people what's going on. I'm not called to be a Sunday school teacher. I want to bring a message and use the media as much as I can, and I don't want to sugarcoat it. The cheese has to go.

Link to his Web site (cut n paste): http://www.brianheadwelch.net
His book: http://www.amazon.com/Save-Me-Myself-Found-Kicked/dp/0061251844