Last week we heard of evil actions of someone in our own house. A few days before, I had a conversation with a law-enforcement officer over breakfast in a small café. That officer is one of the many (like George Betscha who wrote last week’s TAI) who stands for justice. What is happening across the U.S. with the disrespect of officers (the Ferguson Effect) has hit him hard since 2014. What was troubling him even more at our breakfast however, was that he was personally compelled to make a hard call against an officer in his local agency. At a time when communities and political leaders are inflicting so much moral injury on good officers, agencies have been steadily lowering the bar of those who will even apply for police work. With fewer applicants in a culture sliding from moral value, agencies are hiring lower quality. The denigrate officer who…
2022 April
This week’s “Think About it” comes from FBSN Legacy member George Betscha who is also a police officer in Florida. This hit home to me on many levels and brought many experiences to memory. Some I handled well, others I didn’t. George’s words are meaningful to me and I encourage you to take heed. Today it is disheartening to read the news. A church security member has been arrested on multiple felony counts involving attempting to meet a child (who was really an undercover officer) for sex. We read more stories like this every year. It’s one thing to read it in the news; it’s completely different when it happens in your own house. It happened in my church just a few years ago. Although the person was not a security team member, they were a long-time, trusted member of the church. No one expected this. This person had been…
Last week we considered reasons one might say, “I can’t do this.” When you stop being your own enemy however, there are others eager to suggest (to you or to others about you) that you are unqualified or doing it wrong. “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” (Exodus 2:14) “Why did you come down here? (1 Samuel 17:28) “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” (1 Samuel 17:33) “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be …”. (1 Chronicles 22:5) NOTE: Criticism is tougher when from a parent; that didn’t stop Solomon. … they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. (Nehemiah 2:19) … “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they…