The Strong Blue Line
Thanks so much for supporting the outreach to the Las Vegas Metro officers. Donations through the Strong Blue Line and Cop Church Idaho Falls provided 100 copies of Winning a Gunfight to Pastor Tim Matthias of Calvary Chapel Las Vegas. Pastor Matthias gave the following report:
We gave your book along with a book from Greg Laurie and a gift card to all the first responders…after [the] service. All were extremely appreciative and moved. Some moved to tears as they explained how much it meant to them and the department to have the church praying for them, supporting them and now blessing them with resources.
This outreach to the victims, their families and to first responders is not a sprint for us but a marathon. As such we are continuing to set up outreaches. There is a potential for a couple of us to go meet with and pray with the Fusion Team heads (basically the joint task force working together from the FBI, DHS our Metro PD and others). We will be bringing your book for each one and leaving some behind for all of the other officers there at HQ.
Thank you so much for your quick and generous response. You have helped open doors to minister in the immediate and your book will surely continue to minister as they read it. I will keep you apprised of our continued efforts…. Please pray God would continue to open doors for ministry to take place.
Thanks, Pastor Matthias! We will continue to pray for the ministry there.
During my time on the San Antonio Police Department one stress reliever was playing pick-up basketball games at the police academy. In addition to having fun and getting exercise, I came to know a lot of officers I wouldn’t have otherwise. One officer I developed a friendship with on the court was James “Tony” Flavin. Recently, I found out Tony was promoted to assistant chief. Curious about the San Antonio Police command staff I looked at their website and found that I used to work side-by-side with many of the deputy and assistant chiefs. I emailed Chief Flavin to congratulate him and ask if he is willing to take a look at Winning a Gunfight. He readily accepted the invitation to review the book. I sent him a copy for each of the chiefs (nine total, including Chief McManus). My prayer is that they’ll find a way to provide copies to the entire SAPD, perhaps with the support of the San Antonio Police Officer’s Association. Please pray that the SAPD and SAPOA will find a way to provide copies to San Antonio officers.
On my recent trip to Tennessee, I took a wrong turn in the Atlanta airport, walked past my terminal and “coincidentally” ran into several New Jersey State troopers waiting for a flight, I gave the last four copies of Winning a Gunfight I had with me to one of the officers and asked him to share them with his co-workers. Pray these books will be put to good use with this agency.
Cop Church
On Monday, October 16th, at 7:10am I boarded the Salt Lake City Express shuttle in Idaho Falls, en route to the Salt Lake City airport. Fifteen hours later I was in Tennessee. Pastor Jonathan Parker of Cop Church Chattanooga (CCC) greeted me at the airport and drove me to his uncle’s house, who graciously hosted me for the three-day visit. Tuesday began with Paul Lee, the executive director of the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers (FCPO), picking me up for breakfast. Paul retired from the Chattanooga PD in 2005 and came to head up the FCPO a couple years ago. The FCPO was born out of an informal Bible study started in the early 70’s in Las Angeles by two LAPD officers. There are now nearly 250 chapters across the nation. In addition to reaching officers for Christ, Christian officers are encouraged to live Christ-honoring lives 24/7, not just at home or at church. Paul emphasized that cops don’t need to take off their Christianity when they pin on their badge. The FCPO also seeks to minister to the families of officers by providing resources and opportunities for marriage retreats.
On Tuesday, I attended CCC. It was a wonderful time connecting with the kind brothers and sisters who have been praying for Cop Church Idaho Falls. Not only did CCC invite me to preach, they purchased copies of Winning a Gunfight for each family in attendance and co-hosted a Winning a Gunfight Seminar held at the Chattanooga PD on Wednesday. The time in Chattanooga was a blessing, it was great to connect with and get to know Pastor Jonathan and Paul. Please pray for their ministries, CCC and the FCPO.
Pray for your police.
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