The Strong Blue Line
This year’s travel schedule found me in Billings, MT (a couple of times). On one of those occasions I noticed a large private bus outside the hotel where I was staying. A quick inspection revealed that it belonged to a band from New Braunfels, TX. New Braunfels is close to where I lived when I was in high school. It is also a town where Luke Horn, the lead character in my fictional novel Vengeance is Mine, spends some time. One evening when returning to the hotel I saw one of the band members standing outside the bus, I decided to introduce myself and give him a copy of Vengeance Is Mine for the band. He told me that he was from Oklahoma, but the others in the band were all from New Braunfels. He invited me on the bus to meet three others in the band. It was just as I pictured a traveling musicians’ bus. The bus was a mini museum with musical memorabilia adoring the walls. They even had a picture of the late Merle Haggard hanging on one wall. The guys were friendly and thankful for the book, they even offered me a cold beer or some pot! It’s the first time I’ve been asked if I wanted to smoke marijuana since the 70’s—no; I didn’t! We talked music for a little bit, I thanked them for their hospitality, and departed. Pray the book will be read and the gospel will impact them. Yes, the gospel is in my fiction book too.
Later that week, at a hotel in Coeur d’Alene, ID, I saw an older gentleman grabbing a couple books from the back of his minivan—Bibles. I introduced myself and asked him if he was a believer. Yes, he was, and a pastor at that! Pastor Patrick Tapia of First Baptist Church of Bingen-White Salmon, WA, his wife, and son were vacationing in the area. I gave Pastor Patrick a dozen copies of Winning a Gunfight to share with the officers in his community. He told me that was enough to provide a book for each officer on the police department. Pray these books will be a help to the officers in the Bingen-White Salmon community.
Jimmy Meeks (Sheepdog Ministries) contacted me and requested a 200-book donation to give to officers who will be attending a March 2019 Sheepdog seminar in northern, Idaho. This seminar will feature Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Pastor Frank Pomeroy (First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs). I’m trying to raise the money to send these books. Please consider donating to this effort. Also, please consider donating monthly to The Strong Blue Line ministry.
Please keep the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in prayer. They have been hit hard the past few months. Sheriff Javier Salazar requested prayer.
Cop Church
We had a great 9-11 service! There were well over 100 people in attendance. After the first worship song, a multi-agency honor guard, made up of officers from the Idaho State Police, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, and the Idaho Falls Police Department posted the colors. Emily, my youngest daughter, sang the national anthem. We remembered the 9-11 attack with a slide presentation, a rendition of “America the Beautiful” by Sgt. Karl Casperson (Bonneville County SO), and “Amazing Grace” by bagpiper Dan Muhlestein (Idaho Falls Fire Department). All First Responders were recognized, thanked for their service, and blessed with a public prayer.
The sermon was entitled “Why do bad things happen to good people?” People struggle with this question and it leads some to doubt if God exists, and if he does is he loving. The sermon answers the question. In fact, Jesus addressed this issue in Luke 13:1-5. Click on the sermon title to listen to the sermon.
Local News 8 from Idaho Falls was there and recorded a video report, click here to see the video.
Pray for your police.
