The Strong Blue Line
Recently, a young man from my home church, River of Life, (who also ministers at Cop Church) purchased 16 copies of Winning a Gunfight to give to the Shelley (Idaho) Police Department. Shelley is a small town just south of Idaho Falls where the young man grew up. Sixteen books were enough to provide a copy for every officer. While not a police officer himself, he has a heart for law enforcement and the gospel. Just a couple weeks after delivering the books, 47-year-old Shelley Police Sergeant Kent Swanson died of a heart attack responding to a call. Law enforcement is a stressful occupation and officers are subject to dangers other than gunfire. Sergeant Swanson was the 60th line-of-duty-death this year in America. Please pray for Sergeant Swanson’s family and that Winning a Gunfight will have a positive impact with the Shelley PD.
Doug Dryden, a retired deputy and current Sanders County judge and owner of Highlands Tactical, asked me to ship ten copies of Winning a Gunfight to a Christian camp in Minnesota. For the last few years, Doug travels to Minnesota to train an armed security team at the camp.
Doug sent me this email: “The books arrived on Tuesday the 17th so the guys had two days to do some reading. We talked about the first two chapters in the mornings as part of our devotion time prior to heading out to the snow-covered range. I’ve received good feedback from them about your book since I returned home.”
I received an email order for six copies of Winning a Gunfight to be shipped to Snellville, Georgia. After a quick online check, I found Snellville is a community just east of Atlanta. I shipped the books but was curious what they were going to be used for, so I asked. Here’s what “Moose” emailed back, “We are forming a security team at our church. One of our members had a copy and I know it will be helpful for all team members. Thanks.”
Last month I made a quick Texas trip to visit my parents and brothers. While there, my good friend and San Antonio Police Detective Joe Dubs was escorting me around the new headquarters when we ran into Homicide Sergeant Wes McCourt. Wes and I first met in the early 1980s when I was a reserve on the Universal City Police Department and he was a patrol officer for UCPD. We worked alongside each other a few times on the SAPD. Wes told me he’s now attending church on a regular basis and is seeking to honor the Lord with this life. Pray Wes will use Winning a Gunfight to share the gospel with the detectives who work for him.
Next month I travel to Lexington, Kentucky to attend the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC) annual training seminar. The ICPC has been around for forty-five years and serves as a training forum and network for police chaplains around the world. For me the conference will serve a dual purpose, I’ll be attending several training courses and will be presenting a training seminar based on my books Pistol in the Pulpit and Winning a Gunfight. It will also provide a forum for me to present the ministries of The Strong Blue Line and Cop Church. Please pray for this opportunity to share the ministries with police chaplains around the world.
Cop Church
Cop Church Idaho Falls is making exciting plans for the summer! We’re planning a picnic in late August and a special service on September 11th. Since the second Tuesday in September falls on the 11th we’ve decided to hold a special service in memory of 9-11 and invite firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and other first responders to join us. While August and September seem far away, they’re right around the corner, especially considering how quick our summers fly by and that there’s only a couple services before August.
Soon letters will go out to several Christian and Missionary Alliance district superintendents requesting a venue for me to promote Cop Church. Please pray the Lord will open doors of opportunity to share the Cop Church and Strong Blue Line ministries.
Pray for your police.
