Fellow Sheepdogs & Supporters!   

I believe God selects the time and place to drop us into history.  God's plan for me (and for you) is the best plan. God Himself says in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

That said, God's plan for each of us requires our voluntary cooperation (meaning that we have to be willing to follow and obey). When we walk though the doors He has opened for us and ignore the ones he closes, we are living within His overall "good" plan for our lives.  On the other hand, attempting to kick open or "pick the locks" on doors God has closed is not a prudent decision, and, at a minimum, takes us away from God's best for us.  Moreover, rebellion (sin) against God and His plan is very likely to result in the loss of joy and conditional promises along with discipline and correction.

As MC so often teaches, serving in law enforcement and the military makes us God's ministers (servants) for good and a terror against evil (paraphrase of Romans 13:1-4). That said, I didn't realize that I was "officially" God's minister until probably half-way through my career.  Early on, I was too busy being a cop, firefighter, soldier, husband, and dad to spend much time digging into God's Word. Since we are His ministers, it is a very good idea for us to know what our Master wants us to do and how He wants us to do it.  God offers police officers, firefighters, medics, and soldiers unique wisdom, power, strength, protection, peace, and compassion.  What peace officer wouldn't want more of those benefits before rolling out of the parking lot at the start of watch?  Sadly, most officers work day-after-day not even knowing they are working under God's authority with His attributes available to them.  Even as a believer, I rolled into many situations where I tried doing things on my own without consciously tapping into His power and strength.  Doing that over prolonged periods can, at a minimum, increase an officer's chances for "burn out" while at the other end of the spectrum it can get you injured or killed. 

Even though I was physically (and psychologically) injured and nearly killed in the three shootings I was involved in, there were also many more situations where God made me very aware of great danger and enabled me to walk away unscathed.  There were also many other times where God protected me from dangers I was completely unaware of.  Clearly, it is by God's grace, mercy, and protection that I survived to share with you today... 

Mike went on to share about his deadly force incident in 1992 in which a perpetrator killed his wife at church and then shot Mike when he intervened. Though critically wounded (that he survived his horrific injuries is a miracle), God gave Mike (who was off duty but carrying his life-saving tools) the strength to stay in the fight, return fire and end the threat. 

It is Mike and Linda's belief (Linda was close by when Mike was shot) that God prepared them both for that fateful day (and many other tough situations both before and after) while still giving Mike an Esther choice to walk through that "open door" and do what was necessary to save the lives of many others. Moreover, it is also clear that God's  hand was on Mike in the painful days that followed and in his career(s) as a whole.   

Mike and Linda have become "regulars" at our FCPO-Denver fellowship meetings and as such they will be around to share further.  I'm also encouraging Mike to seek God's help in writing a book about his experiences.  Regardless, stay tuned for more about their developing ministry outreach.

We'll conclude with this:  Will YOU choose to stop doing things your own way and instead accept THE perfect plan God has for your life?  

"How?" First (for the unbeliever),  click on the Know God? link on the upper left of this newsletter and decide TODAY to repent of your sin and enter into a life-saving/life-changing personal relationship with the greatest "cop" of all time -- Jesus Christ.  I also have additional links under the KNOW GOD (AKA TRUE "OFFICER SAFETY") section of our website that will help you in making this eternal decision.   

Secondly, humbly ask God to reveal His perfect plan for your life and then follow hard after it. 

Finally, get involved in a solid, Bible-teaching church (not optional for the believer) and seek out other sold-out/all-in Christians (and, for our fellow sheepdogs, other Christian cops and military personnel in particular) who will come alongside you to help you grow and stay on course in your faith (AKA discipleship).  

Questions? Always feel free to drop us an email -- we're here to serve you.