Thank God for Cops (and their many sacrifices)!

Yesterday at the Annual Training Seminar sponsored by the International Conference of Police Chaplains, I sat through four different workshops - each running approximately an hour and a half. The first, taught by a police Sgt. who is also a licensed psychologist discussed the problem of burnout among law enforcement officers. The second workshop addressed the topic of an officer being killed or injured and the steps chaplains could take to help fellow officers in the department cope. The two afternoon sessions dealt with the process of death notifications and the unique challenges police officers face on the home front. All in all it was quite an enlightening day.

As depressing as these topics were, they had to be discussed. Why? Because police officers burn out, suffer injuries (some are fatal), are responsible to make death notifications and often run into problems at home (I heard one instructor state that the divorce rate for police officers is well over 70%!). After sitting through the six hours of training yesterday, I emerged with a new appreciation for our law enforcement personnel. They sacrifice a lot to keep average Joe and Mary citizen like you and me safe. When you count your blessings today - please thank God for the men and women in blue (or black) who patrol our streets. They are the "thin blue line" that stands between us and chaos.

Thanks for listening,

pj

Stressed Out?

The first workshop I attended yesterday was titled, "Stress Management." Sure enough, the instructor faced stress right off the bat. For ten minutes he struggled to get his laptop computer to communicate with the projector. He asked for help from the group and one tech savvy chaplain got up and after a few additional minutes,resolved the problem and off we went. That reminded me of Murphy's Law #43 which states, "No matter how well prepared we are - the 'unprepared for' will inevitably show up!" And when this happens, we feel STRESS! So I thought it was somewhat humorous that at the beginning of a workshop on managing stress, we got to see first hand how the instructor dealt with stress (and I would have to say he handled it very well!).

I wish I could say that I always, or even usually, handle stress well. But often I do not. I get worked up, overly anxious, grumpy, mad and, well, I think you get the picture (and it's not pretty!). So how should we deal with stressful life circumstances that crash into our lives, often unexpected and always unwelcome? The Apostle Paul gives some helpful insight. In Philippians 4:6-7 he writes, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." There it is my friend. You want to be able to effectively defuse stress in your life --- then take the situations, circumstances, people who are causing you stress and give them all to God. His shoulders are broad (much, much broader than ours) and HE can carry the heaviest of loads (and never grow weary!). When we stop pray (with an attitude of gratitude thrown in) -- Paul says that we will know peace! Now there's a prescription for stress relief!

Thanks for listening,

pj

I Made It!

I am typing this blog posting in the lobby of the Grand Amway hotel in downtown Grand Rapids - a really beautiful hotel, built by the owners of Amway (hmm - I haven't heard much about Amway lately, come to think of it!). The conference is soon to begin. I wanted to place a brief post to let you all know that the 650+ mile trip was pretty much uneventful. I got in about 5 PM last (Sunday) evening.

Please pray for me as I take the first two of my 12 basic "courses" today - with the rest to follow on Tues, Wed, and Thurs. I am planning to leave about 3 PM on Thursday and drive part way back - and then finish the trip on Friday. If I get the chance, I will post to my blog throughout the week and let you know how the conference is going.

Thanks for listening,

pj

Off to Grand Rapids, Michigan!

Tomorrow I will be leaving for a training conference being conducted in Grand Rapids (the original plan was for Sharon to accompany me, but that plan was changed as a result of my daughter, Kate's accident). The conference is being sponsored by the International Conference of Police Chaplains (of which I am a member). Beginning at 9 AM on Monday and running through 3 PM on Thursday, I will be taking a total of twelve workshops, each one lasting approximately 1 1/2 hours. Workshop topics include "Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome," "Crisis Response," "Suicide," "Stress Management," "Death Notification," "Burnout," "Substance Abuse" and other similar topics (sounds like an uplifting week, don't you think?). I am grateful for the opportunity to attend because it will help me to be better equipped to serve as both a police chaplain for the West Lampeter Township PD and as a pastor here at Grace Church! And this is something God is always interested in - us getting better equipped to do HIS work!

If you read this blog during my time away, would you please pray for me. Pray that God would work through the workshops and those who are facilitating them to help me and others to minister more effectively to those in law enforcement and those in our communities who are in the midst of crisis situations.

Thanks for listening,

pj

Too Much to Handle - Part 2 . . .

Little did I realize earlier this week that when I wrote about trials, I would be called upon to heed my own counsel. It all happened yesterday afternoon about 2 PM. I received a call on my cell phone from a stranger informing me that my daughter, Kate was in an accident. The caller was quick to assure me that Kate was OK - but I will tell you that the fifteen minute drive to the accident scene seemed to take an eternity! When I finally arrived, my eyes took it all in ... police car, two ambulances, a crowd of people, a banged up SUV and Kate's once shiny now smashed Dodge Neon. I immediately jumped out of my car and rushed to Kate's side. She was lying on a back board while a pair of EMT's were examining her. She assured me that she was not badly hurt and was shortly loaded onto the ambulance for the trip to LGH. After exchanging info with the police officer who was investigating, I climbed back in my car and drove to the hospital. Once there, Kate went through a series of xrays and a CAT scan, all which came back negative. As of this writing, she is still in LGH for observation purposes. Hopefully she will come home no later than tomorrow (Saturday). But through it all, Sharon, Kate and I are experiencing the truth of the verse I quoted the other day, Isaiah 43:2 where God makes this promise to us, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Thank God for His comforting presence!

Thanks for listening,

pj

Thank God for TERRA FIRMA!

I have not been out on the open ocean very often in my life ... in fact, I think it's only been twice. Both experiences included some bouts of nausea (a.k.a. "sea-sickness"). I cannot adequately express to you how RELIEVED I felt to get back onto terra firma following those two marine adventures! After rocking and rolling with the waves of the sea, I was absolutely thrilled to have solid (a.k.a. "unmoving") ground under my feet!

That's also how I feel when I think about God's Word. As we go through all the turmoil and the "ups and downs" of life - it is quite reassuring to know that we can take a stand on the rock solidness of God's Word! As the apostle Paul wrote, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). No matter what good work we are engaged in, the Word of God is SUFFICIENT to thoroughly (NOT partially) equip us for that work! Thank God for that!

Thanks for listening,

pj

Too Much Too Handle!

Last night a couple of lines of powerful thunderstorms marched across Lancaster. Loud rolling thunder, brief high wind gusts and torrential rainfall were par for these storms. At one point, I decided I had better go downstairs to check my basement. All was fine until I got to my back door. There I found some water seeping in. I opened the door and found a small pond just outside the door. The drain located there was working - but the rain was falling so fast that it could not keep up with the volume of water (at one point last night, we received an inch of rain in a 25 minute span - now that is some rain storm!). As soon as the rain let up, the drain was able to catch up, and the threat to my basement was over!

Life can often be like that. We get hit by some sort of unseen, unexpected crisis. It comes with such force we just don't see how we will ever survive. The circumstances are of such a magnitude that we are overwhelmed. At these points, is there any hope? Absolutely! For starters, just like my drain and the rain last night, usually even the most trying of life circumstances will eventually "let up." Trials come and trials go - but, except in a few cases, they rarely stay forever (and even if they do stay with us all of this life - that is NOT forever!). So all of us can find strength when facing difficulties by cultivating the attitude, "This too will pass." But even more important than this is the reality that whenever we suffer, we never suffer alone. God has promised us, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze" (Isaiah 43:2). So whenever we are going through it - even if we feel that we are soon to be overwhelmed and swept away - take heart, your God, the Creator of ALL is with you. You can count on HIM to get you through!

Thanks for listening,

pj