Family Gatherings

Donna and I went to her dad’s family reunion today. The event was at the park in Redkey, Indiana. 53 people attended, which seems pretty good for the packed schedules most people keep today.

It was refreshing. As a Police Chaplain, I have had very good training, mostly from officers I was with while they were on patrol. They have taught me some very good lessons about personal safety.

Today there were no pressures. No need to peek around corners or watch what people were doing with their hands.

Officers on patrol don’t like to have the people around them put their hands in their pockets; too many possibilities lurking in there. Not once today did I hear anyone say, “Keep your hands out of your pockets.” (My mother used to tell me that and not to slouch -- but that was different.)

Times to relax and unwind are so valuable. The Scripture teaches us that.

Acts 3:19 says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” We usually think about other people who need to repent of adultery, murder or bad fashion. Have you considered repenting of your packed schedule in order to enjoy a time of refreshing from the Lord?

I’m glad I did.

By the Grace of God

As I look between the camera and radar, I realize that as my experience with law enforcement brings balance to my life and ministry. Still, I need to keep all things in balance.

I often hear officers quote the television character Berretta. The tough guy cop often said, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” Not bad advice. Law enforcement is about justice. We should have justice.

Our God is just. He does what is right. At the same time, is love and grace.

This evening at Lake James Christian Assembly, I spoke to the 8^th & 9^th grade campers about a sinful woman who came to Jesus. She came to express her love by pouring perfume on him and washing his feet with her tears.

The by-standers wanted justice. Our just God had other intentions.

Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." (Luke 7:48)

I think the campers benefited from learning about God’s grace. We had 12 decisions out of 50 campers. Four want to follow Christ and be baptized; eight committed themselves to full-time Christian service.

It is my prayer that the reminder is a benefit to you, as well.

Wear Your Own Clothes

I am at Lake James Christian Assembly with kids entering grades 8 & 9. I’m having a great time! I am the evening chapel speaker and I get to sleep an air conditioned room all by myself.

Yesterday I ate breakfast at a table with a girl in a yellow sweatshirt. There were names and such written all over it, even on the hood. I asked, “Did you friends sign your shirt on the last day of school?”

She looked at me blearily and said, “Huh?” (Cut her some slack. It was breakfast on Tuesday and she was already short on sleep.) Then she said, “Oh, no.” Pause. “It’s not my shirt. I borrowed it from a girl in my dorm.”

Kids at camp do that. We did when we were kids. It was cool.

Cool for campers. But maybe not so good for everyday life. In my sermon tonight, I warned the campers that when faced with a challenge they need to be genuine. Even as a young man, David understood that.

As he was going to face Goliath, King Saul wanted to put his own armor on David.

"I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:39-40)

David fought Goliath just as he was – a simple shepherd boy who depended on God.

When we are faced with challenges, we will do well to follow David’s example. Be who you are. Be the best you are. Go with God.

My Version of a Children's Story

There is a trend in our culture that says, “Everyone is good, there is no evil.”

I told the 13 & 14 year olds at camp a story that illustrates that philosophy.

For nearly ten years, I have been a volunteer police Chaplain. Among the things that I do as a Chaplain is occasionally ride with officers on patrol. Several years ago I was with an officer in the suburb of Fort Worth, Texas, where we lived at the time.

The officer stopped a vehicle that caught her attention because it turned off a major street into a residential neighborhood without a turn signal and much too fast for a street with houses.

The car pulled over and the officer went to talk with a young man who was about 19 or 20. He could not produce a driver’s license and his registration sticker was expired. After running a check, the officer discovered the reason he could not produce a license was that it had been revoked.

A word to the wise: if you get caught driving revoked, you will go to jail. So after the young man was out of the car and handcuffed, the officer asked him if he had anything in his pockets she should know about; stuff like guns, knives, a bazooka. He said no, nothing like that, but he did have a little pot.

A little pot turned out to be two quart-sized zip-locks stuffed with marijuana. After he was stuffed into the back seat of the cruiser he said, “I don’t know why you’re doing this to me. I’m really a good person.”

Can someone cheat by not paying to register his car, violate a court order by driving revoked, carry enough of a controlled substance for it to be a felony and still be basically a good person?

Jesus had something to say about that.

Matthew 7:17-20

¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Plenty of Time

Looking at the world between the camera and radar devices on the windshield of a police patrol car has shaped me. I have seen the world from a different perspective. In many ways, the changes have been positive. My education is broader, my experiences varied and my skills refined.

At the same time, I have realized from the first few months that I began to volunteer as a Police Chaplain that not all of the changes were good. For example, although I am more aware of my surroundings, I am less trusting. Although I still have empathy for people, I am more skeptical.

I am at church camp this week at Lake James Christian Assembly, near Angola, Indiana, with kids going into grades 8 & 9. Lee Bracey is in charge of the program for the week. Lee was a “dorm dad” when I was here for a week when I was in Jr. High.

It has been great working with Lee. He has been a real help. He is bringing some balance to my lopsided attitudes. Lee is the Executive Director of the Woodburn Christian Children’s Home. He loves and understands children.

In response to some wisecrack I made, Lee said something profound. Get a pen, you will want to write this down. “They have plenty of time to develop their own bitterness.”

His point is, we need to fill the hearts and minds of the young people we encounter with hope for the future. They will have many opportunities to choose attitudes of joy or bitterness. Our role is fill them with enthusiasm and optimism for their future.

Please Lock Them

Here is a simple reminder.

Donna’s great-niece came to stay with us last night. It is so wonderful being near family again. Donna and Stephanie were going to visit Stephanie’s great-grandmother today.

Stephanie is a wonderful child. At 10 she is a genuine joy. Happy, helpful, trustworthy. She has never gotten into anything at our home and always asks if she wants something.

Still, before she arrived, I put locks in our guns.

We don’t frequently have children in the house and we like having the option of effective home defense. So, it was a hassle and took a few minutes.

Stephanie would never rummage around in my sock drawer or reach up on a high self in Aunt Donna’s closet. But we always lock the guns.

Just a reminder.

My Friend Dan

Dan Coffey was the Sr. Chaplain for the Fort Wayne Police Department for 13 years. I met him last September when I started talking to the leadership of Christ's Hope Ministries and Church about being their Sr. Minister. I contacted Dan because I wanted to continue serving as a Police Chaplain.

Dan is a very gracious person. He was excited about the prospect of having someone new join the team. He is a natural encourager. We worked well together, accomplished some projects, made some plans and had lots of laughs.

In mid-April, Dan left us to be the full-time Chaplain for the Indiana State Police. It was a great opportunity for Dan and his family. It is a really good move for the ISP.

I could write several pages about all that Dan did and the sacrifices he and his family made for FWPD. However, I think I can summarize it better this way:

As I introduce myself to one of the 400 sworn officers of FWPD, I put on my most winning smile, stick out my hand and say, “Hi, I’m Erick Riddle.” This is usually accepted with a well practice, but genial, glare. I continue to identify myself with my title: “The Chief recently appointed me to be the new Sr. Chaplain.” The glare softens. The officer shifts his/her gaze. Sometimes there is an inarticulate grunting sound.

I soon realized I needed some help to “win friends and influence people.”

Now I add, “I’m taking Dan Coffey’s place!”

The first time I said that, I felt what a Las Vegas slot machine player must feel. The officer’s eyes flashed like strobe lights and he began making very happy sounds. The litany usually begins with, “Oh yeah, Chaplain Coffey. He’s a great guy. I like him.” And it usually concludes with them looking at my size 9 Rockports and saying, “You’ve got some really big shoes to fill!”

So - Dan, have a great time with the ISP. Continue to do great ministry with wonderful people. May God bless you. And please – be careful where you leave your footprints. Someone will be following you.

It’s the Little Things

The Fort Wayne Police Department is blessed with a great liaison officer. Tom Rhoades is always available when I need something and works really hard to make the Chaplain program a success.

He returned a phone call to me to day just as I pulled up to a substation. We talked about our business and then he offered some encouragement. He told me he had been hearing good things about my ministry with the department. He talked to some people I had ridden with on patrol. A Deputy Chief mentioned to him that he liked the results of a project I had completed.

He just wanted to pass that along.

That meant a great deal. It was especially meaningful because I am new with this department and still trying to learn my way around. Police officers are not generally trusting people and it is often challenging to be accepted in their ranks.

I wanted to post this because it was a really good thing for me. I also want to encourage you to encourage someone today. Simply comment on something in a positive way. Tell someone he or she is doing a good job. Say thank you.

Encouragement is fun to receive and to give!

Sharing the Joy

I wish I could bottle what was on those two faces Friday night. They were so excited about what they had seen, heard and learned.

Two young men in our congregation want to pursue careers in law enforcement. One just finished his first year in a college criminal justice program and the other leaves next month for the Army.

Austin witnessed two arrests and Adam was in a high speed pursuit. They want to ride again and are even more determined to seek careers in law enforcement.

It is invigorating to be around young people who are excited about learning and the future.

Looking at the world between a camera and a radar for ten years has tinted that vision I once had. I still want to minister to officers and learn from them. I don’t look forward to high speed chases anymore, but I am a little bit of “an adrenaline junkie.” I still look forward to the future, yet I’m a little concerned about the road that will take me there.

Where’s The Justice

My pager sounded at 1:30 AM on Sunday. A southbound driver was struck by a vehicle that ran a westbound stop sign. The southbound driver was probably killed on impact. Preliminary investigation indicated the southbound driver was intoxicated. He was also unharmed.

Someone at the scene said something like: “Once again the drunk walks away and an innocent person dies. Where’s the justice?”

A conversation illuminated only by the halogen flood lights of a fire truck is not the best situation to launch into a theological diatribe. I tried to offer the assurance that in God’s time there will be ultimate justice.

The good people working the scene nodded in polite agreement. They had probably heard the explanations about the Fall of Man and cursing of the ground recorded in Genesis 3. They could probably recite from childhood Sunday School classes or a Star Wars movie that in the end good triumphs over evil. I suppose I might have pulled out my pocket New Testament and read a few verses about the sovereignty of God.

Later, just a few minutes before 4:00 A.M., I was standing on a dark porch, pounding on a stranger’s door, trying to plan how I would tell him someone he love died on the side of the road just a few miles away.

At that moment, reason, logic and theology did not mean much. I’m not sure which drowned it out. The boom of pounding on the door or the silence of a stilled heart.