Donna and I participated in the International Conference of Police Chaplains annual training seminar last week. It was one of the best I have attended.
One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was that I was a presenter. I was invited to lead a 2 day seminar titled Pastoral Crisis Intervention. I love to teach, I am enthralled with the topic and I am invigorated by law enforcement Chaplains.
The material was developed by and I was trained by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF.) The experts in Psychotraumatology (a word coined by Dr. George Everly) present the basic principles. ICISF has worked for decades with people coping with the symptoms of stress caused by trauma.
This particular material welds together psychological principles and the unique ministry we bring as pastors.
What I bring to the training are my stories.
Stories have a remarkable power.
The principles assembled from the research, data, surveys and studies are foundational. But they don’t mean much in their raw form. People attending the training want to know this stuff really works.
In 24 years of pastoral ministry and 10 years of law enforcement Chaplain experience, I have put these principles to work. When someone teaches me, I appreciate the benefit of his practical experience.
I always hear good response to stories. More importantly, my most influential mentor is a story teller. Jesus tells phenomenal stories.
Please continue to visit my blog. I’ll tell some stories.
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