AND SO IT COMES AND GOES...
It is late Sunday. I have been busy since Thursday when an officer called to say his father had died and would I do the funeral service on Saturday evening. I have known this officer for a very long time. He is one of my favorite friends on the department... Certainly I said yes, I would be honored to serve their need.
Preparation usually is no problem but... It took Thursday night, Friday all day and Saturday morning to get a message that sit well with my spirit. The message took many reads, deletions, many additions and numerous adjustments through prayer before I could put it into my folder and be satisfied I had done my best and had the mind of the Holy Spirit for the service.
From the time I arrived at the mortuary until I finished the evening and stretched out my tired body last night, it was an amazing series of blessings beyond my ability to describe. The service had an ease and a flow that I have never experienced before in doing a Celebration of Life. One of the chaplains of my unit was present and it took him sometime to formulate his very positive comment on the message and the service.
I love Peace Keepers to a depth that few of my cohorts and brethren comprehend. The man I did the Celebration of Life for was a veteran. There were many veterans in the congregation and many police officers in the congregation including the son of the deceased and his significant other who are both members of the Mounted Unit to whom I have been designated chaplain for a great number of years. Up until recently I was allowed to wear the crossed sabers of the Mounted Unit signifying that I was considered part of them. I was most honored to have permission to wear the crossed sabers again yesterday for the service for and to the family and the Mounted Officer.
We never know in advance what a day may bring... Even what a moment may bring. The next ring of the doorbell... The next call on the telephone... The next assignment of duty... The next order of assignment... The next approach of persons... Peace Keepers are now people. We must be ready to move, act or react in the present moment. Move too slow and you may miss something important... or you may never move again. We must develop a sense about us that is like an alarm to tell us when something is not right and how to take the correct counter measures. Chaplains must do the same thing in relation to the spiritual realm and we must learn to follow His leading. If we are willing He will lead us.
In that sense, since Peace Keepers are viewed by Him as His Ministers of Rightness, He wants to lead you when you need it and warn you when you need it. It is possible for all of us to learn how to be led by Him if we desire it. You can start by using the following prayer at the beginning of each day...
Life is arbitrary and cannot be avoided...
Our commander-in-chief is merciful to us,
He makes provision when we request it as we are instructed to do!
THE PEACE KEEPER'S PRAYER.(amplified and expanded from matt.6:8-13 by Chaplain D. R. Staton, VBPD & BLACKWATER TACTICAL WEEKLY)
Our Commander-In-Chief, Creator of us all, I give this, my life,
back to you... So that I can be truly Your Peace Keeper...
And not just your property...
Fulfill your needs, of all you need to receive from me,
by giving to me the following...
Give me Your Kingdom's rule and reign right here inside me...
And all around me...
Give me your will... Your plan in operation inside me...
And all around me...
Give to me all I need for this day... My daily provision...
All I need to cope with the arbitrariness of life in this world...
And all I need to be successful in this assignment upon which
I am about to embark...
Forgive me where I have fallen short of your desires and
instructions for me, and to me, in exactly the same manner
that I forgive others who have fallen short in relation
to me...
Lead me, guide me, so that I not fall into temptation...
Teach me about temptation and traps so that I can recognize
them and avoid them...
Deliver me, keep me free from evil in all of it's forms...
Teach me about evil so that I can recognize it... Avoid it...
Put it down... And eliminate it...
Enlarge my territory... Your affect upon me... Your affect
upon this world through me... And keep me in your company
so that I not cause unnecessary pain...
For the Kingdom, the rule and reign is Yours... Not mine...
The power, the can do for all things is Yours... Not mine...
The glory, all success and all credit for goodness, is Yours... Not mine...
I have nothing that you did not give to me already...
I will not receive anything good unless you give it to me...
For you are the source of all things good and useful...
It has been this way forever...And it will continue to be this way forever!!!
So let it be as I have spoken it,
Your will performed in this life you have given to me!!!...
Keeping me safe and successful in the process of it!!!
Amen!!! (so let it be!!!)
If you are committed to praying this prayer, you might be interested in the following Confession: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..."Proverbs 18:21a (NAS)
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To "confess" means to acknowledge. When you confess the Word of
God (the Bible), you are acknowledging the power (the can do) and truth
(the reality) of that Word in your life. The following is a 'Confession' of
faith for Peace Keepers! The scriptures it was taken from are noted
within the text. It would be good material to always have with you, in
your thoughts and in your heart.
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A PEACE KEEPER'S CONFESSION
I am a PEACE KEEPER for Almighty God! God has called me and
placed me into this position of authority. He is my COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
because I work as His servant for the good of all people (Romans 13:1-4).
I have confidence in my ability to carry out my duties because God
has given me His Spirit, as my Instructor and Guide, and the mind of
Christ, my Eternal Captain, so that I may know His will (1 Corinthians
2:10-16). I call upon God and He gives me wisdom to know how to
handle every situation that I encounter (James 1:5).
My God is my protection. He guards me as I come and go from my
assignments and patrols (Psalm 121:7-8).
His faithfulness is my shield and buckler (wrapping, wrapped in Him) (Psalm 91:4).
The Word of God (which is the Sword of the Spirit) is my primary weapon
for attacking evil (Ephesians 6:17); when I speak it, it protects my life
(Proverbs 18:21a)(Mark 11:23-24) and brings good results. No harm will
come to me, for God's angels protect me as I work (Psalm 91:10-11) and
I am more than a conqueror through Christ (Romans 8:37-39).
My God is the defense of my life, so I fear no one (Psalm 27:1).
He trains my hands for when I have to fight (Psalm 144:1).
I will not be afraid of ambush during the night or the weapons that
come by day (Psalm 91:5-7).
When I come upon trouble, God will be with me and rescue (keep) me (Psalm 91:14-15).
If anyone attacks me, they will be defeated because of me. No weapon that has been made to be used against me shall succeed (Isaiah 54:14-17).
When I call upon Almighty God, the Lord, I am saved from my enemies (Psalm 18:3).
He empowers me to fight against a group of assailants and to leap over walls during a chase (Psalm 18:29)!
I WILL return to my place of rest, (Psalm 23) at the end of every tour of duty, for I shall not die. I will LIVE and tell of the works of the Lord, my Lord, my Almighty God, my COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF (Psalm 118:17)! With a long life He will satisfy me (Psalm 91:16)!
AMEN!
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(Original written by Denise of CopDevotionals, Amplified by Chaplain
D. R. Staton, VBPD & Blackwater Tactical Weekly. Amplified and
used by permission of Denise the original author. You may subscribe
to CopDevotionals at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/copdevotionals)
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We have shared many words in these past eight years. I have prayed many prayers over you in these past eight years and even before that. I have sometimes anguished over your plight and some of you have anguished with me through the deaths of my wife and youngest son and my two precious animals. We have rejoiced together over good news and we have wondered together over some not so good news. It has been a long road but it has been a very rewarding one.
My Commander-In-Chief and I are deeply appreciative of your life and your service to all the rest of us. No good thing we know today would exist without you and your predecessors. I leave you with these words...
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of you. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.
Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.
My daughter, Donna, had the IV port removed from her chest on Tuesday because it was clogged with Candida Albacans, a fungal infection. The infection had become systemic and life threatening. Her blood vessels in her chest, shoulder and neck had to be cleaned out and a new temporary port installed in her right Jugular in her neck. She will be in-patient until the blood is clear and then a new chest port will be installed on the left side. Myself and our two, beautiful four legged children, our Shiba Inu dogs, are doing well except that the little one, who belongs to my daughter, keeps awakening me at night for me to give her attention because she misses her mistress... But that's Ok because it has taken her a year to warm up to me and I enjoy giving her the attention. Everybody ought to own a Shiba Inu at least once in their lives. They are such an adventure.
As it has always been... So it still is!!!
"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu
Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!
ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL
PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!
WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means
doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get
the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace...
it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if
the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God
or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all
the things and people that we hold dear.]
I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer Virginia Beach Police Dept.,
Senior Chaplain and Chaplain Administrator VBPD,
DCJS Certified Police Instructor,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety) VBPD
757-431-2190, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
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